Ski Utah Blog - Related Articles
Showing 10 articles out of 10.
If you build it...they will come (the storms that is!)
Posted by Jodi Saeland on January 20, 2010
Living in Utah and skiing in Utah...well, we get pretty spoiled. In fact, we get a bit snobby. If there isn't at least 6" of new snow every few days or a week, we feel cheated. When in fact, other parts of the country would be very excited to see even 1/2 the snow we get.
Besides the point, it has been an El Nino year and maybe not quite the winter we'd like to see....until now! During an El Nino year, there is warming of the waters off the coast of South America, trade winds weaken and the warm water pools in the western Pacific. Ok, so..what's my point? We oftentimes will see a ridge or high pressure over the west and storms go around the high. High is associated with sinking air=no storminess. El Nino also will shift the jet streams. This is important because the jet stream acts as a steering wheel for storms. You want that wheel over you, not around you. During an El Nino, we get a split jet. The storms normally go over southern California (like we're seeing the last few days with floods and if you are one that watched the Golden Globes :)) and scrape by southern Utah. Brian Head resort in southern Utah does well. The storms also go through Canada and drop into the Dakotas. (Remember the big Christmas mess?)
Is this doom and gloom for the north? NOT AT ALL!! Again, we are an impatient group in the north waiting for the powder. Folks, it has arrived! As with all good things..it takes time and patience. The pattern has changed. The high pressure has broken down and the storms are lining up in the west and Pacific. If you had a look at the satellite...the colors are GOOD! This means lots of moisture headed into northern California and right into Utah. It doesn't take much for us to really get hit hard and see the snow pile up. Not only do we need it for skiing, we need it for the reservoirs. In looking back at data for the past 10 years+, El Nino, La Nina...no Nina; there is no pattern that favors a low/high year which is great for Utah!
Point said, the storms are here and I got a chance to experience it first hand Tuesday at Alta. 16" new snow, knee deep! Yep, doesn't get better.
Enjoy the pattern change. Does this mean we're done with El Nino? No, supposed to continue and we will see the pattern swing back and forth; but for now it is stormy and the high has moved on.
Another Way To Enjoy Groomed Terrain
Posted by Thomas Cooke on December 30, 2009
You know it's the Christmas Holiday week in Park City when it takes an hour and a half to get a bagel and coffee at the local joint. I'm not complaining, this is what fuels the mountain town economy and keeps the lifts running for the rest of the season. As locals, we like to think of them as "our" mountains, and most of the time, we get to have our way with Utah's great snow, and maybe even take it for granted. But still, an hour and a half to get a bagel and a coffee on the way to the mountain gets me balled up. Lately I've been following some sage advice (author unknown): if you can't beat the crowds, then join them, and if you can't handle joining the crowds, then avoid them altogether. This is when I bust out the nordic skis, and spend some time burning calories at a few of Utah's excellent nordic skiing venues.
White Pine Touring, in Park City, is one of those gems. The center of operations is located on the Park City Municipal golf course, with a full-service nordic center that offers gear rentals and instruction for all nordic techniques including classic, skating, touring, and even snowshoeing. The shop is located in the back of the Hotel Park City, backing out to a well-maintained 5 kilometer loop with easy to moderate terrain. Easy because just about any skill level can make it around the loop with some effort. Moderate because the gently rolling hills can be torture if you are trying to maintain the pace of some of the elite level nordic competitors who may happen to be training that day. The folks at White Pine can also take care of tuning your gear to match the conditions, and if you are still trying to figure out how to skate on 90's era equipment, you might want to check out their retail selection of current gear. Instant gratification when you step into a modern set-up and feel your skating technique improve.
Ski Utah Gold and Silver Passes are valid at White Pine. Not many people know this. I didn't, until just this year. They are also valid for day passes at Sundance, Solitude, and Brian Head nordic centers. If you don't have one of these mythical go-anywhere-you-want-anytime-you-want magic passes, day passes at nordic resorts are pretty reasonable; $18 for a full-day at White Pine for adults, $10 after 3 PM. Add on extra if you need gear and a lesson. The variety of nordic skiing in Utah is almost as diverse as the variety of alpine terrain, which often makes the choice of where to ski difficult for me, except during the peak times in my hometown, where escaping the hustle and bustle of the holiday crowds is as simple as skating or classic skiing for a few hours at White Pine.
Brian Head Resort Gets a Treat for Halloween
Posted by Tim on October 29, 2009
Brian Head Resort is getting dumped on in a big way. Wax up those boards central Utah skiers and riders. Check out the pictures.
