• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Arizona/New Mexico How Is Arizona Snowbowl?

udailey

Browsing Garage sale and eBay
Skier
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Posts
252
We are planning our XMas/NewYears skication and had been planning another Summit Country trip. I am considering changing locations. We are, this year, traveling with friends. 2 of the 3 have never skied so they are tentative on the whole idea just to start off. I've never been to Snowbowl but it looks fairly inexpensive and like it might be an easy mountain to learn on. My family consists of my wife and I who are both experienced skiers and my two daughters who are doing really well tearing up Summit County. Anyone care to share their opinion on Snowbowl?
Thanks
Uriah
 

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,765
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
I'm not a local there so others can elaborate in much more detail but I traveled there this past end of January/early February for the first time. I skied with a girl from another forum for a couple days and we had a blast. I found it steeper than I'm used to but very manageable. Conditions were soft packed champagne powder. We came just after a series of storms so conditions were sunny and primo.

I'm an intermediate and my guy and my friend are advanced so i can't elaborate on snowbowls terrain for learning how to ski. I can elaborate on my experience of the rest of the mountain. We sent much of our time skiing off the summit and the bowls and had an absolute and total blast.

We parked at Agassiz Lodge and mostly skied out of this base area. Agassiz also has a lovely deck so you can après ski people watching and enjoying the fresh air.

Again, only been there once for 2 days but i really enjoyed my experience there and would love to go back.
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
udailey

udailey

Browsing Garage sale and eBay
Skier
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Posts
252
Steeper than you are used to in regards to all runs in general or just black diamonds and the bowl area? Thanks for your response.
Uriah
 

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,765
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
I ski mostly in western Massachusetts and Vermont and haven't skied out west much other than Snowbowl, Banff, socal and Mammoth. I found the blue runs, bowls and diamonds to be steeper than i was used to but very manageable and crazy fun. The views were phenomenal too. We didn't go on any greens so i can't speak to those at all.

Here's an URL which lists mountains by vertical and skiable areas which i think is cool.

http://mountainvertical.com/

Snowbowl is on the first page. I use this as a guide when i go to a new mountain to give me an idea of what steepness to expect.

Your family will be fine. Saw kids everywhere. Theres a few folks on here who ski the bowl regularly so they can especially elaborate on the beginner terrain, ski school and all of that stuff.

Even steeper areas like Lake Louise have a great ski school so I'm sure your friends will have fun. Snowbowl had a great vibe to me.
 
Last edited:
Thread Starter
TS
udailey

udailey

Browsing Garage sale and eBay
Skier
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Posts
252
I'm super stoked and its the middle of the year. Being a ski junkie is a rough life
 

Shifterkart

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
93
Location
Tucson, AZ
Snowbowl is my "home" mountain and were my skills have grown over the past three years. There is a good mix of terrain for everyone and the capital investments have really improved the facility.

Snowbowl has two lodges, Hart Prairie and Agassiz which both have a decent selection of food and drinks. Hart Prairie is the beginner area which is getting a new quad lift this year replacing a 30 year old double. This area is more a wide open prairie than trails but good for those learning. Skiing south from Hart Prairie brings you to the Humphreys pod which is easier to moderate blue runs with a two year old quad lift. If you continue to traverse south from Humphreys you'll come to Agassiz Lodge and Lift. As mentioned by @surfsnowgirl, Agassiz Lodge has a large deck and firepits which make it a nice place for a break of après. The Agassiz Lift is an old triple that goes to the top with access to blacks and the bowl if you are willing to hike a little. From the top of Agassiz the ridge side is steeper than the bowl side but both turn into blue runs at midway cat track (actually about 3/4's up). From here you can either ski back to Agassiz Lift or to the Grand Canyon Express (GCE), a new high speed six pack. The GCE delivers you to midway where you have access to blues, trees and a few black run which are usually bump runs. The final lift is Sunset which is an old triple which is only useful if you want to ski the park.

There is no on mountain lodging although there are some cabins at the base. I recommend staying downtown Flagstaff as it is only 20 - 30 minute drive. There are many restaurants and bars all within walking distance being a collage town. Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:

Tony

tseeb
Skier
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Posts
1,284
Location
Northern CA
We are planning our XMas/NewYears skication .... Anyone care to share their opinion on Snowbowl?
Thanks
Uriah
I have a couple of points to make. First, you should have included Arizona in the title and second, you probably should have included Christmas/New Years in the title as nobody has addressed that.

