Utah Ski and Snowboarding

by utahbluebird
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October 14, 2009
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Detailed reviews and descriptions about the ski resorts in Utah. Alta, Solitude, Snowbird, Park City, The Canyons, Snowbasin, Brighton, and Powder. Where to eat, stay, and play. For even more reviews visit our website at www.UTAHBLUEBIRD.com

Utah Mountain's Must Sees

SEAFOOD BUFFET: The Deer Valley Resort, which does not make an appearance on this website, hosts the best dinner for seafood lovers. For a set price, you can enjoy an amazing assortment of oysters, crab, shrimp, beef, prepared fish, sushi, and various sides. As someone who frequents New York City restaurants, I can honestly say I wait all summer for the Deer Valley’s seafood buffet to open. The restaurant is only open during the winter months and you need to make a reservation. Though they have a cozy set of couches by a fireplace, there is no bar or large waiting area, so do not come early for a drink or anything. They are child-friendly and you will see as many family groups as you will couples.

FIRST TRACKS: If you happen to be lucky enough to notice that a big storm is coming on a Wednesday or Saturday, then I strongly suggest paying the money and sacrificing the sleep in order to do The Canyon’s First Tracks program. You can call them up to a day in advance to make your reservation. The cost is $59 in addition to a day’s lift ticket, but you will be the first one on the lifts and the first group to make their fresh turns through un-touched Utah powder. You will have a resort insider and Olympic skier as your guide down the mountain. You need to be a high-intermediate to expert rider, 13 years and up. Once you have finished you can head to the Red Pine Lodge for breakfast, which is included in the price, before enjoying the rest of the day on your own.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP: Though I hate to put two food items on the list of “must see” items, Porcupine restaurant’s chicken noodle soup is not to be missed. Porcupine’s is located at the bottom of the Big Cottonwood Canyon, so after a hard day of skiing at Solitude or Brighton you should warm up with a bowl. The rest of the food here is great, but the creamy chicken noodle soup is what keeps us coming back. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is laid back. You can feel comfortable coming here still in your snow gear. The restaurant also boasts of a good selection of micro-brews from the area.

PARK CITY DOWNTOWN: The downtown area of Park City makes for a nice alternative to skiing. The main street is set up and decorated the way you picture an old-fashioned ski resort to be. There are a series of interesting shops, many of which are art galleries. They also have a good amount of restaurants and places to drink though the prices are higher and I often find the food not worth the increase. You can easily walk the length of Main Street casually going into whichever store appeals to you. At night, there are twinkle-lights that highlight the road and give even more of a winter wonderland atmosphere.

POWDER’S ALTERNATIVE SNOW ACTIVITIES: If you are looking to spice up your mountain activities, then head over to Powder Mountain. There you can ride a snow cat up the mountain to areas you can not get to without the power of a motor, learn how to ride on a flat surface with a large kite attached to you, or get into a helicopter and let it take you to a whole new world of powder. All of these activities come at a considerably lower price then you would normally expect, making them well worth the ride outside of Park City and the Wasatch Mountains.

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Which Mountain to go to....

Utah’s mountains are divided into four different areas, which receive different weather patterns. Which mountains receive the most snow from a cycle of storms will determine where you go. For more information on how to monitor the weather, view the text below under “Deciding which mountain to go to”. All things being equal, and the snow between the mountains not playing a part in your choice, these are the recommendations for which mountains are best during each part of a storm</font>

DAY OF A STORM:
- Brighton: This mountain is the best spot during a storm, because it has the most protection

DAY AFTER A BIG STORM:
- Solitude: Check to see if Honeycomb has opened
- Canyons: To really enjoy The Canyons Resort you need a lot of snow coverage, so take advantage of the fresh snow.
- Alta: See if Catherine’s or Devil’s Castle has opened.

A FEW DAYS AFTER A STORM:
-Powder & Snowbasin: These two mountains are not as popular so they hold snow for longer. They also have a completely different weather pattern, so they will often run the opposite of the other mountains. If Alta is low on fresh powder, then Snowbasin may have more.

