Physicians' Travel and Meeting Guide - November/December 2007 - (Page 8) Ski Resorts puts powder hounds aboard the gondola 30 minutes before official opening. A guide points out the best lines through aspens in the legendary Priest Creek area, then you collect the face shots ($50 per person). snowbasin: a sun VallEy REsoRt Contact: (877)237-2628; www.steamboat. com Ogden Valley, Utah Why Now: “It’s like Park City was 20 years ago,” residents say about this quiet vale The cozy John Paul Lodge offers dining at Snowbasin. 50 miles from Salt Lake City. Horses graze in front yards and people leave car keys on the dashboard so they don’t lose them. It’s also home to the two best mountains you’ve probably never skied— Powder Mountain and Snowbasin. But the region is being discovered and locals have mixed feelings. “Tell people they’ll find the best snow in Park City or Alta— so they go elsewhere instead of here,” a regular pleaded. Snowbasin: What if you had an Olympicscaliber mountain practically to yourself? That often happens at Snowbasin, which hosted the men’s and women’s downhill races at the 2002 Winter Games. On a midweek day, 1,000 snowriders might swoop through the resort’s 3,300 acres. Meanwhile the lift system—which includes two gondolas and a highspeed quad—swiftly and warmly conveys people 2,400 feet from base to summits. “Even better— lifts access the kind of double-black-diamond cirques and chutes you have to hike to at other areas,” a skier in his mid-50s remarked. “Here you ride a gondola. I’m at the age when I like my amenities.” And amenities are what astound first-time visitors to Snowbasin. “Come look at the bathrooms,” a woman exclaimed, pulling her friend into the lavish black-and-white Italian marble facility. This pursuit of perfection emanates from owner Earl Holding, the self-made billionaire (Little America, Sinclair Oil) whose maxims include “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” Here, supersized splendors range from Murano glass chandeliers and two-story stone fireplaces in the day lodges to the computerized snowmaking system—one of the largest in the world. Dining is excellent, with choices such as Italian pastas at John Paul Lodge and German-style meatloaf at Needles Lodge. Insider Tip: Off-piste but not out of your comfort zone, “Beyond Tracks” offers guided backcountry tours for skiers and boarders level 7 and above. Led by professional patrollers with extensive mountaineering and avalanche-safety skills, the half-day adventure costs $190 per person. Powder Mountain: Unbeknownst to most of the snowsports public, Powder Mountain has the most skiable terrain of any Powder Mountain, Utah. U.S. area: 5,500 acres. Even on busy days the area draws fewer than two skiers/riders per acre. The mountain bills the white stuff underfoot as “100 percent natural snow,” indicating both the plus and minus sides of this powder powerhouse. Yes, the mountain pulls an outrageous 500 inches of snow annually. But operations have been seriously undercapitalized, with a barebones base area and zilch for snowmaking. Change is looming: Powder was bought in 2006 by an investment group that plans to give the world-class mountain the facilities it deserves. Translation—better lifts, but also real-estate development. Throughout Powder’s creamy white vastness, you’ll find nary an off-limits rope or a warning sign—you can ski anywhere. (You also won’t find moguls— there aren’t enough skiers to make them.) Only 2,800 acres of the mountain are served by lifts. Not a problem: shuttles • November/December 2007 • PhysiciaNs’ Travel & meeTiNg guiDe d. MontgoMERy/powdER Mountain http://www.steamboat.com http://www.steamboat.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.