Top 11 U.S. Big Mountain Ski Resorts: Opinion From a Freestyle Skier Lists are inherently wrong, no matter how you look at them. There will almost always be something to argue about. So why make them at all? Well… I love a good debate. There are no set factors that I decided to rate each resort on. The majority of this list are resorts that I have had experience skiing, and I […] Ryan Flynn | June 14, 2025 30 Comments
Next Season’s Alta-Snowbird, UT, Pass Combo Goes on Sale For Almost $3,000—Over $200 More Than Last Year The Alta-Bird season pass—offering unlimited access to both Alta and Snowbird ski areas—is now on sale for the 2025–26 winter season at $2,918, a $210 increase from last year’s price. The joint pass remains one of Utah’s premier offerings, giving skiers access to a combined 5,114 acres of terrain, 20 lifts, and 256 runs, with no blackout dates. With an […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | May 13, 2025 0 Comments
New Public Survey Seeks Input on Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT, Traffic Solutions As debate continues over how to address traffic congestion in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, a nonprofit group is calling on the public to help shape the solution. Related: Skip the Ski Traffic and Take Colorado’s Winter Park Express Train Canyon Guard, an advocacy organization focused on protecting the natural and recreational value of LCC, has launched a new public survey […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 8, 2025 1 Comment
Why the ‘ONE Wasatch’ Concept of Interconnected Resorts in Utah Hasn’t Come to Fruition For years, the concept of ‘ONE Wasatch’ has fascinated skiers and snowboarders who dream of an interconnected ski experience in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. The proposal aims to link six major ski resorts—Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Park City Mountain, and Deer Valley—via a series of lifts and runs, creating one of the largest ski networks in North America. It would include […] Industry News Brent Thomas | April 3, 2025 1 Comment
Snowbird, UT, Introduces $1,300 Preferred Parking Pass for 2025–26 Season No, this is not April Fools. If you want front-row parking at Snowbird next winter it’s going to cost you. The Utah resort near Salt Lake City has officially announced its 2025–26 Preferred Parking Pass, priced at $1,300 for the season, granting access to premium lots without requiring daily reservations. Related: Will The Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT, Gondola Ever Get […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 1, 2025 0 Comments
Will The Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT, Gondola Ever Get Built? In 2020, the Utah Department of Transportation announced three possible strategies to help reduce traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The proposed solutions were a cog railway or a gondola to shuttle visitors to ski resorts Alta and Snowbird or a new and improved bus system to shuttle more skiers up the canyon. The gondola was the option that was chosen […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | March 25, 2025 2 Comments
Snowbird, UT, Report: Absolutely Ridiculous–First Tram After 30 Inches Of New Snow Report from March 19, 2025 Today was electric at Snowbird, Utah. It had snowed 31 inches since Monday night, and only the lower half of the Gad Valley was open yesterday, leaving most of the mountain wide open today. It was scheduled to be a perfect bluebird day. In the morning, the energy was palpable, everywhere. People were lined up at […] Conditions Report Spencer McLaughlin | March 23, 2025 0 Comments
[VIDEO] 3 Cars Trapped by Avalanche on Little Cottonwood Canyon Near Snowbird Ski Area, UT Got hit by an avalanche and lived to tell about it. We are lucky. @Snowbird @skiutah @KSL5TV @KUTV2News pic.twitter.com/bmesM5Zsw9 — Jp (@2investjp) March 19, 2025 State Route 210 in Little Cottonwood Canyon was hit by an avalanche on Tuesday evening, trapping three vehicles and forcing the Utah Department of Transport (UDOT) to close the road. No injuries were reported, but […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 19, 2025 0 Comments
Mineral Basin Chairlift at Snowbird, UT, Has Now Been Closed Almost 3 Weeks Due to Mechanical Issues Mineral Basin is arguably one of the most significant lifts at Snowbird. It services hundreds of acres of epic bowl terrain on the backside and is a key part of the Alta-Snowbird interconnect. Unfortunately, the resort seems to be having trouble with it. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Snowbird (@snowbird) Snowbird Announced on February 28 that […] Industry News Spencer McLaughlin | March 17, 2025 0 Comments
The 6 Best Spring Skiing Resorts in North America Spring skiing is a sacred activity in North America. The seriousness of winter was gradually worn away as skier’s and rider’s furrowed brows soften due to playful spring snow conditions, the skin of members of the opposite sex, and strong alcoholic beverages. In North American ski towns, spring is about renewal, alternate activities, goofy costumes, snowller blades, hot tubs, and live music. Many ski resort offer some sort of combination of the above mention sacred springtime activities but only a few offer up the whole enchilada. These are the chosen ones: […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 22, 2025 4 Comments
