last updated by Steve Corbató (corbato __AT__ xmission.com) at: Tue Dec 30 16:47:46 MST 2014

This page has been updated for alpine ski visitors to Salt Lake City during the 2013-14 season. This page is originally derived from a Web site designed for a ski trip that we organized during the Joint Techs workshop in Salt Lake City in February 2005. This event was reprised in January 2010 when Joint Techs returned to the University of Utah.

During most of ski season, Utah is on Mountain Standard Time (MST = GMT-7h) - two hours behind New York and one hour ahead of California. Utah does observe Daylight Savings Time.

• Click for the current time in Utah

Ten-digit dialing (i.e., with area code) is required for all local calls in the Salt Lake City/Ogden/Provo area (area code 801 and the 385 overlay)

• Park City is in area code 435

2013-14 season notes

• (December 29) Relatively slow start to the season with frequent high pressure periods between storms

Pointers to more information...

Topics

• Daily updates (snow conditions, weather, roads)
• Ski rental and equipment sales locations
• Major northern Utah ski areas
• Other sources for ski information
• Restaurant recommendations
• Some liquor law insights
• Housing recommendations
• Transportation
• Related information for visitors

Daily updates

• Snow conditions
  • Utah resort snow report compilation (Ski Utah)
  • Individual area snow reports
    • Alta (mountain cams, season snowfall history)
    • Snowbird (mountain cams)
      • This season's snow depth timeline (in inches of water equivalent) as measured at the Snowbird Snotel station and compared to the average readings since 1981 and to several recent seasons (NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center)
        • High resolution version (better for plot reading during the early season)
    • Solitude
    • The Canyons
    • Park City
    • Snowbasin
  • Northern Wasatch avalanche forecast (USFS Utah Avalanche Center)
    • Updated each day by 7:30a MST (call 888-999-4019 for recorded forecast)
• Weather forecasts and current conditions
  • Local
    • Detailed 24-hour Cottonwood Canyon forecast (NWS)
    • Seven-day forecast for Alta (NWS)
  • Salt Lake Valley and ski area weather cameras (NWS)
  • NEXRAD radar imagery (Intellicast)
  • Salt Lake Valley weather forecast (Intellicast)
• Regional and national
  • Standard radar imagery (Intellicast)
  • Northern Pacific and western U.S. infrared satellite image (Univ. of Washington Atmospheric Sciences)
  • U.S. jet stream and fronts (Weather Underground) - useful for anticipating storm tracks - the forecasters' phrase "split jet stream" is the bane of all die-hard Utah skiers as it usually implies that a high pressure system is firmly situated over the Great Basin
  • U.S. snow cover (Weather Underground)
• Road conditions
  • State highway report (UDOT)
  • Salt Lake Valley Interstate conditions - real-time map and cameras (click on Salt Lake City under traffic maps - UDOT)
• Air quality (the basins and sometimes even the lower canyons are prone to winter inversions that trap pollutants and leave skies hazy)
  • Salt Lake Valley pollution conditions (Utah Dept. of Environmental Quality)
• Snow-focused weather blogs
  • Wasatch Snow Forecast
  • Utah Avalanche Center
  • Professor Jim Steenburgh's frequent insights into the science behind our local weather (Univ. of Utah Atmospheric Sciences)

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Ski rental and equipment sales locations

• These four stores are on the way to the Cottonwood resorts from either downtown or the University (listed in progressive order as one drives south from the UofU campus area). All four sell discounted lift ticket vouchers, too.
  • Sports Den - 1350 Foothill Dr. (Foothill Village Shopping Center), 801-582-5611
  • Breeze Ski Rental - 2354 Foothill Dr., 801-485-4850 - downhill ski rentals
  • REI - 3285 E 3300 South, 801-486-2100 - outdoor equipment sales, rentals, and repairs
  • Wasatch Ski Connection - 6755 S Wasatch Blvd., 801-942-2002 - downhill ski rentals
    • 20% off discount coupon (for printing)
• University of Utah Outdoor Recreation Program - on-campus cross-country equipment rentals and information
• Two other good local stores for ski equipment (both are between campus and downtown SLC):
  • Wild Rose Sports - 702 Third Avenue, 801-533-8671.
  • Wasatch Touring - 702 E 100 South, 801-359-9361.

