Utah Powder and Steeps, Without the Crowds

Just a gentle note to anyone thinking of moving to Ogden to take advantage of this lovely snow: You do realize, do you not, that anyone buying a new residence in Weber or Davis counties is immediately hot-listed by the local LDS Church ward to be aggressively recruited by missionaries from that church pretty much 24-7. If you are already in the church you will be scheduled for daily sacrament meetings. You can easily avoid any of these and many similar problems by proving you have a plane ticket home when you arrive. In short: Come, ski, spend money, go away. Thank you.

Well not anymore. Thanks a lot journalism.

Very surprised to see no mention of our local jewel - New World Distillery! You really missed out if you didn't visit, take a tour, and taste their super-premium spirits made here in the beautiful Eden Valley. Check them out here: www.newworlddistillery.com

Snowbasin has a fascinating history. The mountain began as a local treasure, one of the pioneer ski areas of the West. Earl Holding transformed the little-known ski area into the 2002 Olympic venue by spending vast amounts of cash and political clout. He also used the Olympics as a cudgel to convince the US Congress to privatize National Forest lands at the base of the mountain. There are still locals who feel betrayed and heartbroken. I tell this story in my 2008 book, "Bargaining for Eden," and I recommend the book (of course I do!) to anyone interested in how we make decisions together about the future of public lands we all love.

Your article mentions the weather at Snowbasin almost casually (e.g. "the clouds had begun to unleash swirls of snow and visibility was low"). I've been to Snowbasin at least a half dozen times in as many years. On each trip, there were visibility issues to some degree. On several trips, we had to stop early in the day -- you literally couldn't see the skier in front of you, the fog was so thick. (Also wind issues). Travelers should factor in these risks when planning a trip.

Is this a joke? Snowbasin is every bit as crowded if not more crowded than anywhere in Salt Lake Coty or Park City. The only difference are there aren’t any amenities in Ogden and the locals on mountain are irritable at best. Snowbasin also has the highest winds in the state, just look at the wind history for Mt Ogden Peak, routinely gusts over 100mph up there. So if you love long lines, Wind and ice, unwelcoming locals, and nothing to do or eat after you ski, welcome to an oil cartel’s pet project.

PS: Dining options are not quite as limited as this article states. There are good Indian,Thai, Mexican etc options and some great vegan ones too.( Lotus Wellness Spot --only open until 7PM though--and Cuppa) The Yes Hell, Brewskis, The Lighthouse, Funk And Dive and more for live music. The City Club has the second best collection of Beatles memorabilia in the world, so I'm told. And just north of Ogden is Crystal Hot Springs with the highest mineral content of any commercial hot springs in the world.

Afterwards, go downtown and hit the Tent Cities. Furthermore, enjoy all the BLM posters and 'Refugees Welcome' signs in downtown with 60k Audi SUVS (everyone has an SUV, even though everyone thinks the inversion and smog are big issues) in their $200 Patagonias with $5000 of ski equipment. Salt Lake City is latte liberal central.

Utah is the epitome of the effect of unbridled population growth in a finite area. The combination of a subsaharan birth rate and in migration from places like California where rampant out of control population growth has totally over run paradise, has turned the Wasatch front from one of the most livable big city areas in America into another polluted, crowded mess. It still has the best skiing and deserts on the planet, but neither remotely resembles what it was like just a few decades ago and there is no end insight. In our made rush to over take China and India, the only more populous countries on earth we really should take a look at where we are headed. When we get there it will be too late. are we going to say, “enough is enough”? Endless population growth and development has to stop sometime. Do we have to wait until everything beautiful and worth preserving is gone?

This article may have been true 5 years ago. Now it may as well be satire. I live in Ogden and this article is not at all representative of Snowbasin in its current state. For those that don't know you can ski Snowbasin on the Epic pass now. That means a resort that was previously outgrowing itself suddenly outgrew itself ten-fold in one year. Last Saturday the wait for parking was nearly an hour, another 45 mins for a parking shuttle. 2 hours for rentals if you were unlucky enough to need to rent, and 500+ people lift lines that took upwards of an hour per ride. Snowbasin was once a gem. Now it's basically a Summit County resort with Summit County crowds but without the infrastructure nor the staff to handle those crowds. The lifts aren't built with lines that long in mind so the lines spill UP the ski runs. They are horribly understaffed and the once helpful and nice staff are now overwhelmed, flustered, and mostly useless in the face of it. I just don't want anyone to get suckered into booking a trip here after reading this only to find the exact opposite when they arrive. Unless you are coming on a Wednesday in March, don't expect uncrowded. This place was packed to the gills last week (and Powmow sold out of tickets) when it was RAINING on the slopes.

