Snowbasin, UT, Mar. 19, 2024

Tony Crocker

Administrator
Staff member
We got started a little earlier than at Beaver Mt. and Powder Mt. due to Snowbasin’s predominant east exposure. We arrived by 9, had breakfast and were on the Needles gondola by 9:45. We headed directly to Strawberry, where the lower pitch of Coyote Bowl (run next to gondola in pic below) was already in prime corn mode.
IMG_5496.JPG


That pic was taken from the new DeMoisy lift, which does not go to the top of the ridge and thus can run many times when Strawberry is on wind hold. On this spring morning DeMoisy also gives direct access to the Lower Main and Bear Springs runs also with smooth corn.
IMG_5494.JPG


From the top of Strawberry is the view west over Ogden to the Great Salt Lake.
IMG_5492a.JPG


Moving skier’s right, runs were almost deserted, even groomed upper Gordon’s here.
IMG_5500.JPG


Next run ungroomed Upper Main Street had softened.
IMG_5501.JPG


IMG_5504.JPG


We pushed far right into Moonshine Bowl
IMG_5505.JPG


IMG_5508.JPG


We descended lower on White Lightning.
IMG_5512.JPG


We left Strawberry around noon. I traversed over to Lone Tree. View down Strawberry from there:
IMG_5514.JPG

The sketchy bumped entry to Lone Tree is at far left.

Later view of Lone Tree riding the upgraded Middle Bowl chair:
IMG_5516.JPG

Snow in Lone Tree was still winter chalk.

Liz and I met at Needles and skied Porky’s Bowl plus a couple of groomers.
IMG_5518.JPG


I rode John Paul and the tram to the top of the Grizzly Downhill.
IMG_5523.JPG


I skied most of the Wildflower Downhill, deserted at 2PM during its peak spring condition. Views up:
IMG_5525.JPG

And down:
IMG_5526.JPG


Lower down I ended up in the intense moguls of Grizzly Downhill finish.
IMG_5528.JPG

View from the parking lot with Grizzly in red and Wildflower in orange.

I finished with a top to bottom Needles cruiser and 26,300 vertical.

With the east exposure and low base elevation Snowbasin goes to spring conditions fast in warm weather. However the high speed lifts allow you to rack up vertical with nearly every run timed to optimal conditions. I know Snowbasin is impacted by Utah’s explosive growth on the weekends, but midweek you can see there is plenty of elbow room in nearly all of my pictures.
 
Last edited:
I see Snowbasin has a projected closing date of April 28. This year has been a near average one as far as snow goes? It will be pretty thin in most areas on closing day I would think?
 
Not necessarily thin but definitely sloppy by noon.

Snowbasin as of March 16 was at 125% of normal snowfall, with Utah overall at 122%

Overall western snowfall was 96% on March 16, an impressive recovery from the 57% Jan. 1. That implies about 130% over the past 2 1/2 months.
 
Not necessarily thin but definitely sloppy by noon.
Do any of the resorts that cater to spring skiing fanatics (Mammoth, Squaw) spin lifts earlier in the day once April and May come round? I recall a 9am start at Bachelor last year but we got 3 snow days so they would not have been catering to spring conditions.
 
Only Mammoth is proactive about responding to spring conditions. Opening bell gets moved back to 8am sometime in May and eventually 7:30 in June. Closing is rolled back to 3pm sometime in May, then 2pm and sometimes earlier when it’s very warm and they are concerned about wet slides.

Bachelor backs up its closing time to 2pm or earlier on a fixed date in late April. Opening might be 8 or 8:30.

If winter conditions persist into May, Mammoth will continue with a later closing hour but Bachelor cuts it back on the fixed date regardless.
 
see Snowbasin has a projected closing date of April 28.
That's odd. I could've sworn that Snowbasin always closes by mid-April.

I'm jealous of the nice spring conditions Tony scored.

Hah, Lone Tree. I remember 20 years ago someone I was skiing with tried to talk me into giving it a shot. I told him no thanks, which was the correct answer for my skill level (confirmed by the pic):
img_5516-jpg.40456
 
Hah, Lone Tree. I remember 20 years ago someone I was skiing with tried to talk me into giving it a shot. I told him no thanks, which was the correct answer for my skill level (confirmed by the pic):
Do you not possess that inner thing that makes you want to have a crack at terrain that is above your skill level whether it’s sensible or otherwise?
 
Hah, Lone Tree. I remember 20 years ago someone I was skiing with tried to talk me into giving it a shot. I told him no thanks, which was the correct answer for my skill level (confirmed by the pic):
Interestingly, I look at it, and despite the pitch I bemoan that it is too wide. Gimme some nice narrow chutes!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top