Salt Lake City (SLC) is the Utah state capital and the Salt Lake City ski resorts are powder hound central. The Salt Lake City airport is the gateway to most Utah ski resorts, and seven of these resorts are less than an hour drive from downtown SLC. Many skiers choose to stay in SLC and use it as a base from which to sample multiple Utah ski areas and “the Greatest Snow on Earth”. A Salt Lake City skiing vacation also affords the benefits of visiting an urban area - dining, nightlife, shopping and non-alpine activities. Another advantage is that the Salt Lake City hotels provide better value for money than on-mountain or Park City hotels.

Where is Salt Lake City?

Salt Lake City is located in northern Utah in a large valley between the Oquirrh and Wasatch Mountain ranges, and only 15 miles (24km) east of the Great Salt Lake. Many major airlines fly from other US cities into Salt Lake City, and Delta flies from Canada.

Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics was hosted by Salt Lake City. The city itself hosted various events, and Park City, Deer Valley and Snowbasin hosted the skiing events. The Olympics put the city on the map, and the profile of skiing in Utah has continued to increase since 2002. Watch out Colorado!

Salt Lake City Ski Resorts

The “Salt Lake City resorts” are generally considered to be those in Little Cottonwood Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyon – Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, and Solitude Ski Resort. The motto of the “Greatest Snow on Earth” definitely has plenty of truth to it, and even though the slogan is used across Utah, it really refers to the awesome snow at these four Salt Lake City ski resorts. The average annual snowfall is 500 inches (12.7 metres), and the quality of it is superbly dry.

The proximity of the Great Salt Lake to the Cottonwood Canyons is the secret behind the fabulous snow. Due to the lake’s salinity the water doesn’t freeze, and storms pick up moisture from the lake and dump it on the mountain ranges in the form of dry powder.

Lift tickets can be purchased at each of the Salt Lake City ski resorts, or there are passes that are valid at all four resorts, which enable the flexibility to mix and match your Salt Lake City skiing experience whilst still enjoying multi-day discounts. The pass also covers the cost of the UTA public bus. Various Salt Lake City ski shops sell discounted lift tickets for various Utah ski resorts including SkiTruck.com, Casco, Ski N See and Canyon Sports.  

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Characteristics of the City

The population of the Salt Lake City metro area is 170,000, but the Salt Lake area has 1.2 million residents, almost half of the Utah population. A large percentage of the population have a Mormon faith, and SLC is the worldwide headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

SLC is big enough to have some cosmopolitan culture, but is small enough to retain the warmth and hospitality that you would expect from a western US town.

Salt Lake City Hotels

A great range of Salt Lake City hotels are available for all budgets. Downtown accommodations include quality hotels and bed and breakfasts. In the suburbs that are located close to the SLC ski resorts such as Midvale and Cottonwood Heights, there are various hotels and motels that are very inexpensive.

Salt Lake City Travel

A rental car provides the ultimate in flexibility to get around SLC and to the ski resorts. For those on a tight budget, there is cheap public transport around SLC and to and from the Salt Lake City ski resorts (Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, Brighton).

Other Activities

There are various non-skiing activities to do in and around SLC. One example is a visit to the Historic Temple Square which has various Mormon buildings including the famous and majestic Salt Lake Temple. There are also over twenty art galleries in the downtown area and lots of shopping opportunities.

Why Go on a Salt Lake City Skiing Vacation?

Salt Lake City provides the flexibility to sample the terrain at multiple resorts. Utah provides some of the best skiing in the world where powder hounds can find the perfect combination of powder – both quantity and quality. Awesome!