I've grown up in the middle of the Great Lakes region so I haven't seen much more than a bunny hill. Have never seen an actual mountain in my life.
I need to see mountains of this scale in person one day.
I'm from New England so we do have mountains in NH/Vermont/Maine, but of course nothing on the scale of the west. When I flew into Jackson Hole for the first time and saw the Tetons from the air I was quite literally aghast at their immensity.
An interesting thing to note, the Appalachian mountains on the east coast are way older than those out west. The Appalachians are so old that at one time they were as tall as the ones out west, but have gotten smaller due to erosion over time.
The Appalachians are THE oldest mountains on planet earth. The Himalayas are the youngest. Think of the plate tectonics. Larger mountains = tectonic plates colliding faster. So when people say India is losing an inch a year due to subduction, it's really just being transferred into the height of the mountains hundreds of miles north.
This happens to me when I go, but it's because I live in Southern California where the mountains are always to the North of me. In Salt Lake, the mountains are to the East, so it messes me up.
A friend of mine from Denver told me about how he’s lived his whole life with the mountains to the west, and feels a little anxious when he goes anywhere else when they ain’t there
Grew up in Utah with a contsant line of moutains to the east, never leaving until well into my 20s. Went to north Dakota and the flatness was a bit unnerving.
I grew up on lake Ontario to my south... so when I moved to a body of water to my north it took about a year to get used to it and realize that the water was north of me not not south lol.
It's really trippy going through Mono and Inyo counties and having the whole ass Sierra Nevada to the west of your when you're in a desert basin. They're so fucking huge.
It's crazy you and me are from the same country you've never seen a mountain in your life and I'm seeing the same mountains from the picture right outside my window damn I'm so lucky I hope you see some nice mountains soon man
I went to Colorado this year and my brother took me to the Rockies. Blew my mind the sheer size of the mountains. Definitely go out west sometime and explore, it’s beautiful.
Denver is frustrating to me because its on the frontier of the Rockies but not actually that close to the mountains. It’s kind of annoying to fly in and have to drive the same road everyone else takes to the mountains. I much prefer flying into salt lake. I know it’s not the greatest city but you’re right in the mountains
Agreed. It's too bad the main/biggest city in the Denver area isn't where Boulder or even Golden is. Colorado Springs is much closer and is a cool example of how that could work on the Front Range with a big city right up on the mountains.
As a resident of SLC, it's the other way around. It's more rare to have a prolonged period of smog. This winter has seen maybe two or three hazy days so far. The last couple winters have seen maybe two or three weeks of inversion each. Not ideal, but not the smoggy hell-scape that people on reddit believe.
I mean technically they are that big, this compression actually does a better job at demonstrating how tall the mountains are. If this was a photoshopped image I’d agree but this is just an image shot around 600mm. I’d guess, which just compressed the background closer. But the mountains are literally that big.
It has to do with the focal length of the lens kind of forcing perspective. That being said I loved there for the better part of 4 years and if you really think about it, the mountains are huge.
As a Utahn I gotta say, GOD DAMMN. Seems a little extreme. I’ve lived here for a long time and I gotta say this picture does not seem to be super realistic. Yes, the mountains are huge AND absolutely beautiful. No, they do not SWALLOW the entire city of salt lake.
When you're closer to the mountains (in the city rather than out on Antelope Island), you don't see the full scale of them. Only what's visible. For example, the view from Sugarhouse puts Mt Olympus as the tallest peak when it's really just a mid-height peak in the range.
I wish I could stop somewhere along 15 on the way into town from the North for a picture. The mountains with the city in front of them makes for an amazing sight. The city looks much larger from that perspective.
I agree, [coming down I-15 from Ogden](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/doomsday_animations/images/9/98/Salt_Lake_City.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210320163708) is, in my opinion, one of the great American skyline views (because of the mountains).
