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alex
from uk
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Jul 8, 2008 |
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Overall Rating: 4.6   |
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most incredible place for skiing- driving to the resort each morning sucks a bit though. the snow is perfect and the place never has any queues.
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Chris Frazer
from Albuquerque
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Feb 18, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.8 |
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Snowbasin is an absolutely top notch ski area. Crazy terrain, incredible snow, first class amenities (love the granite countertops & gold plated fixtures in all the bathrooms!), great food, & incredible lift access. If onsite lodging & night life are important to you on a ski trip, stay away from Snowbasin . . . those of us who go on a ski trip to ski will thank you for keeping the lift lines down. The Salt Lake Olympics added significantly to this resort with the 2 main, 6 person high speed gondolas & 3 lodges with dining areas being the biggest beneficiaries. There is adequate lodging in Huntville or Ogden but not so much that the resort ever feels too crowded or the lift lines too long. If you love to ski, then Snowbasin is a ski area you should not miss.
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Gerard Lavergne
from Caribbean
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Jan 27, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.6 |
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We've been to all( well, nearly), and Snowbasin stands out by far! Service, terrain, lifts, snow (not perfect grooming but enough). The restrooms are plusher than Deer Valley's lodges! I hope they upgrade 1 or 2 lifts, and open up another 500 cares, then it can be a 7 day perfecta!
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Patrick
from Kansas City
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Jul 29, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 5.0 |
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The best ski resort in America. I go here every year on President's Day weekend, the busiest time of the year and it still isn't busy. There are never any lines, the snow is the best, and the lodges are amazing. The food is pricey just like all other resorts but it is worth it-there are professional chefs. You feel like you in a 5 star resort while in the lodges (the bathrooms are all marble and granite). The gondola is warm and fast. This is a must see.
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Joe
from Orlando
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Apr 30, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.8 |
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My familiy and I loved Snowbasin! We had been going to Powder the whole week because it was closer to our resort, but were curious about this place even though the locals at Powder spoke poorly of it.
They were absolutely wrong when they said Snowbasin is too crowded and does not have enough snow. The only lines we encountered were parking (which was very organized) and about a 15-minute wait to start our day at the needles express gondola. After that we just made sure we used the other lifts to get to the top of the mountain and never waited more than 5 minutes the rest of the day. Besides a few small stretches of green runs, crowds were not a problem while skiing either.
We ended up going the Thursday and Friday between Christmas and New Year's. Days that should be some of the busiest weekdays of the year.
We are big fans of long, smooth, groomed runs. Snowbasin had several we could not get enough of. Basically every blue run in the Strawberry Peak area was awesome (Main Street, Elk Ridge, Bear Springs, Coyote Bowl). Our personal favorite of the entire trip was Dan's Run.
The lodges and facilities were far superior to anything I was expecting at a ski resort. Needles Lodge felt like a luxury hotel with the chandeliers and comfortable furniture. Word of advice- eat right when lunch is first served, seating is limited during peak eating times. We had decent, yet overpriced (as can be expected) pizza, salad, and fries. The cooks were very friendly and talkative, even though we were waiting at their cafeteria locations 5 minutes before they officially opened.
One negative thing to note on the slopes is that a couple of the runs are icy by the end of the day. School Hill and Blue Grouse were the main ones we encountered this, and 3/4 of my family actually skidded and fell on one large patch of ice. We laughed it off though because it was near the end of the day and we were still having a blast.
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Brian
from Tampa, FL
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Jan 27, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.6 |
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If you are heading to Utah for a ski vacation, be sure to at least visit Snowbasin. I have been to 15-20 major resorts in the rockies over the past 15 years, and Snowbasin is by far my (and all of my family and friends' that have been) favorite. The lodge is increadibly pristine and immaculately maintained. I just got back from a 7 day stay in Wolf Creek (where you can find affordable renting and stay within 30 minutes of Snowbasin). We intended to ski Powder Mountain (only 6 miles from condo) but after the first day at Snowbasin we knew we would be there for the rest of the week...ended up skiing there 6 days consecutive. The food is a little on the pricy side, but excellent none the less.
