# Help me decide: Brighton or Powder Mountain, Utah?



## LI Boarder (Jan 9, 2010)

Heading out to Utah the first week in March. 
From my research so far:
Brighton: easy to get to, closer to airport,no car needed using bus system, food available around hotel, staying in Sandy-Midval they have good package deals. 
Powder: 1 1/2 hours away, will have to rent car(4wd prob), but can stay slopeside. Not much at the mountain as far as amenities and food though but if it snows much better chance of finding powder. 
I am an intermediate snowboarder from the east coast, have traveled to Whistler and Aspen in the past. Powder seems more like of an adventure with their available cat skiing and remoteness. Given the choice where would you go and why?:dunno:


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

LI Boarder said:


> Heading out to Utah the first week in March.
> From my research so far:
> Brighton: easy to get to, closer to airport,no car needed using bus system, food available around hotel, staying in Sandy-Midval they have good package deals.
> Powder: 1 1/2 hours away, will have to rent car(4wd prob), but can stay slopeside. Not much at the mountain as far as amenities and food though but if it snows much better chance of finding powder.
> I am an intermediate snowboarder from the east coast, have traveled to Whistler and Aspen in the past. Powder seems more like of an adventure with their available cat skiing and remoteness. Given the choice where would you go and why?:dunno:


personally I prefer remote locations for vacation... I hate crowds. I would do powder mountain in a heart beat. You going to be there for a week, the place is HUGE with lots of options for runs. I also am not a big drinker or partier so I dont care about bars/restaurants.... I usually stay in a small town in colorado that has 2 bars with 3.5 people in each one on average for a friday night, including the bartender. I always have a vehicle with me. Slopeside would be nice but they dont have it where I usually go. 

Bottom line IMO, if you are there for strictly riding, do powder mountain. If you are there for the whole scene then brighton might be a better pick.....


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## LI Boarder (Jan 9, 2010)

Argo: I'm on the same page as you, ride all day and then get some good sleep at night. (too wiped to go out anyway) Where in Co. do you like to ride to avoid crowds?


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I ride in wolf creek, stay in pagosa springs. This place is only crowded with lines about 10 days a year, other then that it is wide open riding straight up to the lift chair every time without a wait.... I have been there on every record attendance day of the past 4 years and the lines are still not that horrible..... The freaking lodges have gotten more crowded though. I have not gone in the lodge in over a year now.... We just board straight down to the parking lot and each lunch that we pack in the truck, then go back to the lift from there.... 

It is a smaller resort that is pretty remote to get to. The nearest REGIONAL airport is in Durango, about an hour from pagosa springs and 90 minutes from wolf creek. We always drive up there and rent a house on some land so we can sled when we take a day off. Typically we go 2 weeks at a time, twice a season. 

Lift tickets are only around $50 too. Kids all day lessons/lift ticket included is $60....there are lots of beginner kids, my son is quite advanced so he ends up with private lessons all day for $60 since there are only about 3-4 instructors that can even keep up with him and show him new stuff, he is 11.... lol. The instructors are mostly kids from the local highschools, there are a few that are older more experienced people with cert.... 

I love this place but we are moving on to different areas as this has been our main boarding mountain for 5 years now. I am likely moving to vail for the season to work and ride. I want to live across the street from a lift, the hospital in vail is right at the base of the mountain with homes/apts right there..... sorry for the rambling, I type kinda fast so it just ends up being longer than I origionally intended........


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## Music Moves (Jan 23, 2009)

Depends on where the fresh is...


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## LI Boarder (Jan 9, 2010)

Argo: I love your rambling, that's the kind of information that you often can't find. Thanks for the come back!


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## Music Moves (Jan 23, 2009)

I have a preference for Snowbird, but if you are an intermediate rider, you may get lost out there. Definitely always better to have a local or at least someone who is experienced and knows the mountain. And yes, Pow is a little farther away than most... while remote can be good, remoteness really matters more while on the mountain and I always seem to be able to "get remote" while at Bird.


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## T.J. (Aug 28, 2007)

just got back from Utah though we didnt have a chance to ride brighton. as music said, Snowbird was amazing but definitely the most challenging terrian we encountered. lots of cliffs, chutes and steeps. awesome stuff.

we ended up doing 2 days at powder mountain cause we liked it so much. never a crowd and you can always find fresh pow stashes.

you will most definitely need a car to get to powmow but not necessarity 4wd, we had fwd and were fine both days we went up there 

FWIW, we also did a day at park shitty and hated it compared to PowMow and the Bird.


