Brrrr!! Looks like Winter decided to show up after all! I have been meaning to put together a comprehensive list of [our opions of] Utah Ski resorts since last year. Now that we have another 2 months left of ski season 2012, here it is:
Brighton = A +
Our alltime favorite resort. Mostly because we (meaning, my siblings and I) grew up skiing here and know the place inside and out. It's a fun challenge to try to make myself get lost here and see if it takes longer than a minute to find my bearings and get to where I "know" I am. There are 5 1/2 lifts here, 4 of which are high speed quads. The half being the bunny hill lift, we don't usually tread there. Brighton is significant for it's numerous tree trails. You can either go down a run on the groomed part, or in between the trees. It is the cheapest of the normal sized ski resorts, and attracts a lot of snowboarders. The lunch lodge is nothing to be excited about, but it is very close to the slopes and cars.
Alta = C
Alta gets a C because they started charging for "ski free after 3" this year. Sad day. That was our favorite part about Alta. Granted, it's still cheap, but for 1 1/2 hour of skiing on the same run, I'm not going to want to pay. Mostly because I didn't HAVE to pay the last 3 years! It is a fabulous place and time to teach beginners (adults and children) to learn how to ski, we have taken many of our friends here to learn.
The rest of Alta, I haven't had much experience with. It's supposed to have some good bowls, but last time I did a full day there is 2010 they were closed due to a minor blizzard (which we were skiing in). Alta also has a lot of flat parts and if you don't know your way around and where to pick up speed you'll get stuck.
Snowbasin = A
Love this place! The Olympic downhill runs were held here in 2002, and let me tell you- they are AWESOME runs. The snow is great here, during a typical utah snow season. There are 3 gondolas which are very nice and warm. Our family enjoys quite a few family runs together here each year. The BEST part of Snowbasin is the lodges. Skiers feel as if they are staying at 5 star hotel when they stop in Needles (half way up the mountain) for lunch or rest at Earl's Lodge waiting for the rest of the crew at the end of the day. Nice carpet, huge fireplaces, elegant chairs, marble countertops in the bathroom, all impecably clean. We Love it.
Snowbird = A
An all around great family ski resort. The Baby Thunder lift is great for beignniners and still fun for advanced skiers. The windy tree trails with sharp turns set up with cut-outs of miners and gems and animals is a fun treat. It is easy for kids to do with their short skies, and a tricky challenge for long adult skis.
The tram is super- when the line isn't long. I'd usually rather take the Peruvian Tunnel (that's right, a moving sidewalk takes skiers THROUGH the mountain from one side to the other. Mineral Basin is a blast, but seems to only be open about the half time. Lots and lots of wide open steep terrain, enough to challenge anyone, and an easy cat track trail down for that one person in the group.
Brianhead = B +
Admittedly, I haven't been here in over 10 years... but the distance between the two main lift areas that you had to drive back and forth (or take a shuttle) was kind of ridiculous. Maybe they have it fixed by now. Hmmm, I just looked at the map and was reminded there is a "ski bridge". Still, Brianhead holds a special place in my heart because we had a family cabin up here for many years.
Wolf Creek = C
A wonderful family friendly resort, a wonderful place to learn to ski, and a wonderful place to ski down an enteire hill of ice. Okay, that was probably just our one night experience. It was fun to have a small enough resort to play tag on. They even had a tiny terrain park and a mini magic carpet.
Sundance = B -
A great place to go when you're living in Provo and just have an itch to ski. Not worth driving down all the way from SLC to go skiing. I LOVED this resort when I took a ski class at BYU and I went every week. However, I took Bjorn last year and he was not impressed with the 3.5 lifts and the millions of minions (seems all the parents in Provo just dropped their kids off for the day).
Canyons = A
So amazing! I have to give this place an A. The only reason we don't go more than once a year is because of the cost. And that is one very good reason, let me tell you. We get free passes by going to the Warren Miller Film. Without that, tickets are around $98! The 16 lift resort is almost worth the price however. Friendly staff, free guided tours (okay, lots of places have this), free hot and cold water dispensers in the lunch lodge. High speed lifts (no foot rests though), insane terrain parks, and quite a bit of varied terrain. This place can get crowded, but on a slow day- there's nothin' like it. P.s. orange bubble: overrated.
Park City = B +
I really don't remember much about this place. I only went 2-3 times in 2009. It is where I taught Bjorn to ski, and it was a good resort for that. Pretty similar to the Canyons overall, just not quite as uppity.
Deer Valley= C
It's been YEARS since I graced this land, but I still think I would give it a C. A very expensive ski resort in Utah, not opened to snowboarders, but they do have ski vallets and lots of important resort type stuff like five star restaurants on the mountain and wedding packages. I remember that a lot of the runs were groomed. No Brighton-like tree trails. I also remember skiing past houses and condos and over and under bridges and loving that, but Canyons has the same thing now. Okay, I'm really not qualified to give an opinion on this resort.... but who is?
To be tested: Solitude, Powder mountain, Beaver creek, and Eagle Point!
**Looking back on this, I realize my grading scale may be a little out of wack. Growing up, and in college. A's were acceptable, and everything else was not. Hence, a "B" grade, is really not a good thing. Just sayin'