There are at least three active ski areas that include Snowbowl, including one in Montana and one in Maine and one in Vermont. There may be many inactive ski area with Snow Bowl in the names, There was one in New Jersey and there used to be a Mt Shasta Ski Bowl in CA before an avalanche took down their main chair (Mt Shasta Ski Park has since opened lower and further South.)

My wife's first day skiing was in Jan. 1987 at Arizona Snowbowl and that was my only day there. I hope to get back there someday. I know there have been a lot of recent improvements and I assume the access road has been paved. When we went, it was gravel, and the day we skied it was chains or 4WD. Since we did not have 4WD and did not want to put on chains, friends that we stayed with gave us a ride up the hill and we bummed a ride down in the back of someone's truck.

But I'm not sure that I would commit to spending what is the busiest week of the year for most US ski areas at Arizona Snowbowl. The big questions are can they handle the crowds, how much will be open and is there enough there to keep you happy for the week. Unless they have great early season snow, Christmas could be too early for all of the mountain to be open. If they are half (or less) open from snowmaking, will it be too crowded? It does seem like they have the lift capacity, but what about parking and runs that could be over-crowded with a lot of once a year skiers? I think there are better choices for that week (which I usually avoid) unless you also want to be in No. AZ to do other things if skiing is not worth doing for the whole week.

Edited to add what I found at @TonyC's website. His comments for best time to ski Arizona Snowbowl are "February and March for maximum coverage." You may want to look at his page for where to go at Christmas to get some more ideas.
 
Last edited:

Shifterkart

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
93
Location
Tucson, AZ
[QUOTE="Tony, post: 123056, member: 553My wife's first day skiing was in Jan. 1987 at Arizona Snowbowl and that was my only day there. I hope to get back there someday. I know there have been a lot of recent improvements and I assume the access road has been paved. When we went, it was gravel, and the day we skied it was chains or 4WD. Since we did not have 4WD and did not want to put on chains, friends that we stayed with gave us a ride up the hill and we bummed a ride down in the back of someone's truck.[/QUOTE]

The road was paved in 1983 although 4X4 or chains are still required after a big storm. There is also bus service from Flagstaff and a shuttle up from the base on busy days.
 

Tony

tseeb
Skier
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Posts
1,284
Location
Northern CA
The road was paved in 1983 although 4X4 or chains are still required after a big storm. There is also bus service from Flagstaff and a shuttle up from the base on busy days.

Thanks for the correction - it was more than 30 years ago when I went and I was in the back of trucks going up (in shell) and down (in open bed as I recall). Do you have a source or were you skiing AZ Snowbowl then? Any comments on skiing there between Christmas and New Years?
 

Shifterkart

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
93
Location
Tucson, AZ
Thanks for the correction - it was more than 30 years ago when I went and I was in the back of trucks going up (in shell) and down (in open bed as I recall). Do you have a source or were you skiing AZ Snowbowl then? Any comments on skiing there between Christmas and New Years?


I never made the trip when it was a dirt road but would not want to do it in the back of a pickup........the paving was completed after a lengthy court battle and the sale of Arizona Snowbowl to Fairfield.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/the-big-steep-6423106

The usually holidays are busy and I try to avoid Christmas, MLK, and Presidents Day but my wife and I go every New Years and partake in the Pinecone drop downtown. It is busy and the largest issue is parking. Having said that, we have never had a problem but we arrive 30 minutes before the lifts start. Many people drive up for the day from Phoenix and don't arrive till mid morning and the parking starts to fill by 10:00-11:00. With the addition of two chairlifts the lift line issues are gone. This past year I never waited more than 5 minutes even on the busiest day. Snowbowl isn't that large and I could see one getting bored after a couple days but I guess it depends on what the OP is looking for.
 
Thread Starter
TS
udailey

udailey

Browsing Garage sale and eBay
Skier
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Posts
252
Points taken on the small resort keeping us entertained for a week or more. We were hoping the less well known resort might have fewer visitors. We do have children in school and one of our friends who will be skiing with us for her first time ever is a school teacher so the timeframe is unavoidable.
The local lodging is quite inexpensive. For our family of 4 I usually succeed in keeping lodging to around 160-220 per night and this seems easy in Flagstaff.
The snow is made out of sewage water! Found this out via reference links on Wikipedia. That little revelation put a twinge in my stomach! I may get over it as new real snow would make that fact irrelevant. How do I tell my kids don't eat the snow, but have a great time!
So
Pros are
Its new to us
Inexpensive lodging, flights, lift tix
Positive review above

Cons are
I know Summit County really well vs this hill
Yellow snow
The hill could get old after a few days

