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Let it snow: A connoisseur's guide to the best skiing conditions in the world By
Ross Hayes
For skiers and snowboarders, Cache Valley is indeed "the place." I don't know if it's just because the license plates say so, but this area of the world truly gets the lightest and driest snow of anywhere I have been. I have skied all over the lower 48, Switzerland, Italy and Canada, and their snow does not compare to the snow that falls in Northern Utah. This area of the Rocky Mountains is truly the mecca for people who have a passion for sliding on snow. Cache Valley is within 200 miles of 14 outstanding ski resorts. Seven are on the Wasatch Front, three are in the Park City area, one is up Cache Valley's own Logan Canyon, and three are in western Wyoming. With that many options to choose from, one could go batty if he or she thought about where to go too much. For some it's the price that counts, for others terrain, and for a lucky few it depends on where their friends are punching tickets. The price of these resorts varies from $24 to $63. The terrain, well, that just depends on what you like to ski, as for getting a free ticket from a friend that works at a resort, find your own friends! Beaver Mountain, in Logan Canyon, has the lowest price around at $24. The terrain at the Beav, as locals call it, is not as challenging as its big brothers down the road in Salt Lake. Beaver Mountain does offer great powder skiing once they get enough snow to ski the backside of the mountain. They offer a terrain park as well as great groomed runs. Next in the price line is Powder Mountain, in Ogden Canyon. Powder has seven lifts and a snowmobile towing operation that get you to great terrain. Another resort in Ogden Canyon is Snowbasin, which is hosting most of the alpine events for the 2002 Olympics. It is asking $43 for a full day. It has put in a lot of new lifts, including a tram and a gondola for the Olympics. The resorts that thrive on the commerce of Big Cottonwood Canyon are Brighton and Solitude. Brighton is asking $37 and Solitude is at $39, and they both offer great terrain. Brighton has a great park for those who get rad, and Solitude has great out-of-bounds terrain. As for Little Cottonwood Canyon, this is where it's at in my personal opinion. Alta resides at the very top of the canyon, and Snowbird (The Bird, Turd, or Word for some) is just a bit lower in the canyon. Alta is the only "skiers only" resort in the state, and charges a mere $35 for the most annual snowfall in the state. Snowbird, with its tram, is asking $53. Snowbird terrain is ideal for the advanced skier or snowboarder. Snowbird out-of-bounds gates are controlled by the area's ski patrollers. Sundance is a little bit further south in Provo Canyon. Sundance reminds me of a Park City mountain, a little bit ritzy for me. It is on the flip side of any of the Park City resorts as price goes: Sundance is asking $39 this year. The area that surrounds Park City host three resorts. Deer Valley is a groomer lover's heaven. This is where the Hollywood stars meet the apres-ski lifestyle. For that lifestyle you will pay $63 a day and $7.50 a drink at night. Park City Mountain Resort hosts a least one World Cup event each year. This year they are asking $53 a day, but packages for multi-day are available. The Canyons, right outside of Park City, was named Wolf Mountain and before that was Park West, which was home of a great summer concert series. The Canyons opened up a lift called The 99-90 a few years ago, and with that a lot of great terrain. The Canyons this year is keeping up the Park City tradition of great groomers and costs $52. To find more information on any of these Utah ski resorts, log on to Ski Utah. Some of the best terrain around is found just across the border in western Wyoming. Grand Targhee is actually up the canyon in Driggs, Idaho, but it is far enough up the canyon to be in Wyoming. Targhee has a great view of the back side of the Grand Tetons. Mary's Nipple and Peaked Peaks are within a half hour to hour hike to the top of them, just out of Targhee's boundaries. Targhee is also known as Foghee on the occasional thick fog days. My advice on this is to follow the orange markers and pray for the best. Grand Targhee's web page is www.grandtarghee.com . Snowking is in downtown Jackson, Wyo. My favorite aspect of skiing at the King is that you can buy a 1- or 2-hour pass, so instead of taking a lunch break you can take a ski break. The ultimate mountain in the Lower 48 is Jackson Hole Mountain Resort at Teton Village. This place is not for the faint of heart. Although they do have a full functioning resort with great beginning and intermediate runs, they also have the hardest in-bounds run in America. Corbet's Coulor is a mandatory 15- to 30- foot drop into a 40-degree shute. The Village boundaries are free and open as of the last season, which accesses some of the gnarliest terrain out there. They are asking $56 for a day pass including a tram. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's web page is www.jacksonhole.com. More professional skiers and snowboarders come out of this area then any other area around. Some skiers take for granted living in this area, others take advantage of living in this area, most fall somewhere between. I said it before and I'll say again: this is mecca for people who have a passion for sliding on snow. Those who are searching for that perfect ski moment will find the beauty of the moment here. No matter how good a skier or snowboarder you are, we all replay our greatest memories as private slide shows in our heads. This year go out and get better, and add some memories to that slide show.
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