The Canyons
- Price Range: $$
19 Reviews for The Canyons
How can I dis a ski resort?
Let's see: lame parking system where you have to take an open-air lift to get to and from the cars, terrible design where the lifts don't connect or make sense, uninformed staff who actually said "I have no idea", and overpriced real estate. The last isn't applicable to me, but in case you want to buy a condo at a ski resort...
Good thing we went to Park City for the remainder of the stay.
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Probably the best snowboarding day ever. The weather was pristine and the coverage was lots of powder (but not too much). Powder in UT is different than anything I've ever been in. It's very dry, soft, and billow-eee.
The parking situation was actually kinda cool (contrary to others). You park in a lot and take a gondola to the resort. That 5min ride allows you to get some quality pre-partyness in (I recommend Wasatch's Polygamy Porter). Clears the mind and inhibitions.
I recommend hiking up to some of the bowls. It had taken me 40min to hike 600ft to one. I was light headed, short of breadth, but the all powder ride down was GLORIOUS.
hint hint... go to the Costco in Salt Lake and buy your lift tix for 40-50% off.
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I just got back from a weekend in Park City and a full day at the Canyons. If I could give this place 3.5 stars I would.
I have to compliment them on the following:
1. Nice Resort, everything is new, beautiful and well stocked, absolutely gorgeous.
2. Service, very nice, everyone was smiling, attentive and very friendly.
3. Snow- OMG good, fresh, dry powder, loving it.
4. Long, Challenging runs for the intermediate skier/boarder
5. Tasty, Fresh eats.
6. Very uncrowded, even on a Saturday, the lift lines were a breeze!
I have to ding them on the following:
1. Lot's of weird, flat, long "connecting" trails that seem to run on forever, including one that dumps you into a basin requiring a tow-rope to extricate yourself from.
2. Not a lot of good beginner terrain at all.
3. Virtually impossible to get properly loaded on the mountain (welcome to Utah!)
4. Parking Lot is 2 Gondola Rides away from the nearest Ski-able terrain, add extra time for traveling to get a full day in.
I liked the Canyons much more than I did Park City. The Canyons make me believe that I *might* brave the state of Utah and go back.
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EVERYONE is sweet and cheerful 24 hours a day. I swear it was eerie, similar to the movie, Pleasantville.
Accommodations: Brand new facilities.
*Fireplace
*Flatscreen TV
*Down Comforter
*FREE 24hr gym access
*AWESOME outdoor heated party tub and pool.
Some downsides to the room:
-No full length mirror
-No double sinks
-1200 watt hair dryers
-No couch
-No separation of toilet from shower
Breakfast buffet: Pretty darn good, but it's the SAME thing EVERYDAY: omelettes made to order, oatmeal, bacon, yogurt, granola & fresh fruit.
Ski resort: snow makers were going, and only about HALF of the runs were open. Runs are not too flat, so it makes for pretty good boarding conditions, plus they have a park. Skiing out sucks, b/c you can't ski all the way down, you have to take a lift and it's like Black Friday at Walmart madness.
Shuttle service around the resort, every 5 minutes. 10 minutes to Main.
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Talk about fresh powder...it's so nice here....we just glide over the snow.
They also have a package deal for two for $99 (free lift tickets, gourmet burgers, and beer)...what a deal...we went 2 days in a row.
The Canyons is very big and nice. We really like this place. For those of you who are into jumps then Park City will probably better, but if you like nice scenic route then the Canons since they have very long trails.
Yes they do have long traverse in certain area but if you know which path to take you can avoid it. We made the most of it by going sledding with our snowboards. It was sooo much fun.
We miss Utah :(
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Also a very sick resort. Great runs, not too much in terms of a park. If you want big kickers and what not, head over to Park City. I seriously love the terrain here. They've got natural bowls, some bumps, some steeps, everything for everyone.
There's a couple gripes. The first is you have to take 2 gondolas to get to the first lift. The second is that there's a few flats to get through when you're moving around on the mountain. But once you get where you want to go... get ready for some serious fun.
The free shuttle also takes you here from Main Street.
The Canyons offers diverse and long terrains for all levels on EIGHT mountains, and I just returned from my second trip of the season to this resort. In my opinion, Park City, UT gets the best powder in North America. It took some serious convincing for me to switch from skiing to boarding, but there was no place better to learn than at The Canyons. That was part of the deal - I wouldn't switch to boarding unless I could start in soft powder.
I remember learning to ski 20+ years ago on a sheet of ice in -10 degree arctic tundra known as Killington in Vermont. It was bad enough to make the little me want to rip off my skis, bid farewell forever and go hide in the trees for a few hours. I didn't get to experience the powder in Park City for several years afterwards, but that's where I realized the greatness of skiing. And once again, PC offered me the same ideal experience for boarding.
