Utah What does it take to ski at Powder Mtn?

[musicmatters]

I was recently invited to a ski trip and the group mentioned wanting to go to Powder Mtn.

I just happened to read this article about the limited 1500 day passes.

Look at this post on Facebook https://www.parkrecord.com/news/pow...xyr_ooN04R41Kh-lc9ASFTHpglMpLBqdJJhnmB4T9ByWQ


I assume you can buy an advance lift ticket for a certain date if they didn’t reach that ticket limit?

And no IKON/EPIC, right?

What is the usual availability to get tickets? You need to buy them way in advance? How often do they sell out?

Trying to guage if this is the right place to go for an 8 person ski trip

 

[Crank]

Question: Is this a multi day ski trip staying at or near Powder Mt. or is it a day in a broader Utah ski trip?

 

[musicmatters]

3 days. The intent is to ski powder mtn only, and stay close to the Mtn.

 

[silverback]

If conditions are good and/or it is a busy time of year they sell out.

You can reserve yours ahead of time. They use dynamic pricing like airlines so prices vary based on demand and timing.

If you come, the road to Powder Mountain is one of the steepest state highways in Utah with an average grade of approximately 14% over 5 miles so make sure you have snow tires or take the bus from Eden.

no ikon/epic, I think they are still on the Indy Pass though.

www.powdermountain.com

 

[Crank]

Good spot for 3 days.

What @silverback says about the road is true. There are a few condos and houses on the hill and everything else is way down the canyon in Eden.

We once drove up from Ogden 4 powdery days in a row and always made it up with 4 - 10" each day. At one point they had the road closed for a few hours après ski. Their bar and cafeteria did pretty well that evening. They let us down the road around 8pm.

 

[silverback]

It’s worse on a snowy morning. People who can’t defeat their traction control or can’t maintain momentum for another reason come to a stop on the steep hill. Getting enough traction to get restarted on that pitch isn’t easy so others slide sideways trying to move until things are blocked completely. Been there more than a few times. If in doubt…

 

[stevo]

On a non pow day you won't want to be there, but it probably won't sell out. On a pow day it will probably sell out, sometimes even a few days before... If you're gonna ski there I recommend watching the storm watches and try to see if you can plan a day that is on or a day or two after a storm and buy your tix in advance through through their website. It's a boring mountain on non pow day. Great place to learn to ski with many long green runs though, if that is your think you might actually love it.

 

[johnnyvw]

I would not agree it's boring on a non-powder day. It's one of the few areas I've been to where you can pretty much ski anything and everything in any downhill direction. Biggest knock most people have is it doesn;t have the extreme steeps that the LLC resorts have. For people who don't need that challenge, the possibilities at Pow Mow are limitless, and thats not including what you can ski from the cat rides.

 

[Crank]

Yes to @johnnyvw comment above. And yes you can find fresh tracks for days after a storm. Some easy, flat hiking opens up a world of nice tree skiing with even more untracked snow.

IMO limiting ticket sales is a good thing. Just buy in advance.

 

[Philpug]

I just happened to read this article about the limited 1500 day passes.

I don't think that is a huge issue, IIRC, i heard that they had stopped pass sales only a handfull of times.

I would not agree it's boring on a non-powder day.

I have yet to ski Powder Mountain in all of it's glory. I look forward to it one day.

 

[stevo]

On a pow day (including a few days after as they open up side country), Pow mow is simply awesome. i am a season pass holder at Alta and we routinely go to pow mow anyway on some heavy pow days and a few days after the storm too..not only because LCC will be a complete cluster on those days, but also because it's literally like having $130 day of cat skiing. However, it should be noted, part of the charm is definitely due to things which money is now in the process of ruining...so... get it while you can.

ps - yes they definitely sell out on storm days...and stop sales...sometimes the night or two nights before even. Don't try to wing it if it's going to be fresh snow...get your pass ahead of time. This year they have raised their prices substantially so it might not sell out as much but we shall see.

 

[Scruffy]

On a pow day (including a few days after as they open up side country), Pow mow is simply awesome. i am a season pass holder at Alta and we routinely go to pow mow anyway on some heavy pow days and a few days after the storm too..not only because LCC will be a complete cluster on those days, but also because it's literally like having $130 day of cat skiing. However, it should be noted, part of the charm is definitely due to things which money is now in the process of ruining...so... get it while you can.

ps - yes they definitely sell out on storm days...and stop sales...sometimes the night or two nights before even. Don't try to wing it if it's going to be fresh snow...get your pass ahead of time. This year they have raised their prices substantially so it might not sell out as much but we shall see.

Question: Do they limit access on a powder day to seasons pass holders, or just limit day pass sales?

I skied POWMOW twice in the 90's and there was powder many days after a storm. I suspect that's not quite the case these days. I'm spending a week there in March, and bought a POWMOW seasons pass since it was the least expensive option for the week.

 

[stevo]

they limit sales. I don't think they are keeping track at all about season pass holders, its actually very difficult to get a season pass there you have to get on a long waiting list.

This year they raised peak day passes to ~$200. its not a cheap mountain anymore

There can be pow a few days after a storm but basically its only as they open up side country. The accessible stuff all gets skied out pretty quickly, but not as quickly as LCC to be sure.

 

[AmyPJ]

Question: Do they limit access on a powder day to seasons pass holders, or just limit day pass sales?

I skied POWMOW twice in the 90's and there was powder many days after a storm. I suspect that's not quite the case these days. I'm spending a week there in March, and bought a POWMOW seasons pass since it was the least expensive option for the week.

They limit day passes. They limit total season passes sold as well.

 

[4ster]

3 days. The intent is to ski powder mtn only, and stay close to the Mtn.

