[sponsored by Ski City]

Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons in Utah hold some of the best skiing and riding in North America.  We’re talking about world famous, legendary ski resorts that get 500″ of arguably the greatest snow on Earth per year.

The magic of these two canyons is focused on 4 wildly different ski resorts (Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude) that deliver 4 incredibly varied experiences despite all being located within a few miles of each other and only 40-minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, aka Ski City.

You can easily ski all 4 resorts and experience 4 very different vibes in 4 fun-filled days since they’re all located so close to downtown and the airport.

The Salt Lake City airport is only 8-minutes from downtown.

Downtown is 40 minutes or less from Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude ski resorts…

Easy peezy.

The Cottonwood Canyons, UT Ski Resorts:

• Alta
• Snowbird
• Brighton
• Solitude

You can even ski all 4 of these ski resorts in 2 days if you’re frothing.  Alta & Snowbird are connected and you can buy a pass that allows access to both resorts:  the AltaBird pass.  Brighton and Solitude are also connected and have the same set up that they call the SolBright pass.

If you’re a backcountry skier/rider (with experience, avalanche education, appropriate gear, and badass partners), you could even ride all 4 of these ski resorts in one day…

The very best way to experience these 4 ski resorts is to ski or ride ski all 4 ski resorts in 4 days.  Giving one entire day to each resort really gives you the full flavor of each location and you’ll be impressed by how different each resort truly is.

Each resort delivers high quality skiing and riding, is famous for something different, and each has an impressively different flavor.  We explain each resorts flavor in detail below:

4 Ski Resorts, 4 Days, 4 Extremely Different Flavors:

Alta: 

Alta is the Original Gangster of Utah Skiing.  This place was founded in 1939 and is one of only 4 ski resorts in the USA that doesn’t allow snowboarding.  Alta is known for copious amounts of high quality, powder snow.  Visionary skiers such as Sage Cattibriga-Alosa have come out of this magical hamlet.  Alta’s base elevation is 8,530-feet and rises to 10,550-feet for a vertical drop of 2,020-feet on 2,200-acres of skiable terrain.  Alta averages 563″ of snowfall per year.

Snowbird: 

Snowbird is the Big Dog of Utah Skiing and Riding.  Snowbird is big, tall, long, and awesome.  Snowbird has a base elevation of 7,760-feet and a top elevation of 11,000-feet giving them a 3,240-vertical-foot drop on 2,500-acres of skiable terrain.  Snowbird generally has the longest ski season in Utah with their normal closing date on Memorial Day or later.  The biggest feature of Snowbird is the tram.  The tram takes you from the very bottom of the resort to the very top in only 10-minutes.  3,240-vertical-foot tram laps at Snowbird will make anyone into a strong skier or rider.  Snowbird averages 500″ of snowfall per year.

Solitude: 

Solitude is the Hidden Gem of Utah Skiing and Riding.  Solitude is the empty, crowd-less, line-less, powder-full, idyllic ski resort you’ve been dreaming about.  Solitude has incredible steeps, including Fantasy Ridge, that are enough for any thrill seeker to feast upon.  Solitude has it all in a very neatly kept package:  steeps, wide open groomers, roller coater groomers, beginner terrain, long runs, hike to terrain, and ridiculously friendly lifties.  Solitude is the hidden gem of Utah skiing.  Don’t forget that.  Solitude averages 500″ of snowfall per year.

Brighton: 

Brighton is the King of Night Skiing & Riding.  Being the only ski resort with night skiing in the Cottonwood Canyons is hugely significant.  Most people work 9am-5pm and can’t get to the hill 5 days per week…  unless they wanna go night skiing.  Brighton is open for night skiing from 4pm-9pm making it a great option for the working man or woman.  You can work all day, then ski all night.  Brighton is also very popular with snowboarders due to its terrain park and solid terrain.  Mt. Millicent has some of the coolest terrain in Utah and the nearby backcountry (only go if you have all the gear, all the education, all the knowledge, and all the right partners) is top notch including beautiful granite cliffs that remind us of the Sierra Nevada, CA.  Brighton averages 500″ of snowfall per year and saw 674″ of snow in 2016/17.

There you have it: 4 incredibly different ski resorts in 4 days all within a 40-minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City, UT where you can dine, drink, and dance the night away. 

A unique destination, world class skiing and riding, copious amounts of snowfall, fiery city nightlife, and all within a short, easy drive.