snowbird & beginning skiier
 

I'm trying to finalize a ski trip for my family for the last week of March. I've focused on Snowbird because of its reputation for good spring skiing as well as its accessibilty to SLC and lower cost airfare from Detroit. Here's my concern. My kids (ages 12 & 14) snowboard but my husband and I ski. Though I'm a good skiier, my husband is a beginner. Are there enough beginner and intermediate runs to keep a beginner skiier happy for a few days? I know Alta is nearby for us skiiers, but I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving the kids on their own at Snowbird. They have the run of resorts here in Michigan, but it ain't the Rockies. Thanks.

My guess is that the amount of green or blue acreage at Snowbird is probably bigger than the total of all runs at any Mich. area, plus it's very easy to make a big confidence jump during a week of intense skiing in good conditions.

Be aware, tho, that blues and greens in the West are often tougher than those in the Midwest and East.

Mineral Basin (near the connection to Alta) has some very nice easy slopes.

My guess is Snowbird will work fine.

If you're staying in SLC, head up the other canyon (Big Cottonwood) to Solitude. Great family resort that's more geared for beginners and intermediates.

Beaueng, if you haven't already, take a look at the trail map for Snowbird: http://www.snowbird.com/pages/shared...gory_id=020503. It appears that many of the greens are traverses, or paths that traverse horizontally across the mountain as a way to get down, not always the funnest way to ski as a beginner. These traverses can often bottleneck and be very narrow. Someone who has skied there more recently correct me if I'm wrong. It's been a while since we skied there so I don't remember.

Why couldn't the kids board at Alta? Does it not allow boarders?

If I were you I'd check all of the Utah resort trail maps for quantity of greens and blues. Is Snowbird's spring skiing that much better than any of the others there? There are so many so close together it seems there might be another one with more greens. Our favorites out there were Alta and Solitude. We really loved Solitude. Check out there trail map, lots of greens and blues especially. http://www.skisolitude.com/trailmap.cfm

Good luck, and enjoy. Utah skiing is heavenly!

Stephie

We went to Snowbird with some friends who were green/blue skiers, and they were bored with the limited terrain. I suggest you look at Solitude, Park City or the Canyons in the SLC area. All should have plenty of snow during the last week of March.

No, Alta does not allow boarders.

Stephie is indeed incorrect. Rothman Way is a traverse, but there are runs like Lunch Run and Chip's Run that provide plenty of vertical and wide open slopes without being ``cat tracks.''

It might appear that some of the blue/green runs on the map move across the hill -- and hint that they might be traverses. That's because, unlike some other areas, Snowboard has a major spine down the center of its front face making the terrain more varied because of side slopes.

Plus the Mineral Basin area has plenty of wide-open greens off the Baldy Express.

But it's alway good to study trail maps, especially out West where the sheer size makes mistake more miserable.

Many mountains have free slope tours set up by ability. That might be the ticket for hubby's first day.

Thanks for the info. Have looked into Solitude and it looks great for our family's varied needs. If all goes well with this trip, will look forward to Snowbird another time.

beaueng:

Solitude also has a cool electronic lift pass system. If you want to try another area close by, Brighton is just up the road from Solitude.

padams,
Very few blue/green skiers seem to make it to Mineral Bowl. Those are some very nice runs -- near the link to Alta. I think the terrain's there, just overwhelmed by the layout.

If you have just skiers, the Snowbird-Alta combo pass is one of the best combos in North American skiing. A couple of us did over 50K of vertical on one day there.

Definitely think Solitude will work best for your family; maybe with a day trip to Brighton just up the road, since that should work for your family as well, if you want some variety. (Park City wouldn't be bad, but I think the snow will be better in Big Cottonwood Canyon in late March, so I'd still lean towards Solitude.)

I will chime in with saying that Snowbird is NOT the best choice for beginners/low intermediates. I was an aggressive intermediate the time I was there, and while I had fun, it was very challenging for me, and my less aggressive friend was somewhat miserable. By reputation even, Snowbird doesn't have the best beginner terrain - sure it's ALL better than Michigan, but with even better choices (such as Solitude), don't settle!

Have a great time. Utah skiing is a blast!

Just got back from 5th trip to Utah- Snowbird is a bad mt for beginners.There motto is "Come Ski a Real Mountain". Ski to the wrong area and a beginner would have a hard time getting safely down. Solitude is no picnic but is not as crowded and has affordable slopeside lodging options.
Alta has better beginner options than the Bird and no knuckle draggers.

I would recommend Park City

Hi. I just read an article in USToday about how snow conditions this year in Utah were GREAT. I'm jealous. I'm an beginner-intermediate skier and the Poconos (our closest mountains, and I use the term mountains loosely when referring to the Poconos) aren't great. We're hesitant to travel up to VT/NH b/c I hear so much about the ice up there. We've hoping to head to the Utah with the boys in next couple years, so I am reading this thread with great interest.

Another article mentioned that there are plans to connect the ski areas in Utah into one, huge mega-resort.

karens,
The first trip to the West for an eastern or midwestern skier is definitely an eye-opener. But Utah is my favorite place to go in North America.

The chances for consistently good snow, the number of varied resorts withing easy reach of each other (and the airport) and the range of lodging sets it apart.

There's not just ``something'' for every budget and ability level -- there are a lot of choice for every budget and ability. As someone you've skied as far north as Alaska and as far south as Maryland, I can't get enough of Utah.

While I'm in the minority on Snowbird (where the beginner I took had a ball and left with a great sense of accomplishment), I'm glad most seem to agree with my Solitude suggestion. It's a great intro mountain to Western skiing and has better late March snow and fewer crowded days than Park City.