The Canyons Resort in Park City is the largest single ski resort (measured by lift accessed acres) in Utah. If you’re planning on visiting this resort you should plan two days in order to ski most of it.

Be sure to get a trail map and pay close attention to my tips below as The Canyons is likely one of the most unique set ups for a resort that you’ll find.

But enjoy the challenge of skiing this mountain as the unique layout provides a wide variety of slopes and vistas to take in.

1. On a busy day when the gondola line can get unruly, skip it and ride the two person Golden Eagle chair. It’s slow and you’ll feel like you’re in the 1970’s but you’ll also get first tracks when others are still in line
2. Don’t miss Aplande off of Condor, especially if they have groomed it. This LONG fall line run is hard to beat
3. If you like trees, the Mystic Pines on the Peak 5 lift are, well, Mystical.  Hard to beat on a powder day.
4. If it’s a big snow year and you catch The Canyons on a powder day, keep to the low lands and spin laps on Golden Eagle.  Be sure to ski Lookout Ridge to Badlands!
5. Want long groomers with no crowds?  Find Upper Crowning Glory at the top of Peak 5 and follow it past Middle and Lower Crowing Glories to the bottom of Tombstone for a real leg burner.

Check out the trail map for The Canyons Resort.

With just over 1000 skiable acres (1050 to be exact) Brighton Resort may be the biggest little resort you ever ski or snowboard.  I’ve never seen 1000 acres ski like this.  Add to that the variety of terrain and the home style feel that is friendly and it’s hard to beat a day at Brighton.

Here are my top 5 tips if you’re headed to Brighton for the first time.

1. If it’s a powder day, escape to the Milly Express and don’t leave until it’s tracked up.
2. Want a good long cruiser?  Try Thor from the top of Snake Creek to the bottom of the Great Western Express
3. Speaking of Great Western, Elk Park Ridge is worth the ride alone, not to mention the rest of the runs around it
4. On busy days, steer clear of the Crest Express as it can back up with lines
5. The trees skiers left of Hawkeye hold some stashes so dive in if the trees are what you crave

Check out Brighton’s trail map to scope out your plan of attack. (link is to a pdf)

Long live the TRAM!  Snowbird Resort’s icon lift, the tram, lives up the the hype.  For advanced and intermediate skiers alike, the Tram at Snowbird delivers the goods.  But don’t be fooled, there are a lot of hidden gems to find when skiing Snowbird.

It’s a big mountain and getting on the wrong run could result in some tricky skiing.  Here are my top 5 tips for skiing the Bird.

1. The mid cirque traverse can be painful to endure, but endure to the end and enjoy Dalton’s Draw.  Trust me
2. If you’re riding the tram and they don’t list Tigers Tail as a closure, forget all previous made plans and get there, fast
3. Want to test your legs?  Ski Chips Run from the top of the tram to the bottom non stop.  This blue run is a load of fun.
4. If the tram is packed, take the Peruvian Quad and while you’re on your way up, scope out powder stashes for the decent.
5. Buy your lift ticket in Salt Lake from Utah Vacation Homes and park at the Gad lot to start your day.  You’ll avoid crowds this way.

Check out one of Snowbird Resorts’ trail maps.

Alta.  It’s a word known throughout all the ski world and for good reason.  Alta Ski Resort is home to an annual 500″ of snow that is light and dry like no other.  But skiing this legend of a resort isn’t as easy as one might think when standing at either of the base areas.

Here are a few tips that might make the skiing experience all the better if you’re headed to Alta for the first time.

1. Don’t be fooled by the old Wildcat lift - this 2 person lift hides many powder stashes not otherwise reachable from another lift
2. While High Rustler is a real treat, it gets tracked pretty fast.  Set your sights for West Rustler and you’ll be glad you did
3. Don’t, I repeat, DON’T stop on the High Traverse.
4. When you get off of the Supreme lift, turn left and up the short hike to Catherine’s Pass.  But be sure to do this in the morning as the late afternoon sun can put a damper on this slope.
5. Glory Hole - it’s worth the trip but keep your speed at the bottom of you may regret reading this tip

For the Alta Ski Resort trail map click here.

Skiing or snowboarding at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon can be a surreal experience given that it’s not uncommon to find yourself skiing a deep powder day with but a handful of locals.

It’s sort of the country club ski experience for those in the know. Which coincides nicely with their tag line “If you only knew”

If I were sending someone there for the first time here are the top 5 tips I’d have them keep in mind.

1. Get there early and park at the upper “Village” parking lot. It’s small so don’t waste time getting there.
2. No matter how deep it is, don’t be the first out the traverse in Honeycomb.  Let someone else put in the traverse and then head out there for freshies
3. Milk Run - need I say more?
4. Don’t be fooled by the Powder Horn lift.  Although slow, this double will deliver the fresh snow all day long.
5. Do you like tree skiing?  Skiers left of Challenger holds some of the most untouched tree skiing on the mountain.  You’ll thank me later.

Check out the Solitude trail map.