Mother Nature blessed my first trip of the season with soft powder up to my thighs. That completely removed any fear of falling and potentially hurting myself. And without that fear factor, I was able to take the learning curve to new heights. I took a 2 hour private lesson with Aussie James, and by the 2nd hour, he had me comfortably linking turns and going down the intermediate runs. He was awesome. Of course that won't be everyone's early experience. I had a leg up because I was already mentally comfortable on the slopes from years of skiing. And the biggest driving force was having been a skateboarding rat up until the age of 12. Nonetheless, a great instructor plus great snow make it conducive to a lot of learning and improving. Everyone should be able learn on this snow.
On my first trip, I ended up boarding for 2 days; rested the 3rd day; boarded days 4-5; rested on the 6th; then on day 7, took a short ride over to Deer Valley to get 1 day of skiing in and pay homage to the birthplace. On this last trip, I boarded the entire week at The Canyons with a few breaks in between. It was really warm in the 3rd week of Feb, but there was still soft powder everywhere.
Absolutely no crowd or lift lines during the week. Even on the weekend, the lines were manageable. The longest wait was for the gondola ride from the village up to the base of the mountain, but I wasn't complaining. Once on the mountain, the crowd dispersed quickly. I imagine the lines would be longer during the holidays. My favorite trail is the long, scenic terrain called The Harmony. It traverses over bridges and through The Colony with its cluster of beautiful mountain-side homes.
The flight from LAX to Salt Lake City is less than 2 hours. It only takes about 40 minutes from SLC Airport to The Canyons. Southwest offers $78 + tax (one way) direct flights between SLC and LAX. Also, check out http://parkcityinfo.co... and get there early enough to convert your airline boarding pass into a free same-day lift ticket.
I can't wait to go back to The Canyons!
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A friend of mine recently asked me if he should buy a season pass to the Canyons and I told him that I would spend my money elsewhere. The Canyons has this convoluted open air gondola that you have to take from the parking lot to get to the resort. After you buy a lift pass you then need to jump on a gondola (or hike) to get to more lifts. And even then you have all this traversing to get where you want to go. So by the time you get to runs you want to ski you've already gone through a 45 minute process to get there. And when you do get there, it's not as good as Snowbird, Alta, Snowbaisn, or Deer Valley.
I guess that I just don't get enough days on the slopes anymore to deal with the hassle.
Ok, I am not saying this to brag..... Ok I am a little, but I have skied in the following countries: Val D isere France, Cortina Italy, Zermatt Switzerland, and Mt. Brighton in Detroit.
If you have ever skied in Europe the one thing you notice about the mountains is that they literally go on forever. For example in Val D isere they reported about 300 miles of skiiable terrain. The vastness is just overwhelming.
Well The Canyons is the Only resort in North America that I have been to where you get that feel of sking in Europe. I'm talking Switzerland or Italy like. Even if you don't ski it, it (sorry for the double it) is truly a sight to behold.
There is major development going on there, and a good place to invest if you are looking for a vacation property (I just purchased a Condo unit at the brand new Silverado Lodge which is slopeside at the Canyons)
Anyway, I hope that Yelps!
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I liked Park City Resort better, but maybe the weather that day had something to do with it. I liked the gondola from the parking lot; I'd rather do that than hike it anyday. But it would be nice if they were enclosed gondolas because the snow that day was brutal. The main gondola was temporarily closed for wind, so we had to hike it up a hill, then down a hill, to get to the lift. Highlight of the day was spotting a moose in the woods, then looking down on a trail from the lift and spotting a huge pile of moose crap in the center of a run. Wonder who the lucky guy was who boarded/skiied thru the poop. I wasn't too fond of the difficulty it took to get around the mountain; for example having to take certain lifts for us to get down to the bottom. But again, the weather may have been the culprit. The storm that day did bring wonderful powder. I am still a beginner and wanted to practice carving more on beginner runs, but this place is clearly for intermediate to advanced folks. Not a lot of beginner trails at all. Food and beer was good. Gondola on the way down was closed for an hour and the lodge was packed.
***WARNING*** this was a free trip for me so the cost didn't matter.
this was at the grand summit portion of the lodge. we had two rooms. 5 of us from work, 2 in one room and the remaining 3 of us in the suite. before i even begin i have to say this whole trip just kept reminding me of the shining. after a brief room mix up with our own people, we get our suite. it's nice! big living room, full kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a single bedroom and a double bedroom. each bedroom and the living room had a small 27" LCD with 35 basic cable channels, food tv being the one i watched.
out on the balcony of one of the rooms had a giant ball of ice that had formed from a drip from above. right underneath it was a crowded walkway. made me wonder about the many ways to die by ice. our room had a great view of the mountains and all that nature stuff.
i think the room was in the $600-700 range and for that price i would have giving this 2 stars for being a rip-off. but since it was a company trip i really enjoyed myself.
shit i forgot. the bed was horribly uncomfortable. comfort inn has better beds for $75 a night. pillows were pretty bad too. the ones i found in the closet were nicer.
so yeah, i guess i still really liked the trip and our lodgings despite a few flaws. and for free how can i really complain?
I loved snowboarding here. It was a great place. The runs were well groomed and not alot of people. Couldnt really complain about nothing. I cant wait to hit this place up again.