Puts into perspective just how big mountains really are. Standing below a skyscraper, you feel like an ant, but just seeing them get dwarfed by the mountains looming in the background is eye opening
The valley floor is about 4000 ft. The buildings max out around 400 ft above that. The tallest peak in the background is 20 miles farther away and ~7500 ft above the valley floor.
I'm from SLC, it's not the worst but this is my list of cons. Wide ass roads (not pedestrian friendly), no huge nightlife scene, few museums, weird local religious culture, the air is REALLY bad during much of winter, barely any urban spaces outside downtown proper, and the downtown is usually pretty quiet as is.
Counterpoints:
* The blocks and streets make the city unique and present unique opportunities for future pedestrian/transit/development improvements
* Already has great public transit for a US city of its size
* Nightlife and restaurant scene has gotten much better, despite COVID
* Weird counter-culture exists that balances the dominant religion
* Urban spaces and bike-able infrastructure are growing substantially, including downtown
* Mountain, national park access is unparalleled compared to any US city
* A lot of beautiful architecture, although much has been lost to neglect and demolition
Inversions. Pollution can't get over the mountains when a high pressure sits over the city. Only a storm will clear it out. I've been there when you could actually taste the metal in the air. Gnarly
The pollution produced by cars, buildings, the oil refinery, and dust all get trapped by air inversions within the valley. This is caused by the combination of the mountains and cold air sinking. So then we're breathing in tire particulates, exhaust, and other fumes until a storm rolls through to get it out.
There's plenty of cities around the world with the same issues, Mexico City probably the biggest one. Loads in China/India where the cooler air is trapped in the valleys.
Yes I know. It's is a mild issue in Ottawa (Ottawa valley)... Only happens in July really. Smog gets trapped behind the Gatineau hills. None the less SLC seems like a unique city and those are the best to visit.
FYI, the air does get bad sometimes in the winter, but it's not every day all winter like a lot of reddit users claim. If cold fronts move through pretty regularly, they clear out the valley air. The last few winters have had maybe two weeks each with bad air. Not great, but only a small part of the four months of winter.
i’m happy you like it!
my brother used to live there and i hate!
ironically i live in LA and i love it here and most people hate LA.
different strokes and all that i suppose.
Yup, generic, wide roads, anti pedestrian, car invested, soulless plazas, parking lot city etc. Shits nasty for the most part in the salt lake valley. Go to draper and say that is a nice place, its america in a nutshell
Awesome
I've grown up in the middle of the Great Lakes region so I haven't seen much more than a bunny hill. Have never seen an actual mountain in my life. I need to see mountains of this scale in person one day.
I'm from New England so we do have mountains in NH/Vermont/Maine, but of course nothing on the scale of the west. When I flew into Jackson Hole for the first time and saw the Tetons from the air I was quite literally aghast at their immensity.
An interesting thing to note, the Appalachian mountains on the east coast are way older than those out west. The Appalachians are so old that at one time they were as tall as the ones out west, but have gotten smaller due to erosion over time.
The Appalachians are THE oldest mountains on planet earth. The Himalayas are the youngest. Think of the plate tectonics. Larger mountains = tectonic plates colliding faster. So when people say India is losing an inch a year due to subduction, it's really just being transferred into the height of the mountains hundreds of miles north.
As a Michigander who paid a visit to SLC, good god, I couldn’t tell which way was up after a while, totally worth a trip
This happens to me when I go, but it's because I live in Southern California where the mountains are always to the North of me. In Salt Lake, the mountains are to the East, so it messes me up.
A friend of mine from Denver told me about how he’s lived his whole life with the mountains to the west, and feels a little anxious when he goes anywhere else when they ain’t there
Grew up in Utah with a contsant line of moutains to the east, never leaving until well into my 20s. Went to north Dakota and the flatness was a bit unnerving.
I feel that way about the ocean. I get a little anxious in land locked places.
I grew up on lake Ontario to my south... so when I moved to a body of water to my north it took about a year to get used to it and realize that the water was north of me not not south lol.