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Major northern Utah ski areas - general information

• Little Cottonwood Canyon (southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley)
  • Alta (trail maps)
    • no snowboards, great powder, focused on skiing rather than ambiance, Devil's Castle and Catherine's area
  • Snowbird (trail maps)
    • direct lift access to most difficult terrain in the state, base-summit gondola, Peruvian Cirque
• Big Cottonwood Canyon (southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley - first canyon to the north of LCC)
  • Solitude (trail maps)
    • wide variety of terrain, Honeycomb Canyon
  • Brighton (trail map)
    • 'Where Salt Lake learns to ski...'
• Park City (40 minutes east of campus - the one true ski town in the state - 'in Utah, but not of it...' - note that the eastern slope of the Wasatch receives less snow than the Cottonwood canyons)
  • The Canyons (trail maps)
    • large area (formerly known as Park West and Wolf Mtn), popular with boarders
  • Park City Ski Resort (trail maps)
    • Jupiter Bowl, venue for 2002 Winter Olympic Slalom and GS events
  • Deer Valley (trail map)
    • no snowboards, exquisitely groomed, caters to the Aspen/Telluride set
• Ogden area (approximately one hour to the north of campus)
  • Snowbasin (trail maps)
    • 2002 Winter Olympic Downhill and Super-G courses
• Provo area (approximately one hour to the south of campus)
  • Sundance (trail map)
    • Robert Redford's resort - on south side of Mount Timpanogos

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Other sources for ski information

• Ski Utah - Utah ski industry marketing and advocacy organization
• U.S. Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center - very informative site with many videos
  • I've been very impressed with the increasing sophistication of the avalanche science and forecasting done by Bruce Tremper's crew at the UAC.
  • Yet, as recently as 2005, a total of eight people died in avalanches (all outside the boundaries of maintained downhill ski areas) within Utah.
  • Concurrently, the UAC's analytical method is placing more emphasis on human factors in addition to the traditional consideration of ice physics, snowpack history, and current conditions.
  • Tremper has written a good book on avalanche awareness and survival - Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain (Mountaineers Books, 2001)
  • Bottom line (\begin{obligatory warning}): if you do go out of bounds here, please ski with a party that is both generally savvy and specifically experienced in the area, be aware of current snowpack and weather conditions and trends, and, most of all, be careful out there!
    • Wasatch Range avalanche reports (UAC)
• The Utah Nordic Alliance (TUNA) - Local cross country skiing (both skate and classical) organization
  • During the winter, TUNA volunteers maintain a popular ski track for cross country skiing at the Mountain Dell golf course - roughly 20 minutes east of Salt Lake City on I-80 and 1,500 feet higher than the city proper (map) - no equipment rental is available at this site
  • Area cross-country ski conditions (Mill Creek Canyon - 3800 South east of I-215 - is another popular venue)
• Wasatch Mountain Club (WMC) - long-standing outdoor activity group (including winter hiking and climbing)

