The community of Alta in Little Cottonwood Canyon was started in 1869, after a U.S. soldier prospected silver there. The Emma Mine soon became one of the biggest producers of silver ore in the Wasatch Mountains. At its height, more than 8,000 people lived and worked in the narrow canyon until a series of avalanches destroyed the town.
Snowbird Resort shares Little Cottonwood Canyon with Alta Ski Area. The two resorts offer a joint ski pass which allows visitors full access to all the ski lifts and terrain on both mountains.
Location: Snowbird is located along Highway 210 up Little Cottonwood Canyon, about 4 miles east of Sandy, Utah: Google Map of Snowbird
Cost: -There are a variety of season ski passes available. The resort usually stays open for skiing through Memorial Day weekend. To view a menu of prices/packages, go to: http://www.snowbird.com/seasonpasses/
- There is also a variety of single-day ski passes starting at $38 (youth half day): http://www.snowbird.com/tickets-and-season-passes/
- All day summer Activities Passes are: $44/person 42 inches or taller; $34/person under 42"
- The Mountain Sports Camp is $385/child for the 5-day camp
Time: - Ski lifts are open from 9 am - 5 pm daily during ski season (usually late Nov. - late May).
-Summer Activities Pass attractions are open from 11 am - 8 pm (weather permitting). It takes about 4 hours to do all the activities once.
Description: With its close proximity to the urban areas of Salt Lake County and Utah County, as well as its heavy yearly snowfall (over 500 inches annually), Snowbird is the second snowiest resort in the U.S., and perennially ranks among the top ski resorts in North America. Snowbird ski resort has 2,500 acres of skiable land and has over 150 ski runs for beginners (27% green runs), novices (38% blue runs), and experts (35% black runs). Ten ski lifts, a surface lift, an aerial tram, and a 600 ft. one-way tunnel conveyor lift take skiers to various runs throughout the resort. Of the three ski resorts my daughter and I have visited in Utah, this one is probably our favorite.
The Summer Activities Pass gives the participant unlimited access to the following activities:
- The Aerial Tram Ride takes riders up the 1.6 mile cable to the top of Hidden Peak (elev. 11,000 feet). The ride takes about 10 minutes, allowing the riders 20 minutes to enjoy the beautiful vistas before the tram heads back down.
- The Mountain Coaster is a roller coaster style ride that takes the rider zipping along a 3,120 foot track full of twists and turns. The difference between this and a traditional roller coaster is that the rider has some control of his/her speed. (This ride is my personal favorite.)
- The Alpine Slide allows the rider to race his wheeled sled down the twisting, turning track slide (1,300 linear feet). Once again, the driver controls the sled's speed.
- The Mountain Flyer whisks two riders up the 1,000 foot zipline (backwards) to the tower. Then it releases them to zip down the line to the Plaza Deck.
- The Vertical Drop lets harnessed participants drop from the 50-foot green tower to the ground below. The ride includes 9 feet of freefall, followed by a gradual auto-belay the rest of the way.
- The Climbing Wall allows harnessed participants to climb up the rock wall along one of 3 paths (easy, medium, or hard).
- The Ropes Course allows harnessed participants to traverse a variety of rope or wood bridges to test their sense of balance.
- The Bungee Trampoline lets riders experience extreme trampoline jumping by harnessing them with a series of bungee cords. This allows jumpers to experiment a variety of flips and aerial turns without the fear of breaking their neck if they miscalculate.
- The Peruvian Chair & Tunnel takes riders on a 20 minute ski lift ride up to the Peruvian Tunnel. Once there, riders can explore the tunnel, admire the wildflowers, or take a hike before heading back down the lift.
- The Under 42" pass includes most of the above activities (except the Mountain Flyer), but on some they must be accompanied by an adult. In addition, it includes the Kid Inflatables.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Things You Should Know: - Earn a discount on season passes purchased by September 10.
- Camp Snowbird is a state licensed child-care facility that allows parents of young children to ski without worrying about the safety of their children.
- Ski passes are expensive. For a cheaper option, you might want to try night skiing ($13).
- You can usually find deals for cheaper lift tickets on the internet at sites such as Liftopia.
- Additional winter activities include: snowshoeing, winter tram rides, snowcat skiing, snowmobile tours, mountain tours, helicopter ski trips, and the avalanche training center.
- If you only want to try out a few of the summer attractions, individual tickets may be purchased for each attraction. If you wish to participate in 3 or more of the activities, you should consider purchasing the all-day pass; especially since it lets you go on rides multiple times.
- Some of the activities on the summer pass require close-toed shoes.
- The Mountain Sports Camp (for ages 10-15) allows young teens and tweens to learn new skills by participating in a variety of activities including biking, swimming, hiking, trail running, and climbing under the instruction of professional coaches.
- Other summer activities include: mountain biking, hiking, fishing, gemstone mining, mine and water tunnel tours, GPS/Orienteering classes, and bowling.
- Certain weather conditions may close various attractions.
- Food and clothing prices are significantly higher than down in the valley, so be prepared.
Nearby: Alta Ski Resort, Lisa Falls, Red Pine Lake, Cecret Lake, Sunset Peak
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