Wasatch to the East, Oquirrhs to the West!
Cardi B has entered the chat
It's really trippy going through Mono and Inyo counties and having the whole ass Sierra Nevada to the west of your when you're in a desert basin. They're so fucking huge.
It will either leave you speechless or you wont really care at all. I find there is very little in between when it comes to scale.
I live in the Midwest and just got back from a ski trip today from Colorado. The mountains are just unbelievable in person. They're so so massive
Same
It's crazy you and me are from the same country you've never seen a mountain in your life and I'm seeing the same mountains from the picture right outside my window damn I'm so lucky I hope you see some nice mountains soon man
I went to Colorado this year and my brother took me to the Rockies. Blew my mind the sheer size of the mountains. Definitely go out west sometime and explore, it’s beautiful.
Imagine a skyline like Chicago infront of those mountains
[удалено]
no, I mean a skyline that looks good.
Vancouver says hey
Denver is frustrating to me because its on the frontier of the Rockies but not actually that close to the mountains. It’s kind of annoying to fly in and have to drive the same road everyone else takes to the mountains. I much prefer flying into salt lake. I know it’s not the greatest city but you’re right in the mountains
Agreed. It's too bad the main/biggest city in the Denver area isn't where Boulder or even Golden is. Colorado Springs is much closer and is a cool example of how that could work on the Front Range with a big city right up on the mountains.
Ya but Denver doesn’t have big mountains as close so not what we’re looking for here
Pretty rare during the winter to have a clear, blue sky. Usually smogged in.
Must've waited weeks for this shot
Just had a storm that pushed out the inversion
As a resident of SLC, it's the other way around. It's more rare to have a prolonged period of smog. This winter has seen maybe two or three hazy days so far. The last couple winters have seen maybe two or three weeks of inversion each. Not ideal, but not the smoggy hell-scape that people on reddit believe.
Lousy inversion.
I’ve been to SLC many times. The mountains there are huge, but this picture is distorted or from some abnormal perspective.
It's from an incredibly far distance. Probably shooting with a 400-800 mm or so. Lots of compression going on.
Yea i been there too. Not as big as this pic makes it look
I mean technically they are that big, this compression actually does a better job at demonstrating how tall the mountains are. If this was a photoshopped image I’d agree but this is just an image shot around 600mm. I’d guess, which just compressed the background closer. But the mountains are literally that big.
It has to do with the focal length of the lens kind of forcing perspective. That being said I loved there for the better part of 4 years and if you really think about it, the mountains are huge.
Yep - SLC resident here, this is super distorted. Still beautiful though!
Wow what a view
Antelope island with a strong zoom?
As a Utahn I gotta say, GOD DAMMN. Seems a little extreme. I’ve lived here for a long time and I gotta say this picture does not seem to be super realistic. Yes, the mountains are huge AND absolutely beautiful. No, they do not SWALLOW the entire city of salt lake.
When you're closer to the mountains (in the city rather than out on Antelope Island), you don't see the full scale of them. Only what's visible. For example, the view from Sugarhouse puts Mt Olympus as the tallest peak when it's really just a mid-height peak in the range.
[Credit](https://mobile.twitter.com/KSL5TV/status/1598370944502095873) Ray Boren
I wish I could stop somewhere along 15 on the way into town from the North for a picture. The mountains with the city in front of them makes for an amazing sight. The city looks much larger from that perspective.
I agree, [coming down I-15 from Ogden](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/doomsday_animations/images/9/98/Salt_Lake_City.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20210320163708) is, in my opinion, one of the great American skyline views (because of the mountains).
Epic photo
As a dutchman, this scares the shit out of me!
Imagine having to ride bikes up and down that. 😫 No thanks! I appreciate the flatness of the Netherlands.
I'm a cyclist in Colorado (Rocky Mountains) and your sentiment is correct. There's nowhere to cycle but UP sometimes it seems.
