Powder
Mountain is the only one in which being towed behind a
snowmobile was part of the lift system.
Before the Paradise lift was installed last year a
snowmobile would tow 4 to 5 people at a time up to the top of
the ridgeline.
Attempting to hold on to a rope while being towed by a
maniacal driver was quite exhilarating.
For six bucks a ride one of the Snowcats would tow you
back out again.
Now with the addition of Paradise the Snowcat skiing has
been moved to Lightning Ridge.
Lightning Ridge offers even more extreme terrain than
Paradise now provides.
Powder Country is another one of their interesting lift
diversions. From
the top of the Hidden Lake chair or Sundown chair one can ski
down to the road leading to the resort.
At the road you are picked up by a bus and shuttled back
up to the resort.
The
advanced skier will find most of their thrills on either the
Paradise lift or the Cat skiing.
The terrain off the Paradise lift is basically a long
ridgeline with steep lines off either side.
One can bash steep lines through the trees on Medicine
Man or Sweet Claim, or dance among the rocks in Silver Bowl.
Cobabe
Canyon has some exciting areas as well.
The best lines into Cobabe Canyon are found off of
Sunrise Ridge.
Follow Sunrise Ridge down past the Cobabe Canyon Cat
Walk, anytime past the Cat Walk feel free to drop into the
canyon. Although
a bit shorter than the runs off Paradise there is still some fun
to be had here.
Powder
Mountain is an intermediate skiers dream.
The Hidden Lake area of the resort is a broad gentle
bowl. Powder
Mountain does a good job of keeping enough of the runs
groomed to keep the cruisers happy.
Claire’s Run and Dr C are located off the Sunrise
platter tow.
These are good runs for an intermediate to practice their
off-trail techniques.
Gentle slopes allow the “not so advanced” snow-riders
to get off into the powder or crud.
Beginners
can ski any lift in the resort.
Powder Mountain has done an exceptional job of
cutting beginner runs from the top of every lift.
The Sundown base area is probably the best place to teach
a new skier.
The Tiger lift is a surface lift which goes up just far
enough for the beginner to have enough room to learn while not
providing fear.
Some exceptional beginner runs would be East 40 to the
base of Hidden Lake; or ride Sunrise Ridge to the Cobabe Canyon
Catwalk, this continues through a beautiful easy run down Cobabe
Canyon to the base of the Paradise lift.
The
Eats
Powder
Mountain doesn’t offer much in way of fancy dining.
There are several places located around the resort to
grab the usual ski fare (burgers, fries and the like).
The Hidden Lake lodge is my favorite place to grab a
bite. Great
views while eating and decent food at reasonable prices make
this lodge my favorite lunch spot.
The
Powder Keg is located in the main base area.
This small bar serves good food and provides after-ski
beers. Don’t
expect the same scene you’ll find in Park City, mostly
you’ll find locals sipping on beers and the occasional party
of tourists.
But, none the less, they do have several varieties of
beer on tap and an ample selection of bottled beer.
They roll up the sidewalks at about six o’clock around
here, don’t expect to party the night away.
The
Sleeps
For
a small area Powder Mountain has some nice lodging.
I stayed at the Columbine lodge before I moved here.
When arranging the accommodations we figured that for the
cheap price we’d be staying in a shack.
When we arrived we were amazed, a roomy beautiful and
clean condo awaited us.
We fit ten people in a three bedroom condo and weren’t
cramped at all.
I’ve checked their web page and the prices still seem
to be rock bottom.
Expect to spend about half of what it costs to stay here
than any other Utah resort.
Between
the Powder Ridge Condo’s and the Columbine Lodge, Powder
Mountain has plenty of bed space to support the traffic they
receive. Don’t
let the cheap prices fool you, these are nice places to stay.
Conclusion
Powder
Mountain is a resort which definitely deserves a try.
This appears to be a family-run operation.
A down home simplistic feeling exudes itself from your
surroundings.
So far they have eschewed the trappings of the glitzier
resorts. You’ll
find no high speed quads here, but you will find a ski
experience hearkening back to the early days of skiing.
The
lifts are old and slow for the most part, hell, the Paradise
lift is new and slow…But have you ever been in a huge expanse
of terrain, looked around and not seen a single soul?
This
review will become a living document, I’ve talked to the
management here and big things are planned for the future.
A lift up into the James Peak area is planned.
I’ll post any updates pertinent to the resort.
Additional
Resources
SNOW
REPORT
Powder
Mountain Snow Report
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to Skiing Index
6875 South Kiesta, West Jordan, UT 84084