Five Winners in the Wasatch
Huffing up a slope at the Alta ski area, where accessing the most radical terrain requires strenuous hiking, I held hope for a payoff equal to the effort.
At the crest of the bluff, on the far side of East Greeley Bowl, the world dropped away, down sun-reddened cliffs melting into vast snowfields.
I was hunting fresh powder in conditions that typically bode ill for such a quest: a popular mountain three days after a snowstorm, during the year’s busiest ski week--between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Funny, then, that I felt no surprise 10 minutes later bounding through uncut powder down a pine-dotted knob to traverse Eagles Nest, sun-glinted snow exploding off my skis.
Eight years of winter ski breaks in Utah have taught me almost to expect such serendipity, largely because of the variety of skiing in the Wasatch Mountains.
You don’t have to drive much longer than an hour east of Salt Lake City to reach a cluster of six ski areas, each with its own charm and allure.
Just off Interstate 80 are the Canyons (formerly Wolf Mountain), very popular and often crowded, but thin on snow when I last visited. Nearby are Park City and Deer Valley, and in a cluster south of them, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Brighton.
Park City and Deer Valley next door will host some events in the 2002 Winter Olympics. The glamour races--the downhill and the Super-G--will be at Snowbasin, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.
The abundance of ski sites doesn’t mean Utah is lift-line- free--its snow is world-renowned, after all--but the convenient scattering of resorts helps space the crowds, and the vastness of the bigger areas means you don’t bump elbows on the way down.
Last winter my friend Lauren and I bagged five of these mountains in seven ski days, my devotion to Alta being the only impediment to a hill-a-day tally.
Alta sits one mile from Snowbird--they’re separated only by a shoulder of Mt. Baldy--but the resorts are as different as two neighbors could be (though each presents world-class, big-mountain skiing).
Alta proudly hugs the past, with $33 lift tickets, no snowboarders or high-speed lifts, and a throwback infrastructure that includes cozy wood lodges. Snowbird embraces modernity, justifying its $52 lift ticket with a 125-person base-to-peak tram and other high-speed lifts, a mid-mountain ski demo center, an array of on-site shops and eateries and massive concrete lodges hosting restaurants, bars and opulent pools and spas.
Snowbird is noisier than Alta, but its considerable challenges are more convenient; the tram puts skiers above most of its land, so hiking uphill isn’t required to reach the good stuff.
The lingering powder I found at Alta can be credited to its snowboard prohibition and the demands it makes on serious skiers. To reach the resort’s sacred realms, such as the ghostly massifs of Devil’s Castle or the free falls of Gunsight and East Greeley Bowl, takes lung-crushing hikes (no lifts).
The ideal base for exploring the southern Wasatch ski hub is Park City, with its robust night life, shopping and dining. Hotels, condos and guest houses abound around the town; we bypassed them all and snagged an empty room in my cousin’s house.
If you think you know the town from a years-ago visit, think again. The cowboy boots, faded jeans and Nixon-era beater cars of the early ‘90s have almost vanished, replaced by fur coats, sushi restaurants and late-model SUVs. Also endangered are the old-school ski-town bars--scuffed pool tables, loud bands and louder drunks--which have mostly succumbed to the polished mahogany of upscale microbrew pubs, with their gas-log fireplaces and clinking crystal. Progress, I guess.
By 9 a.m. New Year’s Day, we were on one of Park City’s free shuttles, and at 9:30, on a chairlift. You can cut the morning rush even closer if you bunk near the Town Lift, which hoists skiers from a street-side loading zone to mid-mountain.
As an Altaholic, I often unfairly dismiss Park City’s terrain. Yes, the mountain is short on heart-stopping drops, but the steep trees of Six Bells and Indicator (between the Jupiter lift and the West Face) have made my pulse race, as have quite a few cliffs looming in Jupiter’s upper reaches. And, no, I have never managed to ski Thaynes’ moguls without at least one recovery stop.
Park City had a fairly thin snow cover during our visit last year, but there were powder stashes. While a parade of skiers filed into a hard-chop Scott’s Bowl, I found soft turns between silent walls of pine in Peruvian Gulch.
The resort’s extensive, speed-freak lift system is a joy to modernists but a bane to those of us who enjoy walking uphill to reach prime runs. McConkey’s Bowl, previously accessible only by a 15-minute hike from the Jupiter lift, is now served by one of the resort’s four high-speed, six-seat lifts, meaning McConkey’s powder is devoured by 10 a.m. on snow days.
After Park City we drove to Solitude, which mixes fast blue runs on its front side with the raw, craggy beauty of its crown jewel, Honeycomb Canyon. The canyon runs out from Solitude’s summit, widening as it descends, and it may be skied as an intermediate run in the gully between slopes.
Among my most treasured ski-hike rewards are the outer reaches of Honeycomb, where steep, pristine powder shots lead to air time off rock noses and, lower down, serene glades. Sketchy snow conditions kept Honeycomb closed during our visit, but prior ventures had seared these details into my brain.
