Life in the Wasatch?

Spri wrote:Don't get me wrong, I think that the Wasatch is awesome, and regionally SLC is a fun place to live. The best thing about SLC is being 30 mins from the canyons. On the other hand, there are lots of cities in the West that given a 3 hour drive time are freaking awesome. Missoula, Seattle, San Fran, LA, Denver, Vegas, etc etc etc.

So my understanding (i've never lived in most of these cities) is that although they are close to the mountains, it's still 1hr+ to actually get to the mountains. Where as SLC, everything is less than 30 min away. For example, I can climb 3-5 pitch routes after work without a headlamp in the summer, and I can easily get to skiing on a pow day, when in denver it's a 2 hour traffic jam.

Have I heard correctly?

Yes. Provided roads are clear. These are my driving times to crags that I routinely visit after work (I get off at 3pm) to climb.

BCC- 20 min
LCC- 30 min (Gate Buttress area)
American fork- 45 min
Narrows- 60 min
This does not include Parleys and Millcreek and other obscure crags.

In the winter I skate ski and from mid-Jan. on I can easily get an hour skate ski in at Millcreek, Mtn. Dell and Round Valley (Park City). I have a head lamp for the few weeks we have shorter days.

drock3 wrote: So my understanding (i've never lived in most of these cities) is that although they are close to the mountains, it's still 1hr+ to actually get to the mountains. Where as SLC, everything is less than 30 min away. For example, I can climb 3-5 pitch routes after work without a headlamp in the summer, and I can easily get to skiing on a pow day, when in denver it's a 2 hour traffic jam. Have I heard correctly?

SLC yes, and it's better or worse depending on what you're into depending on where you live.

I lived in Cottonwood Heights for a year, and was right at the mouth of the Cottonwood Canyons, say it took under 20 minutes to get to Brighton/Solitude. Then I lived in Park City for a year, which meant skiing within 5-10 minutes, mountain biking out my front door, though climbing was a 45 minute drive.

BattleCage Royale! let me pile on...

Spri wrote:Don't get me wrong, I think that the Wasatch is awesome, and regionally SLC is a fun place to live. The best thing about SLC is being 30 mins from the canyons. On the other hand, there are lots of cities in the West that given a 3 hour drive time are freaking awesome. Missoula, Seattle, San Fran, LA, Denver, Vegas, etc etc etc.

you fail to see the potential.

rging wrote:...posibilities for weekend adventure. So many things to do in a 3-4 hour drive.

to further elaborate on rging post, i'll post this sampler:

SLC - Leave Friday 12pm

1st stop. Joe's Valley: Ice Climbing (✔) Bouldering (✔)

2nd stop. Castle Valley - Castleton Tower North Chimney Route: Tower Climbing (✔)

3rd stop. La Sal Mtn - Geyser Pass: Ski Touring (✔)

4th stop. Moab - Cluster Canyon: Canyoneering (✔)

5th stop. Moab - Slick Rock Trail: Mountain Biking (✔)

SLC - In time to watch the 4th quarter of the Superbowl - 3.2 Beer Drinking (✔)

i've pulled this curcuit off once for super-bowl weekend.

worthy of note: all the above destinations are continuously validated as ligitimate and unique by the plethora of CO, WY, MT, WA, OR, CA, NV, ____ plates that constantly occupy the trailhead parking lots.

OK, so now setup a matrix of all outdoor pursuits vs destinations and you'll come up with lifetime of weekend epics like the one posted above.

...and suprisingly, you dont have to be of Dorais Bro.s or J Campbell lineage to pull that kind of shit off.

now having said thus, tell me what types of Missoula, Seattle, San Fran, LA, Denver, Vegas, etc etc weekend possiblities can compare to that of glorious SLC?

i grew up in seattle and i know what potential exists up in the PNW and greatly respect it, but it does not compare to SLC. SLC is just too centralized to all things western US to move away from.

Whats the drive-time like for WY limestone to the northeast? Looks like Wild Iris is ~4hours, anyone have any experience w/ this drive for wild/tensleep/sinks?

