Snowbasin

[RichT]

Planning a trip out west. Anyone been to Powder Mtn/Snowbasin? Pros/cons please?

 

[RISkier]

Might depend a bit on time of year. Neither is as high as the Canyons resorts so they are more likely to offer spring conditions earlier. Both are very different but I really enjoyed skiing at both. Powder Mountain is very retro. The lodges are old-timey, as I recall there is only 1 high speed lift. They offer side country lift served skiing in which folks ski down to a road and are picked up by bus. PM hasn't been at all crowded when we've been and by reputation never is. I don't think the lift system could really get enough folks on the hill for the hill to feel crowded. Mostly not very steep and offers really excellent opportunities for intermediates to venture off piste without getting in too much trouble. I've really enjoyed skiing at PM. Snowbasin is modern, new, and almost all of the terrain is served either by gondolas or the John Paul Express. Nicest lodges I've ever been in; big stone fireplaces, solid wood tables, leather bound chairs. Really stunning. Unless things have changed we thought the dining options were excellent and while not cheap, seemed like good value compared to most overpriced on-mountain food. While all of the facilities are are top notch, it's not at all snooty or snobish. There's access to considerably steeper terrain at Snowbasin. Snowbasin is also quite open and visibility at the top could prove interesting in certain conditions. PM and SB offer completely different experiences but both are really fun. The potential negatives depend on what you want off-slope. We stayed in Eden and there was nothing in the area. There's a bar of some ill repute a little ways from Eden to which we tried to go one evening. It was closed. Heard later the owner opens it when he feels like opening it, and doesn't when he doesn't. We finally found a nice restaurant a few miles away. There are some nice condos in Eden. So if you're with a group, dine in most of the time, and make you're own fun it'll be fine. I'm spacing on the name of the larger city down in the valley but we weren't impressed with it either. IMO, Park City is really the only town in Utah that really gives you the feeling that you are staying in a true ski resort village. But the skiing is really first rate.

 

[First Tracks]

Great places, love them both. But both are relatively low elevation for our area and have exposure issues depending on the time of year as the sun later in the season really bakes the east and west exposures. The visibility issues at Snowbasin mentioned by RISkier really only affect the Strawberry area. On a flat light, low vis day hit the trees off John Paul and in No-Name, or play in the woods on the many ridgelines throughout the middle of the resort. Pow Mow is largely low angle other than the Lightning Ridge cat skiing terrain, but it's the largest ski area in the U.S. in terms of acreage, and combined with low traffic means tracks for days after a storm before it bakes. It's perhaps the best place on the planet to learn powder skiing in the trees. As RISkier said, dramatically different experiences but each good in their own way.

Food at Snowbasin's on-mountain restaurants is IMO second only to that at Deer Valley in the U.S. If in the area, don't miss stopping by the Shooting Star in Huntsville, the oldest continuously licensed saloon in Utah and serves the Star Burger, which with its kielbasa is a heart attack on a bun. The restaurant at Wolf Creek Resort was always top-notch, but is now under new ownership and I haven't been since to compare. Rooster's is a great brewpub with good food in the 25th Street entertainment district in Ogden.

For more on the area, I wrote a feature a couple of seasons ago, "The Ogden Valley: The Other Utah":
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2008/10/13/The-Ogden-Valley:-The-Other-Utah/
--

 

[RichT]

Well thank you BOTH for the info we are planning Feb 20-25 (school closed) just me, my daughter and her friend both 15 (just before they hate me LOL). Should be fun

 

[First Tracks]

That timing should be just about prime, for snowpack should be deep and the melt/bake/freeze cycles won't yet be too ingrained on the east and west facing terrain. They're also great places to visit during the Prez Week holidays -- I've skied the Saturday of President's weekend at Pow Mow with zero liftlines. Enjoy!

 

[First Tracks]

Oh, and I should've mentioned that with 2 15-year-olds in tow the Shooting Star is out -- you have to be 21 to enter a saloon-licensed establishment in Utah.

