Utah's rougher gems have powder and pitch aplenty

February 22, 2009|David McKay Wilson, Globe Correspondent

OGDEN, Utah - On our second day high in the Wasatch Range, my sons were starting to feel comfortable in the shin-deep powder on their inaugural trip out West.

"Let's dip in here," said Tommy, 9, looking down a double-black diamond glade off the John Paul trail. "This looks awesome."

So down we went, 11-year-old Luke leading our pack of three, picking his way through the trees on the steep decline at Snowbasin, home of the downhill races in the 2002 Winter Olympics. We had come to see if the boys' skills, developed since they were in diapers on the steep, icy pitches around our tiny New York hometown, would serve them well on the big mountains.

They were quickly at home at 9,000 feet above sea level, discovering the joys of skiing the glades and the wide-open bowls at two of Utah's lesser known areas, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain, outside Ogden and about 35 miles north of Salt Lake City. I had skied them a year earlier, declining to go east of Salt Lake, where Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Alta, and Snowbird remain top destinations for skiers and snowboarders.

Without much on-mountain lodging and no resort community at the lifts, Snowbasin and Powder have been overlooked by vacationers seeking more après-ski action and ski-on, ski-off accommodations. However, these resorts are becoming increasingly popular for those looking for untracked powder and some of the best deals on lift tickets.

To experience the low-key, funky charm of Powder Mountain, consider visiting in the next few years. Developers have proposed a resort with a golf course, new lifts, four hotels, and as many as 1,200 housing units. To get around local opposition, they established the town of Powder Mountain last year in what used to be part of Eden.

Plans for lodging at Snowbasin remain on the drawing board. But what it lacks in lodging is more than made up for in terrain and skier amenities. Outside Magazine ranked the resort the fifth-best in North America, based on snow quality and terrain, behind only Alta/Snowbird, Whistler, Vail, and Jackson Hole.

One of the nation's oldest ski resorts, Snowbasin was purchased in 1984 by oil magnate Earl Holding, who also owns Sun Valley. In the mid-1990s, Holding played a big role in Salt Lake City's bid to win the 2002 Winter Games, promising a $100 million investment in the area that would host the downhill and combined competitions. Salt Lake City got the games, and Holding made good on his promise.

Improvements included Utah's most extensive snowmaking system as well as two high-speed gondolas that each travel almost 2,400 vertical feet. The terrain includes radical steep chutes from DeMoisy Peak, endless snowfields, and top-to-bottom groomers.