John Herreshoff wrote: I lived in Cottonwood Heights for a year, and was right at the mouth of the Cottonwood Canyons, say it took under 20 minutes to get to Brighton/Solitude. Then I lived in Park City for a year, which meant skiing within 5-10 minutes, mountain biking out my front door, though climbing was a 45 minute drive.

Yeah but you can't really compare the skiing in PC to the Cottonwood Canyons.... PC is like a big east coast resort while the cottonwoods are real skiing. No self respecting skier would go to PC over the cottonwoods.

Andrew Gram wrote:Anyone complaining about traffic in SLC has obviously never lived in a real city.

This.

Spri wrote:On the other hand, there are lots of cities in the West that given a 3 hour drive time are freaking awesome. Missoula, Seattle, San Fran, LA, Denver, Vegas, etc etc etc.

I don't agree that the Bay area, LA, or Vegas at least can compare to the 3 hour radius of SLC. LA can maybe compete if you extend it to a 4 hour radius but even then, those cities require much more extensive drive time for the radness than SLC does. At least in my experience.

On other hand, those cities have a normal culture and better looking people (err... in my opinion! :)).

EricSchmidt wrote: Yeah but you can't really compare the skiing in PC to the Cottonwood Canyons.... PC is like a big east coast resort while the cottonwoods are real skiing. No self respecting skier would go to PC over the cottonwoods.

PC is like a big east coast resort? That's gotta be a joke.

And I can get a season at Canyons for almost half the price of Alta...LCC is not twice the skiing PC is, not even close. I'd say 10% better.

EricSchmidt wrote: Yeah but you can't really compare the skiing in PC to the Cottonwood Canyons.... PC is like a big east coast resort while the cottonwoods are real skiing. No self respecting skier would go to PC over the cottonwoods.

I'll agree with you, for the most part, with regard to Brighton and Solitude, but Alta and Snowbird, while having amazing terrain, are tracked out within an hour or two of opening on a deep day. If there's pow in Park City, and you live there, why drive down to get one or two laps in when you can find pow for days in some parts of the PC resorts?

Or better yet, if you live in PC and you're going to drive, head up to Pow Mow or Snowbasin.

Tyler N wrote: PC is like a big east coast resort? That's gotta be a joke. And I can get a season at Canyons for almost half the price of Alta...LCC is not twice the skiing PC is, not even close. I'd say 10% better.

PCMR is also crowded, and the Canyons is like a 4,000 acre runout.

As for Deer Valley...don't ever go there. There's no pow, they groom the trees and there's no pow. Anywhere.

Tyler N wrote: PC is like a big east coast resort? That's gotta be a joke. And I can get a season at Canyons for almost half the price of Alta...LCC is not twice the skiing PC is, not even close. I'd say 10% better.

Comparing Alta and Snowbird to any of the PC resorts is like saying El Cap is 10% better than the Gate Buttress. Please.

Aerili wrote: I don't agree that the Bay area, LA, or Vegas at least can compare to the 3 hour radius of SLC. LA can maybe compete if you extend it to a 4 hour radius but even then, those cities require much more extensive drive time for the radness than SLC does. At least in my experience. On other hand, those cities have a normal culture and better looking people (err... in my opinion! :)).

Seattle is passable at best as well, and the seasons are short at most of the stuff that is really good.

Additionally, cost of living appears to be considerably more reasonable in the SLC area than LA, SF, Vegas or Seattle.

John Herreshoff wrote: PCMR is also crowded, and the Canyons is like a 4,000 acre runout. As for Deer Valley...don't ever go there. There's no pow, they groom the trees and there's no pow. Anywhere.

Nevermind everything I've been saying, there's no incredible powder or trees anywhere in Park City! Nobody ski there, it's absolutely terrible.

In one of the best days I've had in Utah I did the following

Woke up at 5-went paragliding at Pom until 8.
Went to sundance for downhill biking at 1000 until 100
Then went backcountry skiing at elks point-did 3 laps.
Met some friends on Provo river for one lap down the lower portion
Lastly went climbing in rock canyon.

