Three days in the canyon.
Snowbird is the closest alpine resort to an international airport in North America. Just 29 miles from downtown Salt Lake City, Snowbird averages over 500 inches of annual snowfall and has the longest season in Utah. That means plane to pow in less than 45 minutes. Snowbird is a skier’s mountain, plain and simple. Two thirds of the resort is covered with intermediate to advanced terrain. Combine that legendary terrain with a 10-minute Aerial Tram that delivers you to 11,000 ft., and you get a skier’s paradise (a.k.a. Snowbird). To summarize: less travel time, more mountain time.
Friday
Arrive on an early flight then get ready to ski. Two major highways whisk you to Wastach Boulevard at the mouth of the Wasatch Range, then it’s just six miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird. Parking at Snowbird is a cinch, hustle buses drop skiers off at the Snowbird Center every ten minutes.
Fuel up with some breakfast food, chat with the kid who made your sandwich for the best off-the-map trails, then jump in line for the Aerial Tram. Once atop Hidden Peak you can choose to drop in to every inch of the 2500 acres of terrain before you. Shred all day, then ski to the Cliff Lodge, store you gear in your ski locker, heat those boots, and chill in your room. Collapse into luxurious accommodations that didn’t break the bank and reward yourself with some well-deserved R&R. Get to bed early for another day of serious shredding.
Saturday
Everything you need from lodging, to dining, to spa access is literally walking distance away. Calling guest amenities at Snowbird convenient would be an understatement. No need to drive, or traverse to the first chairlift of the day, which earns you extra time to grab breakfast, consult a trail map, and get a game plan with your crew. This close proximity works just as well for apres and night time liveliness as well.
The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird has everything you could ever want from a ski hotel in one building; amazing dining options, great lounges, and a spa unlike any other resort in Utah. The newly renovated Cliff Spa offers amazing ski-specific treatments, eucalyptus steam showers, and a rooftop pool that provides breathtaking down canyon views of Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Sunday
Even on your last day of skiing at Snowbird there’s no reason to ruin the fun with an early flight back home. Easy come, easy go is truly the name of the game at Snowbird. With getting to the Salt Lake International Airport remarkably easy, you can spend your last day making turns rather than leaving early for an arduous drive back to the airport.
Enjoy a full day of skiing before catching that connection back home, and after a rebel-rousing day of crushing pow the added benefit of sleeping on the plane ride back home comes standard with the price of your lift ticket. With short drive times, and direct access to Snowbird it’s easy to visit Snowbird Snowbird several times throughout the season. Don’t forget Snowbird has the longest ski season of any resort in Utah spanning November through June most years.