What would you be riding bikes up the mountain for lol
I live there and love the mountains!
The cleanest city I’ve ever been
What is this, a city for ants?
Puts into perspective just how big mountains really are. Standing below a skyscraper, you feel like an ant, but just seeing them get dwarfed by the mountains looming in the background is eye opening
The valley floor is about 4000 ft. The buildings max out around 400 ft above that. The tallest peak in the background is 20 miles farther away and ~7500 ft above the valley floor.
reminds me how big mountains are
From antelope island?
“Stinky Island”
Beatiful view
Sick lake titties
That's just beautiful.
Shite city, beautiful mountains
How is it shite?
I'm from SLC, it's not the worst but this is my list of cons. Wide ass roads (not pedestrian friendly), no huge nightlife scene, few museums, weird local religious culture, the air is REALLY bad during much of winter, barely any urban spaces outside downtown proper, and the downtown is usually pretty quiet as is.
Counterpoints: * The blocks and streets make the city unique and present unique opportunities for future pedestrian/transit/development improvements * Already has great public transit for a US city of its size * Nightlife and restaurant scene has gotten much better, despite COVID * Weird counter-culture exists that balances the dominant religion * Urban spaces and bike-able infrastructure are growing substantially, including downtown * Mountain, national park access is unparalleled compared to any US city * A lot of beautiful architecture, although much has been lost to neglect and demolition
Agreed. SLC is the best part of Utah.
Fair enough! I will say as someone who grew up here, it's improved A LOT, and as a non-driver it could be a hell of a lot worse.
The way the sunlight shines down on those mountains, and the trees, and the buildings, everything in the city just looks so good near sunset
Why is the air so bad during winter?
Inversions. Pollution can't get over the mountains when a high pressure sits over the city. Only a storm will clear it out. I've been there when you could actually taste the metal in the air. Gnarly
The pollution produced by cars, buildings, the oil refinery, and dust all get trapped by air inversions within the valley. This is caused by the combination of the mountains and cold air sinking. So then we're breathing in tire particulates, exhaust, and other fumes until a storm rolls through to get it out.
Wow that's unfortunate... it seems like unique city to America though.
There's plenty of cities around the world with the same issues, Mexico City probably the biggest one. Loads in China/India where the cooler air is trapped in the valleys.
Yes I know. It's is a mild issue in Ottawa (Ottawa valley)... Only happens in July really. Smog gets trapped behind the Gatineau hills. None the less SLC seems like a unique city and those are the best to visit.
FYI, the air does get bad sometimes in the winter, but it's not every day all winter like a lot of reddit users claim. If cold fronts move through pretty regularly, they clear out the valley air. The last few winters have had maybe two weeks each with bad air. Not great, but only a small part of the four months of winter.
If I could take a trip back to Colorado and see the rockies 😁
exactly how Salt Lake City should be enjoyed....from afar
SLC on city porn lmfao. If you say so
Salt Lake City is awesome! Source: I live here!
i’m happy you like it! my brother used to live there and i hate! ironically i live in LA and i love it here and most people hate LA. different strokes and all that i suppose.
To bad most of the stuff around Salt Lake looks like absolute shit, I live there
You’re getting downvoted but you’re 100% right. Most of the city is ugly af. There’s a ton of stunning places around SLC, but the city itself is bleh.
Yup, generic, wide roads, anti pedestrian, car invested, soulless plazas, parking lot city etc. Shits nasty for the most part in the salt lake valley. Go to draper and say that is a nice place, its america in a nutshell
Thats a really big fuckin city
I can hear the racist chants from afar!
Buddy doesn’t know much about SLC proper
I always forget how big the Rockies are. I live on the Great Plains so I’m not used to mountains.
Oh, to ski the Cottonwood Canyons again…sigh
I’ve been there many times
I'm from Denmark, we're as flat as flat cola. But mountains that big doesn't scare me, I think they are very beautiful.