What an amazing place! We had a great condo at Wolf Creek, literally 10 minutes to either mountain. While it was tempting to make the trek to one of the resorts closer to SLC, we ended up staying put and enjoying the 2 local resorts.
The first 3 days, my SO and I were with his DS. Day 1 was at Powder Mountain, my first experience skiing in Utah. The thing that struck me as most remarkable at this resort was that you could ski anywhere within the boundaries of the resort. You could start off on a groomed run and take off into the ungroomed stuff anywhere you wanted. I've never experienced that skiing in the northeast. Powder Mountain has an area called Powder Country, a whole side of the resort where it's completely ungroomed and steep. You end up at a "bus stop" along the road, and the Powder Country Shuttle, which runs at regular intervals, picks you up and brings you back to the lodge to do it again! I didn't venture into Powder Country this trip (not quite to that level yet...) but next time, you can bet that I'll be there.
We went to Snowbasin the second day. After the afternoon thaw from the previous day and overnight frigid temps, the conditions were a bit crispy in the morning, but with the bright sun, things softened up pretty nicely by the afternoon. What struck me about this place is the breathtaking lodge. I walked into the front door and thought I walked into a 5-star hotel. It's unbelievable! You walk in the door to what looks like a cozy living room, complete with a sofa and side chairs, and a huge fireplace. You go down a carpeted staircase to another lounge area with a fireplace, and then you get to the locker room. It's like nothing I've ever seen at a ski resort--carpeted floors, comfy benches, and humongous lockers with oak doors--we fit 3 boot bags into one locker! Oh, and the bathrooms are amazing. So much so, that I just had to take pictures of them. The food court had delish things to choose from, including a carving station with roast beef and turkey (and prime rib on the weekends!), great salads and other yummy things, all priced surprisingly reasonably compared to the garbage we get at local ski areas for only a few dollars less.
Day 3 was back to Powder Mountain. It snowed all morning, and the clouds settled over the entire mountain, so visibility was lousy at best. I bailed early that day, because I was still too unfamiliar with the place to ski by feel. But in the morning, there was about 6 to 8 inches of fresh powder, which was a blast to ski in. I definitely got the quality-versus-quantity runs that day!
DS returned home on Friday morning, and we retrieved my SO's DD from the airport Friday evening--drove back to our condo in a crazy snowstorm, chomping at the bit because of what we knew we'd be skiing in the next morning.
We were greeted by another 8 or so inches of new snow at Powder Mountain the next morning, coupled with blue, blue skies and by the afternoon, bright, warm sunshine. More sunshine and blue skies for the last 2 days of skiing, both at Snowbasin.
So Utah is my new favorite place to ski. I'm just a tad disappointed that we didn't make it to Solitude or one of the other areas closer to SLC, but it really was nice to ski so close to where we were staying, and I think we got a little spoiled by the short commute. We just couldn't bring ourselves to drive over 90 minutes one way when we had such great snow within a 10-minute drive. There's always next time!
Here's a few pix (sorry about the crazy size differences--I'm still getting used to working with Photobucket).
View from our condo--I could get used to waking up to this!
The parking lot at Powder Mountain. I don't think I've ever seen so few cars, even on a weekday, at any ski area in the northeast.
Getting ready for my first run on Day 1 at Powder Mountain
The first 3 days, my SO and I were with his DS. Day 1 was at Powder Mountain, my first experience skiing in Utah. The thing that struck me as most remarkable at this resort was that you could ski anywhere within the boundaries of the resort. You could start off on a groomed run and take off into the ungroomed stuff anywhere you wanted. I've never experienced that skiing in the northeast. Powder Mountain has an area called Powder Country, a whole side of the resort where it's completely ungroomed and steep. You end up at a "bus stop" along the road, and the Powder Country Shuttle, which runs at regular intervals, picks you up and brings you back to the lodge to do it again! I didn't venture into Powder Country this trip (not quite to that level yet...) but next time, you can bet that I'll be there.
We went to Snowbasin the second day. After the afternoon thaw from the previous day and overnight frigid temps, the conditions were a bit crispy in the morning, but with the bright sun, things softened up pretty nicely by the afternoon. What struck me about this place is the breathtaking lodge. I walked into the front door and thought I walked into a 5-star hotel. It's unbelievable! You walk in the door to what looks like a cozy living room, complete with a sofa and side chairs, and a huge fireplace. You go down a carpeted staircase to another lounge area with a fireplace, and then you get to the locker room. It's like nothing I've ever seen at a ski resort--carpeted floors, comfy benches, and humongous lockers with oak doors--we fit 3 boot bags into one locker! Oh, and the bathrooms are amazing. So much so, that I just had to take pictures of them. The food court had delish things to choose from, including a carving station with roast beef and turkey (and prime rib on the weekends!), great salads and other yummy things, all priced surprisingly reasonably compared to the garbage we get at local ski areas for only a few dollars less.
Day 3 was back to Powder Mountain. It snowed all morning, and the clouds settled over the entire mountain, so visibility was lousy at best. I bailed early that day, because I was still too unfamiliar with the place to ski by feel. But in the morning, there was about 6 to 8 inches of fresh powder, which was a blast to ski in. I definitely got the quality-versus-quantity runs that day!
DS returned home on Friday morning, and we retrieved my SO's DD from the airport Friday evening--drove back to our condo in a crazy snowstorm, chomping at the bit because of what we knew we'd be skiing in the next morning.
We were greeted by another 8 or so inches of new snow at Powder Mountain the next morning, coupled with blue, blue skies and by the afternoon, bright, warm sunshine. More sunshine and blue skies for the last 2 days of skiing, both at Snowbasin.
So Utah is my new favorite place to ski. I'm just a tad disappointed that we didn't make it to Solitude or one of the other areas closer to SLC, but it really was nice to ski so close to where we were staying, and I think we got a little spoiled by the short commute. We just couldn't bring ourselves to drive over 90 minutes one way when we had such great snow within a 10-minute drive. There's always next time!
Here's a few pix (sorry about the crazy size differences--I'm still getting used to working with Photobucket).
View from our condo--I could get used to waking up to this!
The parking lot at Powder Mountain. I don't think I've ever seen so few cars, even on a weekday, at any ski area in the northeast.
Getting ready for my first run on Day 1 at Powder Mountain
But it's on our list of to-dos for the next trip!
Snowbasin and PowMt are on my short list.
You are hardly alone! The place inspires pics! People have sent them to me in the past, including bathrooms. Did you get a shot of yourself under the huge moose (or is it elk?) antlers where you can set up the photo to make it look like they're YOUR antlers?? I've gotten a bunch of those pics sent to me as well.
