Snowbasin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Snowbasin
Sunny day at Snowbasin in February 2019
Snowbasin Location in the United States Show map of the United States Snowbasin Location in Utah Show map of Utah
Location	Mount Ogden Weber County, Utah, U.S.
Nearest city	Huntsville
Coordinates	41°12′58″N 111°51′25″W / 41.216°N 111.857°W / 41.216; -111.857
Vertical	2,959 ft (902 m)
Top elevation	9,350 ft (2,850 m)
Base elevation	6,391 ft (1,948 m)
Skiable area	3,000 acres (12.1 km2)
Runs	104 20% easiest 50% more difficult 30% most difficult
Longest run	Elk Ridge 2.9 mi (4.7 km)
Lift system	13 Chairs: 10 - 1 tram - 2 gondolas - 5 high speed quads/six packs - 2 fixed-grip Surface: 2 - 2 Magic carpet - 1 Wildcat Handle Tow
Lift capacity	14,650 skiers/hr
Terrain parks	3
Snowfall	350 inches (29.2 ft; 8.9 m)
Snowmaking	600 acres (2.4 km2)
Night skiing	No

Snowbasin Resort is a popular ski resort in the western United States. It is located in Weber County, Utah, about 33 miles northeast of Salt Lake City. You can find it on the east side of the Wasatch Range mountains.

Snowbasin first opened in 1939. This makes it one of the oldest ski resorts in the U.S. that has been open continuously. The city of Ogden helped start it to fix up the Wheeler Creek area. Later, in 2002, Snowbasin was chosen to host the alpine skiing races for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The movie Frozen was also filmed here in 2009.

You can find Snowbasin on Mount Ogden. It's at the end of State Route 226. This road connects to I-84 and SR-39 through SR-167.

Snowbasin's History

Snowbasin is one of the oldest ski areas that has stayed open in the United States. After World War I and the Great Depression, many small ski resorts started in Utah. Weber County wanted its own ski area. They decided to use the Wheeler Basin area. This area had been damaged by too much grazing and logging.

The land was fixed up and given to the U.S. Forest Service. By 1938, the Forest Service and Alf Engen decided to make it a fun place for people. The first ski tow was built in 1939. It opened as the Snow Basin ski park. In 1940, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the first road to the resort. This made it easy for everyone to visit.

In the 1950s, Sam Huntington bought Snow Basin. He added more lifts to help skiers get up the mountain. He put in a twin chairlift and a platter-pull tow. The platter-pull tow was later replaced by another twin chair.

The fourth NCAA Skiing Championships were held at Snow Basin in 1957. This was the first time Utah hosted these championships. The downhill race was on a slope called "John Paul Jones." This slope was named after an early skier at Snow Basin. To reach it, skiers had to hike for 45 minutes from the top of the Porcupine lift.

Gerald Ford skiing at Snow Basin in 1967

A famous Austrian skier, Anderl Molterer, visited Snow Basin. He told Sam Huntington that if a lift went straight to the top of John Paul Jones, he would bring his team to train there. Molterer thought John Paul was the best downhill run in the world. But a lift to John Paul was not built until Snowbasin was chosen for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

After Sam Huntington passed away in 1962, some businessmen from Ogden bought Snow Basin. Another important person at Snow Basin was M. Earl Miller. He ran the ski school from the mid-1950s until 1987. Miller helped create the American Ski Technique for ski instructors in 1961.

In 1978, Pete Seibert, who started Vail, bought Snow Basin with partners. But they had money problems in 1984. That October, Earl Holding bought the area. He also owned Sun Valley in Idaho. After this, the resort became known as "Snowbasin."

Snowbasin and the 2002 Winter Olympics

Snowbasin was chosen to be an Olympic venue. So, in 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a special law. This law allowed Snowbasin to get more land near the resort. This extra land was needed to host the Olympic events. Six years earlier, a similar land swap had been turned down. These projects helped Snowbasin double its size in 1998. New ski areas were added on Allen Peak, Strawberry, and DeMoisy Peaks.

During the 2002 Olympics, Snowbasin hosted several events. These included the downhill, combined (downhill and slalom), and super-G races. There was a large stadium at the bottom of the runs for spectators. There were also snow terraces on the sides for people to stand and watch. About 22,500 people could watch each event. Almost all tickets were sold, and over 124,000 spectators came to Snowbasin for the Olympics. Snowbasin also hosted the Alpine Skiing events during the 2002 Winter Paralympics.

Snowbasin Facts and Figures

Mountain Details

Men's super-G
at the 2002 Winter Olympics

• Top of the mountain: 9,350 feet (2,850 m) high
• Bottom of the mountain: 6,391 feet (1,948 m) high
• Vertical drop (how much you go down): 2,959 feet (902 m)
• Average snowfall each year: 350 inches (890 cm)
• Skiable area (how much land you can ski on): 3,000 acres (12.1 km²)
• Snowmaking area (where they make snow): 600 acres (240 ha)

Ski Trails

2002 Winter Olympics

• Total ski runs: 104
  • Run difficulty: 7 easy, 30 more difficult, 35 most difficult, 32 for experts only
• Total Nordic (cross-country) trails: 5, about 16 miles (26 km) long
  • Nordic trail difficulty: 3 easy, 1 more difficult, 1 most difficult
• Terrain parks: 3
  • Terrain park names: The Crazy Kat (easy), Coyote (medium), and Apex (advanced) parks.
• Superpipe: none

Ski Lifts

• Total lifts: 11
  • Chairlifts: 9
    • 1 Tram that holds 15 people
      • Allen Peak Tram (built in 1998)
    • 2 Gondolas (enclosed cabins)
      • Strawberry Express (built in 1998)
      • Needles Express (built in 1998)
    • 3 High-speed six-person chairlifts
      • Wildcat Express (built in 2017)
      • Middle Bowl Express (built in 2021)
      • DeMoisy Express (built in 2023)
    • 2 High-speed four-person chairlifts
      • John Paul Express (built in 1998)
      • Little Cat Express (built in 2008)
    • 2 Triple chairlifts (three people per chair)
      • Becker (built in 1985)
      • Porcupine (built in 1985)
  • Surface lifts: 3
    • 2 Magic carpet lifts (like moving sidewalks)
    • 1 Hand rope surface tow (for the tubing hill)

Winter Season at Snowbasin

• Ski season usually runs from late November to mid-April, if there's enough snow.
• Lifts operate from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily (some lifts close at 3:30 p.m.).
• The Grizzly Center, where you can buy things or rent equipment, is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Summer Season at Snowbasin

• The summer season starts around Father's Day Weekend in June. It usually ends on the first weekend in October.
• During summer, lifts are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
• Total trails for hiking and biking: 17, about 25 miles (40 km) long.
• Trail difficulty: 4.5 easy, 6.5 moderate, 3 difficult, 3 are for hiking only.