Here’s why we love skiing in the Rockies in March: It’s just as likely to drop a foot of powder as it is to be a bluebird, corn snow day; most people have hung up their boards for the season so there are fewer crowds; longer days mean après on the deck in the sun.
Here’s why we love skiing in Utah, specifically Little Cottonwood Canyon: time travel. Drive 30 minutes west of Salt Lake City through the red, craggy walls of Little Cottonwood, and you’ll ascend to skier’s paradise.
Alta is one of the oldest ski resorts in the west, and it still maintains a family-friendly, unpretentious attitude. Make no mistake though: just because the lefties don’t flaunt their bona fides doesn’t mean the mountain is tame. Alta’s deep snow, epic steeps, and expert chutes draw rippers from around the world.
The adjacent Snowbird has just enough attitude to be the teenage son of the more-parental Alta. With a tram that delivers skiers to double-black slopes on the front and back sides, an average snowfall of 500-inches, and annual accolades from the likes of national adventure magazines, this resort challenges you to bring you’re A-game to its high alpine playground.
The Fine Print
Follow our lead and book your trip to the Beehive state for some late-season turns before the snow gives way to the wildflowers and mountain bike season. In case you need more convincing, read on:
1. Cheap flights: It’s almost as affordable to fly into Salt Lake City from anywhere as it is to land in Las Vegas.
2. Easily accessible: Rent a car for fewer than $20 a day, or hop on an airline shuttle to get to the mountains. It takes about the same time to get from SLC to Alta as it does to land in Denver, take the train to the baggage terminal, and, finally, retrieve your bags.
3. Inimitable lodging: Forget 600-thread-count sheets and turn down service, and experience the old school charm of the Peruvian Lodge. Your rate includes three meals a day and your room is so close to the slope you can practically roll out of bed onto your skis. In other resorts you’d have to pay in the high three figures for accommodation like this. Here rooms range from $127 to $255 per person per night.
