SALT LAKE CITY — While Utah waits for more snow to hit the mountains, it’s time to get ready with gear and passes.
Ten of Utah's 15 resorts are within an hour's drive of Salt Lake City, and all welcome both skiers and snowboarders except Alta and Deer Valley, which prohibit snowboarding.
Getting Your Pass
There are several different passes from which to choose. Resorts feature season passes, while there are multi-resort passes like Ikon, Epic, Indy, Ski Utah Gold Pass, Ski Utah Yeti Pass, and Mountain Collective.
Those multi-resort passes allow visitors to ski in resorts across the world. Each one has different tiers for pricing, blackout dates, and amenities, and it’s important to get those earlier rather than later, before prices increase.
- Mountain Collective Pass: Access to Alta, Snowbasin, and Snowbird.
- Epic Pass: Access to Park City Mountain.
- Ikon Pass: Access to Alta, Brighton, Deer Valley, Snowbasin, Snowbird, and Solitude.
- Ski Utah Gold Pass: Unlimited access to every single mountain with zero blackout dates.
- Ski Utah Yeti Pass: One day access to all 15 of the resorts.
For students, there is the Ski Utah 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Passport, which is designed to offer a three-day resort access at any of the 15 resorts for only $69 before Dec. 1 and $89 after.
CLICK HERE to see the full list of pass options and prices.
Getting to the mountain
Parking is available at each of the resorts for skiers and snowboarders who want to drive themselves, but the Utah Transit Authority offers ski buses to several of the resorts for $5 each way. Ikon pass holders get the UTA ride for free.
“As we get into the holiday season and the weekends, make sure you have your parking dialed and of course we always encourage people to take public transportation or carpool if they can as those options start to open up,” Alison Palmintere, the director of communications at Ski Utah, said.
CLICK HERE for transportation stops, schedules, and rides.
What gear do I need?
For both skiing and snowboarding, you’ll need a helmet and goggles. Make sure to layer your clothes with a base layer and a waterproof outer layer. Boots are different between skiing and snowboarding, so it’s important to double-check which boots are being purchased.
“You want to have some kind of synthetic base layer and a mid-layer puffy jacket and then a shell and then, same thing with the bottoms, a synthetic layer and then some kind of waterproof shell,” Palmintere said.
Things to know for snowboarding
Palmintere said snowboarding is harder to learn but easier to master. The snowboard itself has bindings, and the rider will strap their boots into those bindings.
“So when you’re ready to get on your snowboard and get on the lift, typically you strap into your front foot,” Palmintere said.
There are different stances to take on the snowboard, which depend on whether the rider is a lefty or a righty. Once you get off the lift and are at the top of the mountain, strap the other foot in and start your journey down the mountain.
Things to know for skiing
On the flip side, Palmintere shared how skiing is easier to learn but harder to master. Skiers need ski-specific boots and poles in addition to the skis themselves. When people pick out their skis, the best fit depends on the rider’s height. Skis also vary in length and width, which also depends on the terrain of the ski slope.
Some days on the slopes feature fresh powder while others are called “groomer days”, which means the snow is maintained in a flat surface.
“There are some that are better in the powder that we get here in Utah, which is the best snow on Earth and a lot of it,” Palmintere said. “And some are better for those groomer days.
Where do I get the equipment?
Several ski shops around Utah — like Ski and See or Canyon Sports — provide all the equipment for purchase or for season rental. There are also a lot of ski swaps where people can buy gently used equipment for a cheaper price. The resorts also provide rentals.
For a full list of the different shops from which to choose, click HERE.
