Wasatch Parking / Driving / Gondola/ Bus / How does my Ikon Pass work?

[muted reborn]

The idea of parking reservations sucks, but man did they improve the weekend experience in BCC, so I can't say they suck in practice. Parking things that do suck:

• charging for parking
• Solitude not announcing any details for season parking passes yet. Am I going to have to pay $35 / weekend day to park? (fitting 4 people into my car is not realistic)
• Amber's explanation and Q&A around the parking lot proposal at Solitude (https://youtu.be/5ZY9i8WgpUw?si=8qRXtexPQlNDQvYA&t=2640) - starts at 44 mins if the time specific link doesn't work

Amber comes across as bristly, defensive and overall bad at customer service-speaking. Butter us up a bit Amber, it will go along way. I skipped a bunch but I did hear that once the parking is in place, THEN Solitude will recommend to town of brighton, UDOT, etc to get rid of roadside parking. So it is possble roadside parking won't go away with this new lot. I hope road side parking goes away and this new lot never happens.
Also I lost some respect for myself for listening to a video about a parking lot

[DigSki]

We disagree with you.....what a line to use repeatedly responding to customers with legitimate points
I did not hear it as Solitude recommending to get rid of roadside parking, I heard it as a UDOT initiative. But, maybe I just struggled with her word salad / was distracted texting my friends about how horrific she was doing. I cannot bring myself to relisten to that train wreck.
No roadside parking + no new lot would be amazing.

[Shaaarrrp]

Seems like Solitude is constrained by 2d thinking a world with far more possibilities.

[bigdude2468]

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It will be open. In a timely fashion prolly with no precip tomorrow, but a.m. wind. That path what hit the road is Valeries Climax slide path. No tunnel planned under that one. Funny how it got its name: 1st year Snowbird was open, employee housing was in trailers on the north side of the center, where the vendors are during Oktoberfest. Really big storms used to happen. Really. Anyway with interlodge in place; everyone under hard shelter, the Willows Gun shot above the village. Same path that ran today hit the Snowbird Center and buried the trailers. Upon checking out the upper circle it was discovered that Valerie had taken someone in an amorous fashion in a trailer and was buried for her efforts; Valeries Climax.

</p>
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Figure $30,000 - $35,000 per parking spot for above ground parking garage.</p>

[Dantheman]

No one who knows a lick about building parking garages ever says, "Just build a parking garage."

[Shaaarrrp]

I am merely throwing out options and possibilities because that is what leads to growth and the best solutions, without being held hostage to prior convictions and only ideas which are familiar.

[alias_rice]

No one who knows a lick about building parking garages ever says, "Just build a parking garage."

Truth. I helped finance the parking garage at the mouth of BCC a few years back. I was blown away by the cost, and the amount of work required.

[brutah]

Parking reservation fees definitely suck for non-passholders (except Solitude), but I'm not going to shed a tear over Ikon problems

Parking reservations are objectively terrible, but they do improve traffic by reducing the total and peak vehicle volume. And if Fields genuinely wants to stop Alta skiers from freeloading it would definitely work and be easier than whatever enforcement they attempt.

I don’t have an ikon and while my seasons pass is good at all Utah ski resorts it comes with no parking privileges unfortunately. First world problems.

I’m also bad at planning, especially when it comes to where and when I wanna ski (or bike, hike, or run).

Overall, it’s very disappointing that this has been an issue for decades, continues to get worse and there are no solutions being presented other than a gondi and parking reservations that fails to solve the issues at hand.

And while I hate em, I will admit that parking reservations and paying to park is a great way to reduce vehicular traffic. It would be nice if a part of those funds generated were used to increase public transit in the cottonwoods YEAR ROUND


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[bigdude2468]

Figure $30,000 - $35,000 per parking spot for above ground parking garage.

The point is parking garages are ridiculously expensive. Can't imagine Solitude would think building a parking garage is the best use of $20 million.

[Shaaarrrp]

I really dont know anything about parking garages other than they seem to make a lot of sense in many cases, both logistically and financially. Not sure I have any reason to buy numbers being thrown out as gospel since they seem to rely on singular instances. That said, I realize the numbers being touted could actually be underestimates, and that must be considered.

[Shaaarrrp]

Solitude spent 16 million in one season upgrading a lift, snowmaking, avalanche control and bike projects. 20 million seems pretty reasonable for the something like a garage, which would make logistics easier for both the business and customers. It should also drastically reduce the need for snow clearing per each customer who visits.https://www.saminfo.com/news/sam-hea...and-snowmaking I could also see some hybrid model. Plenty of people out there with more money than sense who will happily pay what many consider ludicrous sums of money to park in a nice heated garage. And I might even pay it on some days if I dont feel like dealing with certain elements or searching endlessly for a parking spot.

[DigSki]

If snow clearing costs are high enough to justify spending $20 mill on a parking garage then I think I should get into BCC snow clearing...
Not sure I follow how $16 million dollars on 4 major infrastructure projects that all improve the customer experience makes spending $20 mill on one project that is probably a net negative to customer experience (more bodies on the hill) reasonable...

