Utah Utah Resorts, Weather, Conditions, and Stoke ‘19-‘20

[AmyPJ]

It was stupid. I'm so tired of everybody saying "go to Snowbasin, it's not crowded." They clearly haven't been here particularly with the Epic pass. That being said, we got the one run over there to get to the bottom and had essentially untracked dropping near the trees next to Carnahan's, then took one more run down Upper Main Street (completely skied out by 9:30) and then meandered in the powder near Elk Ridge, which was still untracked probably because it's a little lower angle. But those lines...what a shame what has become of "the best kept secret" in Utah.

My daughter got to ski a lot of untracked down Strawberry Fields and WFO and she's hooked! Lucky for her, being on the Devo team means they get to cut the lines.

Yes, Wildcat should have been over there for sure. We took that picture from the Diamond on our way back over to Needles side.

 

[tromano]

 

[blackke17]

thank you IKON base pass holders for giving me back Solitude for one fine Sunday with Zero lines.

MLK weekend has notoriously been a shit show, there's a new normal with these beautiful blackout dates

 

[Yo Momma]

Heading out in a few weeks... I'm staying at the top of Pow Mow (sorta hike a little/ski in/out)......... stay there 3 days or ski one day @ Snowbasin? Your thoughts? Oh wait... Snowbasin now is "Epic Pass" Hmmm? How are the crowds on a Wed if it's a big powder day, worth driving away from condo on PowMow for a day or stay put and just ski?

Second... Is the cat worth it for a few runs @ PowMow or just ski the area? Last time there.... just skied... no pple and no cat needed but that was eons ago.

 

[AmyPJ]

Heading out in a few weeks... I'm staying at the top of Pow Mow (sorta ski in/out)......... stay there 3 days or ski one day @ Snowbasin? Your thoughts? Oh wait... Snowbasin now is "Epic Pass" Hmmm? How are the crowds on a Wed if it's a big powder day?

If it's a powder morning, the locals will show up for two or three hours, ski it out, then go to work. If it's a powder afternoon, you should be OK. UNLESS there are wind holds. It's always worth one day at Snowbasin if you're staying nearby. PM and Basin are two very different mountains. If you haven't skied PM before and they are still offering free guided tours, take advantage. It's a hard mountain to navigate, IMO.

 

[Yo Momma]

If it's a powder morning, the locals will show up for two or three hours, ski it out, then go to work. If it's a powder afternoon, you should be OK. UNLESS there are wind holds. It's always worth one day at Snowbasin if you're staying nearby. PM and Basin are two very different mountains. If you haven't skied PM before and they are still offering free guided tours, take advantage. It's a hard mountain to navigate, IMO.

Awesome! Sounds like it hasn't lost it's character since I was there last. I think I'll stay put as I LOVE me some PowMow. Is the Cat worth it? We didn't do the cat last time bec there was snow everywhere. I spoke w/ ski patrol and we hiked out to some really amazing terrain........ although it was amazing everywhere!

Also best place to eat on mtn.... pizza, fries ( I'm a veggie ) tryin' to keep it simple

 

[blackke17]

the Cat runs are awesome! , well worth it in my opinion . untracked lines are so hard to find anymore its a great way to get some - put you on some good terrain

 

[Yo Momma]

the Cat runs are awesome! , well worth it in my opinion . untracked lines are so hard to find anymore its a great way to get some - put you on some good terrain

Where & when do you catch the cat? .......... by the tail???? Sorry couldn't resist! I'm seeing it near the Sundown & Timberline lifts. Can't find any more detail online. Thanks for any info in advance.

 

[blackke17]

been 3-4 years since i was up there last , cant remember exactly where we caught the cats. i know they ran them every 15 minutes or something like that and folks lined up for them. they give u vouchers that you give the driver when boarding that can be used at any time through the day

maybe 4ster or AmyPJ know more details

 

[AmyPJ]

The cat is at the top of the Sundown lift. I can't comment if it's worth it as I've never used it. There is SO much terrain up there, I'd hazard that you can find fresh tracks a week after a storm if you know where to look. My husband would know--he taught up there for a very long time.

@Yo Momma, Snowbasin is worth a day. It kind of combines the best of LCC, PowMow, and PC in one. Just watch the forecast, particularly for wind speeds.

 

[4ster]

Where & when do you catch the cat?

You catch the Lightning Ridge cat by riding Sundowner lift, exit right & it is downhill about 100yds. Lots of options off either side of the ridge (study the trail map). Purchase your cat ticket(s) ahead of time. You catch the Raintree cat next to the trail/cat track out of Cobabe Canyon on the way to Paradise chair. I don't usually use the Cat on a storm day because there is usually plenty of other places to get freshies. First thing day after the storm is prime Cat time for me.
They still do the free tours which I think gives you a basic idea of the layout but I would think it is mostly intermediate groomed terrain. They also offer an inbounds guided tour, which gets you to the goods. When I worked there I think it was $90 each for the full day & included 1 cat ride. People I guided thought it was well worth it.

