Some editor at The Guardian must want to make it the official newspaper of PowMow… another article we discussed last year.
Not mentioned in the article is the fact that powder mountain limits its ticket sales to 1500 per day. Also, I believe they only sell 3000 season passes a year. Across the valley another ski area sells an unlimited amount of season passes and AFAIK that number is upwards of 25,000! So although powder mountain has gotten busier over the past few years compared to the good ole days, there is still some limits on overcrowding the place. Most of this increase in business is not in my estimation due to marketing efforts by the Summit group but by word-of-mouth, other magazine articles, social media and sites like this.
I have lived in the Ogden Valley for almost 20 years and have seen powder mountain change ownership I believe four times. After the original Cobabe family owners, there were two more groups with grandiose ideas before the summit group came along. The other two were seen as shady and most likely were. The summit group has been around for a few years now and as far as I can tell they have tried to do everything on the up and up and have continued to do what they said they would. Since the summit group has been there they have replaced one old chair and added two new ones on new terrain adding to the lift served skiable acres.
Is the jury still out in the local community? Probably, yes. There will always be two sides and that is what keeps things in check. The only thing I see different around my place is there’s a lot more high fashion, some nicer cars and improvements in the local shopping and dining options.
With that said, I own the lot that this picture was probably taken from…
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If anyone is interested, make me an offer. I am ready to cash in it if the price is right
@4ster, that is kind of a primo lot you have there and I suspect you will ultimately do well for yourself when you sell.
Yes, PM will always be unique not just because of the road but also because of its topography, the way the lifts are situated, the Cat rides, the bus rides & total acreage. It will always have an adventurous feel & that is its charm.I have been to PM twice in the past 10 years for trips. Once during a spectacular snow season and once two years ago in March on spring break. It is a fun place to ski but as many complain it is vertically challenged. I think the rate limiting factor to its growth potential will always be the road up to it. It is just way to hard to get a lot of cars up, and down, that road in bad conditions. I think it will forever be a niche place, even with the nouveau rich taking control.
Well as a semi local (Ogden) I was out there over president's day weekend on a holiday Saturday 7" powder day and then holiday Sunday bluebird day with great snow conditions after it and waited nary 20 seconds for a lift the whole weekend, so the guy in the article claiming he wiped away tears and drove away because of the crowds is a bit melodramatic to say the least.
Yes, PM will always be unique not just because of the road but also because of its topography, the way the lifts are situated, the Cat rides, the bus rides & total acreage. It will always have an adventurous feel & that is its charm.
I have truly enjoyed every day that I have skied there but you are right that it is vertically challenged. Even though there are a few spots with some steep terrain, there is no where to just go charge all day. It’s not a place to rack up huge vertical but you can certainly get a work out with all the skating, hiking, sidestepping and pushing you do to get from one stash to the next.
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I guess what rubs me the wrong way is singling out PowMow like this. Truth is, every single big ski resort in the US is owned (at least in large part) by rich people. So are they singling Summit out because they're rich & young? Or because they're not "old money"?They do try to insert themselves into rich vs poor situations in the US and Canada. Often I find they've done their research and are factual but they seem do seem to present a certain angle generally..
Kind of heartening, especially given some of the other reports about the massive crowds overwhelming Deer Valley, the other major resort in the area that claims to limit ticket sales.It may just be a coincidence but the only 3 times my son and I rode one of the gondolas at Snowbasin on Saturday we ran into groups who told us they were turned away from Powder Mountain due to the lift ticket cap. Perhaps you can thank your 20 second lift lines on that?`
The the Dr. Alvin Cobabe quote in the Timberline Lodge seems to apply to you. I know you will be back. I just returned from a month there. Miss it already.After Skiing there three days on my Loveland Pass earlier this month, it's my new favorite mountain. I believe the Season Pass cap is down to 1500 plus 1500 day tix. So much space!! It didn't hurt that we were in the middle of a massive powder dump, but I'll definitely be back.
UTA runs busses from Ogden with stops along the waySpecial mountain, but wow is that road up to it crazy. I'd gladly pay the couple bucks to take their school bus.