 

[maineskier69]

We had our first Utah expirience last year with some good friends who have been going for years. We stayed on mountain at Powder Mtn which was ski in and out. When we arrived it hadn't snowed in 7 days and we were still finding fresh lines all over. The second day it started snowing and we had a great storm day. Day 3 we had about 14" of fresh that made us extend our trip a few days.
We had all intentions of trying different areas but loved the low key vibe of Pow Mow so much we skied it exclusively. The only thing the mountain comes up short on is in steepness (Lightning Ridge has some nice drops as does certain parts of Powder Country).
We will be heading out there again the last week of Jan/first week of Feb and cannot wait. Although we talk of trying out Snowbasin and Solitude this time, if we end up staying at Pow Mow the whole time I will be fine with that.
The Shooting Star in Huntsville is a must see. I engulfed a Star Burger the night before we flew out and threw my digestive system into a tailspin. Damn good burger, but as mentioned not recommended by cardiologists.
Make sure to load up on your beer at the State Liquor Store in Ogden as all you can find at the store in Eden is the 3.2 crap.

 

[First Tracks]

Make sure to load up on your beer at the State Liquor Store in Ogden as all you can find at the store in Eden is the 3.2 crap.

One minor correction: that's 4.0, not 3.2. We're the only state that measures alcohol by weight rather than by volume. 3.2% by weight = 4.0% by volume. And you'd be shocked to discover just how many beers are 4.0% or less.

 

[maineskier69]

One minor correction: that's 4.0, not 3.2. We're the only state that measures alcohol by weight rather than by volume. 3.2% by weight = 4.0% by volume. And you'd be shocked to discover just how many beers are 4.0% or less.

I stand corrected.
The liquor store does have a great beer selection though and is priced per beer vs per 6pk, 12pk etc which is interesting too..

 

[RISkier]

Was the Shooting Star we were trying to go to that was closed. I suspect we missed out on an interesting local experience.

 

[First Tracks]

The liquor store does have a great beer selection though and is priced per beer vs per 6pk, 12pk etc which is interesting too..

As an East Coast transplant, I kinda like that, actually. Rather than having to buy a whole six of something you can mix 'n match to your heart's delight. Although I probably drive the cashier nuts with 24 different beers to ring up. <g>

Some of our local micros are excellent, though, and it's amazing what those guys have done with 4%. I'm particularly fond of Cutthroat and Full Suspension, both pale ales. If you've got a spare minute while driving through town, though, the Epic Brewing microbrewery on State Street in South Salt Lake is a must-stop for some of their exquisite beers.

http://www.epicbrewing.com/

Many clock in at 8-9% so they're not available in the grocery, although I have yet to see them at my neighborhood liquor store, either. According to that website only the Intermountain Wheat and 825 State Stout are currently available at DABC stores. I especially like their Hopulent IPA (>9%). That website also lists bars and restaurants that carry their beers -- they're very small batch and don't show up everywhere.

One particularly odd quirk of Utah liquor laws (not that they're few, either) is that State (DABC) liquor stores can't sell cold beer. Buying it right at Epic means that you can get it cold, too.

I spend an inordinate amount of time, especially on my own website's forums, doing what I can to dispel myths about Utah liquor laws. If I hear "I thought Utah was a dry state" one more time I think my head's going to explode. :-D

 

[RISkier]

First Tracks:

Have you skied at Sundance and if so, what were your impressions? I've read it's stunningly pretty. Last time we were in UT I wanted to do a day trip there but wasn't able to work it in. I know this is off the primary target and apologize.

 

[First Tracks]

First Tracks:

Have you skied at Sundance and if so, what were your impressions? I've read it's stunningly pretty. Last time we were in UT I wanted to do a day trip there but wasn't able to work it in. I know this is off the primary target and apologize.

Yup, skied there several times although I admittedly don't do so often. I've skied all of the state's lift-served other than Wolf Mountain and Beaver Mountain although I hope to rectify that this season. I even had the rare pleasure of skiing the new Eagle Point back when it was Elk Meadows, during their last season of operation in 2002...but you didn't ask about that. :lol:

Sundance is ridiculously pretty, sitting right in the shadow of towering Mt. Timpanogos (el. 11,750). Redford's ecological bent ensures that the base operations are well hidden in the trees, too.

