Snow, snow, snow in Utah
 

A little weather and ski report from Park City, UT.

My house and neighborhood looks like scenes from Dr. Zhivago! My yard fence in the front which is 3 feet high has now disappeared completely and the snow shoveling piles of snow at the sides of the driveway are about 6 feet high. I can't throw the snow any higher.

Had to use 4 x4 low gear just to get out of the driveway this morning. Then, it was 25 miles per hour all the way down to SLC to work. Even got there in time!

PC schools are closed today for a snow day. Most of theose lucky little kids will be skiing today.

Skiers - this is a big snow year even by UT standards. Get on out here and enjoy the powder! We have 4 more storms lined up in the next 10 days.

Pretty much same thing here in our little corner of the world, well SW Colorado anyway.

DH just left about an hour ago to ski Telluride.

Stay warm and safe, Dayle,
Deb

Thanks Deb! You too.

And it's in the high 70s - low 80s and sunny here in South Florida.

And no chads yesterday.
And no delegates either (Democrat anyway). I'm Ind.

Will they ever get it right?

Dayle, a little off-topic, but we are coming to Park City in late February and are staying at the Snowcrest Condominiums on Empire street. We will not have a car and want to try out the mexican restaurant El Chubasco. Will we be able to take the free shuttle there without a huge hassle? I can't quite figure it out when looking at the shuttle maps online. Thanks!

Hi Mollmatt,

You shouldn't have any problem. I can't think of the Snowcrest condos exactly, but Empire is one of the main streets and you shouldn't have to walk far to a shuttle stop. Then, you want to go to the Prospector Square area (away from Main Street) to El Chubasco.

Don't expect anything fancy. It's a little locals type place. My old boss and his brother started it quite a few years ago. They sold it a couple years ago, but the restaurant has kept the same menu and food quality.

Have fun!

Dayle - I'm glad you made it down Parley's without a problem this morning.

I'm beginning to think it will never end!

Dayle - are they still grooming the trails?

Please say yes.

Thanks for the report! I leave tomorrow on the 6:50 AM flight from JFK to SLC! I can't wait!

Dayle, You're making me really jealous. I miss the snow! Only got to see it in Boston end of last year. Oh why oh why do we not have snow in Houston! It certainly feels cold enough outside at the moment but I feel cheated, no pretty white stuff! :-(

Dayle, you are making me so.... jealous!! Here in Hot Atl we have had 2 1" snows this year. We usually ski Powder Mountain every year. I always dream of living in Eden. The land prices have really escalated since the Olympics. I envy you! Great move from Ca. to Ut.


mes3

mes3 and karens,

Yes, of course they are grooming some of the runs. They don't groom all of them though. Besides, when it snows like this, the cats can't keep up anyway.

This is what UT skiing is all about. Fresh tracks every run! Whoohoo!! Take this chance to learn powder. Can't describe it, nothing like it.

OK, another foot of fresh, dry UT powder at the house again this morning!

Yesterday they brought in the backhoe to clear our neighborhood streets back to 2 car width. Now the piles of snow on either side of the street are 9 - 10 feet high.

It might be July before I see my daffodils!

Dayle that sounds great! My son who loves to ski but doesn't get to but once a year actually hurt his leg the 1st day he went this year and missed out on the other 3 days. He doesn't get spring break until April 4th and I thought that might be a little late for good skiing, but, maybe not! Who knows, maybe we will try it.

Hi, Dayle!

I've been watching the snow totals all week and drooling. Well, I finally decided to do something about it and booked my trip from San Antonio to SLC for the 17th through 20th just now. It was one of those "I really shouldn't spend the money, but oh, what the heck" kind of things. I've always wanted to ski light powder, and it looks like I may finally have my chance!

Since I'm on a budget, I'm staying in downtown Salt Lake and skipping the rental car. I plan to ski Alta and Snowbird on that Super Pass thing. It looks like I can take the TRAX from a stop a couple of blocks south of my hotel, then the ski bus right up to Snowbird.

Anyway, am I nuts for relying solely on public transportation for this trip? I've done it comfortably in Europe, but the ski bus is a new idea for me!

Thanks, and enjoy all that glorious snow. Even though I'm going to have to work my butt off to earn enough to justify the expense, I can't wait to join y'all up there!!!

Linds

It just cost me $300 today to have my road plowed....that's after paying $200 last Sunday so I could leave and catch my flight and another $315 the week before. The price we pay for all this powder!!!

btw matt, why El Chubasco?

Ncounty,
I've read that El Chubasco is the best place for Mexican food in Park City. Where I live, we don't get very good, authentic, Mexican so when ever we travel out west, we try and find the best places. Do you have an other suggestion?

Lind,

You can actually take the ski bus right from your hotel in downtown SLC. Which hotel are you staying in? That sounds like you are coming during the President's Holiday week. Be prepared for monster crowds, but still lots of fun! It helps to start EARLY, our lifts open at 8:30am.

