Travel

Sensational Snowbasin

With its wide and lengthy runs, luxurious lodges and genuinely delicious food, Snowbasin (snowbasin.com) is Utah’s secret weapon.

This sister resort to Idaho’s Sun Valley was whipped into shape for the 2002 Winter Olympics, when it held several alpine events. Though it’s just 35 miles north of Salt Lake City, the place has maintained a low profile, and its small crowds mean you can find powder stashes long after neighboring resorts have been tracked out.

But Snowbasin’s real strength is as a haven for intermediate skiers who enjoy creature comforts. Wide, impeccably groomed runs meander all over the 3,000 skiable acres — Elk Ridge alone goes on for 3 miles — while pow newbies can practice on relatively gentle trails easily accessible from the lifts. And those include a pair of fast, high-volume gondolas that provide toasty rides in all kinds of weather.

While beginner and intermediate runs make up 70 percent of the terrain, the advanced crowd won’t be bored: Snowbasin boasts 3,000 vertical feet, and you can ski or board the hair-raising Olympic downhill course.

The breaks are almost as good as the action: Snowbasin’s on-mountain lodges offer spectacular views and superior dining at nearly 9,000 feet. French fries don’t linger under heat lamps here— we’re talking Kobe beef hot dogs, smoked-trout salad and a gluten-free menu, served beneath cathedral-like arches made of spruce wood.

The Grizzly Center Rental Shop is the only place to get gear, but it stocks an impressively large range. The well-trained staff, offering considered advice on various quality planks, made for the single most enjoyable rental experience I’ve ever had.

While there aren’t any accommodations at Snowbasin proper, Ogden makes for a good base 17 miles away. This former rowdy railroad outpost has reinvented itself as a spirited Western burg. Historic 25th Street is packed with restaurants and bars. No car, no problem: Public buses get you to the slopes for $8.50 round trip. Those weary of the snow can find indoors thrills as well: Ogden is also where you can practice body-flight in an air-flow tunnel (iflyutah.com) and surf a standing wave (flowriderutah.com).

WHERE TO STAY

Lakeside Resorts offers condo accommodations by the Pineview Reservoir, 10 minutes from Snowbasin (two-night, one-bedroom packages including four lift tickets, pre-arrival grocery service and $100 on-mountain credit start at $825, lakesideresortproperties.com)

Built in 1913, Ogden’s Hampton Inn is an Art Deco beauty with surprising elegance (double room from $94, $234 with two Snowbasin lift tickets, hamptoninnogden.com). Note that while open, the hotel is undergoing renovations until April 28.