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Restaurant recommendations

• UofU campus vicinity
  • These three eateries are within walking distance of lower (west) campus.
    • The Pie Pizzeria - 1320 E 200 South, 801-582-0195 - long-time campus pizza hangout
    • Aristo's - 224 S 1300 East, 801-581-0888 - good Greek restaurant and bakery
    • Indochine - 230 S 1300 East, 801-582-0896 - Vietnamese restaurant
  • Cucina Deli - 1026 2nd Avenue, 801-322-3055 - popular neighborhood deli and coffee hangout
  • This establishment is located at the south end of the Foothill Village shopping center, 1400 Foothill Dr., a short drive from campus.
    • East-West Connection - 801-581-1128 - good Vietnamese restaurant
• Downtown SLC and vicinity
  • West of downtown
    • Red Iguana - 736 W North Temple, 801-322-1489 - classic Mexican food - great moles - can be very crowded on weekend nights (with lines waiting outside the restaurant) - just west of downtown
      • Due to the demand, a second Red Iguana location has opened at 866 W South Temple - just two blocks away from the original
  • Downtown proper
    • Cucina Toscana - 307 Pierpont Ave, 801-328-3463 - diverse offerings of excellent Italian food in a semi-formal atmosphere
    • Squatters - 147 W Broadway (300 South), 801-363-2739 - original SLC microbrew pub - good specialty beer and food selection - can be very crowded during ski season and downtown conventions
      • Squatters also has a popular brewpub at the SLC airport near Gate C3 in the Delta terminal (behind TSA security, but reachable via walkway from all concourses).
    • Valter's Osteria - 173 W Broadway (300 South), 801-521-4563 - Tuscan cuisine with Italian style service
    • Red Rock Brewing - 254 S 200 West, 801-521-7446 - Another downtown brewpub - often less crowded than Squatters
    • Settebello - 260 S 200 West, 801-322-3556 - Good Neopolitan pizzeria with Italian beer and wine - next to Red Rock Brewing
    • Bambara - 202 S Main St. (in Hotel Monaco), 801-363-5454 - New American cuisine
    • Martine - 22 E 100 South, 801-363-9328 - nouvelle cuisine with both tapas and entrees
    • Copper Onion - 111 East Broadway (300 South), 801-355-3282 - nouvelle American comfort food (adjacent to the Broadway Centre Cinemas, the downtown home of the Salt Lake Film Society)
  • North of downtown
    • Em's Restaurant - 271 North Center Street - 801-596-0566 - nice nouvelle cuisine restaurant featuring locally grown ingredients - located in former neighborhood grocery from the early 1900's
  • South of downtown
    • The Bayou - 645 S State St., 801-961-8400 - Widest selection of beers in town (over 200 varieties on tap and in bottles) - Cajun food and pasta - due to a recent change in state liquor laws, the Bayou no longer operates under private club restrictions
    • Thai Siam - 1435 S State St., 801-474-3322 - good Thai place, especially for lunch
  • Between downtown and campus
    • Vinto - 418 E 200 South, 801-539-9999 - casual, reasonably priced Italian
    • Oasis Café - 151 S 500 East, 801-322-0404 - New American - many vegetarian and Vegan options
    • Ichiban Sushi - 336 S 400 East, 801-532-7522 - Sushi in the setting of a former church
    • Sawadee Thai - 754 E South Temple, 801-328-8424 - well-decorated Thai place
• To the south
  • Trio - 680 S 900 East, 801-533-8746 - good Italian and nouvelle cuisine
  • Kyoto - 1080 E 1300 South, 801-487-3525 - good sushi and tempura - Japanese style decor and landscaping
  • Three restaurants and one deli are concentrated in the one-block 15th and 15th neighborhood shopping district (in addition, a very good, long-standing local bookstore - the King's English - is adjacent to Fresco):
    • The Paris - 1500 Emerson (E 1500 South), 801-486-5585 - good French restaurant with zinc bar
    • Fresco - 1513 S 1500 East, 801-486-1300 - intimate Italian
    • Mazza - 1515 S 1500 East, 801-484-9259 - good Middle Eastern cuisine
    • Caputo's - 1516 S 1500 East, 801-486-6615 - scaled-down neighborhood version of large Italian deli downtown
  • Finn's - 1624 S 1100 East, 801-467-4000 - good breakfast and lunch place with Scandinavian dishes (closes at 2:30 p.m.)
  • Sea Salt - 1709 E 1300 South, 801-349-1480 - new Italian place across from Emigration Market
  • Citris Grill - 2991 E 3300 South, 801-466-1202 - Homemade soups & salads, wraps, and pizzas - just west of REI off I-215.
  • Café Madrid - 5244 S Highland Drive, Holladay, 801-273-0837 - Spanish tapas and paella
• In the canyons
  • Ruth's Diner - 2100 Emigration Canyon Rd, 801-582-5807 - upscale send-up of traditional SLC diner - popular for weekend breakfasts - roughly 2.5 miles up Emigration Canyon (southeast of UofU)
  • Silver Fork Lodge - 11332 E Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd - 888-649-9551 - traditional American après-ski dinner venue with fireplace and views - 11 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon just before the Solitude ski resort

