I just want to share my experience yesterday with the amount of negativity I’ve seen regarding the only public transportation option we currently have.

First and foremost, write to UTA with your concerns instead of bitching to the wind.

I took the 972 from Fort Union at 7:15. We passed all of the traffic on Wasatch and went right up the canyon. Because of the traction control laws most of the passenger vehicles got hung up for a long period of time, so this meant the Brighton lot was basically empty until 1030 and taking the bus was a huge benefit in the morning.

Getting down was a mess, however. And I among most of the folks I chatted with expected this given the circumstances. There’s need for improvement and I’ve done my part by writing in to UTA. Share your concerns with them.

Every year, people complain about crowds, traffic, and lines in Utah. This issue is mostly specific to the Cottonwoods since these resorts are the closest to SLC, which houses the bulk of Utah's population. Most of the discourse I see in r/skiing or even this subreddit consists of pointless conversations that don't contribute to a healthy discussion or educate people about the reality of the situation, c'mon guys we're better than this. It’s starting to annoy me, and probably many others as well. I'm a local, too, and I’ve suffered through the notorious "red snakes" of the Cottonwoods, waiting in traffic for hours, even standing on a bus to get up and down the canyon for what feels like an eternity. I understand the pain and frustration everyone is voicing here.

1. The Ikon/Epic Situation
   The sport is ever-changing, and this is the path the industry has decided to take. Mega passes are here, and they’re here to stay. It’s not going to change. Whether you like them or not, the Ikon and Epic passes have opened the door for more people to enjoy this sport, and this is a good thing. You wanted more people, like your friends, to ski or snowboard, and this was the way to do it. You can’t be selfish and gatekeep this sport. It’s a lot more complicated than just the Ikon/Epic passes.

Peakrankings just did a video discussing the "Utah issue" and mentioned that annual ski visitation has been trending upward ~5.3 million in the 2020-2021 season and around ~6.8 million in 2023-2024. These numbers will continue to rise.

1. Traffic/Public Transportation
   It’s no surprise that heading up to the Cottonwoods during the holidays or on weekends especially during a massive snowstorm results in traffic. This has always been the case. Has it gotten worse? Yes. Has anything been done to address it? Sort of.

Resorts have implemented parking reservations, but let’s be honest, this hasn’t helped enough and doesn’t work well given the layouts of both Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons.

UTA has been cracking down on traction control at the mouth of the canyon, which is great but causes a bottleneck at the entrance, further contributing to the traffic at the mouth. Since the COVID pandemic, UTA has been slowly recovering from a bus shortage and has added the CS1 and CS2 bus routes for Alta and Snowbird. This is a step in the right direction, and hopefully, by next season, we’ll see additional routes/better frequency for Solitude and Brighton as well. This is thanks to the funding UTA secured for phase 1 earlier last year. UDOT also mentioned they will implement roadside parking restrictions, more bus stops, tolling, eventually expanding Wasatch Boulevard, more parking spaces near the mouth, and the very tentative gondola.

UDOT is doing what everyone has asked for: parking and bus expansions, restrictions, tolling, traction checks, etc. You can complain about how well these changes have been implemented, but you must understand that these types of projects take time. They’re not completed in a few months, or even a few years. I encourage all of you to understand the gondola project, as it isn’t as bad as some of you may think.

1. Solutions?
   I firmly believe that closing the canyon to recreational vehicles during weekends and holidays in ski season, and only allowing essential workers, residents, and buses/shuttles, would solve the traffic problem. Recreational cars can only drive up during weekdays (Monday to Thursday). The only cost would be expanding buses and parking for park and ride lots.

Unfortunately, even though this would be the most financially sound option, it's unlikely to happen. Resorts are incentivized to have people drive up and pay for parking. The U.S. is car-dependent, and the vast majority of people don’t understand that the only way to reduce car traffic is fewer cars. This means prioritizing alternative modes of transportation (buses, shuttles, trains, bikes, and gondolas, in this specific case) something that Americans are allergic to, as we love driving so much. Until the cultural attitude toward cars and public transit changes, especially in Utah, things will likely get worse before they get better. It's going to be a slow arduous slog to rectify this situation.

There was a post on r/skiing over a year ago about the traffic problem, around the time UDOT selected the gondola project as the solution. I responded to someone who knows way more than I do about urban and transit planning, reiterating their points. I’m doing it again here.

I’ll end by saying that we all need to take a deep breath and recognize that our institutions are functioning. We tend to take many things for granted. There are good people who understand the problems and want nothing more than to resolve them. The people in our government and the UDOT workers do great things to help us enjoy skiing/snowboarding, such as avalanche mitigation, public transit, road maintenance, and more. So, the next time you're stuck in Cottonwood Canyon traffic, instead of bitching and moaning about tourists, Ikon/Epic passes, or resorts being greedy, take a moment to look around at all the cars around you.

