Park City vs. Vail: An Exhaustive Comparison 

Fuck vail

It is a beautiful drive if it does not snow. It can be terrifying on a snowy day, especially after dark.

Try Eagle County airport besides don’t have to deal with Mormons. Park city don’t even close yo Vail.

Thank you for the support and that detailed information!

Thanks for watching!

Which Summit County?

@@sllehmann summit County Colorado, sorry

Yeah, my thoughts as well. You won't find a lot of locals in PC. Those go to Alta, Brighton Solitude, Snowbird, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain. PC is something like #6 or #7 in Utah in my book. The upside is that the town is cute but also pricy, as you'd expect of a resort town. If you want to though, you can stay in Salt Lake or Ogden for the other northern Utah resorts and still enjoy quick and easy access with larger city animities.

Agree! Please go to Europe! I need a zermatt ski review soon as I’m going in March haha

Good luck!

I mainly ski on the Canyons side of Park City less people.

I feel like 9990 side country accounting for 25% of all Utah avalanche deaths in the last 30 years was an important part of the old Canyon's identity. Vail Mountain Resorts didn't like that. Not one bit.

I avoid the big places, traffic, long lines, people everywhere. I have a few small places I love, lap after lap after lap with no waiting. And like you, I'm not telling. 😁

Great suggestion, thanks!

Thanks Alex! We'll definitely aim for a few of those for the upcoming season!

The town of Park City is amazing and elevates it way above almost all US resorts in my opinion.

Thanks Thomas! We'll aim to have more content for both resorts up in the coming months!

@@PeakRankings Palisades is on a different level. Nothing at Vale or Park approaches KT let alone Silverado. Also Scotts Chair, great, Red Dog Trees great, and Alpine has a back gate you can hike, just terrific at the expert end. In Colorado, Beaver is the better than Vale, and in Utah, it is Alta or Deer Valley, those are great resorts.

No one even mentioning telluride and it literally has a 4.5 mile long run. Also amazing touring terrain, high alpine, tight trees, creek runs, big ass meadows, dope park, it has everything. AND it's not been absorbed by the greasy pig conglomerate that is vail resorts. It's a win win win!

@@novy3068 Telluride is definitely one of the best mountains

@@novy3068 while Telluride is amazing, it just doesn't have the acerage to be a real comparison. It's more comparable to Snowbird, Crystal, Alyeska, Crested Butte, Revelstoke or Taos. Fairly large with lots of steep advanced and expert terrain, but limited intermediate and beginner options. Places like Mammoth, Palisades, Keystone, Winter Park or Snowmass are all fairly large with more varied terrain, but they still don't have the mega sized feel that is more common in Europe. They're all a tier below the huge resorts like PC, Vail, Big Sky or Whistler in terms of pure size and massive lift infrastructures.

Breckenridge review will be up quite soon!

As an intermediate snowboarder Breckenridge was good, not as good as Big Sky though. We had a a foot of powder and it was magic and tracked out across the mountain by noon. Big Sky even the next day you could find runs with powder on the edges

Only time I've been to Breck they got like 10 inches overnight and it was some of the sickest skiing I've had in a while. Groomers couldn't even get out in the morning so you HAD to ski steeper stuff to not get stuck lmao. Unfortunately it's still owned by vail, and everything they touch turns to shit :/ my trip was later in the spring so idk how the lines will be in February but be prepared to wait. Definitely park in employee lots every morning! The shuttle system is top notch so do not feel like you need front row parking. My pops and I were able to find an overnight lot on the edge of town and we STILL got a shuttle first thing in the morning (totally free too). Big ups for that

I'm an Ikon peep. Less crowds. More choices within driving distance of Denver. Plus, six resorts within an hour of SLC. I like Vail, but not the crowds that seem to go along with the Epic pass. Breckenridge on a Saturday mid-season is like skiing Vermont on a Saturday: 7, 8, or 10 runs on a good Saturday. The rest of the time is spent in liftlines.

👑👑 hey it may suck that vail's ruined the pc culture but at least all the vacationers all go to one place so there's less crowds at the actually good mountains lmaoo

Yeah only if they got some faster expert only lifts

You can’t go wrong with either, unless we’re talking late season (Vail better).