Try skiing Solitude (Big Cottonwood Canyon) for fewer crowds during that week! Or, Deer Valley if you want to get up here. They are the only resort that limits tickets sales and usually only sell out during Christmas holidays and the President's weekend.

ncounty - $300 to plow your driveway!? Yikes! Must be a long driveway. My drive is very short so I just do it myself. Now there's nowhere to throw the snow. They brought in a backhoe the other day to widen the streets back to 2 lanes. Now the piles of snow are 9 - 10 feet high everywhere, not just by the driveways.

How exciting! We'll be there during President's week too, mainly to tour colleges, but definitely getting some snowboarding/skiing in too!

Lift tickets are so expensive though, and I am wondering if there's a place that sells discounted ones. Any suggestions? We'll be staying at Newpark Resort! Thanks!!

Yea, my driveway is a tenth of a mile AND the wind up there whips up drifts of 5 feet plus. The guys charge 100 bucks an hour to plow so it adds up quickly with a storm like we just had. I've paid $815 in the past two weeks on clearing my road.

Matt: I would personally splurge on a restaurant that I consider BEYOND Mexican food. It is called Chimayo and it is right on Main Street. It is very elegant in a rustic colonial olde Mexico way and is an amazing culinary experience. Fairly pricey but it is the other end of the spectrum from El Chubasco. Check out their websites and see what you feel like.

Yes, Chimayo is a whole different world than El Chubasco. All Bill White's restaurants are very good to excellent. Did you see that Grappa just received the AAA 4 diamond restaurant award? First in Park City to receive that.

Darn, ncounty - have you looked into a season flat rate contract? Or you do live in DV where service industry charges escalate by the altitude?! Friends have told me the higher on the mountain you live, the more they charge. Doesn't matter if it's window cleaning or carpet cleaning or house painting....

PS - latest weather - we're having a beautiful but cold sunny day! Great to see the sunshine, especially since the International Dog Sledding Challenge is running today and the Freestyle Ski competition is at DV this weekend.

It's supposed to start snowing again tonight and continue on through Monday....another major "snow event" as the weatherman says.

Dayle: Thanks for the tip on the flat rate. I just recently learned about it and have to investigate that. My home is in Silver Creek on 13 acres and I bet the flat rate will probably be about $500/month.

Matt- I did more research on El Chubasco and I think I know where that is. The reviews are very good and quite frankly, I was confusing it with the Tacomaker. It is probably a fine place and definitely much less pricey than Chimayo. Chimayo is truly one of those major splurge restaurants and entrees there are in the $40s and appetizers in the high teens. You'll get a lot more for your money at El Chubasco. While you're there though, if you stroll Main Street, stop in and look at Chimayo.... I think it is just darling.

Dayle: Is the Riverhose part of his group? I love Wahso as well; so swank and gorgeous. We ate at the Riverhorse during Sundance and just Loved the music in the atrium room. This guy named Jeff was doing guitar and vocals, fabulous voice and great selection of music...especially for a forty-something.

ncounty,

the White Restaurant Group is

Grappa
Wahso
Chimayo
Windy Ridge Cafe & Bakery (less $)
Ghidotti's (at Redstone)

Are you new to town and to Fodor's? Maybe you can join BarbaraS and I when we do our mini GTGs!

Hi, guys!

Wow...all that money to plow your driveway? Guess I didn't think of that! Ouch!!!

Dayle -- Thanks for the tip on Solitude. I'll check it out! I'm staying downtown at the Howard Johnson Express. The ski bus may come within a few blocks of there, but I can't tell from the UTA website. When I put in my "starting" address (at North Temple and 300 West), it gives me an itinerary that includes 3 transfers. Yikes! Do you know of any hotels around there where the ski bus stops? I don't mind walking. I'm renting my skis on the mountain to avoid lugging them around with me.

Also, any ideas where I can redeem my voucher for the Super Pass? Travelocity gave me a printable voucher, but I think I have to have the card in order to get my lift tickets, free rides on UTA, etc.

Jayneann -- I see you're staying in Park City. Does anybody know if there's the equivalent of a Super Pass for Park City, Deer Valley, etc.? If so, that would be the way to go for lift tickets. The Super Pass includes free public transport in Salt Lake, including the ski buses up to Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude, and a lift ticket for all those resorts. I got a 2-day pass for $106. You can't beat that with a stick!

Thanks again, guys. I'm so excited -- I went out today and bought goggles, fleece, etc. for my trip. Yay!

Linds

Hi Linds,

That's a great deal!! I just learned I can get discounted tickets for Park City at Canyon Sports Shops. Now I just need to figure out which one is closest to Kimball Junction where we'll be staying! Happy skiing!!

Boy, this thread has a bunch of different topics going now, doesn't it?
I saw the website for Chimayo. It looks good but I'm traveling with 2 teenaged boys so it's out of the budget for us. Any suggestions for fun, good meals for us? Places on Main Steet especially...?

Linds - to get to Solitude from the Howard Johnson you could walk a block and catch the Trax train at the Delta Center stop and get off at 7200 South. Then take the #92 to Solitude. Have Fun!