“Way down the canyon” is only 5 or 6 miles & there are condos as well as STR’s which would accommodate a group of 8. Depending where you stay would determine if you can walk to the bus stop (highly recommend taking the bus. It is a steep gnarly road if it is slippery). or a short drive. Not a lot of dining options but probably enough for 3 nights or just cook in.
Also a few older condos & some new high end accommodations on the mountain but be prepared to hole up there if you go that route.
They do sell out more than a few days but you would probably be buying tickets ahead of time anyway.
I guess it depends on your definition of powder but finding untracked days after a storm is a myth unless it is terrain that is just opening.
Using their inbounds guide service is a bargain unless prices have changed dramatically.
Agree it could be boring to advanced skiers without some fresh snow. It doesn’t need to be deep to be fun, lots of low angle goodness. If you like groomers the quality is usually really good. There is no snowmaking.
Only 1 high speed lift so be patient, it is what allows you to get freshies for hours instead of minutes. I ski there frequently & consider it lift assisted touring .
There is night skiing on one lift.


Snowbasin is close for a more traditional experience.

I'm spending a week there in March, and bought a POWMOW seasons pass since it was the least expensive option for the week.

How did you get a season pass?

 

[Scruffy]

“Way down the canyon” is only 5 or 6 miles & there are condos as well as STR’s which would accommodate a group of 8. Depending where you stay would determine if you can walk to the bus stop (highly recommend taking the bus. It is a steep gnarly road if it is slippery). or a short drive. Not a lot of dining options but probably enough for 3 nights or just cook in.
Also a few older condos & some new high end accommodations on the mountain but be prepared to hole up there if you go that route.
They do sell out more than a few days but you would probably be buying tickets ahead of time anyway.
I guess it depends on your definition of powder but finding untracked days after a storm is a myth unless it is terrain that is just opening.
Using their inbounds guide service is a bargain unless prices have changed dramatically.
Agree it could be boring to advanced skiers without some fresh snow. It doesn’t need to be deep to be fun, lots of low angle goodness. If you like groomers the quality is usually really good. There is no snowmaking.
Only 1 high speed lift so be patient, it is what allows you to get freshies for hours instead of minutes. I ski there frequently & consider it lift assisted touring .
There is night skiing on one lift.
View attachment 219483

Snowbasin is close for a more traditional experience.



How did you get a season pass?

Ah...good catch. I didn't actually purchase the tickets myself, my trip planner (wife) did for me back in June. She mentioned she had to buy me a pass that sells out quickly, I thought she said seasons pass, while I was in the middle of doing five other things. Anyway, I just checked the receipt she emailed me, and that I had promptly just filed away under Powder Mt, and she got me a 5 pack. Apparently the 5 packs sell out quickly too. So, mea culpa.

Wow, times have changed with POWMOW it seems, and why wouldn't they considering how crazy everything has gotten everywhere else. I just checked the website and seasons passes sell out more than a year in advance! Good for them!. When I went there twice in the 90's it was a sleepy place not many folks went to. We actually got untracked days after a storm, not everywhere mind you, but you could find it. I loved the snowcat pulls up the ridge-two long ropes tied behind an old snowcat. You could pay per pull. The side country bus was fun too. One of our group was a ski instructor back east, and he had an instructor friend that moved to Utah and was working at POWMOW at the time, so we got hooked up, so to speak. This coming year's trip I'm also hooked up with a patroller that works there, so should be good. Maybe we'll run into you there. If I see someone arcing turns on a pair of SL skis ( Yellow Volkls, right? ) I'll know it's you.

 

[johnnyvw]

I guess I'm lucky I visited there around 2007. We were in the area for a week, and cycled between PowMow and Snowbasin with a day's break in between. We hit two storm cycles at PowMow during that time. Never needed to buy tickets in advance, I don't know if they were even doing that sort of thing back then. We stayed in a condo at Wolf Creek.
We also skied at a small skir area just west of the condos. Not sure if that's Nordic Valley?

 

[4ster]

Anyway, I just checked the receipt she emailed me, and that I had promptly just filed away under Powder Mt, and she got me a 5 pack. Apparently the 5 packs sell out quickly too. So, mea culpa.

Smart move Not sure, but I think the 5 pack is only a pre-season deal so needs to be purchased well in advance. You are lucky to have such an astute travel agent.
Season passes are hard to come by & there has been a waiting list for years.
The past couple weeks have reminded me of the old days. Not tons of snow but no one there. I skied fresh tracks for 5 hours yesterday after they opened Paradise for the first time this season

This coming year's trip I'm also hooked up with a patroller that works there, so should be good. Maybe we'll run into you there. If I see someone arcing turns on a pair of SL skis ( Yellow Volkls, right? ) I'll know it's you.

I would only be on the Slaloms if it’s icy. Hopefully we’re on something wider skiing powder.

We also skied at a small skir area just west of the condos. Not sure if that's Nordic Valley?

Yes, Nordic Valley. They put in a new 6 pack & opened some pretty fun new terrain but it’s still low elevation. With last year’s big snow It was all good!

 

[stevo]

FYI about the multi day passes at Pow mow. They are not dated for specific dates. they are just 5 days you need to use before the season is over....AND you do need to still reserve the specific days you will use them..and that is where the 1500 skier limit could affect you and be blocked by selling out. When you know the specific days you will ski there, go to their website and sign up for the the specific date(s)

 

[Tricia]

I had a ski day at Pow Mow last year with some friends. (no Phil)
We skied for about 2.5 hrs but since there wasn't new snow, off piste was a hard no and we skied the groomers available, so we bailed, and since all of us had an IKON pass we went to Snowbasin for the remainder of the day. Had a ton of fun there, so you know you can pivot if things aren't awesome at PM.

We met up with @utskier that day