During the week, there are NO lines...anywhere. The longest I waited on a Saturday for the Needles Gondola was 12 minutes (still not bad). The Jean Paul side of Snowbasin offers challenging terrain, but is still skiable for intermediate skiers. Not quite as much powder as Alta or Snowbird, but every bit as much mountain...I can't wait to get back next month for a few more days.
No night life or much in the way of additional activities, but if you are looking to ski ski ski, and appreciate some of the finer ammenities in a base lodge, this is the place for you.
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Ryan
from Ogden, Utah
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Nov 16, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.4 |
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I'm a local, and this is my favorite place to ski. When the weather is good, you can't beat the long blues on the Strawberry side, accessed by their own gondola. My other favorite place to ski is the Porcupine area, but the lift to it is very slow. The snow is usually well-groomed, and if you go on weekdays, you won't wait in any lines. Weekends can be bad, but as a local, I can pick my days. Avoid the place when bad weather rolls in. High winds and fog, along with bad light, will ruin your day. The drive to the mountain is a lot better than Powder Mountain's and won't destroy your car. If you use the gondolas, you can get in a lot of skiing here, definitely worth your money. But since they raise the ticket prices every year, I'm not sure how much longer that will last.
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Blue Skiier Dave
from Austin , TX
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Oct 5, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.8 |
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I did go back to the Ogden Valley in March of 2006, and spent 3 more days at Snowbasin. Spending more time there changed my perspective a bit.
Snowbasin is not a good mountain when the weather is bad. The Strawberry area was closed all 3 days due to low visibility. In addition, most people tended to ski the lower half of the mountain, due to limited visibility.
We did try out the ski school, and had a nice experience. The instructors were all quite professional and experienced.
We ate lunch in each of the 3 lodges. It was great every time. It was expensive, about $50 for 3 people, but really good.
Crowds were light on all 3 days, although shutting down Strawberry and the limited visibility at the top made for some lines. Powder Mountain was shut down one day due to a power failure, and that was by far the busiest day. People planning on hitting Powder went to Snowbasin instead.
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Mike Fine
from Ogden, Utah
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Dec 7, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.8 |
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There are few places in this country that you can ski as much as you can at Snowbasin. Two Gondolas ensure a warm ride to the top and then open the door to an entire mountain below. You ski and ski and ski and ski. No lift lines, no freezing your butt off on lifts and the best snow on earth make this the best skiing around.
The facilities are equal to if not better than Deer Valley but its 20 dollars cheaper. The mountain is wide open and provides unclogged terrain. I have been skiing there for 20 years and it only gets better every season.
If you make a trip to Utah, avoid the other busier resorts and come visit Snowbasin. 30 Minutes from downtown Ogden, you can find cheap hotels, good apres ski and excellent restaurants.
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Ui-Wing
from New York, NY
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Sep 7, 2005 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.6 |
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I've skied at almost all the major Utah resorts and I think Snowbasin provides the best combination of great skiing, immaculate facilites and small crowds.
The trails are excellent if you like on-piste skiing. I would imagine that there are far better places for off-piste. The lift system if great and I don't recall waiting longer than three mins to get onto a lift.
I skied there for three days and the last two were powder days with heavy snowfall. Typically, heavy snow is a disaster with regards to using the facilities (everything in the lodge gets soggy and starts to smell) but the lack of crowds, the warmth of the staff and the top-notch facilies more than compensated.
The only negatives are
1. the lack of good apres-ski (not that I care.. go to Colorado if you want that)
2. lack of nearby lodging.. the mountain is pretty isolated. Small crowds for that reason...
3. Relatively expensive lift-ticket for a moutain with fairly limited accessibility. You can always find discounted tickets at local sports stores though.
