Trip Report: Snowbasin, UT

fritzski

New member
Snowbasin: Could this be the biggest and baddest resort to fly under your radar?

So we all know the 2002 Olympic speed events were held here, but have you heard of it since? Have you been there? Likely not. Since it’s a god-awful full hour’s drive north of SLC, instead of just 30 minutes like the Park City and Little Cottonwood areas, nobody seems to go. Big mistake for them. But hey, for now let’s just encourage their expeditious ways.

My last visit to Snowbasin was in the early 80s, long before the Olympics when it was just a tiny little mom & pop ski area. To say the place has changed a bit would be the ultimate understatement. The absolute size of this place feels somewhere in the neighborhood of Jackson Hole or Snowmass. The Strawberry area actually has the feel of Jackson’s Hobacks. And much like the Hobacks, there’s nobody there and it is probably bigger in acreage than many western resorts. And even more conveniently than Jackson’s famed tram, all this terrain is served by one nearly 2500’ vertical gondola.

Where am I going with this? Well, having just skied at Jackson Hole in January, I found this place to have many parallels. Both are east facing ridges and the terrain opens up as you go from the north to south. Snowbasin actually has more skiable acreage at about 3000, but comes up about thousand feet short on the vertical, which still leaves an impressive 3000′. I would guess that if you took Jackson and just tilted it down a notch you would come up with something much like Snowbasin and the runs would be about the same length.

Read more at:
http://desertsnowjunkies.com/snowba...t-and-baddest-resort-to-fly-under-your-radar/
 
great TR ......well done

snowbasin is a killer mountain -- with population growing in ogden, there is no shortage of powder hungry skiers on good/epic days

the strawberry lift accesses some great terrain -- my favorite part of the mountain......killer groomers to steep lines.....good ability to rack up vertical..........
 
jamesdeluxe":30vcusvs said:
fritzski":30vcusvs said:
The Strawberry area actually has the feel of Jackson’s Hobacks.
I love the Strawberry sector, but how does it feel like the Hobacks? :-s

I always kinda felt it was similar to the Hobacks too with the way it's a bunch of humps that have ridge lines the run down the fall line with gully's in between. Hobacks are much more vertical obviously.
 
jamesdeluxe":16qw699n said:
fritzski":16qw699n said:
The Strawberry area actually has the feel of Jackson’s Hobacks.
I love the Strawberry sector, but how does it feel like the Hobacks? :-s
g

Probably just an individual perception, but much along the lines of what SoCal said.
 
Joined on Mar 1st 2015 but already knows what people here have or have not heard about.

As for the distance, it is actually about the same from the airport as any of the other Wasatch front/back resorts. And if you factor in the "red snake" at the end of the day (which never happens at Snowbasin) a lot less time driving, in total.

What is the catch? Less snow on average than LCC. No one is going to beat them on that. But also, many fewer people. Much less intense vibe than Snowbird. Also, just about everyone there is a local so you are not going to out-smart them except by showing up on a weekday.

I've found that on big snow years and big snow days, the difference doesn't matter. If Alta got 24in and Snowbasin 12, and Alta is on interlodge, Snowbasin is head and shoulders above, in total. On lean years, like the last couple, it does make a difference.

Also, no ski in-out beds. Which is a plus, in many ways.
 
Evren":26yytfv0 said:
any of the other Wasatch front/back resorts

Now given last summer's debate, that's a politically correct statement!

And as for giving Fritz a hard time about assumptions, cut him some slack. That was the premise of his blog post, not his assumption about our forum users. I've read Fritz's posts for many years on his own website, and from doing so I can tell you that I don't have a prayer of doing a backcountry day even a fifth as ambitious as his. Welcome, Fritz!
 
Thanks Admin. I've been a huge fan of your site for years before I ever had my own. Glad to be a part of your community!
 
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