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THe CAN CAN is the place to be for skiing and riding in Utah when you want to get away from the AGRO adreniline junkies in Little Cottonwood Canyon. This place is really big and has a wide variety of terrain for every skill level. Also has great BackCountry access for those who are truely adventurous..... just don't got out with out a beacon cause I am not coming to get you. Great locals vibe found here... so come by and bring your smile!
Good times! I love all of the terrain to hit hard with the snowboard! Unfortunately I absolutely hate the long freaking traverses here and at Park City. I swear, I thought my ankle was going to break off. That's the only reason I'll knock it down to four stars.
Supposedly the single largest resort in Utah except when compared to the Alta/Snowbird complex.. this place left a lot to be desired.
I'll preface this review by saying that there hadn't been any substantial snowfall for the past week, but during the same time period, I visited Park City and Snowbird and had a lot more fun. We got some great, high speed groomers off the Super Condor Lift and the Sun Peak express. But the rest of the day was an icy, crowded mess (I waited less time in liftlines at Park City) off all of the other lifts. And despite the advice of some of the ski patrol, it felt like we were on catwalks all day long -- I don't think this mountain is very well laid out compared to a lot of other places that I've been.
I do see the major potential though if there was better snow conditions with the hike-to-terrain on Murdock Bowl and off the 9990 Express, but if you want wicked steep terrain, go hit Snowbird.
Off the beaten slope and just far enough away from the uppity-but -trying-to-hide-it Park City, you'll find the Canyons. While it does have a mini resort on the premises, it's down-to-earth with some stellar terrain. Had some fun with the fam here and didn't have to dodge my way down the hill too much or deal with long lines even on Christmas Eve! Stick to the smaller resorts for bunny slopes... this one is the biggest in Utah and over 2/3's of it is devoted to intermediate & advanced peeps. There's a sick run called Ninety-Nine 90, which is the elevation at the top... not the place to be on a windy day! But all in all, the Canyons is definitely the spot for rippers!!
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Utah really does have the best snow, because it doesn't melt! The canyons is pretty cool, lots of runs, nice employees (a few years ago anyway) not as pricey as some of the other resorts in the area...
if i hadn't vowed to never visit utah again, i would totally love to board this place again.
the place is freakin' huge! FIVE peaks...count 'em five. i spent the entire day bombing the slopes and never hit the same run twice...and i barely scratched the surface of what this place has to offer.
the village looked very hip (by utah standards), the adjacent town is quaint, and the food at the lodge was great. (i normally hate snow lodge eats.) lots of construction going on. looked like lodging was being built so this could potentially be a one stop shop for your insatiable powder addiction.
incredible place. i will miss you but i have no desire to visit your god forsaken state again. buh-bye
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Spent the last day of our ski trip at The Canyons, Utah's youngest ski resort, probably less than 10 yrs. old. For being that young, they sure know how to develop and expand, for they had everything there (hotels, condos, houses, shops etc...) The place is impressive looking, mountain side and village. It is a very big place and i was there to find out what it had to offer, since that's what i do in my winter months.
So on our last day, a small storm system passed through Utah, leaving us with a gray but snow-filled day. I'm not one to shy away from stormy weather, actually i was stoked cause it meant fresh POW. Finally get on the slopes, get a game plan to explore the mountain and the snow really starts dumping and the thermostat was in the teens. Hit a few warm-up runs and they were blasting their snow making guns everywhere. Fake snow on top of real Utah snow (which they self proclaim is the "world's greatest snow", i've been to Colorado also and it's pretty damn good there too) it just seemed superfluous. Plus when you went under the spray of these machines, you would get soaked and your goggles would freeze over cause the fake snow is very wet and icy, compared to the light fluffy stuff mutha nature spits out. So it's sub-freezing temps and i'm getting coated with icy pellets on their account, verrry niiiice, i was thinking. Then when i finally got away from the machines, there was a nice coating of fresh snow on top of a very crusty,icy base. So now i'm floating and scraping with each turn, hard to catch a rhythm, verrry niiiice, i thought again. And anytime we wanted to go from one area to another, it seemed like they would throw you on a long and narrow trail that roller coasters you through the local homes. Okay sight-seeing but definitely not exhilarating. The only good stuff i got was in or near the trees for it was pure, patella deep powder that stayed consistent for me to float on.
The service people "on" the mountain (chairlift attendees, ski patrol etc.) were all gracious and helpful. One young lady from Peru who looked like she was on break even stopped to help me cause i had the map open, and she quickly pointed me to the right direction. However we were completely ignored at one of the bars with a patio. The server kept servicing the table next to us and not once checked with us. Probably the worst service experience of the trip.
The Canyons seems like a nice place for families (rich ones) and intermediate skill levels and that's fine, but from where i stand it's all a bunch of fluff, run-arounds and snobbery. i won't go back on my account. i don't regret it though because i had to check it out for myself and like Biggie once said "if ya don't know, now ya know."
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