Man when did wax get expensive? I haven't bought any in several years and today my new skis and snowboard, and my wife's skis thirsty bases used the last of my ch6 and i had to make up the difference with a chunk of hot sauce i don't remember buying. Now instead of ch6 and 8 it's ps# at $30 a bar!? Looks like I'm gonna be buying nos wax off ebay

Loveland is one of my favorite places in the world. Fly to Denver, stay at the georgetown lodge, eat a breakfast burrito while the traffic stacks up outside the tunnel. That's if you just want to ski, no apres but the georgetown lodge has an indoor-ish pool. Loveland used to do ticket/lodging/rental packages but looks like they may not anymore but they do offer 20% off lodging at the lodge.

At this point in the season, there won't be anywhere that's low dollar. Lovelands day passes are $145 each plus rentals.

Pre COVID. Post COVID wax is 2-3x more expensive than before. Even after discount in probs paying 50-100% more than 2020. You may find better luck w a different brand. Swix is the most expensive by far. Unless we're using performance wax, we don't use our Swix. You'll go broke buying Swix at 85g pop so instead We buy the bricks of Purl for anything non race. It's not bad. Probs like $20-35 a lb depending on your pricing level and w a 1lb block you get about 30 waxes. We buy a brick of blue a brick of purple and a brick of graphite per skier per season. With those three @ 15g/wax its enough to wax your skis almost every ski day at 100 days a year.

Ski Monarch is the best price but it's not much of a ski hill. It's like $70-120 for day passes and like $40-60 for rentals. Biggest problem w Monarch is you're a solid 3 hours from Denver and It's isn't very green and Blue friendly.

I think you're going to find that at this point in the season, it's going to be hard to find much that's budget friendly inside the US. There are some spots in Canada you could go but not much in the US.

In CO, Loveland used to offer 20% off stays at Georgetown Lodge. The only other ski and stay combo that I know of with them is through Comfort Inns in West golden which is a solid 40+ minutes on the wrong size of 70 from the hill. It was like $259 for passes skis and room and 20% off rentals but you're staying in Denver and driving to the hill.

In Colorado the only real "budget" Hills are Eldora (not really Alterra kinda killed them at $159-179/day + rentals but its close to denver), Powderhorn, WC, Monarch, Purg, Loveland, Cooper and Granby Ranch. You could put Purg into that catagory because of the cheap lift tickets but that's a stretch at this point in the season given the flights to Durango from Austin are like $300+ w a 5 hour layover in Denver and lodging are probs crazy.

Cooper & Granby Ranch are flat. They arent really what you think of when you think of a ski hill. Cooper has like 9 runs that's arent black and only like 1100 ft of vertical. Cooper is a hell of a drive too.

Monarch is the better out of those options but there still isn't much beginner level. The day passes are going to be $89-129+ which isn't bad. The rentals will be like $45-50 a day which isn't bad, but you're a solid 3+ hours from Denver w no traffic and very little non-expert terrain.

Loveland has the right terrain but your going to be paying more to ski, for rentals, and lodging since you're going to be having to find lodging in the Keystone Breck Cooper area unless you want to drive up 70 from Denver each morning which I highly recomend not doing.

WC wouldn't be a bad option but you'll be driving and not flying. If you're flying it doesn't make sense.

Honestly, if you're going to CO and these were my options, I'd probs go WC or Loveland or wait until next year and buy early at a hill you actually want to ski. Loveland and WC are the only ones id consider to really match with what you're looking for terrain wise. The others will either be too easy or way to hard and a Long Drive to get there (sans WC)

I'd look at UT outside SLC.

If I was you. I'd look at Brighton in UT or even maybe Solitude.

Here are the weekend pass rates for UT hill that are under $200/day. Whats quoted are the CHEAPEST days of the season available. It doesn't mean all daypasses are this rate.

UT



CO - again these are the cheapest day available not every day. Most LL weekend passes are $102-145 not $89.



I didnt add anything about sunlight because I can already tell you its not a good choice.

Brighton and Solitude are great places to ski! Lived in SLC during high school and primarily skied Alta but went to Big Cottonwood with friends a bunch of times. Now I live in Durango and would kill to have a solitude quality mtn here!

Is BCC as much of a mess gietting up up as LCC? I skiied one day at Solitude years ago and enjoyed it. Alta is probably my favorite mtn anywhere.

Depends on what time you drive up.

If you are at the mouth of the canyon before 8 am, no problem. If you hit the mouth of the canyon between 8 am and 10 am, it's going to be rough.

Both Brighton and Solitude are taking measures to encourage carpooling and using the bus, so they are having reservations for paid parking. The parking becomes cheaper depending on the number of people you have in your car. That is what they were doing for Solitude last season. I don't know the exact amounts and policies for this year.

ChipFTAC01 said:

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Is BCC as much of a mess gietting up up as LCC? I skiied one day at Solitude years ago and enjoyed it. Alta is probably my favorite mtn anywhere.

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Don't live there anymore but my brother has to get a parking reservation before driving up to Snowbird/ Alta. Have heard traffic is absolutely terrible. SLC has become a tech center and the place for young professionals that want to hike/ ski/ bike/ climb.

BCC is no worse than I-70 up from Denver and back on a Saturday/Sunday. I drive them alot since I worked for Solitude.

Overall Solitude is still a gem. Once you get on the mountain, there are typically very few lift lines.

As a SLC local, when we do a yearly stay at the base of a mountain ski trip, we always go to Solitude. The lodging is just so much cheaper than the other options.

