There are two fine local ski areas near Huntsville, Utah, about a half-hour drive up scenic Ogden Canyon from Ogden. Accommodations near the ski hills are limited and expensive. Ogden is close and cheap since winter is low season. Odgen is 35 miles north of Salt Lake City International Airport.
Snowbasin was a sleepy local ski hill until it hosted the 2002 Olympic Downhill Races, and the owner made it over into a world-class resort. The world hasn’t caught on yet, so now’s your chance for a great ski experience with reasonable prices ( lift tickets) and not much of a crowd. Actually Snowbasin may never get discovered as long as they persist with no toll-free number. Use the web.
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Snowbasin was a sleepy local ski hill until it hosted the 2002 Olympic Downhill Races, and the owner made it over into a world-class resort. The world hasn’t caught on yet, so now’s your chance for a great ski experience with reasonable prices ( lift tickets) and not much of a crowd. Actually Snowbasin may never get discovered as long as they persist with no toll-free number. Use the web.
There are ten lifts, 2,600 acres, 55 runs, Olympic race courses, 400 inches of great Utah powder, and a deluxe day lodge.
Even less well-known is the aptly named Powder Mountain, with 500 (and more) inches of fabled Utah powder, 5,000 acres, an five lifts. Crowds? Hah. Lonely you will be.
It takes Utah snow about 3 days to compact to Colorado quality powder and at least a week to sink to fresh Sierra Cement, setting the stage for one of the greatest experiences in skiing–Sno-cat trips into Powder Mountain’s vast back country, where you can ski untracked powder for days.
The owners of Powder Mountain are dickering with the local government to build 5,000 condo units, so now is the time to go.
There is a third ski area, Nordic Valley, in between Powder Mountain and Snowbasin. This is a very small local after-work ski hill (with lighted runs for night skiing; Powder Mountain also has night skiing). It’s very inexpensive and not at all exciting. We tried it once, which was more than enough. Skip it unless you need a really cheap place to send beginners to learn how to ski or you have to ski both night and day, which may not be a bad idea considering the zero après ski scene.
Quick Tips:
There is some lodging in Eden and Huntsville, closer to the resorts, but in the boonies.Best Way To Get Around:
Take a rental car from the Salt Lake City airport.
There are two routes from Odgen to Snowbasin, either with UT 39, going through scenic Ogden Canyon, or I-84 east to UT 160, a scenic mountain drive. The UT 39 route to Powder Mountain is shorter than going by I-84, but give both of them a try on a clear day.
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