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## kswissreject (Feb 26, 2009)

I just got back from a trip to utah and wyoming, and like you am an intermediate snowboarder from the east coast. 

did brighton and snowbird for a day each, then jackson hole for 4 days. loved the mellow feel of brighton, and it was pretty easy to find some nice untracked stashes. it's a smaller mountain, so I don't think you need more than a day or two there. you should definitely, definitely check out snowbird. it's a bit intimidating, but once you start going around, it is just awesome. I progressed a lot due to tackling snowbird and jackson on this trip. I love being challenged, and importantly, I'm no longer intimidated by either snowbird or jackson, and can't wait to go back. had I not gone, I think I would still psyche myself out about both snowbird and jackson.

I did go to brighton/snowbird during the week, so no lines - I imagine it's crazy busy on the weekend, but of course don't know. so I guess it depends when you go. maybe you could get a cheap car for few days and do powder/snowbasin over the weekend and then check out brighton/snowbird another few days during the week? renting a car from the airport is super easy, it's 15 minutes from the city and there's a public bus that goes from airport to city.

next time I go to SLC I am definitely going back to snowbird, that is #1 on my to-do list (besides jackson, already planning another trip), then maybe renting a car and checking out powder and/or snowbasin, as well. too much to do!


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## SilverK20A3 (Mar 9, 2008)

Just came back from SLC yesterday; visited Brighton/Solitude on Monday and did Snowbird yesterday, a 14" epic powder day! I visited Powder Mountain last year. I can't comment on what the conditions may be in March, but here are my thoughts:

Brighton/Solitude: Great for an intermediate rider, not too many people, and it has high-speed quads for the entire mountain, which means you'll have a pretty efficient day. Not that big (by Utah's standards) but big enough for one day. Solitude is nice too, but I would pick Brighton over Solitude. If you would like to hit up both on the same day, they have a Sol/Bright pass for $78. 


Powder Mountain: Super quiet and serene, no crowds, and you'll easily find stashes. Terrain seems to be mostly intermediate. Bad part is it's far away, quite a bit farther than Snowbasin, which you'll pass along the way up. In addition to the long drive, they only have one d-quad for the entire mountain, which means you won't get as many runs in. If you have to have relatively untracked seas of powder, then PM is a good choice.

Snowbird: Was lucky to ride yesertday, Feb 8th, the best day of the season so far, according to locals. Epic Epic Epic!! Cons: took 2 hrs getting into the damn place, and the mountain was pretty tracked out by 11 AM. I swear the entire state of Utah converged upon Snowbird yesterday. Lines were out of control (esp for tram and Mineral Basin) And it was a Tuesday! 


Get your tickets at local sporting goods stores. If you're staying downtown or near the airport, hit up Canyon Sports or Utah Ski and Golf? which is right next door for cheaper tix.

As far as an all wheel drive rental car goes, unless it's positively dumping, just get a smaller car. If you're going to drive up to Brighton or Snowbird, and the roads are iffy, just leave your car at the Wasatch Park and Ride and take the Ski Bus. You won't need an AWD vehicle to get around in the city, and the roads are pretty well plowed up to the mountains.


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## Shocktroop531 (Aug 3, 2010)

well. I don't think Pow mow not having high speed quads is really a big deal. you can get all the runs you want in any given day. you'll never wait in a line . you'll have more powder than charlie sheens coffee table. 

snowbird: feb 8th was certainly a great day but by no means the best of the season. definitely the best since december but almost every day in the second half of december was as good or better than yesterday. snowbird is also always tracked out by 11 AM. thats why I prefer the canyons or solitude or some other place. snowbird is the powder hounds capital of the world. they get ungodly amounts of snow but it gets all skied out before lunch no matter what day of the week or time of year. its always that way.


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## SilverK20A3 (Mar 9, 2008)

Shocktroop531 said:


> well. I don't think Pow mow not having high speed quads is really a big deal. you can get all the runs you want in any given day. you'll never wait in a line . you'll have more powder than charlie sheens coffee table.
> 
> snowbird: feb 8th was certainly a great day but by no means the best of the season. definitely the best since december but almost every day in the second half of december was as good or better than yesterday. snowbird is also always tracked out by 11 AM. thats why I prefer the canyons or solitude or some other place. snowbird is the powder hounds capital of the world. they get ungodly amounts of snow but it gets all skied out before lunch no matter what day of the week or time of year. its always that way.



