Snow Basin and Beaver Mtn 2025

I skied Snow Basin spending the night in Ogden before driving to Beaver Mountain Resort to ski and then spending the night in Garden City.

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Revelstoke Loop 2025

Snow Basin and Beaver Mtn Ski Resorts 2025

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I said goodbye to the Vrbo in Murray, UT, this morning where I'd stayed most of the last week. This morning I drove to Snow Basin Resort and parked in the Wildcat parking lot just a few cars away from Alan. The access to the lot was unusual in that one passes the entrance on the left, makes a U-turn around the round-a-bout some distance down the hill and returns to make a right into the lot. Fortunately I just followed the string of cars.

It felt really cold this morning though I understand it was in the mid teens. Our first chair was an old one with wooden slats to sit on - which added to the cold, brrrrrr. It sunk in that the area must have received fresh snow the previous night. The skies now were virtually cloud free sporting blue.. There were many slopes with uncut powder of 2-6 inches in depth. Almost from our first turn off the chair we both found powder on hard pack to slice up. Our next ride took us up the Strawberry Express Gondola. From what felt like the top (one of a couple), we had spectacular views of the Great Salt Lake, Ogden, and to the south Salt Lake City. I understand it's usually wicked windy at this spot with stinging ice crystals. Today it was calm, cold, and fantastic visibility.

We found more powder to carve turns into while progressing around the mountain exploring the place. Alan's always eager to ski more than myself. He spied what turned out to the Allen Peak Tram and just had to go to the top. I was going to wait at the bottom, but when I saw the slope it serviced I decided I had enough gas left in the tank to venture up with him. This provided our second expansive views to the west of the Great Salt Lake. A bold person could pass through the gate with it's stark warning and ski in that direction out-of-bounds down a rather steep and long broad gully - we didn't. Instead we turned back to the east and made our way back to our cars to call it a day.

We stumbled upon several places with uncut powder which I found shocking. Snow Basin is worth another looksie in the future. It seemed to have local patrols only unlike Deer Valley. I didn't see any instructors. Most of the terrain would be classified as diamond (black) or up with interesting trees and rocks to navigate.

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The room and skies were dark as the alarm announced 5AM. That partially stems from Ogden being located on the western side of the Mountain Time Zone. Breakfast was my left over spring rolls from the previous nights dinner. A little frost clung to the car windshield but not enough to warrant scrapping it off as I pulled out of the Motel 6 parking lot. I was a little surprised by the number of cars on the road even being a Monday work day. Being well ahead of schedule, I stopped in the university town of Logan for a coffee and pastry at Caffe Ibis. I traveled east out of Logan up the canyon formed by the Logan River. It's a pretty section of winding road with the partially frozen river alongside. Driving I would glance at the car outside thermometer. When I started seeing negative numbers I became concerned for the ski day ahead.

I reached Beaver Mountain Resort parking lot at 8:25AM. Alan had arrived well before me, but I still managed to park only two cars away. Verizon doesn't have cell coverage in this part of the world though as soon as my phone got close to Alan's Starlink connected Wifi my text messages sprang to life. Pleasantly there was one from Evelyn so we had a brief exchange. I geared up and then walked over to Alan's camper only to find him anxiously peering in at his furnace from the outside; it had stopped working. The outside temp was -11F! The temperature inside his camper was rapidly dropping and he was gravely concerned about freezing water lines. We worked briefly together in the very cold air to ascertain the problem. However it looked like the furnace would need to be removed to troubleshoot it. He made the decision to drive back to Logan seeking professional assistance before damage resulted. We parted ways with the possibility that he'd be heading back to Longmont.

The day became mine alone. Beaver Mountain Resort a ski area virtually unchanged from the late 1960's. The tickets are the kind with the wire that you affix to your jacket. The chairlifts march along at a walking pace. One of the two running didn't have a safety bar. The runs are beginner to advanced intermediate (marked as black). No steep chutes here! There is plenty of tree skiing and the snow quality was good.

I sat in the A frame lodge for about thirty minutes to let the sun warm the air before venturing out onto the slopes. I met a couple of locals riding the chair. This is not a destination ski resort; it's basically all locals who prefer it that way.

I decided to call it a day about 1PM. As I approached my car who should pull in beside it, but Alan! The thermostat was replaced and it was declared 'fixed'. Despite being tired I made one run with Alan before I headed toward Garden City for the night. Alan went on to ski for a couple of hours.

He called me while I was having dinner at one of two open restaurants in Garden City to share some news. Upon his return to his camper from skiing he found the heater not working. He got the RV mechanic to stay late and he drove back to Logan. Seems the problem wasn't the thermostat but a frayed wire that was shorting out.

Garden City rests on the shores of Bear Lake. This lake, like the Great Salt Lake, was at its peak during the last ice age about 14,000 years ago when glaciers dominated the region. The lake is a very popular summer destination - not so much in the winter.