Skiing for Utahns is like surfing for Californians. In fact, the sport is such a staple to the Beehive State that it’s known for producing the “Greatest Snow on Earth” and havingsome of the best ski resorts in the country.
Whether you prefer to glide down the snow covered canyons of luxurious resorts or take on the steep mountain terrain, Utah has plenty of ski runs to satisfy your winter urge to hit the slopes.
With so many great choices, how does one begin to choose their next ski destination? For a little advice, we reached out to Coldwell Banker Independent Sales Associates and staff who know the local ski scene like the back of their hand. Read on for their top picks.
Chris Jensen
President of Coldwell Banker Utah
Former US champion mogul skier
The favorite: Mt. Ogden Chute at Snow Basin Resort
“Mt. Ogden Chute can be reached by riding the tram to the top of Mt Allen, where the 2002 Olympic downhill was held, and then climbing another quarter mile to the south along a ridge of cornices and ice. The trip there is half of the adventure because of the tremendous views and the scale of things below seems tiny. When looking up from below, the trees look very small and when you are climbing the ridge you can see that they are 100+ year old trees, 30 to 40 feet tall, and have survived extremely high winds during their entire existence. When you arrive at the top of the chute and look down, the butterflies set in… big time. The wind blows almost constantly on the ridge so the snow is almost always challenging to ski. The first couple of turns you realize that if you fall, you will fall all the way down, so a mistake is not an option. As you descend about five to six turns, you fall completely out of sight from the skiers left back at the top because the hill just gets steeper and narrower. Once you make it past the narrows, you’ve passed through the hardest part and now you need to make your turns perfect for the spectators below in the John Paul Lodge. You don’t want to be seen hacking it up in Mt. Ogden Chute.”
Susan Yoshikawa-Torres
Independent Sales Associate at Coldwell Banker Station Park
The favorite: Wellsville Mountains
“Located on the north end of the Wasatch Mountains, the Wellsville Mountains have the distinction of being the steepest mountain range in the world. While only moderately tall, they are particularly narrow. Box Elder (9,372′) and the Wellsville Cone (9,356′) are its two highest peaks.”
Kevin Larsen
Branch Manager at Coldwell Banker Park City
The favorite: Stein’s Way at Deer Valley Ski Resort
“Stein’s Way offers incredible views of the Jordanelle Lake with the Uintah Mountains as a back drop. It is a very long run that is groomed but if you can catch it on a powder morning, you feel as if you are flying as it is the perfect pitch to allow you to never feel your skis hit the groomed run below… it’s the closest feel to flying you can experience.”
Christine Carver
Independent Sales Associate at Coldwell Banker Ogden
The favorite: Dan’s Run at Snow Basin Resort
“Nothing like those three big drops with the short plateaus between them at Dan’s Run to feel like you’re flying! This run is especially great on a week day when there’s no one in sight. My daughter loves it and the boys in my family love almost anywhere they can get fresh lines – and they’ll even hike to it!”
Erik Schlopy
Independent Sales Associate at Coldwell Banker Park City Newpark
Former Olympian and US Ski Team member
The favorite: CB’s at Park City Mountain
“My favorite run is CB’s at Park City Mountain because I have fond memories there of the World Cup Races and the Olympics. How could it be anything else?!”
Do you agree with Coldwell Banker Utah’s top picks for ski runs? Let us know in the comments below.
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