Ski Utah Blog - Related Articles
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Winter Stargazer Event at Snowbird Saturday, March 13
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on March 10, 2010
Snowbird will be hosting a winter Stargazer event this Saturday, March 13. The evening includes a Tram ride with local astronomers for an informative presentation before unloading on Hidden Peak where participants will view the night sky at 11,000 feet through high-powdered telescopes.
Tickets will be sold through the Snowbird Activity Center on March 13 from 6:30-6:55 p.m. The Snowbird Aerial Tram is scheduled to depart at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for children 12 and under as well as seniors, and $10 for employees. Season passes are not valid for this event, and participants are urged to dress appropriately for winter temperatures.
Winter Stargazer is a weather-dependent activity; for updates the day of the event, please contact the Activity Center at (801) 933-2147. For a complete list of Snowbird spring events, please visit snowbird.com/events.
What: Winter Stargazer event with local astronomers.
Where: Snowbird Activity Center and Hidden Peak (park at Entry 2)
When: Saturday, March 13; Tickets sold at 6:30 p.m., Tram departs at 7 p.m.
Cat Skiing at Alta is Purr...fect!
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on March 9, 2010
What could possibly be better than powder skiing at legendary Alta and Snowbird? How about cat skiing at Alta? Now your talking!
Check out the snowcat skiing operation up
Little Cottonwood Canyon for a fun and unique adventure of guided
off-trail skiing in Grizzly Gulch's 375 acres of incredible bowl skiing.
Sweet Spring Powder at the Bird
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on March 8, 2010
Have you skied powder lately? Well, there is plenty of it to be found in Utah. Check out this video shot this past weekend at Snowbird. And, don't forget that you could still win a free trip to come ski with me by becoming a fan of the Ski Utah Yeti page on Facebook by Wednesday, March 10!
To BCM
Posted by Ray Grass on March 2, 2010
In response, BCM asked about skiing Snowbird, then The Canyons and Deer Valley this week.
And, it sounds like a good plan to me. Deer Valley, Snowbird and The Canyons all have good snow. Over the past nine days I skied Deer Valley and Snowbird and snow conditions were excellent. When I checked Monday, Deer Valley and The Canyons are holding bases over 70 inches.
Supposed to snow Wednesday and Thursday and brighten up on Friday and Saturday. Nothing better than new snow over a groomed surface unless it’s two feet of fresh snow.
As for total snow ,a recent report said Snowbird is at 87 percent of normal. And, as Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, pointed out, “I’d rather have 87 percent of 500 than 110 percent of 300.’’ Point well taken.
If Utah has a normal March and April, resorts will likely hit their averages. Remember, last year Utah received something like 14 feet in 14 days in early April. Season total was around 700.
Talk About Snow
Posted by Ray Grass on February 28, 2010
Snow we got. Not in record inches, yet, but Utah has snow.
I decided to do some checking after talking with out-of-town visitors on the lifts at Snowbird over the weekend.
More than once the subject of snow came up and in most cases it was followed by “That’s why we came to Utah.’’
Over the years, skiers and snowboarders have come to know that Utah has good snow.
At last count, Alta has received 325 inches of total snowfall this winter. Last year, on the same date, Alta had 407 inches of total snowfall. The long-term season average is 500.
Before the 2008-09 season ended, Alta would get nearly 300 more inches. If Alta gets even average depths for March and April, it will hit its average.
What stirred my interest was on one particular ride a couple from New York said they brought the family to Snowbird to “get out of mess back East and enjoy good snow.’’ The mess referred to, of course, is very cold and stormy weather, and heavy snow.
A man from California was in Utah for the good snow “and accessibility.’’ He was skiing Alta on Sunday, then heading for the Park City resorts. He like variety.
Another man from Florida said he came to Snowbird every winter, “because I know it has snow.’’
A woman from California asked questions about different resorts, best skiing, best dining, Salt Lake City, then said, “isn’t this snow wonderful?’’
And so it went. Snow was the common thread of conversation. And it was, this day, excellent . . . just enough soft snow over a packed base to hold a perfect edge.
At last count, Snowbird is holding a 91-inch base mid-mountain. Up the canyon a couple of miles Alta is holding a 93-inch base. Over on the Park City side, Deer Valley is at 74 inches, The Canyons at 71 and Park City Mountain Resort 75 inches.
So how does this compare with other resorts around the country?
To the East in Colorado, on the same day, Aspen reported 54 to 81 inches, Beaver 50, Copper Mountain 50 to 62 and Vail 48 inches.
In New York, Hunter Mountain showed bases of 60 to 110 inches and Whiteface Mountain, site of the 1980 Olympics, 30 to 43 inches. 26 of the state’s 34 resorts, however, are showing bases under 30 inches.
In New Hampshire, Attitash shows 24 to 36 and the highest number is Bretton Woods with 20 to 51 inches.
In Vermont, Stowe has a base of 36 to 60, Killington 42 to 54 and Sugarbush 38 to 66.
High marks this year are held in California. Alpine Meadows has a base of 94 to 152, Heavenly 53 to 82 and Mammoth 133 to 175 inches.
