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Lifts & Terrain

Solitude Ski and Snowboard Terrain “Their ignorance, your bliss” sums up the joys of the terrain at Solitude Ski Resort. The resort features the fabulous Cottonwood Canyon dry powder (an average of 500 inches annually), but the best thing is that you only have to share it with a handful of people. This probably isn’t the case during peak holiday periods, but otherwise there is no one around and Solitude becomes powderhound nirvana.

It’s amazing the terrain that is packed into the 1,200 acres (486 hectares). Some may perceive that the terrain is predominantly gentle, because Solitude has a great reputation as a family mountain. This is definitely not the case, as there is also plenty of really challenging terrain. There is a natural segregation of terrain for differing ability levels, which may be a disadvantage for groups who want to stay together but have riders at opposite ends of the skill scale. Conversely this is an advantage for many others who are happy to ski with their “own kind”.

Interconnected with Brighton The SolBright run loops from the top of the Summit down to the Rollercoaster lift, and enables access to and from Brighton ski resort which is another playground of 425 hectares. The Brighton ski area is very different to that of Solitude, and is a haven for snowboarders and park riders.

Depending upon avalanche risk and weather conditions, the SolBright run may not always be open. It is marked as a blue run, but sometimes it is ungroomed and/or covered in powder and becomes more challenging and worthy of black run status. Non-advanced riders can access Brighton via bus.

Solitude Lifts Solitude continues to evolve into a major resort with ongoing infrastructure development. New for 2008/09 were two high speed quad lifts, the Moonbeam Express and Apex Express. These chair lifts have significantly improved the lifting capacity. There is only one other detachable quad, whilst the other 5 chair lifts are of the slow variety. During non-peak holidays, there are absolutely no issues with lift queues, and the Sunrise lift is practically deserted.

Lift Tickets Solitude has an electronic ticketing system. The Axess card sits inside a pocket and is scanned by gates at the lifts, and enables riders to review vertical and lift ride data on-line. Lift tickets are reasonably priced, and it only costs an additional $8 to purchase a SolBright pass which as the name suggests, enables dual access to Solitude and Brighton.

Solitude limits the number of day tickets and season tickets sold, but considering the few riders on the hill, it’s hard to imagine that they’d ever reach the quota!

Solitude can be accessed using the Ski Salt Lake Super Pass which covers Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude. This multi-day pass provides some slight savings whilst still allowing flexibility to choose any of the four resorts. The pass also covers the cost of the UTA bus. 

Snow and Weather Conditions Solitude enjoys huge snowfalls of quality dry Utah powder, and even though there is an average of 500 inches annually, the resort also has snow-making facilities in some of the high-traffic areas. The snow-making ensures quality coverage throughout the long season, although obviously the guns can’t reach the double black runs where rocks may be poking through early in the season.

Considering the steep pitches and copious snow, avalanche risk is present in-resort, so it wouldn’t hurt for those tackling the double blacks to carry a backpack with avalanche safety gear. The patrollers are incredibly knowledgeable and diligent in avalanche control. When staying on-mountain and it’s been snowing, it is nice not to have to wake up to an alarm, but instead awake to the boom of avalanche blasting.

For the Beginner First-timers start on the incredibly gentle Easy Street which is serviced by the incredibly gentle Link chair. The gradient of Easy Street is so slight that on powder days you almost have to pole down the hill. The next progression is the super wide runs off the Moonbeam Express, and there is a little greenie fun off the Sunrise chair.

For the Intermediate Solitude has a plethora of intermediate terrain. Easier blue runs are typically off the Sunrise and Apex chairs, whilst more challenging blue runs are off the Summit and Eagle Express lifts. This resort is a great place to learn to ski powder. There are so many sports to knick off the track and into the trees for an experiment before returning to the piste. Under the Apex chair is great for this, and the formal run of Gary’s Glade is also a good introduction to tree skiing.

A few runs are rated blue-black depending upon grooming status, so timid skiers should check the run status before venturing down. Sometimes the steep Challenger black run off Eagle is groomed and is great for some fast (really fast) GS turns.

Skiing For the Family/Kids Solitude is very family-oriented. The beginner terrain is largely segregated from other areas, which makes it less intimidating for those learning. The resort has a good spread of terrain for different family members.

Parks & PipesThe terrain park is a “baby” park that is so easy that even novices or oldies will feel unintimidated to have a play. Riders looking for some serious hits should head over to Brighton ski resort.

For snowboarders there are a couple of flat spots within the resort. Coming out of the Headwall area in particular will require super speed to avoid a hike. Alternatively befriend a nice skier and get a tow out.

Advanced Ski and Board Terrain The obvious black runs off the Powderhorn chair such as Paradise get bumped up easily. Much better skiing and snowboarding can be found in the gladed areas that afford awesome fall line skiing and opportunities for freshies. Headwall and Black Forest areas are outstanding, but the favourite is the Navarone run. If you stay close to the Honeycomb Return lift it is really only single black territory, and the run has beautiful lines through the trees. There is the occasional drop off (hence the double black status), so if you’re not a super-dooper skier then go slowly.

The Evergreen area requires a hike (if it’s open), and is probably the place to go with someone “in the know”. It’s easy to get lost and with lots of cliffs, this is the place not to get lost.

Expert Skiing and Snowboarding Double blacks off the Summit or Powderhorn chair through the trees are short and sweet. Milk Run is the steepest of the bunch and is great when there is decent snow coverage. Most of the great expert runs are in Honeycomb Canyon. A traverse off the Summit chair leads to endless options for lines, but as to be expected, increased effort equals increased reward. Some of this area can be accessed from the Eagle Express with runs such as Navarone and Here Be Dragons. The latter requires a left traverse past well marked cliff tops, which leaves the palms and pits a bit sweaty. Some easier lines can be found through here, but generally the run can be classified as gnarly, steep and tight. Our inclinometer read the gradient as 55 degrees which left us wondering whether it was in error?! With deep dry powder it certainly doesn’t feel that steep.

For the Powder Hound This is a fantastic powderhound mountain considering it has the same quality and quantity of powder of the Little Cottonwood Canyon resorts, but without the associated crowds. Opportunities to ski fresh tracks abound.

The gates to backcountry areas are officially in bounds so are somewhat controlled. There is some fantastic backcountry skiing from Solitude, but considering the avalanche risk only backcountry experts should tackle the terrain. Backcountry guided tours are provided into areas just outside the resort boundaries. The Back Tracks tours are run by the highly knowledgeable and experienced Solitude ski patrollers.