Hey guys, get ready for 2nd planned Skibudz trip for the 08 ski
season.

I lived in SLC for 16 months right after grad school and have loved
the
area's skiing ever since. SLC is an easy and relatively cheap flight
from Chicago. The hotels in downtown SLC are relatively inexpensive
and there are some great restaurants in the area. I am planning on
this trip to be all about the great skiing tha Utah has to offer.

This trip is going to be a good one for all levels of skiers. The
Salt
Lake area is home to some of the most incredible skiing in the
world.
I plan on the group visiting 4 ski resorts for the 5 days of skiing
on
this trip. They include Alta, Snowbasin, Brighton and Snow Bird.
Their web-sites are listed below. Alta (alta.com) is a great place
to
learn how to ski (It's where I first learned) and it does not allow
snow=boarders. Take heart snowboarders, Brighon and Snowbird are a
stone's throw away. Brighton (skibrighton.com) is a great place as
well; Snowbird (snowbird.com) is a resort with a lot of amenities
and
is very challenging. All three of these resorts are in the Little
Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch range of mountains, east of the
city.
The close proximity of these three resorts means that on the days
that
we choose to go to Little Cottonwood Canyon, everyone can go to the
ski
resort of his or her choice. The beginners and skiiers can go to
Alta,
snowboarders and more advanced skiiers can choose either Brighton or
Snowbird. They are all within a 15 minute drive.

Snowbasin(snowbasin.com)was used for many events in the 2002 Winter
Olympics in SLC. Before the Olympics it underwent a multi-million
dollar renovation prior to the Olympics. This resort has marble
bathrooms in the lodge at the top of the mountain and gourmet food in
all of its dining rooms. In addition, it has some incredible slopes
and
scenery. Some of the runs have enclosed gondolas, others have very
fast
lifts. It is one of my favorites. Snowbasin is about an hour north
and
east of SLC.

Also, the Utah G/L ski pride week will be taking place the same week
in Park City,
UT, about an hour from downtown SLC. We may, if we choose, crash one
of their parties. ;-)

Here are the details you need to know to get to SLC:

1.) Four airlines have non-stop flights between Chicago and SLC.
American, United and Delta out of O'Hare and Southwest out of
Midway.
Last time I checked on Expedia.com, flights were around $275.00 R/T.

2.) For lodging, I need to know by DEC. 5, 2007 how many are planning
to attend so I can reserve a block of rooms in a downtown SLC hotel.
SLC hotels cater to skiiers and are around $100.00 to $120.00/night
for
a mid-range hotel room.

3.)Transportation to and from the resorts will depend on how many
people sign up to go on the trip. If it is more than 8-10, I will
explore getting a small bus/limo to get us back and forth between the
resorts and hotel.

4.) Discount lift tickets are available at a ski rental shop in
downtown SLC. Last year the lift tickets there ranged from $37.00 to
49.00 for an all-day pass. And, of course, rental equipment is
available there as well AND it is cheaper than Granite Peak!

5.) For those of you who want to shop for new and/or used ski
equipment, check out skitruck.com. Their store is located on the SLC
fairgrounds and they have a ton of new and used equipment at bargain
prices.

6.) Dinner at night. I plan on having at least 2 nights for group
dinners out. Other nights, we can explore downtown for restaurants.
SLC has many good, ethnic and American restaurants. One group night
will probably be in Park City.

I hope this trip interests you, because I had a blast skiing there
last
year. If you have any questions about any details of the trip,
please
contact me at emhubach@...

Thanks!

Morgan