The Ogden Valley Resorts

These resorts are just northwest of Ogden; to reach any of them, take I-15 exit 344 onto 12th Street and follow Utah 39 east. Wolf Mountain and Powder Mountain are just off Utah 158, and Snowbasin is off Utah 226.

Wolf Mountain Skiing & Tubing

Family-oriented Wolf Mountain Ski Area, 3567 Nordic Valley Way, Eden, UT 84310 (tel. 801/745-3511; www.wolfmountaineden.com), formerly called Nordic Valley Ski Area, has been purchased by Wolf Creek Resort. Utah's smallest and least expensive ski area, it has among the best night-lighting systems in the state. Refreshingly informal and casual, Wolf Mountain has been a favorite of Ogden-area families because it's a good place to learn to ski, with enough variety to keep everyone satisfied. The terrain is rated 30% beginner, 50% intermediate, and 20% advanced. Annual snowfall averages 300 inches. Several runs have been designed specifically for snowboarders.

Wolf Mountain has two double chairlifts serving 18 runs on 85 acres, and snow-making on 50 acres. The vertical drop is 1,200 feet from the top elevation of 6,400 feet. The ski area is generally open mid-December to early April, with lifts operating Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 10pm and Sunday from 9:30am to 5pm.

To get here from I-15, follow Utah 39 east about 11 miles, turn north (left) onto Utah 158 for about 3 miles, then turn west (left), following signs to the ski area.

Lift Tickets -- Day passes (9am-5pm) for adults and children 6 and older cost $20. Night skiing (3-9pm) costs $15 for adults and children 6 and older.

Lessons & Programs -- The ski school offers private and group lessons; call for rates and information. The ski shop has equipment for rent and accessories for sale. No child-care facilities are available.

Where to Stay & Dine -- There's no overnight lodging on the mountain. The lodge serves hot sandwiches, homemade soups, pizza, and hot and cold beverages. You can relax around the fireplace on a cold day or outside on the deck when it's sunny and warm.

Powder Mountain Resort

This is a family ski area in two respects: It was founded in 1972 by the Cobabe family, who still own and run it, and it's aimed at providing a variety of skiing opportunities to suit everyone in your family. Among the 5,500 skiable acres -- the most of any resort in the country -- there are plenty of beginner runs, which seem to grade upwards in difficulty as you move from the Sundown area to the Timberline area and then the Hidden Lake area; so by the time you're skiing Three Miles, you can consider yourself an intermediate and try cruising over the big, swooping blue fields. There's no dearth of expert and powder skiing in the wilds, either. Powder Mountain uses snow cats and shuttle buses to transport skiers to more than 2,500 acres of spectacular powder that are not served by its lifts -- it's an out-of-bounds, backcountry skier's dream come true. A bonus is the view: On a clear day, you can see across the Great Salt Lake and sometimes all the way to Park City.

Powder Mountain is also a favorite among snowboarders; boarding is allowed everywhere.

Powder Mountain Resort, P.O. Box 450, Eden, UT 84310 (tel. 801/745-3772, or 801/745-3771 for snow conditions; www.powdermountain.com), has one quad, one triple and two double chairs, two surface lifts, and one platter lift, servicing 2,800 acres of packed runs and powder skiing, plus nearly that much in backcountry acreage. The terrain is rated 10% beginner, 50% intermediate, and 40% advanced. With over 500 inches of snowfall annually, Powder Mountain doesn't have -- or need -- any snow-making. The elevation at the summit is 8,900 feet; the vertical drop is 2,000 feet. The season is generally mid-November to mid-April, with day skiing from 9:30am to 4:30pm and night skiing until 10pm.

From I-15, follow Utah 39 east about 11 miles, turn north (left) onto Utah 158, and drive about 8 miles to the ski area.

Lift Tickets -- An all-day lift ticket is $45, a half-day ticket is $38, a children's (ages 6-12) all-day ticket is $27, and a children's half-day ticket is $23; night-skiing passes are $18 for adults and $13 for children. Seniors 65 and over pay $37. Kids 5 and under ride the lift free. Each snow cat ride costs backcountry skiers an extra $7.