Honestly don't go to either if price is an issue (and just generally if you want to get more than 5 runs in a day, lines are HORRIBLE). Vail Resorts (the conglomerate that owns both mountains) has inflated the prices of not just the tickets but literally everything around the mountains. Loveland pass is a personal favorite in co. GORGEOUS views, independently owned, half day tickets were 60 bucks, and had honestly some of the best high alpine terrain I skied out in CO. Wherever you go, find the holes in the wall. Major resorts aren't worth it, especially ones owned by vail.

@@novy3068 vail on a pow day is a once in a life time experience

@@jconroy102 To be honest anyplace is awesome on a powder day. Loveland is a great little ski area but many need to make the scene and ski places like Vail or Aspen which is fine and no hate. The truth is I have had great to times skiing many places when the snow is good. A Basin is awesome and the East Wall is great. My favorite hands down is JH. Good snow changes everything. Take care and chase that powder.

They're pretty bad in my opinion. This is one reason why I'd say Park City is better for beginners. The lower mountain greens are flat and mostly catwalks, they're really unenjoyable.

Noted! Both may be difficult for awhile, as we still need clear footage from certain parts of the resorts.

Noted!

@@howarddamico1237 Yeah, I forgot it was called Palisades. I’ve never been but I LOVE Mammoth.

Sprint to Blue Sky at opening. Once everyone catches up, go back to the front.

Thanks for your support! Consider one of the regional Epic Pass products, such as the Summit Value Pass, for the best deal on multi-day Rockies skiing. And make sure to plan your trip well in advance for the best rates. We’ll also have an article on budgeting ski trips up in the near future, with a companion video following shortly behind!

I've only skied a single day at vail and I've had probably a combined 5 or so days at pc so definitely not as qualified, but from the small taste I had of vail it kinda really let me down. I felt like there was way more beginner terrain everywhere that really limited my topspeed and just couldn't get away from dodging beginners. Pc feels like there's more separation between the top and bottom of the resort in difficulty so once you get up for the day most of the chairs will be uninterrupted great runs where as vail felt like every time I rounded a corner it was another slow zone :/ like I said though only one day at vail so I probably just didn't have time to find the spot

​@@novy3068 It doesn't sound like you spent much time in the back bowls. Next time you go there hit the back bowls. Also, Vail has some really great bump runs on the front side like Look Ma, Blue Ox and Highline, but you've got to have the skills to ski them. For me, the back bowls are the place to be. I'm not much for Blue Sky Basin across the way but have skied it many times.

@@ArturoTierra tbf I went on a bad snow day later in the season and I think the back bowls weren't open or something. Idk I went to like 10 resorts in CO on that trip and all of the vail owned ones are at the bottom of my list. I couldn't even really enjoy good terrain fully cause vail just carries a vibe to every resort they buy that makes ski bums like me feel super unwelcome :/

@@novy3068 I've found that if you can ski really, really well and love the sport it doesn't matter where you go, you will always be treated with respect, unless you go to Jackson A-Hole.

@@ArturoTierra uhh no not by vail. I've been skiing my entire life. Born and raised in the pnw. Been all over the state and up into bc. Everywhere but vail resorts have treated me with respect. Vail intentionally pumps prices and stagnates wages to push the most passionate part of the community, the people that sacrifice their comfort for a sport they love, away to make room for trust fund babies boosting their ego on insta. They completely strip every resort they buy of the local culture. I've been unfortunate enough to see it at my home mountain. Stevens pass has had a lot of issues with owners in the past, lots of changing hands and neglect for prominent issues, but through all of that it had a culture. A scene. Vail came in and not only ignored glaring issues, but actively made the resort experience WORSE. They hiked the food prices while simultaneously cutting portions, they tried like hell to get rid of the rv parking lot and only because the locals kicked and scream did they back off. They've raised ticket prices, tried to get rid of the summer bike park, severely cut down what used to be one of the best parks in the state, when they came in they fired ALL of the management and replaced them with hq managers from Colorado that had never even seen stevens. Vail doesn't just not care about us, they HATE us. Fuck vail. Vails ideal ski industry is one where no skiers actually get good, are happy to spend thousands of dollars a weekend for basic services, and never questions their hiring or employment practices. Vail Resorts is the planet fitness of the ski industry.