My affection for Alta and Solitude explains why I brought a cynical eye to Brighton, a noticeably smaller resort than its neighbors and, apparently, a training ground for teenage snowboarders. I knew Brighton would be less challenging than Alta, Solitude and Snowbird, but I anticipated fun, variety and some tough spots, and I was not disappointed. (Memorable moment: During an ill-advised plunge through a tight grove, I nearly rearranged my skeleton on a tree.)
Our final day found us at Snowbird, a daunting and varied mountain that has never let me down. It’s a land of spiny ridges, tight chutes and wide faces, as in the expansive playground of the Cirque and the often wind-whipped bowl under the Little Cloud lift. Overall, the mountain feels more exposed than adjacent Alta and, in places, less forgiving.
Some years back I was whistling through an area called Black Forest when I came upon a 20-foot cliff. The takeoff point was no wider than a car, and below, smack in the middle of the only landing space, sat a pine tree. After pondering this puzzle for 15 minutes, I surrendered: I threw my skis down ahead of me and climbed down the rocky wall.
Last New Year’s holiday, Lauren and I skied laps all day, she floating down Snowbird’s intermediate terrain, I trudging over promising crests, seeking one last patch of virgin powder.
Determined to end the week with a perfect run, I wandered far from the tram into sections of Snowbird I hadn’t seen before. After 15 minutes, with daylight fading, I was ready to head down when I came upon a rope strung through the trees and a sign: “Welcome to Alta. No snowboards allowed.”
I had found my Grail: a bowl of heaven-fresh powder, two feet deep, undiscovered by other hikers. Lauren would wait. The drive back would wait. Dinner would wait. I dropped over the ridge and skied away.
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GUIDEBOOK
Whistling Through the Wasatch
Getting there: Delta and Southwest fly nonstop from LAX to Salt Lake City. America West has direct service (one stop, no change of plane), and United and America West have connecting service (one change of plane). Round-trip fares start at $146.
Where to stay: Park City is the hub, with a range of accommodations. For atmosphere, locals recommend the Old Town Guest House, 1011 Empire Ave., a restored Victorian-style B&B; a couple of blocks from the Park City ski area and Main Street. It’s small--only four bedrooms--but it has an outdoor hot tub and a cozy reading/TV room. The proprietor, Deb Lovci, also guides back-country ski tours. Doubles, with breakfast, run from $95 to $190. Telephone (435) 649-2642; fax (435) 649-3320; Internet https://www.oldtownguesthouse.com.
For accommodations at the ski resort, the Lodge at the Mountain Village offers rooms, studios and condos. An ice skating rink, spas, fitness center and a lively bar are on site. Room rates start at $189, studios, $320. Tel. (800) 824-5331 or (800) 754-2002.
Sportours Travel, an agent in Park City, concentrates on condos and B&Bs; but can book hotels. Tel. (800) 359-9925, e-mail peters@utahadventuretravel.com.
Where to eat: Until recently, Park City’s choices were limited to burgers, pizza and steak; now you can also find sushi, Thai food and fusion cuisine. Even so, my favorite restaurant remains the old-fashioned Claimjumper Steak House, 573 Main St., tel. (435) 649-8051; dinner for two with wine starts at $45. Find time for breakfast--try the otherworldly blueberry pancakes--or lunch at the Morning Ray Cafe and Bakery, 268 Main St.; tel. (435) 649-5686.
For more information: Park City Chamber of Commerce, (800) 453-1360, Internet https://www.parkcityinfo.com. Utah Travel Council, 300 N. State St., Salt Lake City, UT 84114; tel. (800) UTAH FUN, Internet https://www.utah.com.
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ALTA
Lift ticket prices: Adult all-day, $33; adult half-day, $25
Lifts: Two triples, six doubles
Internet: https://www.altaskiarea.com
Snow conditions: Telephone (801) 572-3939
BRIGHTON
Lift ticket prices: Adult all-day, $35; adult half-day, $28
Lifts: Two quads, two triples, three doubles
Internet: https://www.skibrighton.com
Snow conditions: Tel. (801) 532-4731, press 2
PARK CITY
Lift ticket prices: Prices vary, based on demand. Call (435) 649-8111 or (800) 222-PARK.
Lifts: Four six-packs, one quad, five triples, four doubles
Internet: https://www.parkcitymountain.com
Snow conditions: Tel. (435) 647-5449
SNOWBIRD
Lift ticket prices: Adult all-day with tram, $52; adult all-day lift pass, $42; adult half-day with tram, $44; adult half-day lift pass, $35
Lifts: One tram, two quads, seven doubles
Internet: https://www.snowbird.com
Snow conditions: Tel. (801) 933-2100
SOLITUDE
Lift ticket prices: Adult all-day, $39; adult half-day, $33
Lifts: One quad, two triples, four doubles
Internet: https://www.skisolitude.com
Snow conditions: Tel. (801) 536-5777
