Snowbasin will host one of the most high-profile events in skiing and snowboarding. Powder Mountain will put on a festival to showcase the high-flying sport of snowkiting. And the smaller, but locally loved Wolf Creek Utah will celebrate die-hard fans of the legendary Jimmy Buffett.
These are just some of the planned highlights at local resorts for the upcoming ski season, which the recent weather has reminded us is just around the corner.
Perhaps the highlight of the season will be the Winter Dew Tour, which is making a three-day stop at Snowbasin beginning Jan. 15.
In just its second year, the competition already features some of the biggest names in skiing and snowboarding. The event will attract worldwide attention to Snowbasin, with national television coverage planned by NBC, USA Network and MTV, as well as international broadcasts in about 150 countries.
About 25,000 spectators attended last year's Winter Dew Tour, with similar crowds expected this time around.
Events at the Snowbasin tour stop will include superpipe, in which competitors try to out-trick and out-air each other on an 18-foot-deep halfpipe; and slopestyle, a downhill course on which riders pick their own lines through a series of rails and jumps.
The resort's snowmaking system will use approximately 30 million gallons of water to create the superpipe and slopestyle features, General Manager Kent Lyons said.
"Snowbasin is the perfect mountain for us," said Chris Prybylo, vice president of events for the Alliance of Action Sports, the Illinois-based group that puts on the Dew Tour and other action-sports competitions. "They can clearly put on a big event, as we all saw during the 2002 Olympics."
Local resorts have offered package deals and other incentives in an attempt to draw more visitors and locals in a down economy, but most important to the success and duration of the ski season is, of course, snowfall.
In keeping with tradition, Snowbasin plans to open on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26 this year), even if there is plenty of snow on the slopes before Thanksgiving. Most visitors won't show up before then regardless of snow conditions, officials say.
Powder Mountain and Wolf Creek both have tentative plans to open the day after Thanksgiving.
Powder Mountain uses several selling points and unique offerings to distinguish itself and attract visitors. It prides itself on being the only Utah resort that doesn't use snowmaking equipment, instead relying on Mother Nature, which typically blesses it with the most natural snowfall among Top of Utah resorts.
The resort is quickly gaining a reputation as a leading location for snowkiting, a relatively new but fast-growing sport in which skiers and snowboarders harness the wind by attaching themselves to a large, parachute-like kite. Think parasailing, but instead of being pulled behind a boat, riders are propelled by the natural wind that can be found in abundance atop Powder Mountain's high ridges.
On March 11-14, the resort will host the 2010 SuperFly Open Snow Kite Festival, as it did last year. Snowkiters from around the nation, and even the world, will descend on Powder Mountain to compete in events such as an obstacle course and "big-air", in which riders catch currents to soar as high as 60 feet above ground.
The resort will continue to offer snowcat rides to visitors who wish to access thousands of acres of backcountry and other terrain not accessed by its regular lifts. This season, in addition to the Lightning Ridge area, guests will also be able to purchase snowcat rides to a run in the Cobabe Canyon area dubbed Raintree.
That allows it to lay claim to 7,000 acres of accessible terrain -- more than any other resort in North America.
A free shuttle service from Eden will be available again this season, and Powder Mountain is launching a ride-sharing Web forum where guests can find others in their area to ride with.
In past seasons, guests seeking mid-week discounts on lift passes had to purchase a discount card. This season, they will only need to show a Utah driver license.
"We want to maintain our reputation for untracked powder, and continue the value reputation we have," Powder Mountain spokeswoman Carolyn Daniels said.
Wolf Creek Utah, formerly known as Wolf Mountain (and before that, Nordic Valley), prides itself on being a solid, non-intimidating place to learn to ski or board. It's also a popular night-skiing destination, and has greatly expanded its live music and other live-entertainment offerings in recent years.
In addition to hosting a U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Association race and Youth Ski League State Championships, Wolf Creek is planning to wrap up the season March 27-28 with Parrot Head Weekend, a beach-themed homage to die-hard fans of Jimmy Buffett, who collectively call themselves "Parrot Heads." Live music, special events, contests and food will highlight the weekend.
Local resorts have become more creative in their efforts to draw crowds, but at the end of the day, the success of the season ultimately depends on Utah's legendary powder, which through the efforts of state tourism officials has come to be known as "The Greatest Snow on Earth."
2009-10 events schedule
at Top of Utah ski resorts
Snowbasin:
Nov. 26: Opening day and Thanksgiving feast
Dec. 24: Christmas Eve celebration
Jan. 15-17: Winter Dew Tour
Powder Mountain:
Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve celebration
Jan. 7: Night Jam (first Thursday of each month)
Jan. 22: Gromfest #3 (for kids)
March 11-14: SuperFly Open Snow Kite Festival
March 26-27: Utah Special Olympics Alpine Ski Races
April 10: 12th Annual Spring Session competition
Wolf Creek Utah:
Dec. 12: Yard Jam competition
Dec. 31: New Year’s ski party
Jan. 8-10: USSA Boarder Cross
Feb. 13-15: President’s Weekend Bash
Feb. 20: Slopestyle competition (also March 20)
March 5-7: USSA Master’s Race
March 12-14: Youth Ski League State Championships
March 27: Rail Jam Encore competition
March 27-28: Parrot Head Weekend
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