Lifts & Terrain
Snowbird Ski and Snowboard TerrainSnowbird is famous for steep and deep. The
Snowbird ski resort has some incredibly rugged terrain which includes terrifying steep bowls, chutes, tree runs and cliff drops. Off-piste is not for the faint of heart, although on-piste there are highway-wide groomed runs for non-experts.
The upper reaches of the mountain are devoid of trees. Further down there are trees, but they are reasonably spaced. Consequently there are potential lines everywhere, and if you can find an inventive way down, you’ll be rewarded with fresh powder stashes long after the obvious lines are ripped up.
There are three main areas at Snowbird: Peruvian Gulch, Gad Valley and Mineral Basin. The Peruvian Gulch is serviced by the Peruvian Express and the aerial tram, and it features some fabulously nasty runs off the Cirque Traverse that go the whole vertical of the mountain. The area is predominantly north to northeast facing so the snow quality is fantastic. The Gad Valley has terrain suitable for all ability levels, and runs such as Tiger Tail to the skiers’ left of the Gad 2 chair provide a backcountry-type experience. Mineral Basin is on the backside of the mountain and is tamer than the front-side. It is south facing so it’s a good place for some sunbaking, and you could pretend you’re in Europe considering the terrain is wide open with few trees. The abundance of powder might be a give-away that you’re in Utah.
Snowbird – Neighbour of Alta
Alta, a skiers-only mountain, is just as fabulous as Snowbird unless of course you’re a snowboarder. The two resorts are connected by a trail between Snowbird’s Mineral Basin and Alta’s Albion Basin. If it’s windy this access might be closed, so the alternative is to catch a bus. Experts can also ski between Alta and Snowbird via the ridge between the two resorts.
Lifts
The icon of Snowbird is the aerial tram which whisks skiers up the whole vertical of the mountain in 7-8 minutes, and is guaranteed to make anyone slightly scared of heights feel woozy. Other than the tram and the four express lifts, some of the chairs are painfully slow although you might welcome the rest.
The new tunnel at the top of the Peruvian Gulch has a magic carpet to transport skiers and boarders to Mineral Basin. It offers a relaxed alternative to the tram in getting to the backside of the mountain, and overcomes some of the disadvantages of the tram – cost, wind closures, lift queues and fearful vertigo.
The tram is the only lift that has issues with lines, especially on weekends, holidays and powder days. On busy days there is a lot of angst as powder-hungry skiers queue up, cram into the tram, and rush at the top to elbow their way to the fresh powder. The mad scramble continues on the Cirque Traverse. If you want a more relaxing experience, use the Peruvian Express quad chair instead.
Night skiing is available on Chickadee (beginners’ lift) until 8:30 pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Lift Tickets
Pass prices are split into chairlifts only ($62: 08-09 price), or aerial tram and chairlifts ($72: 08-09 price). A Chickadee pass is only $20. The combined lift ticket for Alta/Snowbird is $85 (08-09 price).
Snow and weather conditions
Snowbird really does have “the greatest snow on earth” and plenty of it. Snowbird averages approximately 500 inches of unusually low-density, dry powder annually. Thanks to the ideal geography of a tight canyon and the Lake Effect phenomenon, Snowbird has snow storms that are measured in feet not inches. Snowbird enjoys a long season from November to late May or early June.
Due to the volume of riders that hit Snowbird en masse on a powder day, the resort tends to get skied out much quicker than
Alta. The obvious lines are all taken by 10:30am, leaving only the secret stashes for the regulars. When there is not a substantial base, take care of your newly P-texed bases up on the Cirque Traverse, as this highly trafficked area has some nasty sharp rocks.
For the Beginner
For a resort renowned for testing slopes, the terrain surprisingly has 27% green runs. The novice area is off the Chickadee lift near the centre of the village. The next progression is the area off the Baby Thunder lift. Further green runs can be found off the slow Mid-Gad lift and Wilbere. Apprehensive beginners need to be aware that Big Emma isn’t your average beginner run, and would probably be rated as blue at other resorts.
On a clear day, confident beginners can venture to Mineral Basin so long as they download the tram to get home. They shouldn’t even entertain the thought of skiing down the frontside of Snowbird!
For the Intermediate
Snowbird has plenty of blue runs off all the chairs, although many of them are “dark blue” runs. The longest trail, Chip’s run has variable pitch and can be particularly challenging in places, especially where it narrows, and when jibbers zoom in front of you to head for the tempting sides. On low visibility days, runs such as Chip’s can become a little more daunting because the terrain is rather open and it’s not always obvious where the blue run is.
Mineral Basin has blue runs that are appropriately rated, but check the grooming report otherwise some runs will become very “dark blue”.
For the Family/Kids
Snowbird is an ideal family vacation destination. The ski resort has a dedicated learners area and has also established "Family Ski Zones," which are specially-marked areas for families who want to ski at a relaxed pace.
Parks and Pipes
As opposed to Alta that frowns upon snowboarders, Snowbird woos them with a super pipe and two great terrain parks. The resort has a large selection of tabletops, boxes, and rails with perfect hits for everyone from beginners to experts. The beginner park is on Big Emma, and the expert terrain park on various runs on Baby Thunder.
Advanced Skiing Snowbird
Snowbird is fantastic for advanced skiers considering the long steep pitches, and the “ego” snow. Some of the single black diamond runs such as Regulator Johnson are really good for the self-esteem because they are groomed. There are lots of other black runs, but they tend to mogul up quickly, particularly the obvious descents such as Primrose Path. Great tree runs can be found in the Gad 2 lift area, but take great care especially around the Doors. Some areas have sign-posting to indicate that there are cliffs in the region, but don’t expect the actual cliff to be marked. If you are keen to keep your equipment on the snow, then check your speed through these areas or go with someone who is familiar with the terrain.
Expert Ski Terrain
Snowbird is paradise for expert skiers considering the combination of steep and deep to be found across all regions of the resort. There are stacks of areas or runs that are double black, but there is incredible variability in the degree of difficulty of these. For advanced to expert skiers, an unintimidating run is to take a low Baldy Traverse off the Peruvian Express, and then play anywhere in the Fields of Glory.
Most expects want to give the bowls and chutes off Cirque Traverse a whirl. The run itself will scream of “Groundhog Day” but there is amazing variety in the steep runs off it. You’ll exclaim “Great Scott” as you drop down the run of the same name, and scare yourself on Barry Barry Steep. Pack a spare pair of undies.
For the Powderhound
As to be expected with a steep resort with so much snow, avalanche risk is ever present so no one would think you strange if you carried
avalanche safety gear in-bounds. When conditions dictate, temporary closures of certain areas are required for avalanche control. Of course the added benefit is that when the area is opened, more freshies are on offer.
In bounds, essentially the whole mountain is good for powder, but the Cirque, Little Cloud Bowl, and Mineral Basin are exceptional. “Woo hoos” and “yippees” will abound. There are also fabulous out-of-bounds opportunities, accessible through designated gates.
For more detailed information on the terrain at Snowbird, have a read of “The Powder Hound’s Guide to Snowbird”. It wasn’t written by us but considering the name it must be fantastic!