A quick question for those who have been to Utah - how long in advance do you have to book accommodation? Especially if you're interested in vrbo etc?
I think we may be priced out of the Alta lodges - but it seems that many of those are already booked up for next year. Is that possible?
Thanks!
Several Gatherings have been held in the past in the Salt Lake City area. In most cases the vast majority of people stayed in SLC and made the daily commute. The last time the event was there about a third (guessing 20 or so) stayed at either Alta or Snowbird. At Alta most stayed at Gold Miners Daughter and a few split a condo at Snowbird. Loging in Little Cottonwood Canyon is, as you have already noted, expensive.
The trip from the Midvale area of SLC is roughly a half hour under good road conditions to get to Snowbird. Midvale UT is the closest part of the city where there is all sorts of lodging available on reasonably short notice. You can get a reasonable room there in the $ 65- $ 75 range.
In most cases participants get together and socialize after skiing both up in the canyon and down in the city. Carpools have been know to happen from SLC also. Of course if you are staying at Alta or Snowbird it is about 1:45 minutes to get to Snow Basin if you decide to attend the events there. I think it come down to how much luxury and convenience you require.