Lessons & Programs -- The ski school offers a full range of ski and snowboarding lessons and other activities, both group and private, from half-day to multi-day. These include children's lessons, a program designed especially for and taught by women, and guided Alpine tours. Private lessons start at $59; group lessons cost $45 per person. Powder Mountain Lodge and Sundown Lodge both have ski shops where skis and snowboards are available for rent and accessories are for sale. No child-care facilities are available.

Where to Stay & Dine -- Most skiers stay in Ogden, but for those who want to sleep slope-side, the Columbine Inn (tel. 801/745-3772), has five rooms and two suites with a pleasant ski-chalet atmosphere. Room are located next to the lodge off the main parking lot, and plans for expansion are underway. Doubles cost $75 to $110, with suites going for $150 to $295. Room tax is 9.25%. Smoking is not permitted.

At the Powder Mountain Lodge, a restaurant serves homemade soups and sandwiches, and the Powder Keg serves sandwiches and draft beer around a cozy fireplace. Hidden Lake Lodge serves lunch at the summit.

Snowbasin

Among America's oldest ski areas (it opened in 1939), Snowbasin remained a local secret until it hosted the downhill and Super G competition at the 2002 Olympics. Word of the area's great terrain got out, and skiers have been flocking to the resort ever since. Particularly popular for its top-to-bottom intermediate runs, Snowbasin offers plenty of untracked powder; long, well-groomed trails; and Utah's third-largest vertical drop. Beginners have plenty of terrain on which to develop their ski-legs, and some great transitional runs off the Wildcat lift will help them graduate from novice to intermediate status. With its wide-open powder bowls and new Olympic downhill courses, expert skiing at Snowbasin has been growing by leaps and bounds.

Snowbasin Resort, P.O. Box 460, Huntsville, UT 84317 (tel. 801/620-1000, or 801/620-1100 for snow conditions; fax 801/620-1314; www.snowbasin.com), has 64 runs, rated 10% beginner, 45% intermediate, and 45% advanced. Included in its 2,650 acres are beautiful powder bowls and glade skiing. Snowbasin has one high-speed quad, one double, and four triple chairlifts, plus two high-speed eight-passenger gondolas and a tram that serves the starting point for the downhill racecourses. Lift-served vertical drop is 2,950 feet from the 9,350-foot summit. All lifts are open to snowboarders, with retaining devices required. With about 400 inches of annual snowfall, Snowbasin has not really needed snow-making equipment, although snow-making has been added to assure an early season opening. The ski season generally runs from Thanksgiving to mid-April, with lifts operating daily from 9am to 4pm. The resort is also now open in summer, when it transforms into a hiking, biking, and horseback-riding mecca.

To reach Snowbasin from Salt Lake City, take I-15 to exit 324, then go north on U.S. 89 for about 10 miles. At the mouth of Weber Canyon, merge onto I-84 eastbound, which you take several miles to exit 92 for Mountain Green. Head east about 2 miles and turn north (left) onto Utah 167 (Trapper's Loop). Go about 5 miles to Utah 226, where you turn left and drive 3 miles to the resort.

Lift Tickets -- All-day adult lift tickets cost $58, half-day tickets are $48, a children's (ages 7-12) all-day ticket is $35, a children's half-day ticket is $29, and seniors over 65 pay $48 for a full day and $34 for a half-day. Kids 6 and under can ride the lift free.

Lessons & Programs -- The ski school (tel. 801/620-1016) offers both private and group skiing and snowboarding lessons for all ages and abilities, with rates starting at $40 for a 2-hour group lesson and $135 for a 2-hour private lesson (or $359 for an all-day private lesson). Children's lessons are also available. The Grizzly Center at the base offers ski and snowboard equipment rental and repair, plus clothing and accessories for sale. No child-care facilities are available.

Where to Stay & Dine -- No lodging is available at the ski area itself; most skiers stay near Ogden. In preparation for the Olympics, Snowbasin built three handsome restaurants -- one at the base and two on the mountain. All serve American fare in a mountain lodge atmosphere; we prefer the on-mountain restaurants for their wondrous views.