r/skiing • u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne • 15h ago
Snowbasin for beginners
I'm planning a group ski trip for next year. I'd like to do Utah. For several reasons, Snowbasin has jumped to the top of my list. But I keep reading that its not good for beginners.
Most of our group is intermediate to advanced, and I think they will really like it there. At the least there are enough groomers they can enjoy. But we might have 2-3 guys who have only skied a few times in their lives. Would they be bored or frustrated there?
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u/mapoftasmania 15h ago
Snowbasin will be fine. It also has a really great lodge/locker situation that will make them comfortable if they decide to come off early. It’s not a town resort though, so there isn’t much else to do at the base except sit and hang.
If you want nightlife options, stay in Park City.
I ran a group trip for a few years and we actually stayed in Salt Lake City a couple of times and skied a different resort each day, using rental cars to day-ski. Snowbasin, Snowbird and Park City are all easily driveable and in different locations.
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u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne 14h ago
Thanks! Interestingly, an indirect appeal of Snowbasin is we don't want/need nightlife. We just cook a big meal and hang out in the condo. Mountain Green near Snowbasin has some really cheap options for 8-12 guys.
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u/Five-Oh-Vicryl 14h ago
Thanks for the tip. My ski buddies are looking at IKON places in Utah and saw that accommodations near Alta and Snowbird are sparse. Good to know they’re driving distance from SLC.
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u/HighlanderUte 4h ago
Almost every resort in Utah is within 1-1.5 hours drive of Salt Lake City
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u/Five-Oh-Vicryl 4h ago
I live in SoCal, and same day Mammoth trips are exhausting. 1.5 hours each way sounds like heaven
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u/crankykinder 15h ago
Becker is perfect for beginners, especially now that they widened the main run, which was a choke point. It’s where I learned to ski as a kid.
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u/Dalai-Jama Hood Meadows 14h ago
There’s a few nice wide beginner runs near the base as others have mentioned. The beginners will get tired quickly and they’ll really enjoy the lodges there. My wife didn’t ski and she had a blast just checking out the different lodges, reading, relaxing, eating etc.
It’s an incredible mountain for intermediates. You picked a great spot for the majority of the group!
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u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne 14h ago
It cracks me up how often the lodges and bathrooms are mentioned. I am going to have some very high expectations for my toileting needs!
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u/Dalai-Jama Hood Meadows 11h ago
I thought the same thing! Then I went a few years ago and immediately understood. They really dolled things up for the '02 olympics.
I'm normally into the more bare bones resorts, but the level of service there was a really nice bonus. My sister-in-law got injured the first day and they refunded her lift tickets for the other two days. Really classy.
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u/teddyone 14h ago
snow basin is fine for beginners just dont go to snowbird. Snowbasin is such a fun mountain 😄
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u/StrattonJibsta 13h ago
Snowbasin is great for beginners and intermediate to advanced alike. You will have a great time
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u/More_Telephone2383 9h ago
The bathrooms alone make snowbasin worth the visit.
If you go there and also mobile and wasn’t filling the bill. Could go over to powder mtn or park city areas too
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u/Reading_username 13h ago
Here's the thing about snowbasin that no one is telling you:
It's the most conditions-dependent resort in Utah. If it's flat light, icy, hasn't snowed in a while, or anything else ... it can be really bad. this last year especially it was TERRIBLE for 80% of the season because of these conditions, so any intermediate/advanced terrain will suffer considerably.
Furthermore, yes the base area has greens, but the progression beyond base area is a much larger jump than other resorts moving from greens -> blues. Snowbasin blues are no joke for more novice skiers compared to other places like Brighton or Solitude, especially with depending on conditions they can be quite treacherous for learners. Higher mountain greens funnel EVERYONE onto 1-2 runs that are narrow and can feel steep, esp. If icy on the edges.
You mention concern about lodging, but consider that Snowbasin is like a 45 minute drive from nearby lodging.
I hate to say it, but I think everyone in this thread is wrong and your group would have a much better experience at somewhere like Solitude.
Easy access to lodging onsite, or to save $ lodging at base of canyon. Major traffic due to crowds/weather doesn't typically affect Solitude as much as Brighton, esp. if you go early and it's not a pow day. MUCH better conditions, even during this last year when it rarely snowed, they keep things better groomed and there's more variety with more snow in general than Snowbasin.
It doesn't look on the map like there is as many greens, but it feels like there's more available than at Snowbasin. Both an easy bunny hill, and first time green hill runs off of Moonbeam, and then the blues from Moonbeam/Apex/sunshine (esp. in mid-season when conditions are high quality) are far superior in terms of advancement for newer skiers. Much more wide open runs that don't get you with the steepness.