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Snowbird Ski Resort- More information

Known for hanging bowls, 50 foot cliffs, and over the head powder, Snowbird is a great mountain to hit on powder days. The tram is the place to go first, but it does get crowded first thing in the morning and after lunch. Linger back and jump on at the last minute to be the first one off, or wait a few minutes once at the top so you hit in between tram runs. The rest of the lifts do not have long lines, especially during midweek, so if you do not want to wait online you can take the Gadzoom and Peruvian Express Lifts instead. On a big powder day, you want to run to Mineral Basin, if it is open, because catching fresh tracks there is really an amazing experience. A day or two after a storm can sometimes be better because they will more of the bowls so you can get fresh tracks on a bluebird day. Check openings each day to see which day is your best option.
There are three areas to the mountain; Peruvian Gulch & Gad are on the front side while Mineral Basin is on the backside. There is also plenty of un-groomed backcountry to play in. Bird, as locals call it, is mostly an advanced skier’s mountain, which combines great skiing, super facilities, and a full-service resort. It is often referred to as a slicker younger sister to Alta. Snowbird usually rates well among the top 10 ski resorts and over the past several years, it has been rated number 1 (in combination with Alta) in Ski magazine.

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Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

Hwy 210, Snowbird, UT 84092

Mountain’s Guidspot page

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Powder Mountain - More Information

You can not get more old school than Powder Mountain, with four chair and three surface lifts to serve over 5,500 acres of terrain. Most of the terrain here is untouched by grooming and the lodges are casual spots to grab easy fare. The mountain is larger than Snowbird and Alta combined, but you are on your own to find it all. The lifts connect well to each other and what you see is what you can ride so it is all up to you how big you go. The best part about Powder is the extra activities. If you want to try something beyond the basic up and down, whatever it is, you will find it here. Heli-boarding, para-boarding, a shuttle bus to bring you back after you drop off the backside, and so on.

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Snowbasin Mountain Resort - More Information

The resort first received its name from a contest winner, Geneve Woods, who imagined a natural basin filled with winter snow that would melt into pure drinking water. Today, Snowbasin is a Sun Valley Resort, which brings luxury lodges to the picturesque northern community of Huntsville and the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. If you are looking to get away from the crowds, but do not want to loose out on any comfort than Snow Basin is the right spot for you. The mountain was a local secret until the 2002 Olympics games when they hosted six Olympic events, including the men’s and woman’s downhill, Super G, and combined events. Though the secret has been slowly getting out, people still think it is too far of a drive and head towards Park City or the Wasatch instead. However, it is only a 40-minute drive (43 miles) from Salt Lake City to Mount Ogden, and it gets the same light and fluffy snow as the other mountains. The weather pattern is slightly different so if a storm hits farther north head here because Snowbasin will receive more snow than Park City or the Wasatch.

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Park City Resort - More Information

Park City Mountain Resort is a favorite among many of the ski magazines, because of there easy location, vast terrain, and plentiful family activities. Park City Resort is easily located just 36 miles, a 35 to 40 minute drive, from Salt Lake City International Airport, and is just one lift ride away from Main Street Park City.
There are over 3,300 acres of varied terrain: bumps, powder, trees, eight peaks, nine bowls, four terrain parks, and two superpipes. Though the mountain has a lot of terrain to cover, Park City recently completed three new resources to increase their on-mountain experience and make ample terrain more manageable. One of these improvements was the creation of 13 Signature Runs, which are advanced, groomed trails. Typically, black runs will not be groomed because of their difficult rating. In grooming them intermediate riders can enjoy the trail without all of the complexity. Another improvement was to break up the mountain into zones. Each zone has a variety of terrain, and it is easier to tackle the mountain by going zone to zone. Lastly, if you are not sure which areas are best for you, you can go online and create a tailor-made tour of the mountain based on how you answer three questions.
Park City Resort makes one of the best spots for families or groups that have people looking to enjoy the outdoors off the slopes. The have great winter activities for everyone including snowshoeing, hot air balloon rides, tubing, and an Alpine Roller Coaster. The Olympic Park is located five miles away, and offers bobsled rides, professional skiers and snowboarders practicing on the high-jump course, and a museum to go through. You can go on Park City Resort’s website and use the Online Vacation Planner to explore all the different activities they have to offer. You can create personal itineraries that include details on all the activities you want to do. Simply, print out your itinerary at home and use it as a guide once you arrive there.

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Park City Mountain Resort

1310 Lowell Ave, Park City, UT 84060

Mountain’s Guidespot page

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The Canyons Resort - More Information

The Canyons Resort offers everything you might need for your ski vacation, and all with in easy reach. If your main desire is to stay central to one or two mountains and leave the car at home, The Canyons can provide that to you with eight peaks of great skiing and a complete mountainside resort village. You can grab a van from the airport to the resort and stay there until you are ready to head home. There are plenty of places to eat on the mountain, and main street park city is just a lift ride away. For families who want easy mobility this is a great spot. The Canyons has a laid back and family oriented vibe. Many of the locals that come here are younger college students or teens, because they like the ease, nice attitude, and newly renovated terrain parks. Overall, if you are into a carefree all encompassing single mountain experience it is worth the extra money to stay at the Canyons Resort.

