Small is beautiful in the case of Nordic Valley (Wolf Mountain) ski resort in Utah. There is no one skiing here on midweek mornings. Throw in some powder and you have your own private ski hill. The crowds don’t arrive until after school finishes in the afternoon.

Nordic Valley’s 1,000 feet (305 metres) of vertical has terrain for everyone. It has the largest and best night skiing in Utah, a great terrain park and some secret stashes for the powderhound. It is an awesome location to learn how to ski, so bring the family!

Lifts

Nordic Valley is served by three lifts and a magic carpet. The entire hill can be skied off the Howling Wolf double chair. The chair is getting a bit long in the tooth, but it is well maintained and gets you up the hill efficiently. A mid station unload is available also. The Wolf’s Lair triple chair and Little Cub magic carpet service the beginner area, whilst the Wolfdeedo double chair services the terrain park.

Lift Tickets

Nordic Valley has incredibly cheap lift tickets and various deals.

Snow and Weather

Nordic Valley's base elevation just above the valley means that it doesn’t get as cold or windy as the surrounding mountains. When other mountains close lifts due to high winds, Wolf Mountain is likely to still be running. However Nordic Valley’s low elevation can also be its downfall. The quality of the snow can be icy or generally lousy unless you’re lucky enough to hit it after a storm, but the likelihood of getting fresh pow during your stay is pretty high as Nordic Valley gets over 300 inches (almost 8 metres) of snow each winter.

For the Beginner

The Little Cub magic carpet and Wolf’s Lair triple chair service the novice terrain. Once graduated from these lifts, beginners can ride the Howling Wolf double to the top of the mountain and try the lengthy ‘Bayot’s Boulevard’. This 3.2km green trail winds its way across the entire hill and will give novices a good view of the more challenging runs to be had.

For the Intermediate

About half of the terrain on Nordic Valley is rated intermediate. On a powder day several runs are left ungroomed in the morning to provide ‘powder to the people’. From the cruisy ‘Lobo lane’ to the more interesting ‘Wandering Wolf’ and ‘Moose Run’, intermediates will be amused for hours. Many of the advanced runs would also be suitable for most intermediates.

For the Family/Kids

Nordic Valley is very family friendly offering the best family value for skiing and riding in Utah. One of its very prominent signs reads, ‘Welcome to Family Fun’, which pretty much sums it up.

Terrain Park

The Wolf’s Lair Terrain Park has over 40 different features and offers some great opportunities to learn and gain confidence on the various jumps and rails. Riders seeking more challenging park features should probably look elsewhere.

Advanced Ski and Board Terrain

‘Barney’s Way’ below the Howling Wolf double chair provides the mountain’s premier ski run. Whilst it is rated as a black, it would be a well pitched intermediate run on most other ski hills. Only one side of the run is groomed, so the other side guarantees some great fall line freshies on a powder day. The real advanced terrain is on the lower end of the hill. Runs like ‘Wile E Coyote’, ‘Cougar Canyon’ and ‘Chainsaw Willy’ seem to collect tonnes more powder than other parts of the mountain, and when combined with a few unseen drop offs, these runs provide some genuine whooping and yipping.

For advanced snowboarders there is a flat section at the bottom of ‘Cougar Canyon’. Be prepared to walk if you ride there. Or better still, leave it for the skiers!!

Expert Skiing and Snowboarding

There isn’t any expert terrain at Wolf Mountain/Nordic Valley unless you’re keen to attempt some very thick trees that are dotted across the hill.

For the Powder Hound

This a great powder hound hill if it snows, and given its location, it snows a lot. Get the first chair midweek and you’ll get tonnes of freshies for minimal cost. Not a bad place to start a trip if you want to warm up your legs too.