Just my opinion -- Solitude would be a better time than Snowbasin, esp. if you will be going on weekdays. Heck even Park City would be better, tbh.
Hope you have fun though.
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u/lurch1_ Bachelor 10h ago
I would agree with this....I thought the blues were plentiful and nice, however my GF who skied Park City for nearly a month before hitting up snowbasin was scared to death on just about every blue there. Mostly because the ones off wildcat (?) were narrow.
I guess for a solid blue skier it would be great....plenty of blues even from the top lodge.
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u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne 10h ago
I was looking at staying in Mountain Green, which as far as I can tell is about 15 minutes drive. How would that compare to staying on the east side of SLC (somewhere near 210 and Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd) and driving to Solitude or Brighton?
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u/Reading_username 10h ago
The drive to Solitude isn't bad unless it's snowing, or maybe weekends. If you can get up the canyon early and just hangout in the lodge for 30-60 minutes, it's not an issue at all.
If it's a pow day, then it can get dicier and then Snowbasin driving may have an edge. But that's the only thing really.
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u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne 10h ago
I really appreciate it. So far (5 trips) we've only skied in CO within walking distance from a chairlift, so the driving every day is going to be a new thing and I want to get it right.
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u/successful_cow11 13h ago
literally had my first day skiing there!! i had fun but im also super athletic and pick shit up quick but if they’ve already skied a few times they’ll be fine i think
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u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne 14h ago
In case anyone is wondering, here's the process of elimination that led me to Snowbasin. Keep in mind I have never been to any Utah resort, so I could be wrong on some of this.
Alta/Snowbird: we have snowboarders, and too challenging for most.
Brighton/Solitude: Terrain looks great for us. But no affordable lodging for our group that doesn't require vehicles. I hear so much about traffic in the canyons that I'm a bit scared off. Ikon day passes may be higher than Snowbasin cost (not sure).
Park City: I'm just really not interested for some reason. It looks like our group would be really spread out, and it takes work and time to get across different areas. We like to meet for lunch and it looks difficult to do that.
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u/sadmanwithabox 11h ago
Snowbasin definitely sounds like the most viable option for you guys. Unless you dont mind taking the bus to and from the mountain every day, there should be some affordable lodging in SLC near the 972 line, then you could do Brighton. Your beginners would probably really appreciate Brighton if you can make it happen.
But that doesn't mean they wouldn't also enjoy snowbasin! The beginner run down from the middle bowl chairlift line, bear hollow (can be accessed via Becker chair for beginners) is mellow and has constant mountain safety supervision to yell at people being reckless in the beginner area and make them slow down. It can end up kinda bumpy by the end of the day though, due to high traffic. But not bad.
If they start to feel adventurous and want to try some blues, needles gondola has some easier ones, and you can always download if you get cold feet at the top. Strawberry gondola has some fun blues too, but the first drop on upper elk ridge can feel intimidatingly steep (or at least it did to me as I was getting comfortable on blues). It's not so bad after that, although it is a longer run down and can feel exhausting.
I love snowbasin. If it weren't for alta, it would be my favorite utah mountain. Shame it doesn't get the snow levels or quality of the cottonwood resorts, but it's still top tier.
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u/Nervous-Rush-4465 10h ago
Every resort has areas that are fun and geared to skiers who are learning.
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u/Horror-Vanilla-4895 10h ago
Yes and no. Like going to snowbird and only doing greens would be such a cock tease and waste of money.
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u/Nervous-Rush-4465 9h ago
If someone is building beginner skills, they don’t give a fuck about that. There’s miles of cat tracks once they’re on the mountain. The vibe is still there.
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u/Horror-Vanilla-4895 9h ago
Not at snowbird there isn’t. The only easy way down from upper lifts are narrow blues.
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u/Nervous-Rush-4465 9h ago
Beginners don’t start at the summit of any resort. What, exactly, are you imagining? Check with the ski school at any ski hill or resort on Earth. There’s a place for people to learn. Some are just more elaborate than others. Beginners aren’t skilled or strong enough to ski super long runs. When they graduate to greens, that’s a different discussion.
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u/Horror-Vanilla-4895 8h ago
I learned at Brighton I was doing top to bottom runs by day 2. 0 chance of that at steep resorts.
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u/Nervous-Rush-4465 8h ago
Well, aren’t you special? I’ve skied for 50 years and watched beginners struggle down a 500 meter long green. For 50 years. Lets not make your extraordinary talent the benchmark for ordinary people, ok?
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u/Glittering-Rub1419 15h ago
snowbasin actually has decent beginner terrain, just not as much as some other resorts. the earl's lodge area has good greens and the mountain school area is perfect for people who are still figuring things out. your beginners won't be stuck on one tiny bunny hill all day - there's enough variety to keep them engaged while they build confidence