Snowbird

From WikiSki

Overview 

Snowbird is in Utah, near the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. It is about a 40 minute shuttle ride from Salt Lake City Internatioal Airport.

Contents 1 Location 2 Pros 3 Cons 4 Contacts 5 Planning 5.1 Getting There 5.2 Accommodation 5.2.1 On Mountain 5.2.2 Off Mountain 5.3 Lift Tickets 5.4 Ski School 5.5 Equipment Hire 6 Resort Facilities 6.1 Getting Around 6.2 Parking 6.3 Activities 6.4 Dining 6.5 Bars & Entertainment 6.6 Shopping 6.7 Children 7 Ride Guide 7.1 Beginner Areas 7.2 Groomed Runs 7.3 Off Piste 7.4 Out of Bounds 7.5 Cross Country 7.6 Parks & Pipes 7.7 Bumps 7.8 Powder Zones 7.9 Sheltered Runs 7.10 Snowplay 8 Other 8.1 Weather 8.2 Geography 8.3 History 9 Resources 9.1 Maps

Location

45 minutes drive from central Salt Lake City, in the Wasatch Range.

Pros

• Some of the finest lift served terrain in the universe.
• If you are staying up the Canyon when the road closes none of the great unwashed can get in. Provided an interlodge has not been called you will be in line for an incredible morning of skiin or boarding.

Cons

• The road in is sometimes closed during major storms - Road clearing simply cannot keep up.

• Proximity to Salt Lake City mean a lot of locals come out of the woodwork on powder days and can make early morning drives longer than usual.

Contacts

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Planning

Getting There

Salt Lake City Airport is a major hub. There are frequent shuttles up to the resort. Canyon Transport are very efficient.

If you choose to drive there is some truly spectacular scenery between Los Angeles and Salt Lake.

If you are staying down the Canyon and it has snowed heavily, I suggest a 5am alarm, at which time you can call 801 742 3403, which is a recording at the Alta Marshal's office. It is usually updated at about 4:45AM and will give you a good indication of the road status for the morning. That was you can make the deicision to head up early if the road will close, or if you can take your time.

Accommodation

On Mountain

Accomodation is mainly contained in 3 or 4 large concrete blockhouses, designed to resist avalanches. There are hotel rooms in the Cliff Lodge and apartments in the other buildings. There are a small number of freestanding houses between Snowbird and Alta.

Off Mountain

Salt Lake City is not far away, and has a full range of accommodation. There are regular buses from Salt Lake up to Snowbird. The nearest suburb is Sandy, which is at the base of the canyon.

One of the disadvantages of staying off mountain is that in heavy snowfall the road up the Canyon can be closed for avalanche control. This road is the most avalanche prone road in the USA. If you can't get up the road you can't ski the snow. Sometimes they will close the road during the day. I have heard announcements on the mountain warning people to head down because they will be closing the road soon.

Lift Tickets

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Ski School

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Equipment Hire

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Resort Facilities

Getting Around

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Parking

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Activities

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Dining

Snowbird has a restaurant on the main tram deck and several others in it somewhere.

General Grits is a convenience store that sells snacks, drinks, beer, etc, but also has a top-notch sandwich counter in the back. In addition to a good selection of pre-built sandwiches, you can create your own sandwich, and they will make it for you in glorious style.

Bars & Entertainment

Snowbird circumvents the weird Utah licensing laws by making all guests a member of the Snowbird Club. There are a few bars and restaurants.

Shopping

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Children

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Ride Guide

Beginner Areas

There are some runs off the Gad chairs for beginners, but Snowbird is not well set up for beginners. If you are a skier Alta, just up the road is better set up on the Albion side.

Groomed Runs

There is a groomed run off every lift. For the tram, it is the famous Chips Run.

Most of the groomers are over on the Gad side

Off Piste

This is why you came here. Big bowls off the Tram are ideal. However, because Salt Lake City is nearby, fresh tracks do not last long.

One tip after a big fall is to ignore the Tram and use the chairs. You will not get as high as fast, but you might get a few rides on Peruvian, Wibere or the Gads while the line for the Tram shuffles along.

Out of Bounds

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Cross Country

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Parks & Pipes

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Bumps

Snowbird has few large and open bumps fields, which you will not notice one bit as you ski everything else.

Powder Zones

Yes. Several. Most of the place, in fact.

Sheltered Runs

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Snowplay

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Other

Weather

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Geography

Snowbird is situated in Little Cottonwood Canyon a narrow canyon in the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Moutains. It is surrounded by rugged mountains. It is at the head of the canyon, to the east of Salt Lake City and, more importantly, to the east of the desert and the Great Salt Lake. The dry desert air picks up moisture as it crosses the lake. The air then hits the Wasatch and is forced up many thousands of feet. As it rises it cools and snow falls. This is the reason that the snow is plentiful and light.

History

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Resources

• ski.com.au/resorts
• Official Site

Maps

Link to Snowbird Maps