Learn a Snow Sport Month - Brian Head
Posted by Eric on January 19, 2009
Ski the 13 Quest Begins
Posted by Kendall on January 12, 2009
A collective of photographers, writers, PCTV peeps and Ski Utah employees are about to go the distance - to ski all of Utah's 13 resorts in one day.
We're at Cedar Breaks Lodge and Spa. Most of the 10 person crew are fast asleep but I wanted to give you the heads up about our Ski the 13 quest which will begin tomorrow morning at 4:30 am.
Under a nearly full moon we'll drive to the mid mountain maintenance shack here at Brian Head and start off with our first run of the day.
From there we're off to Sundance for an early lift up with Ski Patrol at 8am. Deer Valley is next on the list followed by Park City and The Canyons.
The only double up of the day will occur next when we ride the tram at Snowbird, ski Mineral Basin and then ride up the Baldy Express to jump border into Alta. I'm looking to ski Stonecrusher while others have said High Rustler is on the list.
A quick hit of Solitude and Brighton will next have us on the John Paul Express at Snowbasin, hopefully before the 4pm closing time.
Fortunately for us, Wolf Creek, Power Mountain and then finally Beaver Mountain all have night skiing.
Follow along today as we blog and Facebook updates about the journey to ski all of Utah's 13 resorts in one day.
The best got better, part IV
Posted by Eric on October 21, 2008
Drumroll please...... the rest!
Recent upgrades to Beaver Mountain’s food service have caused more skiers to gather in the Resort’s traditional A-frame lodge for lunch. As a result, Beaver Mountain will make over $300,000 in improvements to the lodge adding additional seating to better accommodate guests.
Brian Head Resort, in southern Utah, has been busy putting final touches on the major expansion which combined their two separate mountains in the 2007-08 winter season. Details include new rock work on the retaining walls, additional slope grading and mountain landscaping.
Powder Mountain has added a new Mountain Adventure Center located near the Timberline Lodge which will house all of Powder Mountain’s adventure programs including Snowcat Powder Safaris, Mountain Adventure Tours and the Snow Sports School. Last season, Powder Mountain started all-day guided snowcat tours called Snowcat Powder Safari. Due to the popularity of the program, the terrain available via the snowcat has been increased 100 percent to 2,000-plus acres.
Restaurants in all three lodges have been renovated to improve guest flow and to allow additional menu options. All changes are designed to minimize the time guests spend off the slopes on a powder day.
Powder Mountain is also taking steps to ensure everyone can enjoy and afford the sport of skiing. The price of a night lift pass will be rolled back to 2002-rates. An adult night pass will be $15 and a child (7 – 12) will be $12. Night operations will start one hour earlier than previous years, at 3:00pm, so guests can enjoy a few hours of sunlight.
Snowbasin Resort has replaced the Little Cat lift which services beginner terrain, with a new detachable quad chair lift starting above Earl’s Lodge and ending at the upper parking lot. The new lift will span 1,578 feet in length with a vertical rise of 173.5 feet. A 1,000 foot per minute line speed will yield a carrying capacity of 2,600 people per hour.
The new lift will better accommodate the beginning skier by reducing the intimidation from downhill skier traffic and easing loading and unloading due to the detachable lift's design.
Sundance is continuing to preserve its beautiful protected setting, against a 12,000-foot backdrop of Mount Timpanogos. Sundance offers 41 runs spread over 500 acres of snow-smothered terrain suitable for beginning to expert levels. Experts enjoy the steep and the deep in wide open bowls and narrow gladed chutes, while all can enjoy our immaculately groomed slopes. Sundance prides itself on being a place where families can gather and hospitality is a way of life. Special kids programs and a variety of activities keep the family smiling all day.
Sundance’s cross country ski center has a full 26 kilometers of daily groomed trails and are available for skating and classic skiing. Snowshoers can explore Sundance’s terrain on 10 kilometers of dedicated trails through the woods.
Wolf Mountain is an integral part of Wolf Creek Utah's complete amenity package, offering the best guest experience available. Major improvements for the 2008-09 season include expanded beginner learning terrain, a more convenient skier/guest drop off area and continued improvements to its terrain park. The Wolf Mountain Learning Center offers the best value in ski and snowboard education, with the “Get on Board” pass. For only $200, a new skier or snowboarder can take three lessons with equipment rental and receive a free season pass at the end of their lesson series.
