The resort of Snowbird, Utah is located in the brilliantly named, "Little Cottonwood Canyon". Long before skiing took over this valley, it was a mining area where silver ore was discovered within the mountains. I think there's a little ecstacy left over from the silver rush because the locals are all super mental; kind of as if they know something which you don't.
The main villages of this valley, which grew from the mining and smelting operations, were eventually destroyed by avalanches over the years. What a thought.... Now the area has been resurrected thanks to the good old sport of skiing.
The nearby (20mins) Salt Lake city has the most churches per square kilometer of any city in the entire world. Lots of Mormons in this area and most folk area either religious about religion, or religious about the outdoors.
The powder at Snowbird is usually about as dry as it gets which means that when it gets deep, you had better have your fat skis or board on. This is one of the few places that I have skied where I've got to the run and realised that the whole way down I couldn't breath cause I had so much snow in my face. Bring your balaclava!!
The steep slopes of "the bird" are peppered with cliffs to either be jumped off or avoided (if you're a pansy). Plenty of well spaced trees allow for some skiing to be enjoyed even when the weather sucks; the climate here is pretty good though and you can expect a good blue-grey ratio.
The slopes of this mountain are home, every year, to a stop of the freeskiing world tour competition. This spectacular event sees competitors from around the globe rip down some of the steepest terrain in the resort with one aim: to see who can ski the best line. This event is one of the most impressive sporting events to witness and you'll likely see people skiing harder and faster and bigger than you ever thought possible. Its a great idea to schedule your trip to see this event, and don't worry too much because crowds shouldn't be a problem.
If you get sick of shredding, or just get too strung out by one too many steep lines there's a pretty decent, but small park at the base of the mountain. Its also a good place to hang out when the weather's bad up top as the tree lined lower slopes offer some better visibility than up above. The pipe isn't particularly good though, but you've got better things to do than ride pipe in this place.
Snowbird is a sure fire winner for powder hounds, cliff huckers, and tree molesters. Not a good place for beginners, but THE place for the advanced skier with the desire to be amongst some of the most serious terrain and local shred talent to be found at any resort in the world. Look out for old bearded men on free heel gear going way bigger than you.
