Snowbird ski resort
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Snowbird is a year-round ski and summer resort located in the U.S. state of Utah on the eastern border of the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy in the Little Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. It is 29 miles from Salt Lake International Airport, 24 miles from downtown Salt Lake City and 4 miles east of the suburb of Sandy.
Snowbird, as is it typically called, is considered to be among the best ski resorts in the world, along with its neighbor Alta Ski Area. Both receive over 500 inches of snow per year and Snowbird usually closes on Memorial Day in late May while the occasional ski year can last as long as the Fourth of July. Snowbird has a skiable area of 2,500 acres (10 km²) with a vertical drop of 3,240 ft (990 m). from the summit of Hidden Peak, which has an elevation of above 11,000 ft (3400 m). Hidden Peak is serviced by an aerial tram from the lodges.
Facilities
Snowbird currently has 10 ski lifts (3 High-Speed Quads, 7 Doubles, and a surface lift) plus an aerial tram. Skiers can access the resources of both Snowbird and Alta through a joint pass that allows skiers access to both resorts using one pass, allowing access to 26 total ski lifts and tows and a skiable area of 4,700 acres (19 km²). Since Alta does not allow snowboarders, this option is only available to skiers, although Snowbird allows snowboarding within its boundaries.The terrain at Snowbird is 27% beginner, 38% intermediate, and 35% Advanced.
Snowbird has a total of four lodges, including the Iron Blosam, the Inn, the Lodge at Snowbird, and the Cliff Lodge. The resort also has many gift shops, restaurants, arcades, a popular fine-dining Sunday brunch, hiking trails, several pools, a full-service spa, and a luge.
Awards
Skiing Magazine ranked the Alta-Snowbird ski area second in North America overall and first in the United States for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. According to SKI Magazine (October 2002) Snowbird ranked 20th in North America with Gold Medals in Snow, Access, Challenge, Terrain, Scenery, Weather and Lifts. In specific categories it was ranked No. 3 in North America for Snow, No. 4 in North America for Challenge, and No. 5 in North America for Terrain. The Ski School at Snowbird is well-regarded and two of Snowbird’s Mountain School Instructors, Rob Sogard and Nancy Thorsen, made SKI Magazine’s Top 100 list.
External links
- [Snowbird's homepage]
- [The Ski Utah homepage]
- [Snowbird Resort Review - FeedTheHabit.com]
- [great deals on timeshare rentals right at Snowbird]
- [First Tracks article on Snowbird]
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