Mountain Review: Snowbird
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
10
Snow:
8
Resiliency:
8
Size:
8
Terrain Diversity:
10
Challenge:
7
Lifts:
6
Crowd Flow:
7
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
Aprés-ski: Limited
Nearest City: Salt Lake City (40 mins)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Top-tier snow quality and accumulation
Diverse terrain, including extremely demanding expert runs
Innovative mountain logistics
– Cons
Limited beginner and low intermediate terrain
Limited on-site lodging
VIDEO
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 13
Trails: 169
Beginner: 8%
Intermediate: 22%
Advanced/Expert: 70%
Mountain Review
Only a short drive from Salt Lake City, Snowbird is located in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, directly next to Alta and only a few miles from other resorts. Some other mountains offer bigger footprints, but it’s hard to beat Snowbird as a whole package due to the resort’s top-tier snow quality, innovative mountain logistics, and expert terrain.
You can’t talk about Snowbird without first mentioning its snow. Not only does the area see more snow than almost any other resort in the country, but the accumulation is dry and light, allowing for ideal, non-packed powder even a few days after a storm. The snow on the south-facing Mineral Basin isn’t quite as good as that on the north-facing front side, but both are still hard to beat. Many will be sold on Snowbird for this attribute alone.
On rare occasions with especially heavy snowfall, Snowbird will close and force everyone indoors for avalanche control. Visitors trying to leave the area will be out of luck when this happens, but the resort efficiently carries out operations and reopens with safe, fresh powder. In recent years, Snowbird has employed snowmaking at the beginning of the season to ensure a resilient base layer of snow.
Snowbird does a good job of attracting visitors with its well-rounded terrain, although the mountain falls on the more difficult side compared to other resorts. The mountain essentially consists of three parts: the Peruvian Gulch and Gad Valley areas on the front side, and the Mineral Basin bowls in the back.
Snowbird specializes in difficult terrain, and offers quite a lot for advanced visitors. Throughout the mountain, you’ll find a mix of steep moguls, drop-offs, glades, and bowls. The double-black terrain here is extremely difficult and mostly consists of dangerously steep pitches and cliffs off mountain ridges. Even the most capable skiers will want to think twice before committing to some of these runs.
Beginners will be attracted to the frontside Baby Thunder and Chickadee lifts, where the overwhelming majority of Snowbird’s green terrain lives. These lifts are slow and only extend up a fraction of the mountain, but they offer gentle, isolated terrain for those learning. Intermediates will find cruisers in many mountain areas, most often as windy routes down valleys. However, some blue trails are ungroomed or more difficult than one might expect. The Mineral Basin area contains easy bowl terrain that’s quite unique for a ski resort.
Snowbird boasts impressive lift infrastructure. Save a few minor edge-case runs, all non-beginner areas enjoy high-speed lift service. The aerial tram, a defining feature of the resort, delivers quick base-to-summit service over striking terrain. The tram isn’t always practical due to its long headways, but high-speed lift combinations from both Peruvian and Gad provide the same access.
But what really sets Snowbird apart from the pack is its one-of-a-kind ski tunnel. This 600-foot magic carpet through Hidden Peak starts at the top of the Peruvian lift and spits out at Mineral Basin, significantly expediting travel to the resort’s back bowls and offering a unique through-mountain experience.
However, a few crowd flow issues exist. Base area lines become lengthy on busy weekends and holidays. In addition, the Mineral Basin lift, which provides the only return service from the back bowls to the base, can get especially backed up in the afternoon. For the 2021-22 season, the resort has instituted the Fast Tracks program, which allows guests to pay a premium to skip the lines at many popular lifts.
Overall, Snowbird isn’t bad to navigate. Getting to most terrain requires two or fewer lifts, and it never takes more than one lift to return to a base area. While the Gad and Peruvian bases are fairly far away from each other, a few trails connect the areas. However, the trails from Gad to the Peruvian Base require some black terrain, so less confident skiers may have to rely on additional lifts to make this journey. If you’re looking to go in for a break or grab a meal without going all the way down to one of the bases, you’ll find sizable lodges at Mid-Gad and the Hidden Peak summit.
Snowbird’s biggest navigation shortcoming manifests in its double-black diamond offerings. By nature of living on ridges and requiring long traverses, a lot of expert terrain is hard to lap. If you don’t factor in the sometimes-impractical tram, very few double black trails will take you back to the lift you started at. This makes it frustrating to spend your entire day on the resort’s toughest lines.
It’s also worth noting that some expert runs require hikes to get to or from. However, those who don’t care about the absolute freshest snow should find themselves satisfied with the resort’s lift-accessible double blacks.
Snowbird offers fantastic views and scenery throughout the resort. Neighboring peaks and ridges offer striking visuals as you navigate the mountain, and on a nice day, you can see parts of Salt Lake City from the top. However, the imposing tram and large summit lodge keep the resort from feeling truly isolated.
Snowbird comprises a decently-sized footprint, and it should take a few days for most to cover the whole mountain. But for those who want more, Snowbird offers direct lift access to and from the neighboring Alta ski resort. Alta does not allow snowboarders, so this option is only available to skiers. Visitors can hit both mountains on the same day with an AltaBird ticket or the Ikon Pass. Skiers staying for multiple days may want to split their days between the two resorts.
Getting There
With no traffic, Snowbird is approximately 30-60 minutes from parts of Salt Lake City, and about 40 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport. The road into the Little Cottonwood Canyon is a two-lane highway that can get backed up in the early mornings on powder days and weekends.
A number of shuttle services exist between Snowbird and the airport, Salt Lake City, and the nearby ski town of Park City. The public UTA bus system provides direct service from several nearby Salt Lake City suburbs and transfer service from most other Salt Lake metro area towns.
For the 2021-22 season, the resort is mandating paid parking reservations for several lots. The resort will retain limited free first-come, first-serve parking in some areas, but these spots will likely fill up fast.
Lodging
Lodging accommodations at Snowbird are limited. All are slopeside and have hot tubs and pools. Rates are generally pricey but more reasonable than Alta’s.
Salt Lake City is only a 30 minute drive away, and some may find it easier to book lodging down there. However, the Snowbird access highway can get seriously backed up on weekends or holidays. In addition, this road can close due to inclement weather.
Aprés-ski
Snowbird has a limited nightlife scene. Still, there are a couple of fun aprés-ski bars with happy hour specials. The popular Tram Club sports bar is the best option here and offers billiards and darts.
Verdict
So Snowbird isn’t the biggest mountain out there, and other resorts may offer better experiences for inexperienced visitors. But this resort delivers superb snow quality, invigorating terrain, and impressive lift infrastructure. Lift tickets undercut many other Rocky Mountain destinations, arguably making Snowbird a bargain for the experience you get.