Efforts Ramp Up to Fix Traffic Woes in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT A panel was held on Tuesday, October 29, by Canyon Guard, Friends of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Friends of Alta, and Save not Pave to discuss the future of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah. The eight-mile-long gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon has been a topic of controversy for some time due to its large nature with 22 proposed […] Industry News Anders Henrikson | November 27, 2024 0 Comments
Top 9 Most Googled Ski Resorts in the United States As 2025 quickly approaches and around 90% of all Americans own a smartphone, accessibility to information is constantly at our fingertips. I find myself saying, “Just Google it” or “Look it up” multiple times a day about many different things. However, I must admit that most of those things are related to skiing. Thankfully, plenty of other people are constantly […] Industry News John Cunningham | November 18, 2024 0 Comments
Fresh Tracks and New Peaks: Discover What’s New at Utah Ski Resorts for the 2024-25 Season Ski Utah is thrilled to announce exciting new upgrades and experiences for the highly anticipated 2024-25 ski season across all 15 Utah ski resorts. From cutting-edge lift technology and expanded skiable terrain to revamped dining experiences and sustainability-driven initiatives, Utah’s resorts are raising the bar for winter sports enthusiasts. Come discover why Utah’s legendary slopes are the ultimate winter playground! […] Industry News Press Release | October 27, 2024 0 Comments
[VIDEO] Is Pipeline Couloir at Snowbird Utah’s Most Dangerous Run? Only 100 People a Year Ski This Line Peak Rankings discusses the Pipeline Couloir at Snowbird, Utah, considered one of Utah’s most dangerous ski runs. Known for its steepness and challenging access, the narrators share their experience attempting to ski this exclusive trail, detailing their preparations, the difficult hike to reach the entrance, and the perilous rock scramble they faced before finally descending the run. Despite the risks […] SnowBrains | October 4, 2024 0 Comments
Snowbird, UT, Set to Host Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB on Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 20 Over 1700 registered participants from more than 20 countries, regions, and territories will embark on one of the four distances, including 50km, 28km, 21km, and 10K, that take runners into the Wasatch Mountains. Speedgoat Mountain Races by UTMB® to be the third U.S. event in the UTMB World Series to take place in 2024 Event is a qualifier for iconic […] SnowBrains | July 17, 2024 0 Comments
Wasatch Mountains, UT, Report: Ski Day #189 = “Suicide Chute” | 11,045′ Mt. Superior Report from June 4, 2024 On Tuesday, I drove to Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah with a plan to ski Main Chute at Alta. I was tired after 188 days of skiing this season. As I drove past Mt. Superior, I saw that there was snow from Suicide Chute right down to the road. I hit the brakes and swerved […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | June 6, 2024 0 Comments
Trip Report: Snowbird, UT | “Pipeline Couloir” Report from June 5, 2024 Yesterday was my last ski day of the Northern Hemisphere winter. Ski day #190. Ski day #463 of the past 546 days. I’ve been skiing 6 days per week for 17 months straight (78 weeks). I’m exhausted… 11,489′ American Fork Twin Peak, UT “Pipeline Couloir” Details Summit (actually a notch): 11,300′ Car: 7,900′ Vertical From Car: […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | June 6, 2024 1 Comment
Woman Skis 9 Million Vertical Feet at Snowbird, UT, This Season In the last few seasons, individuals have been pushing the limits on how much skiing they can do. There have been 100,000+ vertical foot days, multiple millions of vertical feet skied in a season, and SnowBrains CEO Miles Clark logged over 300 ski days within a year. Until now, the most impressive feat was Tom Hart, aka “Racer Tom,” who […] Industry News Brent Thomas | May 12, 2024 1 Comment
Alta Ski Area, UT, General Manager Pens “Red Snake Letter” to UDOT to Offer True Solution for Congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon If you pay attention to snow industry news, there is no doubt you are aware of the saga of the traffic issues on State Route 210 in Utah leading to Snowbird and Alta Ski Area. On weekends and powder days, the traffic can delay travelers for hours, especially if the road is closed for avalanche danger and mitigation. To address […] Industry News Brent Thomas | May 9, 2024 1 Comment
SnowBrains Forecast: Very Late Spring Cold Front Hits Utah | 30 Inches of Snow for Open Resorts? Widespread mountain snow over the next few days. Source: maps.weatherbell.com Forecast Summary Forecast written on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 1 a.m. MST It won’t feel like spring in Utah for the next few days as a very unseasonably cold airmass moves in. Temperatures start out near normal during the early hours of Sunday morning, but they will drop sharply […] Weather WeatherBrains | May 5, 2024 0 Comments
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