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The Canyons

4000 Canyons Resort Dr, Park City, UT 84098

Mountain’s Guidespot page

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Alta Mountain - More Information

I have an old-fashioned poster of Alta that says it all. The poster features a small, home sized lodge at the mountain’s base. Off the side of the lodge you see one rickety chairlift going up to the top of the mountain’s powdery white face as just a handful of skiers are seen coming down on either side of the lift. This is really how Alta started, and that romantic and isolated feeling of yester-years is what it aims to keep. Never calling itself a resort, Alta prefers to be seen as simply a ski area. Moreover, they truly mean ski, because snowboarding prohibited. There is a cluster of cozy lodges, which cost a little less than the other lodging options in the area, but there is little to no shopping or nightlife here. People come to Alta for the legendary snow and not the ‘scene’ and with the kind of snow they get; it is obvious why. Alta is cradled by the mountains near the canyon’s head and known for its’ deep above head powder. Skiing light, fluffy snow down some of the best steeps in the area into alpine meadows that cascade to the canyon floor is simply addicting. In fact, if you ask around you will have a difficult time finding a local skier who is not addicted to Alta’s steep and deep. If you are a skier you would simply be mad to miss out on what Alta has to offer.

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Solitude Mountain Resort - More Information

As the name implies, Solitude is a quiet place tucked away in Big Cottonwood Canyon with only Brighton as its neighbor. Solitude is the best bet for a good powder day or holiday times because there isn’t much slope-side lodging outside of the Solitude Village and the masses will be rushing to Alta or Snowbird. Here you won’t have to wait on lift lines and there is plenty of powder to go around. In fact, there is even a limit placed on how many people can buy passes, but that limit is never reached. The village is a finite size which almost naturally prevents this. Even when the village is sold out you won’t reach that limit. And if you look at the main parking lot it isn’t a large lot. They purposely chose not to make it bigger so that even when the parking lot and village are full you won’t hit the limit. It is also the best spot a week after a storm, because people tend to go to Little Cottonwood Canyon and Park City first so they lose snow faster than Solitude. The trees off Honeycomb will often still have fresh powder as will the rock-pocketed chutes on the west side.
Solitude caters to two groups, families and local day skiers. At the village the focus is on families. Here you will find a series of condos with kitchens, a grocery delivery system, and plenty of activities to keep children engaged and busy. There is a distinct European style to the buildings and the lifts are just a short walk away. The second group is mostly day skiers from the area who drive up to the first lot, park their cars, ski the day away and then head home. With the quiet of With the quiet of With the quiet of Solitude comes little after ski activities. They did just open a new large day lodge, Moonbeam, near the day skiers’ parking lot, where you can grab food, a drink, or sit fireside. This seems to be promoting people to stay a little longer than before.
All this said don’t be fooled by the old world feeling at the base, the mountain has a variety terrain!

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Solitude Mountain Resort

12000 Big Cottonwood Canyon, Solitude, UT 84121

Mountain’s Guidespot Page

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Brighton Ski Resort

Brighton is the oldest resort in Utah and was one of the first mountains to cater to snowboarders. Continuing that tradition today, snowboarders will enjoy that there are not many long run-outs and an exceptional snowboard school. Brighton is also known for being a great spot on powder days with the best park and some of the most extensive trees in the area. For the most part this is a great mountain, but I should warn you that many of the stereotypes that haunt snowboarders are found here. I say this being a boarder myself. You are more likely to get cut off, hear obnoxious banter from the lifts, and have people stopping in the middle of high traffic areas. The overly friendly attitude of riders having you join them on the lift line to make conversation on the way up and keep the lines moving isn’t the kind of atmosphere you will find here. What you will find is light and fluffy snow. Brighton is at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon so it is in the direct path of many winter storms. It is also a good mountain for all levels because down the center of the mountain everyone can ride the same lifts and then separate to different areas, meeting again at the bottom. A lot of families enjoy the low-key atmosphere Brighton offers. Since it isn’t as well known as its neighbors and has little on mountain lodging, the lines won’t be long and during powder days there won’t be as many people on the intermediate or advanced areas of the mountain.

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