I like the Canyons side. It's this dysfunctional mix of 90s era sketchy skiing mixed with unapologetic mid 2000s era real estate development featuring mansions that are larger than the resort lodges. The end result is a mix of expert skiers who think the handful of narrow groomed runs are cat tracks (they want to get back to cycling the trees) and people who are beginners who think the cat tracks are the bunny slope, as nearly all of the skiable area involves trees. It's sort of like those ~1900s era realist paintings where you are shown a bunch of people who are wallowing in their own filth and are fine with it (It's either glorious or horrifying depending on your sensibilities), but tracking the trajectory of American skiing for the last 30 years. Totally doesn't mesh with Park City, though.

Different strokes for different folks. Skill level plays a big part as well. Ripping groomers is fun but dodging tourists can get sketchy and vail resorts hate it when you're comfortable at speed. Ungroomed terrain just raises the skill floor a bit. Also more to play around with and send off of ungroomed.

You lose 80% of the crowd off the groomers and groomers are boring if you are a good skier.

Noted! We have Breckenridge footage, but we still need to visit Steamboat for sufficient video there.

Steamboat!!!! Not even close. Especially if you're willing/able to vary where you ski on the mountain. Get on top early. Ski the tree stashes until Morningside opens, then a couple to many runs in there until the liftline gets too big. Then ski down to Burgess or Pony for as many runs as your legs can handle. Breckenridge has awesome skiing, but there's almost zero escape from the crowds.

All of my comments mean nothing on a random Tuesday mid-season 😎

We used the Bustang from downtown Denver on our trip to Vail this year: ridebustang.com/

For the record, Powder Mountain's 8,400-acre claim is a bit misleading. 3,200 acres of this “skiable” terrain is reserved for private guided tours, so a Powder Mountain lift ticket only gets you access to 5,200 acres of terrain.

@@PeakRankings Since when? I was there before covid, but not since. Nah. No way. About 1200 acres is called "Powder Country" which is 'lift serviced' by old school buses, but that's included and in-bounds. About 500 acres is sno-cat serviced which is an additional per-ride purchase, but that's not private. Okay, call it 7900 acres without sno-cat skiing... ("Mine's bigger!" LolololoL) Cheers, man. Even skiing a bunny hill is still better than not skiing at all.

@@j.thomas7128 we personally verified the skiable acreage here: tinyurl.com/powder-mtn-acres

@@PeakRankings At first, i thought y'all were just unaware. Now, i realize it's an intentional attempt to mislead... Tiny url, seriously? Even in the instructions it says that it only measures footprint and does not factor elevation. The disclaimer about not measuring roofs or anything with a pitch should be indication that it's not a proper 3d assessment. It only factors 2d and not a 3d representation of the terrain. Your representation is intellectually dishonest and lacks any integrity. Thumb down and DO NOT RECOMMEND channel. You should ski there before pretending to be experts in the hill. And yes Powder Country is lift serviced. That lift is a school bus(es). There is no "private" sections of the mountain as you've already said. You'll add out of bounds area not covered by mountain rescue to make a resort seem bigger in one example, but then use a 2d rendering of another resort to make it appear smaller. Zero integrity!!! Y'al haven't even been there... thanks for your review. Haha DO NOT RECOMMEND DISHONEST CHANNELS!

Yeah the conglomerate that owns these two mountains has been causing so many issues at every resort they buy. You're literally not even allowed to ski at a normal cruising speed through lower difficulty runs. I got my pass pulled at 3 different resorts 2020-2021 season just for carrying speed to get through congested areas 💀 not bombing, not slashing snow at beginners, literally just skiing normally well within my ability level paying attention and keeping wide spacing as much as possible and they didn't like that I was just passing people 🤦‍♂️ after the first time I got pulled over I even started skiing SLOWER cause I didn't realize it was their policy. Paid extra attention and started speed checking even more than I already was and they still made it an issue. I've literally never hit anyone on a beginner slope but I guess I'm the problem 🤷‍♂️

Amen. F them clowns

L take dawg. Discrimination is lame as fuck. Let people enjoy the snow how they want. They strapped in too. You're probably just still in the beginner areas where no one is totally in control and egos get hurt. Cause I promise you some of the coolest people I know snowboard exclusively.

Stay out of CA, you’ll get your shit pushed in, Doc! Enjoy the Mormons!

@@borpus9716 When I skied CA in the 70's it was good. Now the people make it suck. I'll never go back, so many better places.