Mountain Review: Powder Mountain (2019-2023)
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
9
Snow:
7
Resiliency:
9
Size:
8
Terrain Diversity:
6
Challenge:
2
Lifts:
10
Crowd Flow:
3
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
7
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $115-$140
Pass Affiliation: Indy Pass
On-site Lodging: Yes
Aprés-ski: Limited
Nearest Cities: Salt Lake City (1.25 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Incredible snow preservation
No crowds, even on powder days
Substantial footprint
Available snowcat and bus-serviced skiing
Unique upside-down layout
– Cons
Majority of terrain not serviced by lifts
Slow, fixed-grip chairs in lift-serviced areas
Less expert terrain than competitors
No snowmaking
Long journey to facilities from remote resort areas
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 9
Trails: 154
Beginner: 25%
Intermediate: 40%
Advanced/Expert: 35%
Mountain Review
Right in the heart of the Wasatch Range, Powder Mountain offers something different from competing Utah mountains. The resort has an upside-down layout, minimal lift infrastructure, and severe restrictions on daily lift ticket sales. The resulting product is a mountain that some may love for a destination ski trip, but others may hate.
Powder’s top-down shape gives it a different vibe than almost every other Rockies resort, with uncharacteristically built-up summit zones but surprisingly isolated lower-mountain areas. But the mountain still looks incredible with vast swaths of large, rolling mountains surrounding the resort. With a top lift-serviced elevation of just 8,900’, Powder is a lot lower than most of its Utah competitors.
Powder advertises an 8,400-acre footprint, which would make it the largest ski resort in North America. But this metric comes with numerous asterisks. 3,200 acres of this “skiable” terrain is reserved for guided tours and cat skiing, meaning access to it doesn’t actually come with a Powder Mountain lift ticket. In addition, Powder is much wider than it is tall, and its 2,200-foot lift-served vertical is not impressive as far as Rockies destinations go.
Across its 5,200 acres of true in-bounds terrain, Powder is hurt by the lack of a coherent lift system. Only 56% of this acreage is lift-serviced—the rest is only served by snowcat (or in rare cases, hike-only or bus-served), making it extremely impractical to get to. The resort has one high-speed quad serving the Hidden Lake pod, but the rest are slow, fixed-grip lifts. The mountain’s Sundown zone is notably removed from the rest of the resort; although it’s possible to ski from Sundown to other mountain pods, getting to this area warrants a ride on a public bus. However, the lift system’s issues are counteracted by a lack of lift lines, even on peak days.
Powder Mountain’s heavily-snowcat-reliant terrain does give it one incredible advantage—unparalleled powder retention. The non-lift-accessed terrain holds its accumulation extraordinarily well, often only receiving a few tracks per week. If temperatures have been consistent since the last snowfall, a snowcat ride means a journey to untouched powder. For the powderhound, this trait alone may all but make up for the resort’s infrastructure deficiencies.
If it’s snowed in the past few days, Powder’s slopes are hard to beat. Low traffic means the resort holds snow exceptionally well, with fresh tracks readily available throughout the slopes most core season dates. Powder’s glades are amazing—they’re mainly lightly-spaced aspen trees, making for easy navigation through, and holding the last vestiges of powder even when other areas have been skied out.
But Powder doesn’t see the highest snow totals each winter, and accumulation lags behind that of the top-tier Cottonwoods mountains. The resort’s lower elevation also hurts snow consistency, with more variable conditions sometimes present in lower-mountain areas. Snowmaking is nonexistent, so dry or warm spells can hit Powder hard—especially if it’s earlier in the season.
Powder Mountain scores highly in one category that several other resorts in the state struggle to do well in—family-friendliness. The resort arguably has the best green terrain in Utah, with mellow groomers—and even some glades—across various lifts and elevations. Some greens don’t always get groomed, but this leaves an opportunity for powder skiing and there are always more than enough groomers.