[brutah]

Why would you spend money on a parking garage when you can get a billion dollar gondola on the taxpayers’ dime?

[Dantheman]

spending $20 mill on one project that is probably a net negative to customer experience (more bodies on the hill)

This is the elephant in the room. More parking equals more cars in the canyon fubar-ing traffic and more people skiing. The resort&#39;s balance sheet is the only thing that benefits.

[EWG]

Figure $30,000 - $35,000 per parking spot for above ground parking garage. The point is parking garages are ridiculously expensive. Can&#39;t imagine Solitude would think building a parking garage is the best use of $20 million.

Yeah, and Id add that in that location and at curent prices its closer to 45,000 per space. Thats a lot of weekends to pay back $45,000 per space. But if its financed over 20 years that means they need to pay back 4,500 per space per year, and over, what, 15 weekends thats $150 per weekend, maybe $200 adding the cost of cash. I guess between parking fees, food/bev, and ikon pass payments it works...

[telefreewasatch]

After living up the canyon 30 some years, we moved to Wasatch Resort, a mile up the LCC 3 years ago.
Now that the bus does not stop at the mouth no more, it is 3 miles the wrong direction to get on a bus.
Oh well I figure; just hitchhike and have a locker at the bird. Damn near $1100. More that I spend on gas.
My car is my locker and I am one of the many that drive up alone, filling the parking up whilst certain lifts are walk on.
And after 42 years of hanging out in closed areas and cutting lift lines, not excited at all to be in the rat race that a.m. canyon closures and limited lift openings bring.
I enjoy ski on lifts and a blue groomer in the sunshine as much as anything these days.
Did not used to be that way...

[BobMc]

After living up the canyon 30 some years, we moved to Wasatch Resort, a mile up the LCC 3 years ago.
Now that the bus does not stop at the mouth no more, it is 3 miles the wrong direction to get on a bus.
Oh well I figure; just hitchhike and have a locker at the bird. Damn near $1100. More that I spend on gas.
My car is my locker and I am one of the many that drive up alone, filling the parking up whilst certain lifts are walk on.
And after 42 years of hanging out in closed areas and cutting lift lines, not excited at all to be in the rat race that a.m. canyon closures and limited lift openings bring.
I enjoy ski on lifts and a blue groomer in the sunshine as much as anything these days.
Did not used to be that way...

I feel ya, been fighting the crowds for 30 years now. It stung to fork out $1200 for next season’s preferred parking pass. But, it keeps me sane. I’ve developed a pretty good arrive mid-morning system. That pass is like crack, I’d pay whatever they’d ask.

The more I think it’s gotten worse the more I remember it’s always been crowded. The first season I moved here I didn’t have a pass and worked the margins for bargains and freebees. I hit both quad Wednesdays at Brighton. Holy clusterfuck, every marginally employed ski bum had taken those days off and every kid in the valley was up there. Four people skied for $50! The lot was full and lines at all the lifts. This was 1995.

Even Facebook likes to remind me of traffic I sat in 15 years ago. It has gotten incrementally worse, but it’s always been a problem.

Which is why it’s rather bizarre that in the 30 years I’ve been here they’ve done absolutely jack shit other than study it. If anything they’ve made it worse, from cut backs on busses to a noticeably slipperier (if that’s a word?) surface on 210. They have studied the fuck out of it though.

Sign me up for some of those blue groomers in the sun. Last time I saw ya you had your hands full.


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[telefreewasatch]

I feel ya, been fighting the crowds for 30 years now. It stung to fork out $1200 for next season&rsquo;s preferred parking pass. But, it keeps me sane. I&rsquo;ve developed a pretty good arrive mid-morning system. That pass is like crack, I&rsquo;d pay whatever they&rsquo;d ask. The more I think it&rsquo;s gotten worse the more I remember it&rsquo;s always been crowded. The first season I moved here I didn&rsquo;t have a pass and worked the margins for bargains and freebees. I hit both quad Wednesdays at Brighton. Holy clusterfuck, every marginally employed ski bum had taken those days off and every kid in the valley was up there. Four people skied for $50! The lot was full and lines at all the lifts. This was 1995. Even Facebook likes to remind me of traffic I sat in 15 years ago. It has gotten incrementally worse, but it&rsquo;s always been a problem. Which is why it&rsquo;s rather bizarre that in the 30 years I&rsquo;ve been here they&rsquo;ve done absolutely jack shit other than study it. If anything they&rsquo;ve made it worse, from cut backs on busses to a noticeably slipperier (if that&rsquo;s a word?) surface on 210. They have studied the fuck out of it though. Sign me up for some of those blue groomers in the sun. Last time I saw ya you had your hands full. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Copy on the noticeably slippier.
Hands were fulla what, bud?