Interesting... I'll keep that in mind next time I go. Off topic question for Shocktroop: when they're blowing up bombs, and it sounds like one went off right next to your head... usually how far away is it? I was riding down near the Baldy lift at Snowbird and I thought I died...


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## T.J. (Aug 28, 2007)

Shocktroop531 said:


> well. I don't think Pow mow not having high speed quads is really a big deal. you can get all the runs you want in any given day. you'll never wait in a line . you'll have more powder than charlie sheens coffee table.


this! and if you think powmow is mostly intermediate you arent looking in the right places. over all i say the bird is more challenging but if your looking hard enough there are plenty of chutes, steeps, cliffs and trees to keep you occupied.


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## Shocktroop531 (Aug 3, 2010)

SilverK20A3 said:


> Interesting... I'll keep that in mind next time I go. Off topic question for Shocktroop: when they're blowing up bombs, and it sounds like one went off right next to your head... usually how far away is it? I was riding down near the Baldy lift at Snowbird and I thought I died...


umm... not that close. ski patrol won't blow you up I promise. haha


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## LI Boarder (Jan 9, 2010)

*going to Powder and Snowbasin*

staying at Comfort Suites in Ogden, renting a car and will be riding Powder and Snowbasin in 2 weeks. Thanks for all of the feedback to help me figure this out.


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## neednsnow (Nov 30, 2007)

Snowbasin and POW MOW Generally get a little less snow than the Bright/Solitude/Bird. However, as stated before, all the townies hit Bird and Brighton. Brighton is more of a sno-bro mountain and Bird is just a Mecca. I've been to Bird a few times and while the main areas get tracked-out pretty quickly, there's plenty of snow to play in throughout the mountain days after a powdump.

Ogden: Watch Out for fights. Of the many many times I've been on a board vacation, Ogden is the only place where I came across a fight. Pow Mow is big and the Cat Riding is extra. I was only there once and was with a party buddy. Our first two hours worth of riding was spent at the bar at the top of the mountain. We then spent 3 hours riding and it was ok, but I wasn't swept off my feet. However, numbers don't lie and tons of folks on here love the place!!! You'll enjoy it. Keep going lookers left, take the tow and hike up past he tow...tons of stashes. 
Personally, I had a fondness for snowbasin. Many say its too pretty-pretty, too "Sun Valley", but I liked the place. Marble Back-resort bathrooms are kinda funny to me.

Rent the car and you'll be better off. Always consider the bird or Brighton if there is a minimal pow day. When Pow Mow gets 2-3 inches, there's a good chance that Bird got 7 inches, and 8 inches isn't going to bring as many pow hounds out. 

No need to ride Park City!


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## LI Boarder (Jan 9, 2010)

thanks for the info neednsnow!


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## Listheeb21 (Jan 20, 2011)

The Strawberry area, far looker's left, at Snowbasin, is a must hit on a powder day. Just endless powder fields. Not terribly tough, but lots of fun. 

As for Pow Mow, it's really an old school place on par with Mad River Glen (skiers only) in Vermont... mostly slow lifts, but no lines. If you're up for a bastardized version of backcountry riding, check out Powder Country. Takes a bit to get to on a board, but worth it if you don't mind waiting for a shuttle to bring you back to the lifts.


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## flex (Mar 11, 2008)

SilverK20A3 said:


> Snowbird: Was lucky to ride yesertday, Feb 8th, the best day of the season so far, according to locals. Epic Epic Epic!! Cons: took 2 hrs getting into the damn place, and the mountain was pretty tracked out by 11 AM. I swear the entire state of Utah converged upon Snowbird yesterday. Lines were out of control (esp for tram and Mineral Basin) And it was a Tuesday!


I was lucky enough to be there on the 8th as well. The funny thing was the place really cleared out after lunch time. It seemed like most of the locals just came for the morning to try and get first tracks. After like 12:30 there was virtually no lift lines at all at mineral.


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## Music Moves (Jan 23, 2009)

I have to say that not "all" of Bird gets tracked out... again, having someone that knows where to go is key. While out there the first week in Feb, we found quite a bit of stash days after a snow, though we had to work for it. There's definitely some traversing and/or hiking involved but that's only through gates in most cases. I think people get scared when they see "cliff" signs and such and steer clear of these areas...


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