Picking Out a Ski Resort in Utah for your Winter Vacation or Conference

Since Utah's dessert climate and towering mountains generate some of the best snow on Earth, skiers from all over the country visit the state to test their skills on hundreds of beautiful, powder-covered slopes. Driving or flying to Utah is only the first step towards an enjoying the perfect skiing vacation though. After all, there are dozens of ski resort throughout the state to choose from and visitors will probably only be able to sample one or two different places during their stay in the area.

Fortunately, even if you don't know a lot about the ski resorts throughout Utah, the following article should provide enough information on several popular destinations for visitors to make an educated decision on the most suitable resort for themselves or their families. As a skier myself, I realize that things like personal tastes in lodging, entertainment, food and activities as well as individual ability on the mountain can all have an impact on the decision you make.

Located at the base of Mt.Timpanogos in ProvoCanyon, Sundance Ski Resort is a very sheltered and scenic place to enjoy winter skiing and snowboarding. And, because of it's proximity to BrighamYoungUniversity and UtahValleyUniversity, Sundance is a popular ski resort for college students. Although Sundance is actually one of the smaller skiing destinations in Utah with less than 1,000 acres of skiable terrain, it is also one of the most affordable places to buy lift tickets. For example, even full-day passes can be almost half the price that they would be at other resorts like DeerValley, ParkCity, and Alta. And, depending on your enthusiasm and stamina, you can choose to buy a full-day, half-day, or twilight pass. Of all the resorts discussed in this article, Sundance is probably the farthest away from the SaltLakeInternationalAirport though.

Park City Utah is actually home to three of the most popular ski resorts in Utah including: DeerValley, The Canyons, and the Park City Ski Resort. Since all of these resorts are only thirty to forty-five minutes away from the Salt Lake international airport, it is the difference in their size, lift tickets prices, services, dining venues and other attractions that truly set them apart from one another.

Park City is famous for being a very family friendly ski resort. Part of this is due to hundreds of instructors and small class sizes that are available for parents and their children, but it is also due to the huge variety of activities and venues in the area. For example, families can enjoy skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, tubing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, dog sleds, and the Park City Alpine Coaster all in this one location which makes it easy to find something that everyone in the family can enjoy. And, as far as ParkCity lodging and dinning are concerned, Park City Ski resort also provides everything from luxurious, exclusive and expensive accommodations to affordable, comfortable and family-friendly venues. With 3,300 acres of terrain, ParkCity is also one of the largest ski resorts in Utah. Perhaps the diversity in Park City lodging, activities and terrain has something to do with the #5 North American ski resort ranking that Park City earned in SKI magazine.

If you want to take a break from skiing, there are plenty of other things to see in ParkCity as well. There are still several architectural and commercial attractions in the area that hearken back to the events the Olympic Games that were hosted in the area in 2002 and there are a lot of shops and attractions to visit along Historic Main Street. If you enjoy shopping, take a day or two to visit the outlets and save money on some of your favorite brands.

In the past couple of years, Deer Valley has consistently ranked as the #1 ski resort in North America. With 2,026 acres of terrain and 99 trails to choose from, DeerValley is pretty comparable in size to several other resorts through the state, but it stands out because of its "white-glove" service and venues. For example, skiers will find everything from ski valets and well-groomed trails to fine dining, luxurious housing and child care services whenever they book a vacation at DeerValley. And, with 22 lifts in the resort, lines move quickly so that skiers and snowboarders can get as many runs into their day as possible. If you are bringing a group of skiers with several different skill levels, you'll be happy to know that there is a very balanced proportion of easy, intermediate and difficult trails.

Of the three resorts in the Park City area, The Canyons is the largest with 3,700 acres of terrain, 163 trails, and 17 chair lifts. The Canyons may not have as many activities to offer as park city, but there are slope-side, four-diamond, and remote accommodations to choose from so that you can enjoy the convenience, luxury, or peacefulness that you desire during your stay.

Snowbird is one just one of several popular ski resorts in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but it has claim to the longest skiing and snowboarding season within the state. For example, conditions permitting, the season at snowbird can start as early as mid November and run as late as mid May while other resorts may not open until the first or second week of December and close by the middle or end of April. With 2,500 acres of terrain, 89 runs, and 11 lifts throughout the resort, there is also enough diversity in the trails to accommodate skiers of all skill levels.

Located just a couple miles down the road from the Snowbird Ski Resort, Alta is another popular resort mountain in the Little Cottonwood Canyon. With 2,200 acres of terrain, 116 different runs, and 11 lifts available for patrons Alta may seem pretty similar to Snowbird at first glance, but Alta is actually very unique in that there are no snowboarders allowed on the mountain at all. Although this rule obviously excludes a significant number of winter sports enthusiasts, it also draws a lot of customers who are hard-core skiers. If you have a lot of young skiers or beginners in your group, you should also be aware that the terrain at Alta also tends to be more suitable for intermediate and advanced skiers. Twenty-five percent of the trails are categorized as beginner level runs, but even those tend to be a little steeper than your average bunny-slope.

If you are in northern or southern Utah, Beaver Mountain and Brain Head Ski Resort are two more options that you can choose for a conference or vacation, but they are several hours away from the Salt Lake airport which make it harder for visitors to reach them unless they are coming from Nevada, Idaho, or Wyoming.