Thread: Brighton or Powder Mountain Ski Trip 2013?

Well after a pretty terrible year for Utah and Lake Tahoe (my home MTNS) I want to start planning a ski trip for next year. Thinking next year winter will make a come back in a big way and want to get away from crowds in Lake Tahoe area around presidents weekend.

I have been to Brighton 2 years in a row a few years ago and loved it. Rented cabin which we could walk to lifts and ski back to house at end of day. Brought our snomos with us and could drive a mile to trailhead at guardsmen pass to ride and ski once lifts were tracked out.

Is powder mountain up north worth checking out? Snowbasin? Beaver? Not interested in park city.

Our group will be going in middle to late February staying for about 7-10 days and just want to go to one place for the whole trip. Looking for quality snow with good terrain and no long lift lines. At home ski Alpine/Squaw for reference. We all have BC gear so hiking or slackcountry for the goods is not a problem. Want to bring our sleds so if there is snowmobile trails nearby that would be a bonus.

Would love feedback from Utah locals that have been to all resorts. Thanks!

brighton puts you close to the other great areas in the canyons!!!!!!!

Yeah I have always heard good things of Alta, silly snowboarders in the group. If we do go back to BCC will have to venture over to LCC for a day, but when it's dumping it's hard to want to drive all the way down BCC and then back up LCC. What I like about brighton is we are across the street from parking lot 3 Min walk to lifts.

As I get older it's all about avoiding crowds and traffic. Tahoe gets crazy on holiday weekends, BCC doesn't seem nearly as crowded.

Any Info on Ogden/logan mountains?

Home base Brighton again, got Solitude (no lift lines) and it's slackcountry, skin up and over to LCC to Bird??, motor to Basin for a day or two.
Powder is fun too but not for a week IMHO. Maybe one at Powmow, one Basin. If snow is good, Basin both days if you motor. Powmow has some sweet terrain in Powder Country if the snow is good, take a shuttle bus back up the road after sweet lines.
Beaver is an old favorite, but you need to know the backside if you want the goods and steeps. Lower angle mtn, fun trees, ma and pop op, ski to car for lunch and beers.

the only time to ski alta/bird is when it's puking. if not, they get tracked out right quick, especially if'n ya don't know the lay of the land. solitude falls into play with good terrain, quality snow, and not long lift lines like LCC. brighton is tits for bc access, best out of the cottonwoods imo.

i've said it a gaggillion times, but if it dumps in park city, deer valet is unbelievable for pow preservation on storm days and the day after. the bogner skiers like sunny groomed, not stormy pow. you'll get heli/cat pow quality there on the right days. trust me.

rog

It's funny that 400" winters in LCC are called "terrible" on the internet...

OK terrible might be a little harsh, how about less than average.

All I know is we ended up with 350" in Tahoe but we had bare rock showing on all south facing slopes until we finally got some snow in march. So basically march and half of April was our season. Not ideal in my book!

Icelantic

From guardsmen pass ridge is deer valley the resort that drops off towards park city. We rode our snomos right up to where people were unloading from lifts but was not sure what resort it was. That would be way better than driving all the way around.

So far logan/ogden MTNS are fun but not worth a week, better for a day or two?

Originally Posted by scootdog

OK terrible might be a little harsh, how about less than average.

All I know is we ended up with 350" in Tahoe but we had bare rock showing on all south facing slopes until we finally got some snow in march. So basically march and half of April was our season. Not ideal in my book!

400" in wasangelas is pretty bad considering how much H2O content that snow comes in with. not much. takes quite a bit of snowfall to get an 80" base built for the upper cottonwoods, and i still hold the 80" mark as a benchmark for when most aspects are skiing reasonably well.

Icelantic

From guardsmen pass ridge is deer valley the resort that drops off towards park city. We rode our snomos right up to where people were unloading from lifts but was not sure what resort it was. That would be way better than driving all the way around.

that woulda been park city resort i'm pretty sure. i used to tour a ton between the pass and and bear trap fork on higher danger/lower viz days as a day tour and then the gobblers/raymond area when things calmed down a bit. that whole ridge has so much terrain that gets overlooked, it's pretty unreal. sometimes before working in the evenings at solitude, i'd tour up usa, ski down into the canyons upper lifts, lap the resort for a bit, then ski the upper fields in bear trap, ski to the road and catch the bus back up to work. talk about low hanging fruit!

too easy

rog

Scootdog, Brighton is a great choice. Soon if the 1% scum have there way you will be able to ride a gondola to the outstanding, wonderful Talisker run Canyons....Oh well you should stay in BCC.

Yeah Brighton might be the call. Way more options if powder gods don't cooperate. I do remember dropping off the backside of Great western lift that was sweet. Maybe tour over to park city or snowbird if conditions permit.

A day trip to check out pow Mow or snowbasin.

yabyum

I saw that proposed gondola, yeah that might change the vibe of BCC a little.

Snow Basin is my favorite resort in Utah. don't know anything about BC there but the valley is beautiful. If you go to Logan you will probably be bored with Beaver after a couple of days but the BC options are limitless, especially with sleds. Saturdays are very busy in Logan Canyon but Sunday are very quiet.

Millse

You have any 411 on the BC areas around beaver? The trail head names and such? I check snowest the sled heads over there might know the areas your talking about.

Thanks

Love Brighton but always down to check out new areas.

Sent from my ADR6300 using TGR Forums

The Tony Grove area is where alot oh snowmobilers start. You need to be careful because there is a line for skiing only. But if you snowmobile up there there is alot to ski. Also a hut youcan rent.

I would say Powder Mtn would be a good bet, if its a good snow year and you can always split time and go ski at Snowbasin as well. Ive skied both and they have less people than BCC and LCC.