The downside for out of towners staying up there is that Solitude is actually solitude! There's no town up big Cottonwood Canyon, so there's not a whole lot up there to do outside of skiing, although there are a couple small restaurants and bars at the base. Nothing like Park city though.

I'm assuming since OP mentioned its for skiing that they would be hitting the hill early.

Heres the reserved parking. But now for Feb weekends.

https://www.parkbrightonresort.com/

It's only $25 for 4 people for the day. Vail is $15 an hour.

It is only 13 miles from the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon to Solitude Ski area. So even if you hit it when it is running slow, it's still just 13 miles.

If You pick Solitude, Creekside is super nice. It's owned primarily by the Developmer of Solitude and the CEO.

It's probs my fav lodging on the hill.

Again, it's all about timing. Most people I know who go to Solitude or Brighton on the weekend leave their house in Salt Lake City between 7 and 730. Then they are able to just zip up the canyon quickly without any traffic at all. Also, you get an awesome parking spot! Then you have some time to hang out, have some breakfast and a coffee before the day begins.

If you do Loveland, VRBO/Airbnb are the way to go. We've stayed as far away as Dumont and are staying in Georgetown this year. The drive isn't bad at all. Frisco and Idaho Springs are options as well.

You can acquire cheap 4Pak tickets third party on Facebook BUT BEWARE Loveland does monitor and regularly cancels 4Pak tickets they find for sale online. We've done it before and you wind up paying $70-90 a ticket but there is the chance Loveland tells you to pound sand.

4 Paks go on sale late summer until November and work out to like $70 a ticket. That are valid any day and transferrable (but not technically sellable). They're a great deal but you have to buy 4. Last year, 2 feet of snow hit in the middle of our trip and we only got to ski 3 days. I sold my extra for $50 to a guy at a picnic table who couldn't have been more excited.

rather be fishing said:

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I don't really want to see more people, but Schweitzer is really not a bad drive from Spokane. It's about an hour drive to Sandpoint and another 20 minutes up the mountain. They've got lodging in the village.

I'm equidistant between Spokane, Missoula, and Kalispell, so very familiar with the airports. Spokane is always significantly cheaper to fly through than Kalispell.

I believe there are direct flights from GEG to Dallas on Southwest and American.

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Yes Spokane, but I'd say Silver Mountain over Schweitzer.

The place is built for kids, literally. It's an easy drive off the highway. Minimal lift lines. Skis like a west resort. They do little things like give out smore kits at the front desk.

AND, has the waterpark. Too many times weather can ruin it for kids, so a solid fall back to save the vacation.

6" of fresh snow last night at Park City and I still don't understand what people like about skiing powder... Everything that I was enjoying the past few days was way more difficult today and honestly just kinda sucked

Yeah I'm right there with ya, it's a technique thing I think and one I just don't have. Also some more waist in the skis helps but I don't own anything other than my 82's

HUEY04 said:

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6" of fresh snow last night at Park City and I still don't understand what people like about skiing powder... Everything that I was enjoying the past few days was way more difficult today and honestly just kinda sucked

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Certainly takes some getting used to but when you master it it's like a drug you're always trying to catch that high, it's like skiing on a cloud.

I think that was my problem, I just did a lesson earlier in the week and have been trying to really focus on attacking down hill with my upper body out over my downhill ski and suddenly it wasn't working at all.

I'd say 6 is the bottom Range of what I'd call a powder day. Under 6 is a refill. I'm on 98s and 107s so a powder day is when I pull out the 110-120s.

Yeah gotta sit back and let your toes open and float. It's more of a water ski vibe. The powder is the friction that will pull you down but also keep you into control. If your stance is correct you can't really go too fast because the snow holds you back

Thanks, I'll get a couple blocks of Purl. I won't be able to tell the difference

And thanks for treading lightly. You can trash the NM hills but don't mess with my Luv

Comparing it to water skiing explains so much for me, as I've never been able to get up on water skis.

I'd love like hell to get in real powder on wide skis and get taught the way.

I agree that 6" is not a pow day.

I hard disagree about anything sitting back. Blower gets easier when a) charge, front of the boot, narrow the ski gap and get speed - point them downhill and b) learn to load a ski to fling you turn-to-turn. It's the dolphin looking move - pretty intuitive once you start applying weight, then unload.

I ski a QST in 115 for my PNW pow planks. I can charge 2' of fresh with them.

Groomer day I like to ski steeps for the floating effect. Brief and fleeting during a jump turn. Blower days, it's endless floating feeling, turn-to-turn. It's like you weigh nothing and there's no consequence for anything you try!

Ninja edit: bumps and pow - keep the upper pointer downhill. Let you legs articulate. If you lean back in either, you'll miss-load skis and the outside will run away from you quicker than the inside. Stay forward, body always facing downhill.

12 inches over 10 expected at WC and AF. They need it bad so lets all keep them in our prayers.

Breck w 18 Over 2 . Telly, Vail, BC, WP all around 6-9.

PC, Solitude & JH picked up 6-10.

If anyones at Vail or BC in Feb and we catch a powder day or two, HMU and I'll give you guys and gals a free POW skiing lesson. We can run some warm ups down 2 and then go over the back and do a POW tree run to GC Bowl and then back over to Ricky/Slot and over to 21 and hit China.

It's much easier to show you the technique than to try and explain it here.

I can make sure you're all on proper pow skis too.

We can do a ski switch lesson and anything else you want to focus on. Last year I did a tree and park day w a couple of people that were super fun. One texagger that I met up with last year picked up nose butter and nailing 360 off the front side pump tracks hella solid in probs 2-3 hours. It was a vibe.

Steamboat just got 15 inches in the last 24 hours. 136 inch season total so far.