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Some Utah liquor law insights

• Utah's liquor laws over time have been confusing to newcomers. However, I've found that they have generally moderated over time (particularly in advance of the 2002 Winter Olympics) and that it's relatively easy to get a drink while eating. To my memory, almost all the restaurants listed above serve beer and wine; most serve mixed drinks as well.
  • Beer (3.2%) is sold in supermarkets and convenience stores while wine, hard liquor, and 6% beer are sold only in state stores run by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC).
  • Liquor, wine, and beer are generally served in restaurants and bars.
  • In the recent past, there were also private clubs requiring memberships (e.g., several venues at Snowbird, the Bayou downtown). However, another recent change in state liquor laws eliminated private club status in Utah.
  • The official story about Utah's liquor laws
  • The Salt Lake tourism view
    • List of downtown nightspots
  • Convenient state stores (open 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m and closed Sundays and holidays)
    • State wine store with a diverse selection of good wines - 255 S 300 East, 801-533-6444
    • State store on the way between campus and ski areas - 1615 Foothill Dr., 801-584-8387
    • State store in the same shopping mall (Canyon Rim) as REI - 3245 East 3300 South, 801-468-0330

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Housing recommendations

• Close to campus (35-40 minutes from Alta/Snowbird)
  • Marriott University Park - 480 Wakara Way (Univ. of Utah Research Park), 801-581-1000
  • University Guest House - 110 South Fort Douglas Blvd. (Univ. of Utah Fort Douglas campus), 801-587-1000 or 888-416-4075 - comfortable, reasonably priced accommodations for campus visitors (and others - including skiers)
• Downtown (40-45 minutes from Alta/Snowbird)
  • Hotel Monaco - 15 West 200 South, 801-595-0000 or 800-805-1801 - generally considered the nicest hotel downtown (the Bambara restaurant is on the first floor)

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Transportation

• Utah Transit Authority (UTA) mass transit information - city and ski bus, light rail (TRAX)
  • Ski bus maps and schedules
• Canyon Transportation - airport<->Cottonwood Canyon resort shuttle - 800-255-1841 (outside Utah) or 801-255-1841 (local)
• Yellow Cab - 801-521-2100
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) information
  • SLC is the western U.S. hub for Delta
  • SLC is also served by Southwest and Jet Blue in addition to the other major U.S. carriers
• Park City area bus service - links the city and major housing areas with all three PC area resorts - information and route map
  • UTA and Park City cooperate to provide a cross-summit bus service several times a day between Salt Lake City and Park City

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Related information for visitors

• University of Utah
  • Main campus web site
  • Campus map
  • Natural History Museum of Utah - on-campus state museum with good paleontology, ecology, and Native American ethnography exhibits - recently reopened in a modern, far more spacious facility along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail next to Red Butte Garden
  • Red Butte Garden - state botanical garden and arboretum
  • Utah Museum of Fine Arts - campus art museum
  • State seismic network - recent earthquake information
  • Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute
• Local periodicals
  • Salt Lake Tribune (the traditional non-aligned newspaper - now owned by the Denver Post media conglomerate)
  • Deseret News (owned by the LDS Church)
  • City Weekly - local weekly rag - good for occasional investigative reporting and restaurant/live music listings
• Utah environmental advocacy
  • Save Our Canyons (SOC)
  • Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)
• Tourism (official sites)
  • Salt Lake City
  • Utah
  • National Park Service - information on Utah's national parks and monuments (DoI)
  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management recreation information (DoI)

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