[DigSki]

Do not judge yourselves - sunny blue groomers are pretty amazing. Grippy snow, no lines, goggle tans, and big smiles from everyone. It is the reason Eagle is my favorite chair in the Wasatch, and I am an absolute whore for powder, but that chair delivers rapid fire groomer laps like no other chair.
The studying traffic blows my mind. Because, honestly, who cares about this problem? There is traffic for, what, 20% of the days in a year? That traffic impacts almost nobody except people going to ski resorts to spend a bunch of money to have fun. Why are we wasting money studying this? Want to get more people up the canyon? Run more busses, when the busses run well they are SO great. I used to love riding the bus pre-COVID. Now I drive solo and take up as much space in the parking lot as I can.

[BobMc]

Copy on the noticeably slippier.
Hands were fulla what, bud?

You were in instructor mode with a newbie.


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[Dantheman]

I don’t have an ikon and while my seasons pass is good at all Utah ski resorts it comes with no parking privileges unfortunately. First world problems.

I’m also bad at planning, especially when it comes to where and when I wanna ski (or bike, hike, or run).

Overall, it’s very disappointing that this has been an issue for decades, continues to get worse and there are no solutions being presented other than a gondi and parking reservations that fails to solve the issues at hand.

And while I hate em, I will admit that parking reservations and paying to park is a great way to reduce vehicular traffic. It would be nice if a part of those funds generated were used to increase public transit in the cottonwoods YEAR ROUND


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Gold pass? Damn, can't believe those don't come parking. They must cost a fortune these days.

I ski weekends and only ski one place, so planning is not an issue. A lot of the traffic benefit comes spreading out the volume and not just reducing the total number of cars. Plenty of people are fine with arriving at 10:00 if they know they'll have a spot.

After living up the canyon 30 some years, we moved to Wasatch Resort, a mile up the LCC 3 years ago.
Now that the bus does not stop at the mouth no more, it is 3 miles the wrong direction to get on a bus.
Oh well I figure; just hitchhike and have a locker at the bird. Damn near $1100. More that I spend on gas.
My car is my locker and I am one of the many that drive up alone, filling the parking up whilst certain lifts are walk on.
And after 42 years of hanging out in closed areas and cutting lift lines, not excited at all to be in the rat race that a.m. canyon closures and limited lift openings bring.
I enjoy ski on lifts and a blue groomer in the sunshine as much as anything these days.
Did not used to be that way...

What do you need a locker for? When I'm bussing/hitching I just roll with pocket snacks and a credit card and it works out just fine. I definitely rarely bother with trying to get there at opening or sit on the road for hours before the road opens. 10:30 am arrivals still net me plenty of fresh turns and awesome skiing.

Do not judge yourselves - sunny blue groomers are pretty amazing. Grippy snow, no lines, goggle tans, and big smiles from everyone. It is the reason Eagle is my favorite chair in the Wasatch, and I am an absolute whore for powder, but that chair delivers rapid fire groomer laps like no other chair.
The studying traffic blows my mind. Because, honestly, who cares about this problem? There is traffic for, what, 20% of the days in a year? That traffic impacts almost nobody except people going to ski resorts to spend a bunch of money to have fun. Why are we wasting money studying this? Want to get more people up the canyon? Run more busses, when the busses run well they are SO great. I used to love riding the bus pre-COVID. Now I drive solo and take up as much space in the parking lot as I can.

Blasting groomers definitely kicks ass.

Big money canyon transport solutions are a waste of resources for sure. Traffic is bad in LCC far less than 20% of days and the induced demand of any effective solution degrades the experience. Build the snowsheds that should have been built decades ago to address the most serious safety issue, and manage the rest through parking management and getting the bus service back to historical baseline. UDOT's estimate is that snowsheds will reduce canyon closures by 80%.

[tuco]

I'd be happy if Solitude just concentrated on getting their fucking terrain open! Like maybe paying a decent fucking wage to retain the people that do their control, instead of concentrating on the cash grab that parking has become! Taking until 11 or after to start loading PH in a powder day is strait bullshit! Especially when it happens consistently. Fuckin' fantasy open less a dozen times. Waiting to open HC closer to weekends for fuckin click bait! Been skiing up there for 30+ and it's never been like this. Theyve already got a couple avalaunchers and they haven't sped up shit!Pay your patrol Amber!Rant over??????

[tuco]

And don't be surprised if the reason they want a new lit is so they can build ski into real estate close to the lifts.

[telefreewasatch]

BobMc, that musta been onna my kids.
Dan, I like fresh groomers and am usually done before noon, lessen I meet up with a buddy.
Dig, thanks for the blue groomer shoutout!
Tuco, things changed when Sumner got ridda Sternfels.
All, I do not know how to give adice on how to drive to several world class ski areas adjacent to a major western city that host the best ski conditions in the country...
Kinda funny that not so long ago skiing was a dying sport, eh?

[telefreewasatch]

Oh, and agree on the snowsheds as planned, Dan.
Best move ever by UDOT for the LCC if it happens...