Powder Mountain, UT, Report: Paradise Awaits

Report From Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2024

The smell of sweet, sweet freedom lofted in the snow-sparkled breeze in Powder Mountain’s parking lot yesterday morning when we got there around 10:30.

It was a mix of autobus diesel, stinky liners in the back of our car, and fresh, crisp mountain air.

Powder Mountain didn’t open at all on Sunday due to extreme avalanche danger in Northern Utah and a slide that buried the road leading up to the ski area.

That meant that over two feet of new, untracked snow was awaiting us on the mountain’s slope when we arrived.

It was as good as we imagined it to be.

As usual, we parked at the Timberline Lot and bulleted straight to the Paradise Chair.

The snow was cold, heavy, water-rich powder that floated amazingly.

It was smooth, grippy, controllable, fast, and forgiving as ever; excellent ‘send it’ snow for cliff hucks and trick styling.

From the chair, we saw lots of young bucks getting inverted and landing happily in the creamy powder.

With the sun out, it was a day among days to be shredding Powder Mountain after an incredible storm cycle in Northern Utah.

We hit a couple of lines off the lifeline, followed by the trees to the skier’s left of the chair that all skied fresh and not very tracked out.

After that, we went and explored some Aspen trees near ‘Sanctuary’, which were so damn fresh and good that we didn’t ski anywhere else all day.

Our minds were sick with powder.

The best sickness you could ask for.

By the end of the day the temperatures were approaching zero and we were quite cold.

The only thing warming us up was cruising through the powder at speed—still relatively not skied out for 3:30 p.m.

You don’t get that at other mountains around here.

It was our first day at Pow Mow this season and I don’t think we could have picked a better one, with great powder skiing and a lack of resort crowds all day.

Typical Powder Mountain.

We’ll be back soon.