Now none of the areas mentioned above are spectacular but still good. Hard to complain.

In the shoulder seasons you can easily do many different season sports as long as you know the conditions. Earlier posters a right- you can ski most of the year but you really have to be despite to hike up in September to go down the "glacier" on timp. But I've been desperate enough to do just that.

All that in one day.

I live in alaska now and find myself envious of the remarkably easy access to the terrain in the wasatch and the extremely close proximity to everything. IMO the wasatch is about as good as it gets. If you want to get out of the smog-move to Heber or something similar.

Tyler N wrote: Nobody ski there, it's absolutely terrible.

Not terrible, just a distant second place.

Tyler N wrote: Nevermind everything I've been saying, there's no incredible powder or trees anywhere in Park City! Nobody ski there, it's absolutely terrible.

+1.
The LCC crowd has by far the biggest online dick and is always willing to put it on the table for a measuring contest. It happens to be an amusing delusion of grandeur. The Alta bros are by far the worst...

FWIW I spent 8 years skiing the Wasatch, and while PC is OK, it does not compare to the LCC resorts unless you are into groomers. The comment about Deer Valley is right on. I'm surprised no one has mentioned snow amounts ... 18 inches at Alta means 8 inches at PC. But it's all relative, compared to most East Coast resorts PC is awesome.

The traffic in SLC is OK only if compared to other very large cities. If you are thinking mountain town, it's not so great. SLC is suffering from it's own success, and while the canyons are an escape, they are an escape for everyone else as well. Spend some time sitting in traffic going up or down LCC, as you descend into the inversion, and you start to wonder, WTF.

That said you could do a lot worse. Lots of options for climbing and skiing away from the crowds, but you'll have to try a bit harder.

Aerili wrote: I don't agree that the Bay area, LA, or Vegas at least can compare to the 3 hour radius of SLC. LA can maybe compete if you extend it to a 4 hour radius but even then, those cities require much more extensive drive time for the radness than SLC does.

Having lived in LA and the Bay area, I agree with the disagreement. In LA, the 3 hour driving radius extends all the way to Sherman Oaks. From a center at Westwood. At 2:03am Tuesday morning. The Bay area is a wonderful place, especially if you've sold your startup to Cisco. No sarcasm intended about the former aspect: the Bay area is beautiful, and is great for outdoor recreation. However, OP asked about X-country skiing close to town, and there are very few skinny skis at Fisherman's Wharf. (Very few skinny anything at FW.) And the pow is much better on Superior than Diablo.

Aerili wrote: On other hand, those cities have a normal culture and better looking people (err... in my opinion! :)).

I assume you're talking about statistical means here. When I leave town (for one of these great places within a 3-4 hour drive), which is often, normalcy and looks revert to reasonable levels.

BruceH wrote: Having lived in LA and the Bay area, I agree with the disagreement. In LA, the 3 hour driving radius extends all the way to Sherman Oaks. From a center at Westwood. At 2:03am Tuesday morning. The Bay area is a wonderful place, especially if you've sold your startup to Cisco. No sarcasm intended about the former aspect: the Bay area is beautiful, and is great for outdoor recreation. However, OP asked about X-country skiing close to town, and there are very few skinny skis at Fisherman's Wharf. (Very few skinny anything at FW.) And the pow is much better on Superior than Diablo.

Not saying the major cities of California don't have proximity to some pretty good stuff, but I used to climb in all the same areas as the Bay area crowd and they were typically driving 3 hours to get there (some of the paddling is closer by an hour I think). If I drove 3 hours from Salt Lake, I'd almost be to Moab and have passed up a shit ton of good stuff on the way of all varieties. Maybe that helps illustrate my opinion better.

Also, I personally prefer paying Salt Lake cost of living than Bay area or LA cost of living.

That said, LA and Bay area men are still hotter than Salt Lake men, and I'm bummed I didn't make it to the People Party in Oakland when I lived 8 hours closer than I do now. :(

...Also, I personally prefer paying Salt Lake cost of living than Bay area or LA cost of living./quote>

As I look at cost of living for a move I realize this more and more.