Hi,

Mollmatt: Yea, two teenaged boys, I would avoid Chimayo. Try El Chubasco, your original plan. It is in a strip mall generally not in the midst of anything you would be seeking but the food may be good. On Main Street, I would consider Main St. Pizza and Noodle which is good for families. They do have lots of young kids there. I like their Santa Fe pizza which has chicken, cilantro and onions. Another choice is Buona Vita at the bottom of main street. It is good Italian food. A place I like for atmosphere is the No Name Saloon but may not be appropriate for boys unless at lunch time. Food is so so but I like the ambiance.

Dayle- would love to join your GTGs some time. I have owned a second home in Park city for about 18 years. I get there about 6-8 times a year. Most visits are with kids so it is pretty hectic but if I am up there on my own some time, I'll let you know and see if it works in with a GTG. Thanks for the invite!

Linds- so adventurous of you.... write back and let us know how it goes. I have also heard that Solitude is the least crowded of the resorts so it is a good choice. I've done public transportation in Europe as well taking a bus to a train to another bus to get from an airport to a little village on Lago di Como but somehow I never think of doing that here. I enjoy the Silver Fork Lodge on the way back down from Solitude for food and atmosphere but it may not work with the bus route or schedule.

Linds,

Unfortunately there is NO public trans between SLC and Park City. There is a multi-resort pass called the Silver Pass. There is a Canyon Sports at The Canyons Ski resort. You can also get discount lift passes at Smith's grocery store at Kimball Junction and at the Village Sports Den on Foothill Dr. on the east side of SLC.

If you are renting at the resort, pick a rental store that will let you store your skis overnight so you don't have to hassle with the whole rental process again the next day!

Matt, for more "reasonable" meals on Main Street - add to your list

The Eating Establishment (open all day for all meals, great food)

Red Banjo Pizza
The Hungry Moose
Wasatch Brewery isn't too costly

Hi Barbara! Are you getting excited for Italy????

Hi Dayle,

I just read in your post that you can buy discounted tickets at Smith's Grocery store in Kimball Junction, where we'll be staying. Do you know if the discount is comparable to the one at Canyon Sports? ($110 for 2 days at Park City) Thanks for your help!

Jayneann,

I'm sorry I have no idea. My guess would be that it would be the same. The company I work for buys discounted lift tickets and sells them individually to our employees. $55 per day (Park City Mtn Resort) is the same discount my company gets.

there are 2 other ski areas in Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons. You could get discounts for those too.

I buy season passes so I'm more familiar with those.

Thanks for getting back to me Dayle. I'm very happy to know I can get discounted tickets!! We are also flying to Colorado to check out colleges and do some skiing, but there's no discounts there!!!!!

Dayle - I'm so excited for Italy. I received a confirmation number for Scavi tickets and sent my CC info and have been waiting more than a week for the final confirmation. Now I need to organize all my notes and get a detailed itinerary planned. Are you planning a trip?

Barbara S- when are you going to Italy and what is your itinerary? I love Italy; one of my favorite places. I went to Milan and Lake como last summer.

My Canyons snow report says that it has snowed 83 inches in the past 8 days!!!

Dayle- I didn't know SMith's still sold discount ski lift tickets; that is great!

ncounty,

Oops, maybe I better check on the Smith's discount tickets. Maybe I'm giving outdated info!

Smith's in Park City does have discount lift passes for Park City, The Canyons and Snowbird.

You can also buy discount lift tickets to The Canyons at Costco.com

Ncounty - We are going to Italy the middle of May for the first time! Here's a link to a thread with my itinerary http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35019643. I'd love your comments as well.

Hi Barbara,

It looks like a great trip! Italy is such a spectacular country. This summer, I went with about 2 or 3 weeks notice/planning and did Lake Como and Milan with side trips to Lugano and Bergamo. For a future trip, I definitely recommend Lake Como with Varenna as your home base. It is spectacular. The other highlight was Bergamo. It is a great day trip spending a few hours in "old town" Bergamo. If you ever get to Milan, one of my favorite museums is there.... called the Ambrosiana.

I happen to fall into the LOVE Tuscany group and would side with only 2 days on CT and add one day to Florence.

I just got back from Park City this morning. I have never seen so much snow in my life and I have been skiing for 29 years very consistently. I skied Park City, Deer Valley, the Canyons, and Solitude. Deer Valley was great but mostly groomed runs-the best part is no snowboarders. The Canyons had so much snow I didn't know which end was up but thankfully was with a friend who skis there often. Yesterday at Park City it was snowing really bad and I almost wimped out, but once I got to the top and the Silverlode/King Con lifts it was clear and POWDER!!! Knee deep!!! Get out there quickly! Wish I had known about the discounts!

Abbey, Glad to hear you had a good time!

Barbara, no trips to Europe for me. I've been pinched too badly by inflation and the sunken dollar. You're going to have a wonderful time though! We need to get together before you leave.

ncounty - Barbara has a list of places to visit in Italy that is a mile long. We have to give her a break as it's her first time! Do you come to PC for the Arts Festival, Jazz Festival, or other events? Let me know and we'll plan something. I have another friend who lives in Silver Creek.

Ciao and deep powder to all