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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Utah Skiing
The Greatest Snow on Earth is the now-famous slogan on Utah's license plates. This is true in reputation and in fact. When winter storm clouds roll over the Great Basin, they dump their gift from Ullr on Utah—and a very generous gift it is. All of the resorts mentioned here are within 90 minutes of Salt Lake City, the nearest being Snowbird, 29 miles from the airport.
Snowbird and Alta Highway 210 leads up to Snowbird and Alta, neighboring resorts that have some of the best terrain in the Lower 48—which may be why there isn't much nightlife: Everybody's resting up for tomorrow. Alta has 2,200 skiable acres with more than 100 runs, while Snowbird has 2,500 with almost 90 runs—in short, some-thing for everyone. Most of the bars and restaurants are strung along the main road, Highway 210. At Alta, the Shallow Shaft has great American fare (801-742-2177; entrées, $21-$34). In terms of après-ski, the bar upstairs at the Alta Peruvian Lodge tends to be younger and more rowdy, while the Alta Lodge Sitz-mark Club entertains pioneer skiers in a quaint loft atmosphere. Bird has three good spots off Exit 2: The bar at the Iron Blosam Lodge has après specials—25-cent wings, $6 pizzas—for the poorer locals; or you can shell out a bit more upstairs for The Wildflower's Ital-ian/continental fare (801-933-2230; entrées, $9-$26); or try the Steak Pit, which has better atmosphere than food, except for its superior filet mignon (801-933-2260; entrées, $19-$24). Park City and Deer Valley Park City has some steeps and many mellow slopes (about 20 of its 100-plus runs are for beginners), but in the Utah ski scene, PC stands out as the place for nightlife. Clubs have live music almost nightly—and all kinds, from reggae to country to punk rock to hip hop, where you can see industry types mingling with movie stars. There are dozens of restaurants, too, the bulk of them within walking distance of the slopes. But if you want pampering (at a price), Deer Valley is the place. The mountain is groomed to perfection, with about 90 runs—half intermediate, a dozen or so for beginners, and the rest expert. Ski valets carry your skis from your Escalade to the chair, and if you hire a ski instructor, they'll even buckle your boots for you. Best of all: no snowboards. Solitude and Brighton On its way to becoming a mini-version of classy Park City, Solitude has short, steep runs—over 100 of them—that are great for advanced-intermediate skiers who want to make the jump to expert. It also has a quaint, well-maintained European-style ski village, and seven or eight restaurants so far. If the weather goes bad or you're not in the mood for downhill, you can still get active at the Nordic Center (801-536-5774). Brighton has 66 runs, about a fifth of which are for beginners. It also has the reputation of being for snowboard-ers and for prepubescent kids: Those under the age of ten get to play for free in one of the five terrain parks—which have names like My O My and Candy Land. Snowbasin and Powder Mountain Snowbasin and the surrounding towns are truly undiscovered gems—uncrowded and out of the way, with far fewer throngs than PC. There are about 55 runs, half of them intermediate and the rest split between begin-ner and advanced. The only real nightlife is at Huntsville's Shooting Star Saloon, which opened in 1879 and has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating bar in Utah. It's a really good après-ski place, even in this staunchly Mormon state. There's an abundance of other activities—particularly in spring, when there's still skiing as well as fly fishing on the Ogden River, high-altitude golf, and bird watching at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Sundance The skiing at Sundance is comparable to that at PC: some steeps, mostly mellow, with about 40 runs equally divided among skill levels. But Sundance has a more rustic feel—and Robert Redford's cachet. Redford is an avid conservationist, which is evident in Sundance's values statement, with stewardship of the land first and foremost: The resort includes a 5,000-acre protected forest wilderness. Sundance Resort is in Provo Canyon, just north of Provo proper, and from it you have clear views of Mount Timpanogos. One of the tallest and most majestic peaks in a state full of them, it featured prominently in Redford's film Jeremiah Johnson, shot entirely in Utah. For après-ski, check out the Owl Bar, a remnant from pioneer days. It's rumored that the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang hung out here, and the place has the bullet holes in the walls to prove it. Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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