Powder Mountain
Powder Mountain is where you’ll find your own secret powder stash. It’s a little known resort, and many visitors to Utah don’t even realise that Powder Mountain exists. The skiable terrain is huge, larger than Vail and at 2,227 hectares (5,500 acres) it is the biggest resort in the USA.
So why does Powder Mountain remain relatively undiscovered? Apart from the lack of advertising, Powder Mountain doesn’t have the lift and village infrastructure to rival its neighbours and transform itself into a mega-resort. Of course there is a plus side for those of us who don’t need frills and just want a great skiing experience. We can have this piece of paradise to ourselves with the added bonus that skiing at Powder Mountain will not break the bank.
Powder Mountain is 86km (about 75 minutes) north of Salt Lake City international airport. This is further away than some of the major ski resorts in Utah, but it’s really quite close when you compare the distance to gateway airports in Colorado. There are airport shuttles available to get to the resort.
The ski area prides themselves on not needing snowmaking facilities, and with an annual snowfall of 12.7 metres you can see why they don’t bother with the artificial snow. They also haven’t wasted money on lifts. Powder Mountain only has 4 chairlifts (one a detachable quad) and 3 surface tows but at $53 for an adult day ticket, you pay for what you get. Other “lifts” consist of a bus for transport back up to the ski area after riding the back side. Alternatively there are cheap cat rides (about $8) to access one of the ridges.
Occasionally there are lift queues but powderhounds can rest assured that they will find plenty of freshies. The slopes are almost devoid of skiers, as it would take a tremendous number of people to fill up 2,227 hectares of terrain. You won’t clock up many vertical metres in a day, but the emphasis at Powder Mountain in on the quality of skiing rather than quantity. Well it’s quality so long as you don’t love super steeps, as the resort doesn’t have the steeps that are on offer at resorts such as Snowbird and Alta.
The village is a bit of a sleepy hollow, but this typically suits most families who don’t need fine dining or a lot of action beyond the skiing and snowboarding. There are various options for on-mountain accommodation including condos and hotel rooms in the Columbine Inn. Much of the lodging is ski-in ski-out. In Eden Valley at the foot of the mountain there is also accommodation, which flexibility for those wanting to rip up Powder Mountain and Snowbasin. There are shuttles from Eden up to the resort.
If you love powder skiing then Powder Mountain is worth checking out. Other travellers are slowly discovering it as they seek alternatives to some of the busy Utah ski resorts. You’d better get there soon before they steal your freshies.