Snowbasin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snowbasin |
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Sunny day at Snowbasin in February 2019
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 Snowbasin
Location in the United States
Snowbasin
Location in Utah
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| 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 |
| 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 super cool ski resort located in the western United States. You can find it in Weber County, Utah, about 33 miles northeast of Salt Lake City. It sits on the back side of the amazing Wasatch Range mountains.
Snowbasin first opened its doors in 1939. This makes it one of the oldest ski resorts in the U.S. that has been open continuously! It started as a project by the city of Ogden to help protect the Wheeler Creek area. Over many years, Snowbasin grew a lot. A big investment in lifts and snowmaking by its owner, Earl Holding, helped it become a world-class resort.
Because of these improvements, Snowbasin hosted the alpine skiing races for the 2002 Winter Olympics. These included exciting events like downhill, combined, and super-G. It's even expected to host these events again for the 2034 Winter Olympics! A movie called Frozen was filmed there in 2009.
Snowbasin is located on Mount Ogden. You can get there easily from I-84 and SR-39 using SR-167.
Contents
Snowbasin's Early Days
Snowbasin has a long and interesting history. After World War I and the Great Depression, many small ski resorts popped up in Utah. Weber County wanted its own special place for winter fun. They decided to develop the Wheeler Basin area. This area needed some care, so they worked to restore the land.
The land was given to the U.S. Forest Service. By 1938, the Forest Service and a famous skier named Alf Engen decided to turn the area into a recreation spot. The very first ski tow was built in 1939. This was the start of the new Snow Basin ski park. In 1940, a group called the Civilian Conservation Corps built the first road to the resort. This made it much easier for everyone to visit.
In the 1950s, a man named Sam Huntington bought Snow Basin. He worked to make the resort even better. He added new lifts to help skiers get up the mountain faster.
Snow Basin also hosted the fourth NCAA Skiing Championships in 1957. This was the first time Utah hosted this big college skiing event. The downhill race was on a slope called "John Paul Jones." A famous Austrian skier, Anderl Molterer, even said it was the best downhill run in the world! He wanted a lift built to the top of it. However, that lift wasn't built until Snowbasin was chosen for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Later, in 1978, Pete Seibert, who founded Vail, bought Snow Basin. But he faced some money problems. In 1984, Earl Holding, who also owns Sun Valley, bought the resort. That's when it officially became "Snowbasin."
Hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics
Because Snowbasin was chosen to be an Olympic venue, the U.S. Congress passed a special law in 1996. This law allowed Snowbasin to get more land. This extra land helped the resort grow a lot in 1998. New areas opened up on Allen Peak, Strawberry Peak, and DeMoisy Peak. This meant even more space for skiing!
During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Snowbasin was a very busy place. It hosted the downhill, combined, and super-G events. There was a big stadium at the bottom of the runs for spectators. People could also stand on snow terraces along the sides of the runs. Over 124,000 people came to watch the events at Snowbasin! The resort also hosted the Alpine Skiing events for the 2002 Winter Paralympics.
Snowbasin by the Numbers
Here are some cool facts and figures about Snowbasin Resort!
Mountain Details
- Top of the Mountain: 9,350 feet high!
- Bottom of the Mountain: 6,391 feet high.
- How Much You Drop: A thrilling 2,959 feet from top to bottom.
- Average Snowfall: About 350 inches of fresh snow each year. That's almost 30 feet!
- Skiable Area: 3,000 acres, which is a huge space for skiing and snowboarding.
- Snowmaking Area: 600 acres have snowmaking, so there's always plenty of snow.
Trails and Terrain
- Total Ski Runs: 104 different runs to explore!
- Easy Runs: 7 runs for beginners.
- More Difficult Runs: 30 runs for intermediate skiers.
- Most Difficult Runs: 35 runs for advanced skiers.
- Expert Only Runs: 32 runs for the pros!
- Nordic Trails: 5 trails for cross-country skiing, about 16 miles long.
- Terrain Parks: 3 parks for jumps and tricks!
- The Crazy Kat: An easier park.
- Coyote: An intermediate park.
- Apex: An advanced park.
Lifts to the Top
- Total Lifts: 11 lifts to get you up the mountain.
- Chairlifts: 9 chairlifts.
- 1 amazing 15-person Tram (the Allen Peak Tram).
- 2 comfy Gondolas (Strawberry Express and Needles Express).
- 3 super-fast high-speed six-person chairs (Wildcat, Middle Bowl, DeMoisy Express).
- 2 high-speed quad chairs (John Paul Express and Little Cat Express).
- 2 triple chairlifts (Becker and Porcupine).
- Surface Lifts: 3 surface lifts.
- 2 Magic carpets for easy rides.
- 1 Hand rope surface tow for the tubing hill.
- Chairlifts: 9 chairlifts.
Winter Fun Season
- Ski Season: Usually from late November to mid-April, depending on how much snow there is.
- Operating Hours: Lifts run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. Some lifts close a bit earlier at 3:30 p.m.
Summer Adventure Season
- Summer Season: From Father's Day Weekend in June to the first weekend in October.
- Operating Hours: Open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
- Summer Trails: 17 trails for hiking and biking, about 25 miles long.
- Trail Ratings: 4.5 easy, 6.5 moderate, 3 difficult, and 3 trails just for hiking.