Insanely infuriating to see how many people let people cut in line in the cottonwoods or the snowbasin road. You are just as bad as those cutting at this point. Insanity to just let people cheat

I'm wanting to take my two cousins snowboarding next Saturday who are in town for a while, I've only been snowboarding myself a handful of times and they've never gone. What are your recommendations for the best snowboarding lifts or even areas around? Obviously we're not looking for anything crazy, but I also don't know what passes or packs different places offer

I have a pass for today we can no longer use. DM is you want it and I’ll update the reservation with your info!

I’ll comment back on the post when it’s been claimed.

Update: it’s for 4 people so you’ll need to have 4 in your car. We picked up two folks from the park and ride at the mouth of BCC and drove them up yesterday and it was super easy.

Update: pass has been claimed!

Currently on 994. Got to the 9400 PNR at 7:30 and missed the first bus due to it already being full. Barely got onto the next one by standing room only, which arrived 15 minutes late. We are currently about 1/4 mile back from the S Wasatch crossing on LCC Rd, not even at the mouth yet. It will likely be two hours from here to Alta. Zero reason to ride the bus on busy days.

C'mon! Your not that guy!

If you cut in line for the canyons by using one of the P&Rs to turn into and out (especially on a weekend powder day) please know that you are the worst kind of person and probably also leave your shopping cart out in the parking lot instead of returning it to the corral.

I hope the pillow you sleep on is always warm and you stub your big toe on a cold morning. Oh and your wife is probably cheating on you too.

This is insane. Last year getting up the canyon was SO easy for the first time in YEARS thanks to parking reservations, and this year they decided they needed to fuck it up.

Last year on a day like today I could leave at 8 and drive all they way to Brighton without hitting much traffic at all, now I'm stuck on 215 at 7 am. Never was it this bad all season in BCC. Ridiculous. I'm not against checking somehow, but 2 dudes looking at every car's tires ain't it. Maybe have cops go through the parking lot and write tickets for non compliance.

And don't tell me the it's because not everyone gets stickers: A) stickers don't make it THAT much faster B) if your system relies on the general population to make selfless choices, it's a terrible system. Much easier to design a better system than convince the world at large to spend time doing something that helps others (yes, I have a sticker)

They need to cut this out and go back to the drawing board.

Just crazy in SLC we got dumped on and according to their report no new snow in the past 72hrs??? Crazy

Is there some sort of trick I’m not aware of with the timed release of parking reservations for Brighton? I have a paid reservation for tomorrow, luckily, but was hoping to get a passholder parking spot for tomorrow so I didn’t have to pay for parking. I got on at 7:59 this morning and just before 2 pm today and I can’t tell that they release any extra parking like they say they do. It’s really frustrating.

I plan on doing a quick 3 days of solo skiing last weekend in Feb - arrive on Saturday, ski Sun, Mon, Tues, and leave Wednesday. Should I do Alta or Solitude/Brighton on Sunday which I assume will be the busiest day?

1”/hour is a decent snow. There may be times tomorrow morning where it is going to be coming down at 3”/hour. Be careful on the roads tomorrow!

Source - https://www.weather.gov/slc/AvalancheWeather

I saw an announcement that Milly will now be running for night skiing, but the Brighton trail map still doesn't reflect that. Does anyone know which trails off of that lift are open at night?

Howdy, we will be up for a few weeks in Jan. Any sign of bouy pop or systems coming through?

Hello ! This is my first year split boarding and I’m trying to get my legs ready/get my gear down before heading into the actual backcountry ! Is there places like porter fork that are generally safe and chill like the first couple miles of porter fork ? Thanks !-

Heading to Utah next month for a week and staying near Alta. Going to ski Alta/Snowbird most of the week but may want to go to Solitude/Brighton for a day. We will not be renting a car. Are there any services locally that will pick you up and take you to a resort and back at the end of the day?

The old Wilbere lift was one of the best places to do a bunch of early pow laps. Almost never a line and you would come basically right down to the lift. It was also decently protected from the wind for large parts. The new one is almost shocking how poorly they planned it out. It's actually uphill, gets pretty icy and the new very long line cuts right across a major choke point in creek road. The ride time isn't even shorter because it is constantly stopping or just breaking. No one I have talked to on the lift thinks it has improved anything.

Anyone else notice Alta’s turning into a second home for Californians this season? Over the holiday break, I saw way more California plates than usual, and the lift lines were ridiculous—longer than I’ve ever seen here. I can’t help but think it’s because of the Vail/PCMR fiasco driving people over.

it’s frustrating to see it overrun by people who should honestly stick to PCMR, go to Colorado, or stay in Tahoe.

I want to try some backflips this weekend. I landed a couple at a side hit at Jackson Hole last season but am still pretty uncomfortable with them. Can anyone suggest some good side hits to try them on? I’m a goofy snowboarder

Anyone with an Alta pass want to link up some time (mostly weekends)? My ikon friends are stingy with their days. I’m game to ski wherever and explore a bit.

Me & my partner Want to try snowboarding and will be taking lesson’s and seems like the most recommended spot is Nordic valley but online the recent reviews of this place isn’t so good should we consider going to sundance or brighton we will be staying in SLC