Go to Snowbasin on a sunny non powder day. You'll get more vertical by noon than all day at Pow Mow.

 

[4ster]

I'd hazard that you can find fresh tracks a week after a storm if you know where to look

That's like saying Snowbasin is a hidden gem or Utah's best kept secret . Maybe nowadays find a few freshies the next day if it snowed all day the day before.

 

[Yo Momma]

You catch the Lightning Ridge cat by riding Sundowner lift, exit right & it is downhill about 100yds. Lots of options off either side of the ridge (study the trail map). Purchase your cat ticket(s) ahead of time. You catch the Raintree cat next to the trail/cat track out of Cobabe Canyon on the way to Paradise chair. I don't usually use the Cat on a storm day because there is usually plenty of other places to get freshies. First thing day after the storm is prime Cat time for me.
They still do the free tours which I think gives you a basic idea of the layout but I would think it is mostly intermediate groomed terrain. They also offer an inbounds guided tour, which gets you to the goods. When I worked there I think it was $90 each for the full day & included 1 cat ride. People I guided thought it was well worth it.

Go to Snowbasin on a sunny non powder day. You'll get more vertical by noon than all day at Pow Mow.

Sweet! Thanks to all of you! All great info. I'll have the trail map memorized by the time I get there and I can vaguely remember the layout from previous visits. Where do I go for good powder stashes? Thanks again!

 

[4ster]

Marys is pretty low angle (most terrain at PM is) but some decent acreage so it takes awhile to track out. Everything left of the Poma, all the way down to Paradise can be great pow runs. Some wide open areas & some nice low angle aspen tree runs.
Woody's World & Powder Country can also be good.
You are probably staying at the Powder Ridge Condos. If it is snowing just ski out of your condo & make some hot laps on Hidden Lake chair till it starts getting busy, then venture out. If conditions are good the Inbounds Guide thing will maximize your day & allow you to be in the know the rest of your stay.
Coverage has been really good this season.

This is not current but another promo we did a few years ago. Instead of Instructor, think guide...

Video Credit: Chris Morgan

 

[Yo Momma]

^^^^ I usually do the mountain tour to get familiar. Good advice! @4ster You Da Man! Yes I'll be at Powder Ridge.... I was supposed to be at Park City but I bailed as low key areas are more my speed! I actually stayed at Snowbird one year and drove to PowMow every day w/ my crew to avoid people! LMAO We had so much pow to ourselves when Alta and SB were skied out by 11.

 

[4ster]

I actually stayed at Snowbird one year and drove to PowMow every day w/ my crew to avoid people! LMAO We had so much pow to ourselves when Alta and SB were skied out by 11.

Yup, & Pow Mow is still lovable! Don't bother with Basin unless you run out of powder at PM.

 

[Shawn C.]

The Timberline Lodge has some good vegetarian options both downstairs at the bar (Powder Keg) and upstairs as well. They've really upped their food game in recent years. Pizza at Pow Mow is made by a branch of a local joint in Ogden, Lucky Slice. Probably the best pizza in Utah. A good take on NYC-style thin pizza and they always have cheese, pepperoni and one or two of their unique offerings. The food at the top of Hidden Lake lift is meh. It's a good place for a pit stop but the food is way better at Timblerline Lodge. And did I mention they have a bar? Yeah, it's just beer but its a cool place with a cool vibe and bands every afternoon.

The first video @4ster posted above is the front side of Lightning Ridge. Off the back side is north facing terrain and holds good pow for quite some time! If you are interested in a cat ride, I'd suggest Lightning Ridge over the Raintree cat. Not much vertical off of Raintree and you kind of have to know your way around up there a bit better to get to the goods.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Yo Momma]

This is all great info. I really appreciate the insights. The terrain for the Raintree cat looks amazing. I think we skipped the cat last time bec there was snow everywhere and pple were nowhere to be found.

Here's one more for ya! Recommendations with current conditions... 110's (Line Sick Days = Big Fun in the soft stuff) 106's (J Skis The Metal = Fun in the chop and hardpack/windblown so so in the deep stuff, still haven't really had enough time to bond w/ this ski and figure out it's sweet spot) or ~100's (Bones = Blizzard Bonafides = my East coast GoTo ski, blow through anything hard/chop/crud, so so in the deep, speed limit = optional)

I'm strongly leaning towards going bigger w/ the 110's just bec I LOVE these in deep pow, super fun ski and they work on just about everything but ice and hardpack groomers. Am I off on this one?

 

[tromano]

That's like saying Snowbasin is a hidden gem or Utah's best kept secret . Maybe nowadays find a few freshies the next day if it snowed all day the day before.

Snow that has sat for a week is usually pretty wind/sun effected by that point anyhow. Unless it's in the dark timber/sheltered.

 

[Spooky]

Sleeper legit pow day at the Solitude and it looks like it is going off at Alta too from this little wave.

I was the first person into Cathedral cirque from the Summit gate...wow. Multiple Honeycomb pow laps. Parachute was floating.