High and dry in the white west

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This was published 13 years ago

High and dry in the white west

With its resort options and some of the world's finest powder, Utah is heaven for skiers of all levels, writes Rachael Oakes-Ash.

Western charm ... Park City.

Western charm ... Park City.

IF YOU love powder then you will love Utah. The western state is home to some of the driest snow in the world and buckets of it. Many resorts in Utah average more than 12� metres of snow each winter.

The good news for Australians is not just the exchange rate but the proximity of resorts to Salt Lake City's international airport. Australians can fly from Sydney to Los Angeles and then direct to Salt Lake City. You can be at your chosen ski resort within half an hour's drive.

As well, revised drinking laws in the Mormon state have meant it's as easy to get a cocktail here as it is at happy hour in St Anton.

PARK CITY Home to the Sundance Film Festival every January, Park City started life as a silver-mining town and retains historical charm with western-style facades on the art galleries, shops, restaurants and bars that line downtown. The town services three big ski resorts – Park City Mountain, the Canyons and Deer Valley. parkcityinfo.com.

DEER VALLEY There is a reason Deer Valley is consistently voted the top ski resort in North America by SKI Magazine. The skiers-only resort is seriously swanky, from the ski valets to ski-in, ski-out mega-hotels such as the St Regis and the Stein Erikson Lodge. Guests at Deer Valley access six mountain peaks with an even mix between beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain across 820 hectares. Deer Valley is five minutes' drive from Park City's Main Street. deervalley.com.

PARK CITY MOUNTAIN Stay in Park City and you can catch a chairlift straight up to the family-friendly Park City Mountain Resort, where there are seven peaks, nine open bowls and 1336 hectares of skiable terrain. More than half the mountain is dedicated to intermediate skiers and boarders. Sixteen lifts ensure queues are kept to a minimum. The ski school at Park City is one of the best in the world and the kids' section has a strict policy of no more than five to a class. parkcitymountainresort.com.

THE CANYONS A self-contained resort 10 minutes' drive from Park City, the Canyons offers mainly condominium accommodation plus a Waldorf Astoria hotel. There are 1620 skiable hectares across eight peaks, five bowls, six natural half-pipes, two terrain parks plus plenty of super-groomed runs and big mountain off-piste terrain. A heated chairlift and a European-style ski beach in the base village are new. thecanyons.com.

BIG AND LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON The two powder canyons in the Wasatch Range are close together and a short drive from Salt Lake City. It is possible to ski to Big Cottonwood Canyon from Park City and the Ski Utah Interconnect tour offers guided back-country skiing from Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort to the four Cottonwood resorts. This is back-to-basics skiing and snowboarding with some seriously good terrain.

SOLITUDE The beauty of Solitude is the absence of lift queues. The pedestrian-only village is made up mainly of self-contained condominiums and a handful of cafes, so don't expect a huge apres scene. The resort is smaller than Park City counterparts: 485 hectares divided between 20 per cent beginner, 50 per cent intermediate and 30 per cent advanced but it is possible to buy a combined ski pass with neighbouring Brighton and ride both mountains in the one day. skisolitude.com.

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BRIGHTON The first ski resort in Utah, opening in 1936. It is a basic resort with rustic, home-style accommodation and is favoured mainly by snowboarders. High-speed chairs access the mountain's 435 hectares. Kids seven and under ski free. brightonresort.com.

ALTA This is a skiers-only zone. The classic steep and deep resort of Utah, Alta's 800 hectares average 12.7 metres of super-dry desert powder each season. Alta is a hardcore mountain known for its challenging off-piste terrain rather than apres scene. Stay in rustic ski lodges and poach first tracks come sunrise. alta.com.

SNOWBIRD The calibre of skier here is exceptional. The scene is made up of dedicated powderhounds who look as though they've stepped out of a Warren Miller film. When combined with Alta (you can ski from one resort to the other), the terrain is 1900 hectares. The standout Cliff Lodge at the resort base may look like a concrete slab but it's built that way to withstand avalanches. snowbird.com.

POWDER MOUNTAIN Seventy-five minutes north of Salt Lake City, in the Ogden Valley near the town of Eden, Powder Mountain resort has 2830 hectares of terrain over three mountains if you include the cat skiing, guided back-country and shuttle-bus terrain on offer. There are a handful of condominium complexes at the base of the lifts, otherwise guests stay in Ogden Valley. powdermountain.com.

SNOWBASIN It calls itself "rustic chic" but Snowbasin is more chic than rustic. The super-swanky day lodges were built for the 2002 Olympics and the on-mountain dining puts many ski resorts to shame. Infrastructure is excellent, with a tram, two gondolas and an express quad to transport powder lovers up the mountain to 1215 skiable hectares known for advanced and expert terrain. Beginners and intermediates are also well catered for with super-groomed trails. There is no on-mountain accommodation, so stay in Ogden Valley. snowbasin.com.

SUNDANCE Actor Robert Redford bought Sundance Resort in 1969 and dedicated it to conservation. Only 180 hectares of the 2420-hectare resort are dedicated to skiing. The resort is 45 minutes from Park City. sundanceresort.com.

The writer was a guest of Park City Chamber of Commerce, V Australia and Zuji.

Trip notes

Getting there

V Australia flies six days a week from Sydney to Los Angeles. vaustralia.com.au or 138 287. Zuji online booking agency has flight options from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. zuji.com.au.

Mecca Travel Company specialises in Utah skiing holidays for Australians. meccatravelco.com.au, 1300 754 769.

More information

skiutah.com.

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