Snowbasin, UT

How did I come to be riding in Utah, at Snowbasin? My goal was to ride Jackson Hole, in Wyoming. Well it comes down to research, Jackson Hole airport isn’t exactly an American Airlines hub, however Salt Lake City is a more common flight route, and therefore cheaper to fly into. The savings from flying into Salt Lake  City I could put towards a three night stay in Ogden, UT, where I could then achieve my favourite thing, riding a new mountain.

Ogden has plenty of history in the frontier days. Originally residing in Mexico, it became the first European settlement in Utah, and a rail hub in the westward expansion of the railroads. One famous person who lived here was Jonathan Browning. Smokey’s BBQ and Grill is worth a visit for St Louis style BBQ deliciousness. Ramen Haus produces a great soup stock, and is also worth checking out.

Unfortunately I only had the two days here so didn’t get to ride much of the mountain, my standouts were mostly on the Strawberry Bowl, and Wild Cat Ridge. Staying Ogden was beneficial as I could catch the UTA skibus and didn’t need to have a vehicle. They have an app for purchasing tickets, just make sure your phone doesn’t go flat in the cold! The town lacks an apres ski atmosphere, but the Ruroc USA headquarters is located here, so is a great spot to try and buy if you like their gear (think seconds). What would I change for next time? I’d like to spend more time here and checkout Power Mountain as it was highly recommended by the locals.

The drive toJackson, WY took about 7 hours as I stopped fora long lunch at Pocatello, ID atPortneuf Valley Brewing and grabbed some groceries for the week longstay at Jackson Hole, WY. A straight shot would have been about 5 hours. Thedrive along route 15 is kinda boring, but luckily the speed limit is highenough to keep you alert, and the view of the plains amused. The weatherforecast was for a snow storm during the whole drive, so I made the decision toavoid Teton Pass and come up from the south from Alpine. I got lucky and wasable to do the whole drive in a gap in the storm, so went through Teton Pass.At an elevation of 2,570 m (8,431 ft) it’s not a place to be during a storm.

March 2018