Ski and Snowboard News, Deals, and Events

When you spend the majority of your skier days buried in powder in the Cottonwoods or partying in Park City, you tend to forget there's a whole other ski world just one canyon to the north of Park City.  Ogdeners rave about their ski resorts -- Snowbasin and Powder Mountain; Salomon and Atomic relocated offices to downtown Ogden, and the Western Winter Sports Reps Association holds an on-snow demo annually for every ski manufacturer in the country to meet the retailers in the Intermountain West. They could go anywhere, of course, but they choose Snowbasin Resort.

The resort, which opened in 1939, is one of the oldest, continuously run ski areas in the nation. Sure, the first lift didn't go in until 1946, but that didn't stop the eager from hiking and poaching that light Utah powder. The skiing in Snowbasin is the same now as it was then- only bigger, better and easier to get to. The high-tech lifts, snowmaking, avalanche control equipment, and gorgeous day lodges were erected this decade.

The resort opens their upper parking lot for the WWSRA event, making it a breeze to park, register and walk out to the slopes with a pair of next season's skis in hand. A one-minute straight-run to the bottom and you're strolling up to the Needles Gondola. If you're demo-ing skis, you'll want to stay close to the base to get on as many skis as possible in a day, but you'll be tempted to ride laps on the John Paul lift where the runs are steeper and the snow a bit deeper.

OK, go ahead. Hit the John Paul Express and play in the amazing tree lines addressed from a traverse that takes off under the lift. They're never skied out. Also, from the top of John Paul, take the Mt. Allen Tram (Olympic tram) to the top of the world. Hang a skier's left (the only way you can go besides down) and follow the traverse tracks along the ridgeline. You will have a little sidestepping to do but it is worth it when you reach your playground of steeps, glades, and deep tree lines. Watch for the tracks left back into the John Paul areas or you will be pushing around the gully out at the bottom.

Most retailers and ski demo-ers won't venture all the way out to Strawberry because of the time it takes to get back to the 'fair' but when you find that one sweet pair of skis, you can't help but ride the Strawberry Gondola, pop the skis off for a quick hike up De Moisy Peak, follow the traverse which will lead you to Middle Bowl Cirque, and drop in. You will have your choice of easy entry on up to insane hucks off cornices into steep chutes which all open up into a sick bowl.

More than 2,650 skiable acres of terrain and over 400 inches of Utah powder falling annually, those two state-of-the-art gondolas and a soda can-like tram, and six chairlifts will help you ride until you're ready to drop into one of the over-stuffed armchairs in the lobbies of the Basin's massive log-and-rock lodges.

When Earl Holding, owner of Sun Valley Resort in Idaho, Little America Hotels, and Sinclair Oil, purchased the 2,600-plus acre Wasatch cache of powder, cliffs and potential in 1984, only the locals knew what he had in store as he began to trade outer lands for base area property and build for an impressive claim on the Downhill and Super G Olympic events for the 2002 Winter Games.

Snowbasin carved out a piece of the Utah ski destination pie during those Olympics but soon dropped off the radar despite the millions invested in the place. The marketing slumber is everyone's gain as the place can host untracked powder a week after a storm. Even when it hasn't snowed in weeks (like during the 2009 demo days), you can still get wind-buff and soft touches off the groomed when it's rock hard at the other resorts.

At lunch, some of the crew heads for a window seat at the John Paul Lodge for one of the most spectacular views of snow and jagged peaks at 8,900 feet you'll ever witness from a ski area restaurant. Personally, I prefer the stir-fries and pizza at Earl's Lodge. Plus, it saves time eating at the base when you have to get back to testing skis.

At the end of a robust day at Snowbasin - whether you're demo-ing or hard-driving your own gear - you might want to wrap it up with a cold brew by the fire with your buds in the Cinnabar Lounge in Earl's. It's a club with a full bar and weekend live music; and the food and ambiance is significantly better than the over-hyped, dirty, cramped and slow-serviced Shooting Star Saloon in nearby Hunstville.

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