It’s not hard to over hear in lift lines or even on message boards and forums across the internet how special of a place Alta Ski Resort is.  “One of a kind”, “Unbelievable”, “Unique”.

If you’ve not been to Alta and skied it on a powder day, it is something you need to do before you cash in your chips.  Regardless of equality and “justice for all”, most who ski Alat will contend that all powder is not created equal while other resorts will claim injustice!

No matter how undiscriminating Mother Nature is,  she does play favorites when it comes to the quality AND quantity of snow at Alta.

This video highlights the experience of skiing Alta and tries to put into words the feeling that is often so hard to verbalize.  It’s a good effort but perhaps comes up short, as words often can.

Utah Vacation Homes has more than a few properties close to Alta - Check them out.

The anticipation was palpable among the 125 lucky skiers willing to brave early morning lines.  At 8:15 I was somewhat near the back of the line.  I condemned myself to the fearful fate of missing first tram. 

Tram line 40 minutes before Snowbird Ski Resort opened on Novemeber 7, 2008

 But it was not to be!!!!  I made it in the golden carriage, otherwise known as “blue tram”.  Me and 124 other lucky skiers and snowboarders won the right to enjoy nearly five feet of the greatest snow on earth.

After uloading, I turn to see the blue tram at Snowbird Ski Resort traveling back down to get skiers 252 to 376 waiting below.

It’s difficult at this point to believe how beautiful the mountains look.  My last tram departure was on June 14th, 2008.  Yep, Snowbird was still open with fantastic coverage even in summer! 

Little Cloud Bowl - every true skier or boarder has been tested here.

I didn’t come to sight see, so I turned my eyes down to Regulator Johnson below.  Was it worth it? 

Regulator Johnson waits below with armfuls of Utah powder.

Is the biggest always the best?  Well, that’s hard to say and harder to argue but one things for sure - The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah has enough terrain to last for days.  The fact that I’ve probably skied at The Canyons well over 500 days (I worked there for 8 years) and still find stashes of powder and unique vistas is evidence.

The Canyons holds 3700 acres of lift serviced skiing terrain.  It’s somewhat split by the southern end and the northern end with the Gondola and the Saddleback lift as the middle ground.  For a new comer skiing The Canyons can be a bit confusing given its shear size.  It’s one of those resorts where a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the trail map is worthwhile.

But don’t fret, if you happen to take an unintended turn chances are you’ll find a new adventure on a trail that meanders through aspens, pines or even a glade or three. Variety is the menu at The Canyons.

Kendall Card on Murdock Peak at The Canyons - photo by Erik Seo

Take for example this image above, taken on Murdock Peak by my friend and photographer Erik Seo.  Everything you see in the background is part of The Canyons, waiting to be explored.

So bring a sense of adventure and at least a couple of days to explore and you’ll likely find things I still haven’t managed to sniff out.

Lodging Options Near The Canyons Resort

Utah Vacation Homes has a number of properties in Park City and more specifically near The Canyons. Here are a few:

Vintage on the Strand
Do you like Ski In Ski Out? Vintage on the Strand is a new luxury town home slopeside at The Canyons. It doesn’t get any closer than this. Why go to the day lodge for lunch when you can ski back to the town home and cook up something nice, slip off the boots, enjoy some couch time before heading back out on the slopes? 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths will sleep up to 12 with a pile of amenities to make your stay heavenly.

Hidden Creek #1
When Ski In Ski Out isn’t in the budget, perhaps right at the base of the mountain is. Hidden Creek #1 is literally 50 yards (110 steps in ski boots) from the base of The Canyons cabriolet. No need to rent a car as you can walk to skiing or take the free town shuttle to ski Deer Valley or Park City. 4 bedrooms and 3 baths sleep up to 11 people. Soaking in the private hot tub while other skiers are waiting in traffic to get back to their hotel will remind you how very worth it Hidden Creek is.

Penthouse at Bear Hollow
There are a number of homes, town homes and condos that Utah Vacation Homes offers in the Bear Hollow Village but the Penthouse at Bear Hollow is a great option for a familyski vacation to Park City. 3 bedrooms and 2 baths sleep up to 7 within 1330 square feet. If you’re planning on skiing the Salt Lake Resorts but want to stay in Park City, this is a great location. It’s less than 2 miles from The Canyons

After the kids were fast in bed following a night of tricks and treats, mother nature laid a nice treat on Utah the next day with 10″ of snow reported at Snowbird’s Hidden Peak summit.

As I type this another storm is rolling in and is estimated to lay another 1-2 FEET of Utah’s World famous snow on the Wasatch Mountains.

How good is Utah’s snow?  Well, not every snowflake is Utah worthy. Watch this little video and decide for yourself.

iPhone Users

Want to get the latest snow report to your iPhonesn this winter?  Check out the Ski Utah iPhone Snow Report app. I found it while at the Utah Life Elevated microsite where you can also download the widget for your desktop which is certain to decrease productivity even more.

Just doing what we can to help ease the pain, or increase the anticipation that is if you’ve already landed a sweet deal on a vacation package.