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Firsthand Report: The Canyons
By J.R. Patten, DCSki Columnist

December 26, 2008 —  

“Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony”
    — Morpheus (that’s right, the one from The Matrix)

In a hideous turn of events, ski resorts in the east received a ton of snow early this season.

Yep, hideous.

Yes, this site is about skiing in the east. But, see, I went out west this year. I assumed that since the ski season in Utah starts around November, and ski season means lots of snow, I would go in late December and there would be, you know, snow.

How foolish of me.

As it turns out, the mid-Atlantic (and the east coast in general) had a record cold early season this year, and many areas in the east received tons of snow. Utah, in the meantime, was unseasonably warm, and received precious little. Thank goodness I flew all the way across the country to enjoy “The Greatest Snow on Earth.” Then, as soon as I left, a huge storm hit Park City. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.

Riding the Cabriolet towards the base of The Canyons, covered by only a light coating of the “Greatest Snow on Earth” in mid-December, 2008. Photo provided by J.R. Patten.

It’s hard for me to really paint a true picture of the Canyons in its prime, since it was so far from its prime while I was there. The best I can do is tell you what it was like while I was there. And the best way I can think to put it is, well, somewhat “eastern.”

The first day I skied, December 13th, 2008, there were four short runs open, including one to-the-side terrain park. It was more like one run that split into two parts and met back up. The lines were a little long (longer than you normally find out west, anyway, and I’m sure longer than the Canyons expects) and the slopes were a bit crowded.

The second day, December 14th, was not tremendously better, though there were a few more runs open, and the lines seemed a bit shorter. But, overall, it seemed a lot like an east-coast day (short runs and long lines), just a few thousand feet higher and a lot farther away.

On neither day could you actually ski all the way down the mountain. The only way to get down was to take the gondola.

One thing (besides the lack of snow and long-ish lines) that bothered me, particularly on the second day, was my hunch that much more terrain seemed ready to open. I could see slopes that were completely covered, and some that even had tracks (ski patrol’s, I’m sure). It seemed a bit scrooge-like of them to not open slopes they could have. Granted, I’m no snow condition expert, and they may very well have had good reason for leaving them closed, but it seemed like a strategic business decision rather than one made to please paying (and surely disappointed) customers.

However, like I said, this was a far cry from The Canyons in its prime. As you can see from their trail map, the resort is huge. It’s the biggest resort in Utah, in fact, and it keeps getting bigger. They’re opening up an entirely new area (the Iron Mountain area) and at least one new lift. Tree skiing will be increased thanks to planned grading (thinning of trees) in areas of the resort, and they plan to triple their lodging capacity within the next 5 years. One of the expansions is a new lodge managed by Waldorf-Astoria, so it seems they are bumping up quality as well as quantity.

If conditions were perfect, and everything was open, The Canyons is big enough to take up an entire vacation. The sheer quantity of terrain available at The Canyons makes it the best deal in town, even though there are three ski resorts nearly within walking distance. Park City Mountain Resort is close to The Canyons, and though I have not skied there, the locals have a nickname for it. I’ll give you a hint: it rhymes with “City” and it isn’t pretty.

When fully open, The Canyons offers 163 trails and an expansive 3,700 skiable acres. Photo provided by J.R. Patten.

Also nearby is Deer Valley Resort (which DCSki recently covered, and which had more terrain open than The Canyons while I was there). Deer Valley is quite nice, but is known more for its elegance and service than variety of skiing (which is not to say the skiing is sub-par — it isn’t. Deer Valley is known to have some of the best groomed runs on the planet.) The lift tickets at Deer Valley cost about the same as The Canyons, and the resort is not as large, so The Canyons may be the best bang for your buck if you’re looking to maximize skiing possibilities.

If you’re looking to ski The Canyons this winter, the resort has a number of great accomodations, including three beautiful ski-in, ski-out lodges and hotels. But, Park City is a cool town and it could certainly be fun staying downtown. As I mentioned in my summer article about the resort, Park City is a great town to hang out in. When I wasn’t spending my nights jamming on my banjo, I was downtown enjoying the nightlife and brewpubs (even if they can only serve 3.2% beer). After all, downtown is only a few miles away from The Canyons, and Park City has a shuttle bus system that runs between resorts. It costs about $3 per person per trip.

Nearby Salt Lake City received one of its first major snowstorms of the season on December 13, 2008, providing a necessary shot in the arm to Park City ski areas. Photo provided by M. Scott Smith.

If you happen to hit the resort at a less than ideal time, there’s still plenty to keep you happy. There are more National Parks in Utah and surrounding states than there are east of the Mississippi. Should you find the conditions not phenomenal (say, only having 4 runs open) it’s a quick ride down to southern Utah where you could get in some fantastic winter hiking at Canyonlands or Arches National Parks. Those places can get overbearingly hot in the summer, but in the winter they are very cool and temperate. The hiking there is wonderful during the winter.

I certainly did not find “The Greatest Snow on Earth” at The Canyons while I was there. I’d love to go back when the conditions are better and experience such a seemingly fantastic resort at its best. Plus, shortly after I left they received multiple feet of snow and have opened 84 more trails and 9 more lifts.

I guess timing really is everything.

Know before you go:

• At time of writing, lift tickets cost $81. You can check on their current price here.
• There are a number of packages you can get from the resort to save you money.
• The resort’s website has a flight finder to help you find flights, but I suspect you could do better with a little hunting at places like Orbitz or Travelocity.
• You can check the snow report before you plan your trip to find out how much is open.

Related Links:

• The Canyons Resort

About the Author

J.R. Patten is an ultramarathon runner, backpacker, skier, and general outdoor nut. And he shows up to class at Georgia Tech from time to time. To read other articles by J.R., click here.

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