It's flaws, if any, are its low elevation and the aforementioned shadow of Timpanogos, which limits snowfall, particularly on storms with a northwesterly flow. It's the lowest ski area in the state. It's also rather small -- you'll pretty much ski the whole place and then some in a day. It's got a narrow layout -- think of a miniature Whiteface. The lower mountain lift (Ray's Lift) has a short steep at the top and a long runout at the bottom. The upper lift (Arrowhead Chair) serves largely intermediate terrain, and its base terminal is a couple of hundred verts below the lower lift's highest point before the lower mountain lift drops back downhill to meet the upper one. There's also an old, slow chair (I believe a triple) called the Flathead lift which sits to looker's left of these two and starts below the lower lift's upper terminal and finishes below the summit. This is where the mountain's steeper terrain is located.

And as long as this thread dipped into alcohol earlier, I should also mention the Owl Bar at Sundance. The mahogany bar was transplanted from a tavern in Thermopolis, Wyo., where Butch, Sundance and the Hole In The Wall Gang frequently wet their whistles. It's a really neat room. Wifey and I dropped in one night last month for a beer and a $14 (ouch!) burger after an evening drive on Forest Service roads stretching from Big Cottonwood Canyon to Heber to Provo Canyon to leaf-peep.

Pity that photo doesn't do the bar justice. They should've taken the photo square on, and the lighting in the room is actually quite dark and sultry -- my 44-year-old eyes had a hard time seeing the menu while sitting there last month, and I had to get up and walk under a light fixture to properly see it.

Also the Tree Room, Sundance's fine dining outlet, not only serves some of the state's most exquisite cuisine but also is named for a large tree growing up through the middle of the dining room, which was built around it.

Here's a forum post with photos from 2/16/08, the last time I skied there:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6448

Before that it was December 2005 (again with photos):
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1481

(My wife and I are heading downtown for dinner, and all of the talk earlier in this thread convinced me to stop at Epic Brewing for a sixer!)

 

[RISkier]

First Tracks, thanks for the description of Sundance and the links. The pictures were fantastic and Sundance looks stunning. Next UT trip I think we really need to spend a day skiing Sundance and then hang around for a beer and a burger.

 

[First Tracks]

My pleasure, happy to help anytime. Heading up to Alta in about 90 minutes to skin up Wildcat and ski - carry on!

 

[maineskier69]

Poligamy Porter was one of my favorite beers out there just because of their slogan "You can't have just one"...
Sessions I found to be a very drinkable beer out there.
We managed to put enough beers in the snowbank outside the liquor store in Ogden long enough to make them cold for the ride to Eden.

 

[First Tracks]

Poligamy Porter was one of my favorite beers out there

Which BTW is one of the aforementioned 4.0% grocery store beers.

just because of their slogan "You can't have just one"...

And the sub-slogan: "Bring Some Home for The Wives"

There are a few others around here that deliberately make fun of the local culture. One was "St. Provo Girl" which was renamed to simply "Provo Girl" after St. Pauli had a problem with it.

 

[maineskier69]

That was it, "Why have just one" funny stuff.

We were at our friend's house viewing the video taken at Pow Mow last year and it got the juices flowing.
They mentioned of a beer delivery service which for a price will have your selection waiting for you at your place. This would be great if we fly in late or on a Sunday. The house we are renting is right on the ridge at Pow Mow and you cannot just drive up to your house so I don't know how the delivery service would work there. Last year we dragged it all up hill by sled (rather than call our neighbor with a snowmobile/sled trailer), which about killed us as we were as high on the ridge as you can get. This year we are at a lower level but still cannot drive up to the house. Fortunately we got to know the neighbor with snowmobile pretty well and will utilize his services for grocery/beer runs.

 

[KingM]

I'll be in Utah for a week in early December. The plan is to ski Snowbird, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed, since it's so early in the season.

 

[First Tracks]

I'll be in Utah for a week in early December. The plan is to ski Snowbird, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed, since it's so early in the season.

You'll be fine. We should pick up 2-5 feet of snow this week from three separate systems, and here's Snowbird at this very moment: