Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort

I am not much of a ski bum but this place rocks. They have great runs for every skill level as well as bars, restaurants, and shops. They even have a game room and massage therapist. It’s fun for the whole family and very close to Salt Lake City.

I went for a snowboarding trip last January with my husband and his family. Previously I’ve tried to snowboard before but I was unsuccessful, until I came here! I got three day classes and I loved my instructors, They were really helpful and patient, and helped me a lot with my technique and why I was previously failing. I am very grateful and happy that I got to go here, because It was very affordable and I was able to do my spins and at the end able to snowboard way better than when I came for the first time. Thanks Snowbird family, I can’t wait to be back next winter!

Thank you, Snow Bird, for not price-​gouging us while so many other resorts have been. I’m serious. They could easily raise their prices to around $ 150 and nobody would bat an eye, because this is EASILY the #1 or #2 place in the country, if not North America.
I know they have new owners and in the past, they kept prices down… with new ownership, I always expect huge price hikes. When Mammoth was bought out, the ticket prices were in the $ 60-​range around 2004, if memory serves me correctly. The new owners promised it would still be fun like a ‘ma and pa’, like the McCoy’s always ran it. Nope. Now their tickets are going for around $ 135/​day. The funny thing is that they also own Big Bear and Snow Summit… and they want almost $ 90/​day for those dumps. Snowboard was just over $ 90 for this amazing, amazing experience and endless terrain. You could ride here every day, all season, and find something new every time.
So seriously, thank you guys… we appreciate it.

The only reason I went to Snowbird is because I had a 2-​for-​1 voucher from the Warren Miller movie première that I had to use before this season is over. I decided to take my little sister, who is a beginner snowboarder… and that was a terrible idea (I’ll explain in a bit).
My first complaint is the pricing. Their all-​day price is $ 98. NINETY EIGHT DOLLARS. And their lifts close at 4 p.m. At Brighton, you can get an all-​day super pass for $ 79, which allows you to snowboard for an extra FIVE hours until 9 p.m. Who do you think you are, Snowbird? Ridiculous.
Second, their runs are not very beginner-​friendly. This was my sister’s third time going snowboarding and she had a tough time making it down their runs. I spoke to one of the attendants and asked, «Where’s your bunny hill?» He didn’t speak good English and confusingly responded, «Bunny?» I said, «EASY. Which lift is EASY?» And he pointed to the Mid Gad. Well, apparently the bunny hill is some lift called Chickadee? I couldn’t find it on their map. How are you going to work at a ski resort and not understand what the term «bunny hill» means?
Third complaint is their Mid Gad lift. I have never been on such a small lift. It could fit two small people comfortably, and two big people uncomfortably. For the first time in my life, I got motion sickness on a ski lift! EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I. WENT. ON. IT. The lifts are not very sturdy… and with a light wind gust, they fly left and right, front and back, up and down. I thought I was just having an off day. Nope, my sister got motion sickness too.
I hate going to Little Cottonwood Canyon. Seems like the skier’s headquarters over there. I got excited cause today was a powder day. Instead, moguls EVERYWHERE. Never again. This is my punishment for leaving my home turf at Brighton.

+ Even March snow condition was really good.
Valet $ 16 but its worth it to do it. You can drop your ski right in front of main center building. I dont wanna use my energy to carry ski and take shuttle.
View from summit lodge was spectacular.
— way to get the snowbird from airport is harder than parkcity resort. But regarding snow condition and thrilled view its worth it:)

This is a review for the restaurant «The Birdfeeder» located by the tram. Nothing to do with the mountain itself (you really shouldn’t be coming to Unilocal for a review on Snowbird, they get 500 ft of snow a year, that’s all you need to know).
Anyway quick one here. Ordered a Bratwurst for $ 13 that came out under-​cooked. I’m talking pink-​and-​chewy-​went-​from-​starving-​to-​loss-​of –appetite under cooked. For $ 13? Come onnnnn.

This is a hard core, snow boarder unfriendly, ski in /​out property. No coffee shop worth a mention. One restaurant worth eating at. Everything a long wait to get off the mountain. Oxygen at 11k ft is pretty much optional. The air conditioning heats the property to a toasty 70 degrees day and night. So if you like it a bit colder at night, prepare to leave your windows open and hope that cools the room down a bit. In our case it didn’t. The thermostat is a symbolic gesture. We were told that the heating system is central so basically all rooms are really at a minimum of 72 degrees or higher.
The coffee is nasty watered down junk. The rules require food with alcohol at the bar. There is a dank dusty smell to the common areas from all the carpet soaked in snow and dried over and over.
Our room was on the Spa level (9^th floor) and next to an ice maker that was massively loud and could be heard all night chunking away. When we called for help to get it fixed we were told maintenance could come up but apparently thy had left for the night. They did finally offer to move us but by that time, we chose to wait it out and call again the next day when maintenance was in. This resulted in nothing. The phone message service is ancient and nobody including the message desk knows how to retrieve messages. Apparently sometimes the system just crashes. Wifi is a joke. Doesn’t work on most of the property. I resorted to personal hotspot on my iPhone for the entire trip.
To get a shuttle off property, if available, can take hours. When we requested one to park city, we were told to try again the next day or call a cab. They were too busy.
Standard shuttles between properties routinely were backed up 30 mins or more and were suburbans that would be jammed with 6 – 8 people per vehicle.
If you are a ski-​Aholic and need your fix above all else; especially above food, good drink, comfort, or relaxation… This is the property for you. Two stars instead of one because the front desk did offer us a room move that we should have taken.
Oh and no pay per view. No movies. No premium channels. And a cancellation policy that means you can’t cancel without losing half or your entire stay if you cancel less than 30 days from your trip.

So someone you know loves to ski or snowboard. You’d likely call them an expert. They convince you to visit Utah and go to a mountain called Snowbird. You don’t know what you’re in for, but you trust your friend. You land in SLC airport and take a 30 minute trip bringing you around the city center and then up, up, up you go.
That’s about when your mind explodes! You see in front of you what often is described as the greatest snow on earth. It’s so light, so deep, so plentiful you can’t believe it. Storms come across and just hang over Snowbird/​Alta giving the cottonwood canyons nearly 50% more snow than neighboring Park City/​Canyons. If there’s a forecast of more snow (and typically there is … With 500″ on average per year) you’ll be in for an amazing, life-​changing experience. If you haven’t ridden in powder before it’s a whole different world. Dial your board back or rent some powder skis for the real experience.
You can’t go wrong on any of the trails (2500 skiable acres) — as long as your skills can handle it. The majority of the mountain is intermediate (38%) to expert rated (35%) so keep an eye where you’re going and don’t go off trail lest you find yourself cliffed out.
If it’s sunny, take the tram to the top and head over to Mineral Basin. It gets baked earlier in the morning and can be lumpier by lunch time. If you got anything near 6+” overnight it’ll feel like at least a foot as the Basin traps in the snow in its medium sized bowl. You can take a few warm ups on the baldy chair for great runs that you must keep your speed up on or risk getting stuck in some areas (don’t chase untouched powder unless you know the exit)!
If it’s still coming down, start out on Peruvian chair and work your way across the mountain. A trip to the top via the tram will be worth it to get into Provo bowl/​Gad Valley and circle a few laps on Little Cloud.
If it’s your first time here, take the needed break (you are at 11,000 feet after all, and stop at the newly built Summit lodge at the top of the tram (see my review for that). You’ll be surprised how good the food is and it’s tough to beat the view. Don’t forget to drink up — no altitude sickness allowed, alright?!
Keep it going after lunch in mid Gad and (if it’s open) Baby Thunder area at the lower parts of the hill. It’s usually less traveled and can have a bunch of fun challenging terrain and trees but you’re stuck with a low speed lift.
End your day making it back to the Snowbird center for a drink underground at the Tram Club or stay above ground and bask in the glory with a beer from Birdfeeder. Any way you end your day (as long as it’s not coming down in a ski patrol sled) will give you such an incredible rush you won’t believe you haven’t ventured out here before. This is when you realize it won’t be your last either.

The best ski and snow board terrain in Utah! Possibly the USA, I’ve done my fair share of shredding every ski resort in the state. Snowbird is not a 5 star for beginners the mountain is mainly intermediate and up mainly black diamond. You’ll find many locals frequenting the Cottonwood canyon side. Visitors definitely need to come over from the touristy Park City side and save some money plus you’ll enjoy much deeper and powdery snow! You can stay mountain and slope side with amenities that are very affordable compared to Park city. Also snowbird is very scenic with a rugged mountain look that will give you a true alpine experience! No wonder I keep coming back year round.

Want to get clean air and get out of the hustle and bustle of Smog Lake City? Come here. It’s expensive, but it’s a great little retreat.
The brand new lodge at the top of the mountain is quaint and has some of the best views you can get. It’s a warm solitude from the cold winter air.
The only gripe I had was that most of the ski runs were very steep. But, you know, to each their own! I only found a couple runs that were at a good incline that was fun for me. All other runs I did not have a fun time on. So beginner/​intermediates, this probably isn’t the best place for you.

My friends say that this is their favorite of the popular ones we board at. We usually hit up Canyons/​Park City and Snowbird. They love Snowbird due to the fact it gets more snow because of the geographical terrain is like a bowl? So you’ll get more powder on this side and also the runs are steeper. Let me tell you, Chip’s Run is a long ass effing run. It has all these variations as in if you want to go through some of the trees to cut some powder then you can.
I nearly died here about twice. I wanted to play with the big boys and followed them down this narrow pathway that had boulders on Chip’s Run instead of staying on the main groomed path. I pinballed into a boulder and did a 180 according to my friend and broke my baseplate binding and bruised my left butt cheek badly. The heel part is like the hardest part to break and these were not cheap bindings. So be careful. We had to kinda move fast out of the narrow area cause people would want to definitely cut through this area fast. Felt like I got shot out of a chute. You can avoid the hassle and buy your ticket online to save maybe like $ 7 and just go pick up your lift ticket for the day.
You can go to Christy’s Sports and rent various pieces of equipment or do a whole package. I had to rent bendings midday so I don’t tank my lift ticket despite feeling like I got beat with a bamboo cane to the @$$.

I took the tram to 13,000 feet. It is a day I will remember forever. A little light headed but I took it slow and easy. Amazing vistas. I got an especially clear day. I took tons of pictures. How lucky I was. Fall colors were out and it was warm enough I didn’t need a jacket. I would love to do this again soon.

Weather was a bit chilly and windy for what I was wearing. Tons and tons of people every where. Parking was open down quite a ways and loved that they had shuttles running every few minutes.
Food was delicious, my only complaint is that i wish it was hot and not luke warm.
I have been coming every year for a long time and remembered to Unilocal it this time.

I have only been here once for Oktoberfest but I will definitely be coming back. I was very pleased with the traditional German food. It was delicious and authentic. The entertainment was a bit cheesy but lots of fun. And of course you can’t talk about Oktoberfest without discussing the beer. The selection was fantastic with a heavy emphasis on local Utah beers. All in all it’s a great venue and a great time. I will be up here to ski this winter and will post a more detailed review then.

We came for October Fest again this year. It’s awesome to visit the vendors and taste great beer. So much to see and do. The kids had a blast in the ropes course and alpine slide. Traditional German food was served in the pavilion. You could experience Yodeling, singing, and music could be found there as well.

I came here with friends for the Oktoberfest and it was a great experience. When first getting there the parking and everything about the event was marked clearly. Parking is a $ 5 fee and there is a guy that actually direct the traffic. If you park a distance away there is a shuttle bus that you take to the front lobby and stuff.
When you first get to the Oktoberfest you hear all the German music and someone greeting you and giving you a smile and a map. There are so many different booths there that sells so many different things. The food that is being sold is very delicious. Totally recommend the bratwurst and the waffle.
The beer they have available is a huge range and some of them are really good. My favorite one is the bohemian Oktoberfest and also the apricot beer.
I totally recommend going to this event, it usually last until mid October. Totally recommend checking their website for more details and exact dates for these things.

When new owners took over last year, I was concerned about the fate of the Après-​ski and Cool Air Concerts. But the free music has continued, along with the ability to bring your own coolers. The tables with sun shielding umbrellas are great for the fair-​skinned wonders like me, and for the summer series, plenty of folding chairs are also set up in the sun. Mr H. and I have enjoyed driving or motorcycling up for a mini-​get-​away many times.
We also spent one anniversary weekend here, and we really enjoyed our Stay & Play package. Riding the Peruvian Chair (and walking through the nice cool tunnel), Mountain Flyer, Alpine Slide, and Mountain Coaster greatly entertained us.

As part of our ski camp experience, the instructor took us over to Mineral Basin for a day. I like the convenience of merely skiing through the gate from Alta over to Snowbird, and having the little plastic card in my pocket keep track of it all for me. No standing in a line at a ticket booth.
The terrain is more wide-​open over at Snowbird. I’m just beginning to feel comfortable skiing between the trees over at Alta.
Great snow, of course! We took a very long (fortunately, wide) traverse, actually a well-​groomed cat track over to a huge bowl and found some very nice snow. Made tracks. Fun was had by all.
I’d like to go back and do that again! (I usually ski over at Alta.)

Love this place but it is not for the weak. Don’t get me wrong, there is tons of places for beginners to roam but you can also find black diamonds from top to bottom.
Good tree skiing and if you are brave you can find plenty of steeps that most resorts would never let you into.
Summer music series is pretty awesome too. Looking forward to seeing what the new owners will do.
Let it SNOW!

I am not a skier, snowboarder, or Snowbirder by nature, BUT as a local, I had to indulge in some Oktoberfestivities. The landscape here early autumn is worth the trip alone! 6 – 7 miles into Little Cottonwood Canyon, you’ll find this haven and natural amazingness. Now remember, I’m not akin to ski resorts, but for this event I think it had a nice feel and flow to it.
The concessions, the space, and the employees — all good! I would imagine for skiers this is all inclusive, but for me, it’s always going to be about the aesthetics; Utah made me a born-​again nature girl, afterall. ;-)
Now about this lift ride, this was the highlight! If I could do it again, I would dress warmer at the top. 11,000 feet above sea level, Hidden Peak is practically Utah’s literal version of «Stairway to Heaven». Do expect a 10 – 20 degree drop and some more wind, but the views are spectacular. The lift comes every 15 minutes so you can manage to take a good selfie or two, or simply take it all in. I included some photos for you Unilocalers! Wut, wut!
Would love to come back and enjoy again.