Snowboarding Part 1: Park City, Utah

Why Not Go Snowboarding?

Utah is the fourth state that I have snowboarded in, and I would rate it as an average destination for snowboarders.  This is mostly due to the limitations for snowboarders.  We went specifically to the two Vail owned resorts in Park City, Park City and Canyons, because these resorts were included in our Epic Local pass.  In reality these are the only two resorts in the area that are truly welcoming to snowboarders.  The nearby Alta and Deer Valley do not allow snowboarders to experience their slopes.  A legal dispute has erupted since these resorts are on national forest, and by not allowing snowboarders they are essentially denying US citizens from using federal land.  Utah though I have always found be filled with the most clean cut, helpful, and legitimately kind residents.  The resorts we did visit and Park City in general were no exception to my experience. 

Park City Mountain Resort

Park City would not be considered snowboarder friendly at first glance as two of the resorts in the area do not even allow snowboarders.  However, I found this resort exceptionally welcoming to snowboarders.  Even the skiers I rode the lifts with were overwhelmingly friendly, wanting to compare and contrast different resorts and conditions of the day.  Park City is a large resort, which the trail map subdivides into 7 different areas.  Each area of the resort is best experienced at different times of the day, based on the sun position.  We consulted employees stationed at each trail map board (at the top of most lifts) as to what areas were prime for riding at that moment.  Not surprisingly, the east facing runs rode best in the morning and the west facing runs rode best in the afternoon. 

The west facing King Con mountain zone, serviced mostly by the King Con lift became my favorite area of the trip.  The predominantly blue area was less crowded that the front face or green areas at the summit.  The runs were wide, easily accommodating large crowds.  King Con was an express lift, ensuring more ride time than lift time. 

One of the blue runs in the King Con area.

Lastly, the Neffland terrain park with its own dedicated lift is located within the King Con area.  Neffland offers entry level terrain features surrounded with giant fake candy canes that are more typical of front yards in the holiday season.  Fake candy canes can make any jump more approachable.   The front side and summit were popular for beginners, and on the more advanced slopes we rarely encountered other skiers or riders.  

We visited Park City on the Thursday and a Saturday.  I pleasantly surprised the weekend was not much busier than the weekday.  Both days we easily found chairlifts with little or no wait time. 

The front slopes of Park City on a Saturday.  The crowds are as small as during the week.

Canyons Resort

When we were at Canyons conditions were exceptionally bad.  So, my review here must be taken in context with the conditions in mind.  Canyons is at a lower elevation that Park City, which accounts for the decreased snow cover.  I like to ride at resorts where I can trust the resort to only open when conditions are decent.  I do not trust Canyons at all.  Warm winters and bad conditions (such as little snow cover) are bound to happen at any resort every so often.  Self-respecting resort managers know to close runs or even whole sections of the mountain if that is the case.  When I say I don’t trust Canyons, it’s because runs were open that should have been closed.  At times I was forced to weave my snowboard on at 2 foot wide snow slick around 20 foot ride gravel patches.  I would have preferred that those horrible condition runs were simply closed so I wouldn't have the opportunity to go down them and damage my board so much as I did. 

This run was actually open when we were at Canyons. 

Conditions in the beginner area at the top of the gondola were better, but the crowds in that area, as with most beginner areas, could get pretty thick.  Even so, we did not have to wait more than a couple of minutes to get on the saddleback lift.  There are 3 different sized terrain parks in that part of the mountain, along with some terrain features on the bunny hill.  The features on the bunny hill were in the form of banked turns which I believe are meant to teach turning, but I had fun with them either way.  Probably the best part of the mountain, which I am sure would be even more fun in better conditions is the Colony.  This area, which is accessible from the tombstone lift, is comprised of mostly blue runs which are substantially less crowded than other areas of the mountain.  Runs within the Colony wind past houses and roads, through tunnels, and over bridges.  The plethora of tunnels and bridges gave runs at the Colony a unique feeling. 

The Canyons did offer a free spring concert series while we were there.  The music was not to our taste, but the concerts appeared to be popular amongst the locals.  

A concert at Canyons durring our trip.

Other Stuff

Vail, which owns Canyons, acquired Park City this year in a somewhat hostile take over.  Over summer, Vail plans to add a gondola which will connect the two resorts, creating the largest ski area in North America.  I will be interested to see how well this integration works.

We had a few extra hours the afternoon before our flight.  So we decided to tour the largest tourist attraction in Salt Lake City, the Temple Square.  Temple Square is a collection of 35 acres in downtown Salt Lake City owned by the Church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).  We wandered through the north and south visitor centers which offer mannequin like displays and portraits of prophets or miniature replicas of Jerusalem during the time of Christ or the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.  We were offered, and went on tours of the Tabernacle, Assembly Hall, and Beehive House (the house of Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Mormon church, and essentially the founder of Salt Lake City) led by Mormon Missionaries.

Inside the Beehive house, the house of Brigham Young.

I am not a Mormon, and neither were many of the visitors.  The couple we toured the Beehive House with were atheists.  I never felt like I was being preached to by the missionaries or that they were trying to convert me, although their love for their religion was apparent.  While the buildings of the Temple Square are owned by the Mormon Church, they are historically important as many of them date from the 1800s when Salt Lake City was founded.  The buildings are also exceedingly well maintained, and offer a unique opportunity for visitors to view something so well preserved from that time period.  In some ways I think the Temple Square is America’s version of the Vatican, a city with a large collection of historical buildings where the leaders of a Christian denomination work and live, and anyone can visit.  One thing to note, is that non-Mormons are not allowed to enter the Temple, which is by far the largest and magnificent building within the complex.  Even members of the Church of Latter-day saints can only enter on certain occasions.  There are enough other buildings and tours to keep visitors entertained for at least a few hours.  The tours and building access are free, not something I can say of most Cathedrals I have visited in Europe.

The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.