Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25165
utah, usa The powder-seeking hordes descend up on Utah every year and head straight to famous resorts like Snowbird, Alta and Park City. But the same conditions that dump hundreds of inches a year on those areas can be found in other, lesser-known Utah resorts. And while the crowds at the 'Bird track out the Cirque by noon, at Snowbasin you and your mates can ski the best snow on earth for days after a storm. Four hundred inches of snow a year and 3,400 feet of vertical. Classic high-alpine beauty. Uncrowded. And more lift capacity than seems reasonable for the few skiers who roam the area- five oldish lifts, a new high-speed quad, a new tram and two new high-speed eight-person gondolas. You can find new lines all day long in the sprawling Strawberry Bowl and a short hike to the backcountry from the summit takes you into more tree skiing and wide-open bowls than you can shake two shaped sticks at. If you are staying outside of Snowbasin, call before you head up there as some days Snowbird gets dumped on and Snowbasin gets dusted (and vice versa). The impending 2002 Olympics may finally put Snowbasin on the map (Snowbasin is the site for the downhill and Super G events). A new access road has already been built, cutting the driving time from Salt Lake City's airport to under an hour. Who knows what will happen when the television-viewing public sees the glory of this mountain? Get there before 2002. LlFT·SERVICED VERTICAL DROP; 3,400 FEET TRAIL MIX; 20/50/30 AVERAGE ANNUAL SNOWFALL; 400 INCHES DIRECTIONS; FLY TO SALT LAKE CITY. CATCH A SHUTILE VAN TO SNOWBASIN. YOU CAN BE ON THE SLOPES IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS. LlFT·SERVICED VERTICAL DROP; 3,000 FEET TRAIL MIX: 30140/30 AVERAGE ANNUAL SNOWFALL; 600 INCHES DIRECTIONS; SUCK UP THE 20·HOUR FLIGHT TO SAPPORO AND THEN TAKE A TRAIN 1.5 HOURS TO NISEKO HIRAFU. In a state known for glitzy resorts and big-business ski companies, savvy skiers and snowboarders head straight to the antiresort known as A·Basin. The mountain has almost no base area development (the closest accommodation is six miles away in Keystone). It doesn't have tons of skiable terrain. It doesn't have sushi restaurants or Polo Sport-clad mountain ambassadors. What it does have is steep faces, sunny days, lots of snow and a positive, communal vi be. Arapahoe is basically one big, bowl-shaped area with raw terrain '~W •• ;II ranging from the hairy chutes of the East Wall to the mogukhoked avalanche scar called Palivacinni. Hop into the backcountry to check out the The Beavers and other fun rock gardens. And there's no hurry to explore all these runs- I Arapahoe stays open until June, long after the neighboring resorts have shut down. The lack of development and on-slope lodging keeps vacationers away, which is just the way the dedicated locals and skiers on pilgrimage like it. ~ 'it If you have any energy left at the end of the day, make sure to check out the ~ parking lot party. Beer flows freely, music plays, people do ski·booted jigs and . new friends are made everywhere. The atmosphere is simi lar to the parking lot at a Grateful Dead show. Which, some of you might remember, was a very good thing. lIFT·SERVICED VERTICAL DROP; 1,650 FEET TRAIL MIX; 15145/40 AVERAGE ANNUAL SNOWFALL; 367 INCHES DIRECTIONS: FLY TO DENVER. RENT A CAR OR TAKE A SHUTILE FOR THE 1.5 HOUR DRIVE TO A·BASIN. ,. 1,( t£" '1:' \