Snowbird/Alta - Utah Family Skiing Guide

Snowbird for skiing families

Every eastern skier deserves a trip out west now and then. You have heard tales of copious light, fluffy powder and big blue western sky. You might consider booking a trip, and putting yourself in the picture at Snowbird /Alta this winter.

This Rocky Mountain resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon receives over 40 feet of powder each winter. With one of the longest seasons in North America, Snowbird is prime from December well into April, (they closed after Memorial Day last season).

Snowbird’s self-contained resort is just 29 miles from the Salt Lake City airport. So you can get there from Maine in half a day. With a direct flight from Boston in the morning, a shuttle to the mountain (no expense or hassle of a rental car – you came

to ski, not drive) you can be boarding the aerial tram by noon, and floating through Snowbird’s silky powder by 12:08p.m. No kidding…I did last April and still wear the grin.

The “Bird,” as its known to the vertically obsessed, consists of several extreme bowls and numerous steep chutes, along the captivating Cirque reached by the aerial Tram.

To double your fun, The Bird is now interconnected by lift and lift ticket with neighboring Alta allowing skiers to ski both Snowbird and Alta, nearly 5,000 combined acres (special Alta Bird ticket purchase required).

Even with all this acreage, there is limited tame terrain so this may not be the destination of choice for the average intermediate skier.

Here is a day’s itinerary at the Bird: Wake to the sun beaming into your slopeside room at Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge. Grab your gear from the mezzanine level ski lockers, complete with glove and boot dryers.

Click into the boards and ski to breakfast at the Plaza. That’s a fancy name for an outdoor concrete courtyard, which encompasses three stories of shops and restaurants.

At the Forklift café, you can enjoy a filling, though not fanciful, skier’s breakfast. Snowbird is not noted for its culinary delights – you come here to ski. The café’s location is prime; you are perfectly positioned to catch the Tram at opening bell.

To be part of the Tram Club, you have to cram in with the first on - first up locals at 9am. If only for a day, it is an ego-blast riding with the Bird’s inner circle. These folks clearly view skiing as a lifestyle not a hobby. Sure enough, I bumped into World

Freeskiing champ Jeremy Nobis – quite literally – tramcars are generally packed sardine tight.

I should mention the tram ride is a head rush; the 125-passenger cattle car in the sky whisks you up 2,900’ vertical feet in six minutes. This lift ride is a panic for anyone who fears heights. As you follow the crush off the Tramcar, you are at the 11,000-foot summit of Hidden Peak where the air is thin, the view is fantastic, and the downhill options are bounteous.

You can ski in all directions off the top of Snowbird. Chip’s Run is a pleasant 2.5-mile warm up run tradition. Beating your tram to the bottom is another rite of passage, then ride back up to the summit to taste another side of the Snowbird snow cone.

The sun hits Mineral Basin first, so this 500-acre backside bowl is a good choice for early morn turns. This pocket of Snowbird, comprises just a section of the ski resort – yet it equals Sugarloaf’s trail acreage.

Next, head over to “Regulator,” a classic pitch at the Bird. Midway down the mountain, make a water stop at the post and beam Mid-Gad lodge (you must stay hydrated at 11,000-feet to avoid altitude sickness).

From here take a few on the speedy Gadzoom quad. At least take a peak at STH (that’s “Steeper Than you know what”) as you ride up the venerable Gad 2 chair.

If you want a terrain park, slide over to the Baby Thunder chair – this western most part of the ski area is brimming with hits, jumps and rolls.

Up the Little Cloud lift, in the sun by late morning, you can drop over the backside again, this time bound for the Baldy Express and yet another ski area on the same ticket – Alta.

Crossing over the ski area border is reminiscent of skiing from Zermatt, Switzerland (Snowbird’s sister resort) to Cervinia, Italy. You are surrounded by incredible alpine peaks, but thankfully no language barriers or snooty Europeans. The high altitude ticket checker gives you a nod (and a trail map if you ask), as you enter all new territory – the classic “skiers only” Alta. Snowboarders are turned away at this border, Alta remains one of four areas that prohibits them.

Alta has the flavor of a traditional skiers-only mountain from the 1960’s – it is retro from the chalet architecture to the earthy staff.

Take a few traditional cruisers on the Sugarloaf quad (yes, there is an 11,051’ Sugarloaf in Utah), ski into Germania Bowl to Watson’s Shelter. Score a linen-covered lunch table with views of Alta’s High Traverse and the legendary Baldy Chutes. If you want to call yourself a true Altan, these are must-ski adventures to consider.

After lunch, drop down the “Corkscrew” to Alta’s base and hop on the Wildcat Lift. This classic double chair delivers you to the Keyhole or Westward Ho Gates, either return you to Snowbird in a backcountry blaze. Or you can go the more beaten path from the top of Sugarloaf, which is recommended for less-advanced skiers.

Back at the Bird, you have yet to charge down Snowbird’s most notable steeps under the Tram, Great Scott chute and Mach Schnell. As you descend into Peruvian Gulch, the basin opens up with a dramatic view of the resort. The Cliff Lodge and Spa, where your 5pm massage is confirmed, is calling out to your quivering quads.

As you ski toward the Plaza mid-afternoon, you must choose between another Tram ride or the Tram Bar. Locals are way ahead of you - partaking in their earned beverages.

Snowbird’s après ski is ultra laidback, like most Utahans you will encounter. The focus here is on skiing, not glitz, glamour, matching outfits or haute cuisine. After a brew with ski cohorts, your feet are ready to escape the confines of your ski boots.

Splurge on the Cliff Spa. A refreshing splash in the rooftop pool is the perfect prelude to your therapy of hot stones, salt scrub or traditional Swedish massage. All of the Spa’s treatment rooms have superb views of the slopes, a rewarding reminder of your big Bird day.

Once your muscles have been kneaded, it is time to dine. The resort’s eateries include Mexican, Italian or a steakhouse. The best food, in my opinion, is at the Cliff Lodge Sushi bar (sushi in Utah? that’s what I thought too). The sashimi was fabulously fresh. The views from this top floor are even more outstanding.

For evening amusement, there is usually live music, a lecture series on topics like wolves or avalanche rescue, and sports on the big screen at the Tram Bar.

The other option is to conclude your Snowbird day with a fluffy pillow, and rest up for another one tomorrow. After all, you come to The Bird to ski.

All Stories by Heather Burke
All Photography by Greg Burke

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