Powder Mountain’s blue terrain also stands out. The best blue cruisers can be found right off the Hidden Lake lift, with consistent grooming and remarkable vistas. If it’s open, Cobabe Canyon is home to numerous intermediate powder runs with direct lift service. With the exception of the lower-mountain Paradise lift, every other chair at Powder serves a handful of both groomed and ungroomed blues. There’s even a small section of intermediate bowl terrain off the Mary’s lift. The “ski-and-skin” Lefty’s Canyon zone hosts dependably untouched intermediate-rated terrain, although it requires a hike-out that typical intermediate guests might not be too happy about.
Powder Mountain has plenty of steep, ungroomed terrain for advanced-level visitors. Black-diamond runs include demanding tree-defined trails, glades of various densities, and some chutes. A considerable portion of Powder’s difficult terrain is snowcat or bus-serviced, holding ample powder for days after storms.
If conditions are good, experienced guests should be sure to check out the Paradise lift, which boasts a wide array of below-treeline challenges. With a bit of resort knowledge, guests can find perilous cliff drops and rock-lined chutes off some of these runs.
However, seasoned experts might come away a bit disappointed by Powder. Truly extreme terrain is hard to come by, and the only double-black-diamond runs at the resort—four tantalizing chutes off Lightning Ridge and James Peak—are only accessible via snowcat and a small hike. Lapping these lines is an absolute chore, with lift, bus, and snowcat rides all required to get back to where you started.
Powder also has a few logistical quirks that may lead to some tricky situations. Each base area has its own lodge with good-quality, reasonably-priced food and drink options; however, there are no facilities in more remote and lower-mountain areas. If you’re coming from certain mountain zones, it takes a couple of lift rides to reach the nearest bathroom or lodge. In addition, while Powder is a fairly direct mountain to get around, there are a few situations where it’s easy to end up at the wrong lift if you aren’t paying attention.
Powder Mountain is one of the only resorts in Utah to offer night skiing. Only the Sundown lift spins after 4pm—and it takes a bus to reach from the main resort zone—but it’s a solid place to get some evening laps in with a decent variety of terrain.
Two days of Powder Mountain access are included on the Indy Pass, a lesser-known alternative to the Epic and Ikon suites. However, purchasers should be aware of Powder’s strict reservation terms—guests must reserve their spot at the resort at least five days in advance. Powder’s blackout dates on the base Indy Pass are severe, with nearly all weekends and holidays blacked out during the core winter months. Those who upgrade to the Indy+ Pass do not have any blackouts.
Getting There
With no traffic, Powder Mountain is about 75 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. The resort is also approximately half an hour from Ogden, a northern Salt Lake suburb. Powder’s upside-down setup means a steep, windy access road, and the final stretch of the drive is incredibly tenuous; this road can be subject to closures after serious snowfall.
A number of shuttle services exist between Powder Mountain and the Salt Lake City airport. The public UTA bus system provides direct service from Ogden and transfer service from most other Salt Lake metro area towns.
Lodging
Powder Mountain stands out from competitors with extensive ski-in/ski-out lodging options across the resort. There aren’t any true hotels, but several condo rentals exist across the resort. Many condo complexes come with access to community activities, as well as amenities such as pools and hot tubs.
Aprés-ski
Besides the limited night skiing, a day at Powder Mountain typically ends at 4pm. But there is a limited aprés experience, with the Powder Keg bar at Timberline Lodge serving drinks until 5pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. Past that, aprés at Powder is nonexistent.
Verdict
Powder Mountain is perhaps most akin to an industrial warehouse—a huge footprint, but bare on the amenities. The resort delivers empty slopes, incredible snow preservation, and family-friendly terrain on a palatable footprint for those susceptible to altitude sickness. But the slow lift network is a drawback, and the lack of snowmaking makes Powder a somewhat risky bet during the earlier and later weeks of the season. Ticket prices undercut most Utah competitors, and depending on who you are, the resort may very well be worth it.