These resorts suffer much the same way as the Park City area resorts. On a good snow year, they are on par with the Cottonwood skiing experience (which literally some of the best terrain and snow in the world), but on an average year the bottom 1/3 of the mountains tend to get bare. Powder Mountain's highest elevation is nearly the same as the Cottonwood resorts base elevations. This is a has been a good snow year. But even then you Little Cottonwood resorts still have a lot more snow. Some quick base numbers from today: Alta 131", Snowbird 129", Deer Valley 74", Park City 71", Snowbasin 94", Powder Mountain 69". You need about 35" for groomers which all the resort easily exceed, and at least 70" for good tree and off piste skiing. But the other commenters are correct. Getting to the Cottonwood resorts, especially on a powder day, is getting more and more unpleasant each year. If I get up early enough it is about 40 minutes from my house. If I don't get up early enough the same trip can stretch 2.5 hours. The trips further up north to the Greater Ogden are resorts are about 55 minutes. About the same as it takes to get the Deer Valley.

Thanks for the highly informative article. We love Alta but will definitely check out Snowbasin. There’s nothing quite like the lake effect snow generated by the weather over the Great Salt Lake.

Also, ride the bus from Ogden! By capping the number of skiers per day and encouraging bus transportation Powder Mountain is "preserving the pow" and "saving our winters".

Please note that the "4500" cap per day at Powder Mountain, includes season pass holders. Actually, the cap for ticket sells is 1500 and it is never crowded. Buy your tickets on line ahead of time to be included in that 1500!

Shhhhh! Don't reveal all of the secret ski-spots. In seriousness, come to Utah. We're friendly and we could use the diversity.

Shhhh!! Let’s keep a great thing verrry quiet

Well, now it will be crowded..lol.

I live in Salt Lake, and in the last few years the major ski resorts tucked up the canyons, which are a mere 35 minute drive on paper, have turned into a traffic clogged nightmare on almost any day of the ski season. If you come to Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, or Solitude, expect 1.5 hours each way, if not longer, on your weekend ski vacation. While sitting in a traffic jam, also beware of the occasional avalanche that will sweep cars off the road, but thankfully have not killed anyone (yet). For years the ski resorts resisted any proactive policy, and now the user experience is suffering. There's not much we can do about but quit trying to ski. Snowbasin or Powder mountain are great alternative choices.

Stop these tell-all stories about your travels. Our outdoor lifestyle is under threat from interlopers and outsiders moving to Utah. Reluctantly I want to be hospitable and write, come visit but stop telling the world about your experience. But even that no longer wanted. Stay away!

I skied in Utah many times during my 22 years there. Snowbasin was my favorite resort, especially after the upgrades for the 2002 Olympics. It was never crowded and there’s so much variety in terrain. Good place to learn to ski, too.

This used to be true. Snowbasin and Powder Mountain used to be relatively deserted powder holes in the winter. That was true like 10 years ago. Not so much anymore. Over exuberant tourism and still unresolved transportation issues have left the Wasatch Front over crowded and under prepared. Ogden is just as crowded as Big Cottonwood used to be. With Brighton and Solitude lots regularly overflowing, locals simply head north. It gets crowded. As tourists follow, the same problems reemerge. In short, resorts are overselling their capacity. Supply is restricted. There's more demand than supply can possibly meet. Not when you're importing more skiers than the resorts can reasonably handle. Bad experiences ensue. From traffic to lift lines to down right dangerous skiers, the quality of the experience has diminished in a surprisingly rapid amount of time. I've basically given up on Little Cottonwood. They close the road for avalanche shooting. You're basically guaranteed to sit in traffic all morning unless you can afford a room on the mountain. Even if you can, your day is done around 11:00 when the hoards descend. Snowbird is honestly a waste of money on any day before May. The Bird is typically the only resort which stays open past April. Sadly, the same thing is increasingly true everywhere. Go ski Colorado. Telli and Breck are nice. I hear they have weed now too. Go there.

Thanks for the informative article. What are some good times if the year to visit? How late in the year can you visit and still find some snow up there? Thanks.

We visited several years ago and were in awe of Snowbasin. With its Deer Valley-esque only gaudier lodges and emptiness, it was like being in The Shining with downhill skis, but not as creepy. We often had the gondolas all to ourselves! Also worth noting, nearby (relatively) are the Alaskan Inn (kitschy but neat) and back to the '50s Graycliff Lodge for dinner ("Like eating at Grandma's" we were told.). Well worth couple of nights side trip to avoid crowded weekends at Park City. Take a car along the scenic route.

Great.... uncrowded no more I guess.

A timely article, especially considering the ridiculously long lift lines at Vail recently.

Uggh. Please don't write about Powder Mountain. It's perfect and pristine right now, just like my favorite, uncrowded mountains in Vermont which you thankfully have not yet written about yet. Keep recommending Vail or other mega resorts, please. Thank you.

"On this First Friday evening, the place buzzed as locals wandered in and out of studios, wine in hand, and an alt-rock band played in the entryway." The homogenization of American cities continues apace, I see. Even, apparently, in Mormon Utah.