Ski Utah Interconnect Adventure Tour Frequently Asked Questions

What level of skier do I need to be?
How do I know if my ski ability is good enough for Interconnect?
How should I dress?
How much hiking or traversing is there?
Do I take my skis off to hike?
Do I need telemark or other backcountry gear to go on the tour?
Do I need climbing skins?
Do I need to carry a backpack?
Is it appropriate to tip the guides?
Why can't I do the tour on my snowboard?
How many people will be on the tour with me?
Is there a minimum age to go on the tour?
How many vertical feet and how many miles do we ski in the day?
What if the guides decide that my skiing ability is not up to the demands for the tour?
Can I be picked up or dropped off at my lodging before and after the tour?
What does the tour entail?

What level of skier do I need to be? The tour is open to advanced skiers in good physical condition. On a given day we may encounter a wide variety of snow conditions. You need to be comfortable skiing powder, crud and other backcountry snow conditions. And you need to be in good shape: the tour covers a lot of terrain and is physically taxing.

How do I know if my ski ability is good enough for Interconnect? Here are a few self evaluation questions to ask yourself:

• Are you physically active and fit?
• Do you feel good skiing all the mountain in any conditions?
• When you are in a ski area, are you always looking for places to hike so that you can get more turns in?
• Are you that skier that we see traversing out in the bowl so that you can get fresh tracks?
• Can you side step with you skis on up a gradual uphill for 10-15 minutes a few times during the day>

If you answered "yes" to all these questions, call today and book your tour.

How should I dress? Weather conditions can change quickly in the Wasatch. Dress in layers and be prepared for winter weather. Don't forget the sunscreen! Even on cloudy days, the sun is intense at this altitude.

How much hiking or traversing is there? The majority of the tour is skiing downhill, but there are several fairly long uphill traverses and a couple of places where we sidestep up short inclines. It's important to be in good physical condition and feel comfortable walking with skis on.

Do I take my skis off to hike? No, the tour is designed for guests to keep their skis on throughout. However, depending on the desire of the group (or part of the group), there are a couple of places where we have the option of bootpacking up in order to get more powder turns in. If part of the group wants to hike and part doesn't, we can split the group for that section of the tour.

Do I need telemark or other backcountry gear to go on the tour? No, the tour is designed to be done on alpine gear. If you normally ski on telemark or AT gear, sure, it'll work great on the tour, but you don't need it. The bottom line is use the gear you're most comfortable skiing on.

Do I need climbing skins? No, our guides carry climbing skins in their packs in case of emergency, but guests don't need them.

Do I need to carry a backpack? Not necessarily. We recommend that if you're used to skiing with a backpack and you want to carry your personal gear and water, you are welcome to bring a small pack. Some guests bring their own water in a "Camelback," which works great on the tour.

Is it appropriate to tip the guides? Yes. Our professional guides spend countless hours on their own time and expense acquiring the knowledge and skills to give you a safe and enjoyable backcountry experience. As with other professional guide services, tips are considered part of the guides' wage. If the guides meet your expectations, a tip of 15 to 20 percent of tour cost is considered standard among professional guide services.

Why can't I do the tour on my snowboard? Because of the uphill traversing involved, the tour doesn't lend itself well to snowboarding. Beyond that, we pass through Alta Ski Area and Deer Valley Resort which do not allow snowboarding.

How many people will be on the tour with me? Maximum group size is 12. Minimum group size is three.

Is there a minimum age to go on the tour? Yes. The minimum age is 16. Skiers under 18 years old will need a legal guardian to sign a release form before they go on the tour. Anyone under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

How many vertical feet and how many miles do we ski in the day? On average, we ski about 16,000 vertical feet and cover anywhere between 24-26 miles.

What if the guides decide that my skiing ability is not up to the demands for the tour? The guides check ski ability prior to leaving the area. If your skiing ability is not where it should be for the tour, the guides will let you know. This is a safety precaution so that you do not put other skiers in danger. There is a $100 nonrefundable deposit. Please be honest about your ski ability so that you do not loss your deposit.

Can I be picked up or dropped off at my lodging before and after the tour? Guests are responsible for transportation to and from the start of the tour. Park City has an excellent free bus system that stops at Deer Valley Ski area for the six area tour, and there are numerous transportation companies to arrange transportation to and from Snowbird for the four area tour.

What does the tour entail? Professional guides lead you via backcountry routes between and through as many as six resorts in one day.

A typical Deer Valley departure (Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sun.) begins at 8:15 a.m. at Deer Valley's Snow Park Lodge. Our guides will talk to the group about avalanche safety, backcountry etiquette and that day's conditions. They will also fit each guest with an avalanche transceiver. We'll board either Carpenter Express or Silver Lake Express at 8:50 a.m. before the lifts are open to the general public, then ski several runs as we make our way to the top of the Empire Express where the guides will check out with Deer Valley Resort Patrol and ski into Park City Mountain Resort terrain. After several runs at Park City we'll end up at the top of Jupiter Chair and check out with Park City Mountain Resort Patrol. Then it's off the back side of Park City into Big Cottonwood Canyon and a long backcountry descent to the base of Solitude Mountain Resort. We'll ski several runs making our way to the top of the Summit chair, then ski the upper SolBright trail to Brighton Ski Resort. After a run or two at Brighton, we'll take the lower SolBright trail back to Solitude where we'll stop for lunch and a well-earned break. After lunch it's back to the top of Summit chair where we'll check out with Solitude Patrol and then make the dramatic 500-yard traverse across the "Highway to Heaven" and into Little Cottonwood Canyon via Twin Lakes Pass. Another long backcountry descent puts us at the upper base of Alta Ski Area. We ski several runs at Alta, ending up at the top of Sugarloaf chair, then pass through the Mineral Basin gate and, voila, we're at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, our final ski area. Don't worry, there's still plenty of great skiing as we make our way to the bottom of Mineral Basin, up the Mineral Basin Express to the top of Snowbird and then a long last run to the Tram Plaza where our van meets us for the drive back to Deer Valley.

A typical Snowbird Departure (Tue., Thur. and Sat.) begins at 8:15 a.m. at the Snowbird Activity Center of the Snowbird Center (same level as the tram) for sign-up and orientation. Our guides will talk to the group about avalanche safety, backcountry etiquette and that day's conditions. They will also fit each guest with an avalanche transceiver. We'll be among the first skiers on the Tram, take a run or two to get warmed up, and then drop into Mineral Basin to the Baldy Express. Then it's through the gate into Alta and a few runs making our way to the top of Supreme chair. A traverse out to the Catherine's Pass area leads to spectacular backcountry skiing down to the base of Brighton Ski Resort. After a run or two at Brighton, we'll take the lower SolBright trail to Solitude Mountain Resort where we'll stop for lunch and a well-earned break. After lunch, the tour follows the same route back to Snowbird as described in the Deer Valley departure above.

Depending on conditions, routes may vary from the descriptions above.

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