salt lake city ski resort guide 2008-2009

Alta
All-day pass: $64
SKIERS ONLY
There are many people who ski Alta, and only Alta. They are the most expensive, but they have the amazing feature of “ski free after 3” which allows anyone and everyone to ski for an hour and a half, no charge. Tempting, eh? Alta also boasts over 116 runs to ski and many days of deep powder.

Pros: over 500” yearly, 1.5 hours of free ski every day, 2,200 acres of skiable land
Cons: no snowboarding, most expensive, lots of old people

Snowbird
All-day pass: $62/$72 Tram
SKI AND SNOWBOARDING
Snowbird is definitely one of the most known resorts in the country. It’s known for it’s deep powder, long season, and, of course, it’s tram. The tram takes you to the top of a peak and allows access to almost every run on the mountain. Keep in mind, the tram is directed toward intermediate-expert skiers and snowboarders, so if this is your first season, you might want to stay on Chickadee.

Pros: over 500” yearly, tram, 2,500 acres of land, tons of easily-accessible backcountry
Cons: expensive, you face the chance of being mauled by snowboarders, usually very crowded

Solitude
All-day pass: $61
SKI AND SNOWBOARDING
Solitude, as proven by it’s name, is usually very open. I’ve skied for almost an entire day without seeing anyone. It gets great snow, you can access all sorts of terrain, and they have good food. It’s not as known throughout the world, which can be read as good or bad; bad: it’s not known which means it’s not as good, or good: thank goodness no one knows about it, otherwise it would be packed.

Pros: over 500” yearly, good food, not crowded, backcountry
Cons: 1,200 acres, lots of groomed runs

Brighton
All-day pass: $58/$32+ night skiing
SKI AND SNOWBOARDING
The predominant memory I have of skiing Brighton is their abundance of tree trails. You can be boarding almost any run and encounter a patch of trees. Just dive head first into the trees and you’ll encounter powder galore. Then just hop back onto the original run and start where you left off. Another great feature of Brighton is their 4 hour night-skiing program. From 4-9 at night you can ski all lit runs. Keep in mind, it’s an extra $32 for night skiing.

Pros: over 500” yearly, hidden powder, backcountry, night and twilight skiing, cheapest
Cons: can be crowded, lots of groomed runs, $70 for 12 hours of skiing