Ski Utah
Ski Utah for some of the best powder in the world! The Utah ski resorts claim to have the “Greatest Snow on Earth”, and whilst
Hokkaido skiing may give UT a run for its money, the Utah snow is definitely phenomenal! With characteristically light dry powder, and at least four resorts renowned for huge snowfalls with an average of 500 inches (12.7 metres) per season, Utah skiing and snowboarding is certainly up there for powder hounds.
The profile of Utah skiing has increased since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, and many ski resorts in Utah are now considered world class as they continue to develop their infrastructure.
Where is the Utah Skiing?
It’s easy to ski Utah because many of the Utah resorts are located very close to the Salt Lake City International Airport, and many are within close vicinity of each other so it’s possible to get a taste of multiple areas during your vacation. Here are the geographical groupings of the Utah ski areas.
There are two resorts in the
Park City area; Park City Mountain Resort and
Deer Valley (no snowboarding).
The
Cottonwood Canyons receive more snowfall than the Eastern slope of the Wasatch range (the Park City area). In
Little Cottonwood Canyon (the southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley) are
Alta (snowboard free) and the interconnected
Snowbird, which has some very challenging terrain.
Big Cottonwood Canyon is also in the southeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley to the north of Little Cottonwood Canyon, which has
Solitude Ski Resort and
Brighton Ski Resort.
There are also ski resorts in the
Ogden Valley including
Powder Mountain and
Snowbasin.
The
Provo area features the
Sundance Resort.
Furthest north is Beaver Mountain, whilst southern Utah ski resorts are
Brian Head which is just a 3 hour drive from Las Vegas, and
Eagle Point which is 3.5 hours from Las Vegas.
See the map of Utah ski resorts icon at the top of this page.
Ski Resorts Utah
The Utah ski resorts all vary significantly. Snowbird and the Park City resorts have a high profile. Subsequently the crowds tend to flock to these ski resorts.
Conversely some resorts fly under the radar and have fewer visitors (e.g.
Powder Mountain,
Eagle Point). Some of these lower profile resorts also have relatively undeveloped infrastructure, but with fewer people on the slopes the chances of skiing or boarding untracked powder is much greater. Another plus is that the lesser known ski resorts in Utah have much cheaper lift tickets.
Which is the most ideal Utah skiing and snowboarding for you? Check out the
Utah ski resort ratings and the
best Utah ski resorts awards for the powder skiing, off-piste terrain, steeps, family friendliness, value for money, and the nightlife.
Snow in Utah
Utah is the dry state in many respects. It’s a misconception that it’s not possible to get a drink in Utah, but the desert air is so dry that you’ll need to apply Chapstick every 5 minutes. The Utah snow is also incredibly dry and the famous Salt Lake Effect is partly attributable for this. The salt lake never freezes, and as storms blow over the lake, moisture is picked up and dropped on the mountain ranges in the form of super dry powder. The snow at
Alta ski resort typically contains only 5-7% water, which is lovely in comparison to the Sierra Cement of the Lake Tahoe region that commonly has snow with 10-15% water content.
Utah can receive all types of weather, but generally the temperatures are not too cold. White-outs are not a major problem, and all the resorts have lots of terrain below the tree line, so if there is inclement weather there’s always somewhere to hide.
Cat Skiing Utah
Snowcat skiing also provides easy access to the delicious Utah powder. Utah cat skiing where you can revel in amongst the abundant fresh tracks includes
Park City Powder Cats (sort of near Park City).
Why Ski Utah?
It’s pretty obvious really - Utah is the powder skiing capital of USA!!
The profile of Utah skiing and snowboarding is somewhat lower than that of the
Colorado ski resorts. Many attribute this to the stereotype that one cannot get a drink in Utah, and that the state is not quite “normal”. Of course this is far from the case, and the relatively low profile of Utah skiing is of benefit to powder hounds who don’t have to share the fresh powder with all the hordes.