This may be something for my wife and I to do on a weekend in February instead of a week plus over xmas with friends.
Uriah
 

Shifterkart

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Posts
93
Location
Tucson, AZ
Points taken on the small resort keeping us entertained for a week or more. We were hoping the less well known resort might have fewer visitors. We do have children in school and one of our friends who will be skiing with us for her first time ever is a school teacher so the timeframe is unavoidable.
The local lodging is quite inexpensive. For our family of 4 I usually succeed in keeping lodging to around 160-220 per night and this seems easy in Flagstaff.
The snow is made out of sewage water! Found this out via reference links on Wikipedia. That little revelation put a twinge in my stomach! I may get over it as new real snow would make that fact irrelevant. How do I tell my kids don't eat the snow, but have a great time!

I understand the negative thoughts of using wastewater for snowmaking but it is Class A reclaimed water, the same that is used for irrigation of golf courses and school playgrounds. It has allowed a longer and more consistent season with the last two starting mid November and it is white.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts...-fakes-flakes-for-a-longer-ski-season-8018927

Hotels sell out that week so if you do decide on Snowbowl make reservations early. A Marriott is opening this fall and the Drury is right downtown within walking distance of everything. There are also many nice B&B's in the area.
 
Last edited:

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,765
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
Other random thoughts...

We loved the town of Flagstaff; walkable and so many restaurants and ample lodging. Demo ski pickings were pretty slim in town and on mountain IMO. My friend who skis there every week only skis midweek as she says its nuts on the weekends. We stayed in Flagstaff and found the drive to the mountain to be easy peazy. Loved the alcove style parking at the mountain. The ski shop on mountain also gave me a season pass discount on a jacket when i asked about the price. I thought this was cool. They had a buy one- get one ticket free online special on Tuesday so that was also great. The folks in the courtesy/group sales office were also great.
 
Last edited:

New2

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
May 3, 2017
Posts
728
Location
Spokane
A good number of Arizonans will travel farther away for skiing over the holidays, so while Snowbowl will definitely be crowded, it might not be as crowded as the Summit County areas--particularly on weekdays. Still, if you pick Snowbowl, make sure to wake up early and get on the mountain early, as they'll just cut off access once the parking lots are full.

I'd say the green/blue/black markings inbounds are comparable to Copper and a bit easier than A-Basin, since you mention Summit County. Hart Prairie is an amazing spot for beginners to learn and gain confidence, and the new chairlift there should make things even smoother. It's really wide, with few obstacles, and even when crowded it's not as densely-packed as green runs at a lot of other areas. There's a real benefit from learning in a spot that allows you space to feel safe. The snowmaking water is not sewage... it's the runoff that goes down storm drains and, as mentioned, it's treated.

Weather and natural snowfall are unpredictable, so it's pretty tough to say how much of the terrain will be open. Summit County's more of a sure thing. If you really want to spend a week on skis, Snowbowl's a gamble... between the possibility of poor conditions and the limited amount of terrain that might leave you bored, Summit County's a safer bet. On the other hand, I'd argue that Northern Arizona has more, better, and easier-to-access nonskiing activities available if, for whatever reason, you decide to take some days off of skiing.

Are you and the rest of the group coming from Phoenix? Or somewhere relatively nearby? Flagstaff's a good deal if you don't have to pay for airfare... but if you're flying from somewhere else and renting a car, that eats up a bunch of potential savings.
 

hrstrat57

Skis guitars Mustangs
Skier
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
337
Location
Yawgoo Valley RI
The drive from Sky Harbor /Phx to Flag up I17 can be your worst nightmare.

Haven't had the pleasure of skiing AZ Snowbowl yet but my son got married in Hart Lodge and he skis there.

He says it is overall steeper than expected, the leaning terrain is great. Stay in Flag or closer and get to the mountain early, the minions from the valley of the sun arrive late but there can be thousands of them. A good snow year can produce great conditions.

Flagstaff is a fun college town home to NAU.

Good thread.

There is skiing in Tucson too believe it or not ( Mt Lemon) meaning you can drive south from Maricopa county to ski.

I believe the drive from Tucson to Flag takes you through 7 ecosystems?

AZ is an amazing place.

Been hot tho lately I'm told. Grandkids living in the pool.
 
Thread Starter
TS
udailey

udailey

Browsing Garage sale and eBay
Skier
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Posts
252
Thanks to everyone. Really great information on this resort. Lots of pros and cons and I'm glad to have a comparison to some Summitt country resorts. I'll have a talk with wife and friends.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top