NeedhamSkier
New member
It may be a bit of a stretch, but I ended up thinking of Powder Mountain as a sort of squashed Vail – lots of acreage, lots of bowls, but feels like about half of the vertical. (And only about 10% of the skiers, so probably 20 times the chance of scoring some powder)
If for nothing else, it’s worth a day at PowMow just to see the different country up there. Very different feel from the Cottonwoods or Park City.
I was a bit concerned by the temperature on the drive up – the thermometer showed 1 degree down by the lake, but it warmed up to a toasty 11 degrees up at the resort. I know the physics behind it, but it’s still weird to see the temperature rise as you climb up the mountain
The mountain reported 14” from Saturday’s storm, but it looked like the it had been attacked pretty hard on Sunday – all the obvious lines in the open were tracked out until you got over to Cobabe. There also seemed to be more people there than I expected from other reports, particularly for a Monday, with the main parking lot completely filled. But it was still walk-on to every lift.
So, following instructions for my powder quest, I headed to Cobabe. First time round, I headed too far right (around East Yo) and while the low-angle untracked was really nice, the catwalk was long and the juice didn’t quite seem worth the squeeze.
But I came back later and then I got it. This time I followed Sanctuary along the ridge, and suddenly I was into unlimited lines in the woods, with a nicer pitch also.
The Paradise lift was the other big winner of the day for me. The runs through the woods on skiers left were great fun, with lightly tracked, boot-deep.
What I like about this photo
is that it shows the snow that could be found so easily. It was taken about 20 yards from Snowchaser, the main trail along the Paradise ridge. If you’re looking for steeper terrain, Paradise has it and you can lap it easily, for 1600’ of goodness. I probably did 4 or 5 runs there, every one of them a winner in some way.
Apart from that, I poked around, cruised a few trails and jumped into the trees when it looked interesting. For example, although it wasn’t long or steep, this run beside the poma lift had the most awesome snow and was just plain fun.
Yes, aspect is important – there was a slight crust already in some areas, which you could avoid by traversing to a more northerly aspect – thanks for the tip, Flyover
Managed to do all this without riding the cat (Lightning Ridge was not running) or going into Powder Country, as I had diligently read the warning sign and had promised my wife that I would do nothing even faintly out of bounds by myself.
There’s a few downsides to the mountain. Slow lifts for one, but that’s okay with me – I’ll trade slow lifts for no lines anytime. And getting back to repeat a run can be tough. But the biggest downside for me were the lodges and the food. Comparing this
with this
(from Snowbasin yesterday) was a bit of a shock.
And the food, as others have pointed out, is a complete mess. They didn’t run out, but I spent 20 minutes standing in line for the worst kind of ski resort burger. But there again, a $55 ticket (bought in Eden) buys you a lot of forgiveness. And they have a great music playlist in the main lodge.
So even though I probably only accessed about 25% of the terrain, I really liked PowMow and would definitely come back. As many on this board have pointed out, if untracked is your objective, you can find it, just as long as you’re prepared to be patient and work a little. But I also think it’s a great family mountain – I could definitely see my kids having a blast here, moving around the mountain from one valley to another, enjoying the varied trails but also exploring the whole area and dropping into the trees whenever they felt like it.
If for nothing else, it’s worth a day at PowMow just to see the different country up there. Very different feel from the Cottonwoods or Park City.
I was a bit concerned by the temperature on the drive up – the thermometer showed 1 degree down by the lake, but it warmed up to a toasty 11 degrees up at the resort. I know the physics behind it, but it’s still weird to see the temperature rise as you climb up the mountain
The mountain reported 14” from Saturday’s storm, but it looked like the it had been attacked pretty hard on Sunday – all the obvious lines in the open were tracked out until you got over to Cobabe. There also seemed to be more people there than I expected from other reports, particularly for a Monday, with the main parking lot completely filled. But it was still walk-on to every lift.
So, following instructions for my powder quest, I headed to Cobabe. First time round, I headed too far right (around East Yo) and while the low-angle untracked was really nice, the catwalk was long and the juice didn’t quite seem worth the squeeze.
But I came back later and then I got it. This time I followed Sanctuary along the ridge, and suddenly I was into unlimited lines in the woods, with a nicer pitch also.
The Paradise lift was the other big winner of the day for me. The runs through the woods on skiers left were great fun, with lightly tracked, boot-deep.
What I like about this photo
is that it shows the snow that could be found so easily. It was taken about 20 yards from Snowchaser, the main trail along the Paradise ridge. If you’re looking for steeper terrain, Paradise has it and you can lap it easily, for 1600’ of goodness. I probably did 4 or 5 runs there, every one of them a winner in some way.
Apart from that, I poked around, cruised a few trails and jumped into the trees when it looked interesting. For example, although it wasn’t long or steep, this run beside the poma lift had the most awesome snow and was just plain fun.
Yes, aspect is important – there was a slight crust already in some areas, which you could avoid by traversing to a more northerly aspect – thanks for the tip, Flyover
Managed to do all this without riding the cat (Lightning Ridge was not running) or going into Powder Country, as I had diligently read the warning sign and had promised my wife that I would do nothing even faintly out of bounds by myself.
There’s a few downsides to the mountain. Slow lifts for one, but that’s okay with me – I’ll trade slow lifts for no lines anytime. And getting back to repeat a run can be tough. But the biggest downside for me were the lodges and the food. Comparing this
with this
(from Snowbasin yesterday) was a bit of a shock.
And the food, as others have pointed out, is a complete mess. They didn’t run out, but I spent 20 minutes standing in line for the worst kind of ski resort burger. But there again, a $55 ticket (bought in Eden) buys you a lot of forgiveness. And they have a great music playlist in the main lodge.
So even though I probably only accessed about 25% of the terrain, I really liked PowMow and would definitely come back. As many on this board have pointed out, if untracked is your objective, you can find it, just as long as you’re prepared to be patient and work a little. But I also think it’s a great family mountain – I could definitely see my kids having a blast here, moving around the mountain from one valley to another, enjoying the varied trails but also exploring the whole area and dropping into the trees whenever they felt like it.