It should be noted here that along with the snow (inches) those visitors I talked with liked Utah’s snow (light and fluffy).
That’s another thing Utah is known for -- having the driest, lightest snow anywhere.
It has been a rather unusual year, however. Utah has had its knee-high powder days, but most of the storms have come frequently and left anywhere from 3 to 6 inches.
Which was the condition over the weekend at Snowbird . . . several inches of new snow over a groomed base.
It makes for a fun ski day. And that it was.
Share the Mountain
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on February 23, 2010
Share The Mountain is a winter mountain safety video presented by Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.
Night Skiing at Snowbird by Headlamp
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on February 10, 2010
January 19, 2010 - Petzl and a group of industry insiders went up to Snowbird Ski Resort after hours to do a little night skiing with the help of the ULTRA headlamp.
The Amazing Utah Adventures of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on February 10, 2010
Over 280,000 votes were cast and thousands of comments lobbied for
the two destinations, but at the end of the day, it was Utah which won
by a mere 0.02% of the votes. Who would have known that this bearded
garden Gnome was such a rockstar?!? The Gnome was enthusiastically
greeted by fans across the state and created quite a stir wherever he
went. The two-foot tall celebrity was given V.I.P. treatment and
sampled the best that Utah could offer.
The Gnome skied and snowboarded with Olympians in Park City, drove a bobsled, sun-tanned on Deer Valley's famous McHenry's beach and sampled spirits at High West Distillery. He hucked cliffs at Snowbird, rode the tram and relaxed at the Cliff Spa. In Salt Lake City, he boogied with the Jazz dancers and sang with the Mormon Tabernacle choir. He curled at the Utah Olympic Oval and drank beers with his friends at Squatters. The Gnome did all this and more, but his favorite thing about Utah was, "The locals and their Greatest Snow on Earth®."
Thank you to everyone for their support and for voting him to Utah!
To view photos and video of the Gnome's Utah experience log on to Facebook and view the 'Travelocity Roaming Gnome' fan page. And, when you do, don't forget to become Facebook friends with me, the Ski Utah Yeti!Photos from the 4 Area Interconnect Tour
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on February 5, 2010
When people talk about the Ski Utah Interconnect Tour they usually think of the 6 area tour that goes through Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, Solitude, Brighton, Alta, and Snowbird. But the 4 area Interconnect Tour going through Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, and Solitude offers an arguably better backcountry experience. Check out the photos from yesterday's 4 area tour.
Low viz, high hopes, and big air: The North Face Masters takes off at Snowbird.
Posted by The Ski Utah Yeti on January 26, 2010
Snowbird, UT, January 25, 2010 - After two days of being grounded due
to weather and unsafe snow conditions, The North Face Masters was
finally given the green light today on Snowbird's famed Silver Fox
venue. With nearly seven feet of snow in seven days, competitors have
had to put themselves on hold, although they were treated to several
epic days of riding the greatest snow on earth. As the athletes boarded
the tram this morning, the nervous anticipation permeated through the
crowd of eager riders. The women were slated to start things off, but
low visibility threatened to shut things down yet again. Fortunately,
the fog began to lift and the middle and bottom portion of the venue
revealed its powdery goodness. By eleven o'clock the riders were on the
course laying down smooth lines through untracked fields of fresh. With
an abundance of soft landings to be bombed, the women showed their
fearlessness as they hucked themselves off every terrain feature in
sight. Squaw Valley's Iris Lazzareschi slayed a technical line down the
east side of the venue just as the clouds parted, if only for a brief
moment. The windlips up high were great and the course was fun, said
Iris after her run. Other standouts included Snowbird locals Kaitlin
Locke and Laura Dewey. However, it was former Master's champ, Shannan
Yates flawless performance that earned her the coveted Katana Sword.
With the conclusion of the women's competition, the men prepared for
their assault on the course. Due to the delays brought on by weather,
this event would be one run and done style, so every turn meant the
difference between in and out of the rankings. Heavy hitters, Rob
Kingwill and Travis Rice, promised to bring the best to the table, and
the crowds weren't disappointed. Some world-class billy-goating high up
on the venue marked Rob's run, and his solid stomp of a 30+ footer at
the bottom of the course drew applause from all in attendance. Always
the showman, Rice started out his run with a big slash for the cameras
up top and several big airs over peppery take-offs throughout the
venue. After his run, Travis simply said, Damn fine course, damn fine
snow. As the comp continued, the international riders from New Zealand,
France, Japan, Russia and Canada made their countries proud as they
carved and hucked their way through the course. Another fine
performance came from the event's oldest rider Dave Watson, 41 years
young, as he tore up the Fox and went huge at the bottom. When asked
what was going through his mind as he sent it over the last cliff, Dave
laughed and said, I hope I don't hit those rocks. By the time the dust
settled and the judges conversed, Mark Carter of Jackson Hole was
crowned the winner of the men's division. Fluidity and aggressiveness
were the hallmarks of his run, and he noted, I just wanted to do
something that nobody else had done.
Yates and Carter will defend their titles at the next Masters event in two weeks at Crystal Mountain in Washington.