Ski Magazine Utah Resort Rankings 2008-2009
Posted by Tim on October 2, 2008
You probably already know that Utah has the Greatest Snow on Earth ®, well once again we're a the top of the pile in many resort rankings. Below are Utah resorts ranked according to Ski Magazine
Overall
#1- Deer Valley Resort
#5- Park City Mountain Resort
#13- The Canyons Resort
#22- Solitude Mountain Resort
#25- Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort
#28- Alta Ski Area
#30- Snowbasin
Snow
#1- Alta Ski Area
#2- Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort
#3- Powder Mountain
#5- Brighton Resort
#6- Solitude Mountain Resort
#9- Deer Valley Resort
Grooming
#1- Deer Valley Resort
Terrain/Challenge
#3- Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort
#4- Alta Ski Area
Value
#1- Powder Mountain
#3- Alta Ski Area
#5- Brighton Resort
#7- Solitude Mountain Resort
Lifts
#1- Snowbasin
#4- Deer Valley Resort
Service
#1- Deer Valley Resort
#3- Snowbasin
Weather
#1- Deer Valley Resort
#2- Solitude Mountain Resort
#4- Alta Ski Area
#5- Brighton Resort
#8- Park City Mountain Resort
Access
#1- Park City Mountain Resort
#2- Deer Valley Resort
#4- The Canyons Resort
#5- Solitude Mountain Resort
#6- Alta Ski Area
#7- Brighton Resort
#8- Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort
On-Mountain Food
#1- Deer Valley Resort
#2- Snowbasin
Lodging
#1- Deer Valley Resort
#8- Park City Mountain Resort
Dining
#2- Deer Valley Resort
#9- Park City Mountain Resort
Apres-Ski
#8- Park City Mountain Resort
Off-Hill Activities
#6- Park City Mountain Resort
#9- Deer Valley Resort
Family Programs
#7- Deer Valley Resort
Terrain Parks
#9-Park City Mountain Resort
Overall Satisfaction
#1- Alta Ski Area
#4- Deer Valley Resort
#6- Solitude Mountain Resort
You have a few days left.....Hurry
Posted by Eric on April 10, 2008
It is a sad day indeed when I start reading this kind of news. Sorry to break it to you, but better to be in the know than up at the mountain with no place to go but back down to the valley.
Tentative resort closing dates are as follows:
Alta: 4/13 + 4/18-20
Brian Head: 4/13
Beaver Mountain: closed
Brighton: 4/20
Canyons: 4/13
Deer Valley: 4/13
Park City Mountain Resort: 4/13
Powder Mountain: 4/13
Snowbasin 4/20
Snowbird: 5/26 (Open Fri.-Sun. only after May 11)
Solitude: 4/13
Sundance: closed
Wolf Mountain: closed
Ski Utah Trip to Brian Head
Posted by Kendall on March 27, 2008
A couple weeks back some of the Ski Utah crew make the trip down to southern Utah for a visit to Brian Head. Check out the video wrap up of the fun we had.
Brian Head Getaway
Posted by Tim on January 19, 2007
Yesterday afternoon we cruised down south to check out Brian Head for the first time. First we met up with marketing director Bob Whitelaw. He showed us a beautiful view of the Cedar Breaks red rocks during sunset, which should soon be a national park. Check out this photo Hilary took:
Then we cruised down to the Cedar Breaks Café in the Cedar Breaks Lodge for a nice thick ribeye . We followed that up by checking in to the Chalet Village. There we enjoyed the cozy ski condo warming up by the fire while the snow cats groomed the slopes right outside our deck. We woke up this morning ready to ski. It was a blue bird day so we were stoked. We started out on the Giant Steps chair and took a cruiser over to the Dunes chair, while taking in views of red rocks. Bob said that it was “busy for a Friday,” but it seemed like nobody was there. He also mentioned, “Brian Head is known more for its intermediate terrain.” However, being a good host he knew that we wanted to ski more than groomers. The next run he took us over to the Roulette chair where we skied Devo’s Pitch. The first run I saw this little rock that grabbed my attention so I dropped in early and ripped it. Then I looked up the hill and saw Hilary and Bob skiing chopped Pow that looked even better than what I had just skied. The next run we had to go back there so I could ski where they did. My first couple turns were untracked before dropping into the chopped up stuff. That put smiles on our faces and had us wanting more. Bob then took us through one of the four terrain parks they have. There were a variety of rails, rollers and jumps. After cruising through the park we traded in our skies for a couple of snow cycles. I was definitely surprised by how much fun they were. I used to think they were kind of cheesy until I tried it today. Hilary was also surprised by how fun they were. Brian Head is one of the few resorts that allow snow cycles. We were hooting and having a gas. We went faster with each run, and by the end of the day we were in the park. Check out this photo Hilary took of me catching air on the snow cycle during the second run.
Then we grubbed down for lunch at the Giant Steps Lodge and called it a day. Located just three hours from Vegas, it’s close enough to fly in there and scratch your party itch, then cruise over to Brian Head for a nice remote get away.
