History: The Brian Head area was first visited by area settlers in the 1850s and was used for the grazing of cattle and sheep. In the 1890s, as the area's population grew, it became the region's sawmill headquarters because of the abundance of lumber and streams. In addition, Brian Head was famous at that time for its production of butter and cheese, produced in an area called "Little Ireland" at the base of Brian Head Peak. The development of Brian Head Resort as a ski area began in 1964. The resort opened for business in January 1965 with a T-bar and warming house. It has been in continuous operation since. Over the years, it has added six chairlifts, two surface lifts and the Giant Steps and Navajo day lodges during the 1980s. To reflect the growing popularity of the area, the town of Brian Head was incorporated in 1975 to provide basic services and an infrastructure to support the growing ski resort. The resort added a lift-served, six-lane snow-tubing park to its offering in 1998. Brian Head Resort was one of Utah's first winter resorts to offer snowboarding, welcoming snowboarders back in the early 1990s. It will celebrate its 40th anniversary during the 2005-2006 ski and snowboard season, with its guests coming primarily from Las Vegas, southern California, Arizona, St. George and Cedar City.
What you know: Brian Head Resort has two mountains — Navajo and Giant Steps. Navajo Mountain is an entire area dedicated to beginners and children, with two chairlifts, a surface lift, beginner terrain park and 10 runs. There is a full-service learning center at the base of the mountain, with all-inclusive children's programs, a state-licensed day-care center, ski/snowboard school, lift ticket offices, retail shop, day eatery and a fully stocked ski and snowboard rental shop. Chair 6 (Pioneer) is the first stop for beginning skiers, snowboarders and children, with the longer Chair 4 (Navajo) providing access to longer runs and sweeping vistas of the surrounding red rock country. Navajo Mountain is also home to the resort's popular lift-served snow tubing park.
Giant Steps Mountain features four chairlifts and more than 40 intermediate and advanced runs, intermediate and advanced terrain parks and a 12-foot-high, 300-foot-long halfpipe. There is a day lodge at the base of the mountain, with a fully stocked ski and snowboard rental shop, lift ticket office, retail shop and day eatery. The most popular lift is Chair 2 (Giant Steps), which transports guests from the base area to the top of the mountain, providing instant access to the entire mountain. Sunburst is the most popular run on the mountain. It is a wide-open, groomed intermediate run with great views of Cedar Breaks National Monument and the Great Basin Desert.
All green and blue runs are groomed nightly. The most popular time of day for skiers is from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There are seldom lift lines at Brian Head Resort.
What you should know: While there is seldom a crowd at Brian Head Resort, on busier-than-normal holiday periods, such as Christmas and Presidents Day, the terrain off of Chairs 5 (Roulette) and 7 (The Dunes) offers wide-open spaces with no lift lines and little traffic on the hill. Skiing and riding early or during the noon to 1:30 p.m. lunch hour offers more room to roam in the terrain parks and even less crowded slopes than normal. On and after powder days, the tree glades off Chair 7, the open spaces on the Hard Times run off of Chair 5 and the tree glades of Powder Run and Sunspots off Chair 2 offer powder shots days after a storm.
The large salad bar and homemade chili at the Navajo Lodge Learning Center are favorites with locals, and the Double Black Diamond Steakhouse at the Cedar Breaks Lodge & Spa offers some of the best evening dining in all of Iron County and southern Utah. For the aprs ski and evening social scene, check out the Cedar Breaks Club at the Cedar Breaks Lodge & Spa. For those looking for pampering, the spa at the Cedar Breaks Lodge offers a full menu of spa services, ranging from traditional bodywork to the cutting edge in energy therapies.
Locals like to ski on Tuesdays, and for good reason. On select Tuesdays during the season an all-day lift ticket is only $10. Remaining Tuesdays this season are March 1, 8 and 15. It will also offer special lift ticket pricing during the week of April 4-10. The snow tubing park is also a local favorite. A two-hour tubing session on Utah's highest tubing hill, complete with a tube and lift access, is $10.
Brian Head is an incorporated town and offers the second-largest on-mountain overnight lodging rental base in Utah. There are eight restaurants, two grocery stores, a post office, state liquor store, private club, day spa, snowmobile rental companies, video rentals, retail shops. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, additional area activities include horse-drawn sleigh rides, snow tubing, snowshoeing, shopping and cross-country skiing.
Ski/snowboard school: For beginning skiers and snowboarders, the resort offers an all-inclusive Learn to Ski/Snowboard package for $75, which includes an all-day lift ticket, all-day ski or snowboard rental, and a two-hour lesson. The recommended program for intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders is the resort's popular $10 "Get Better" lesson. Guests who purchase an all-day lift ticket and ski or snowboard equipment rental can receive a two-hour lesson for only $10.
The resort's Kids Camp features all-inclusive lesson packages for ages 3-12. The price is $89 per child for the all-day package, which includes an all-day lift ticket, all-day ski or snowboard rental for ages 7 and above, lunch, lesson and all-day supervision. Kids Camp also offers state-licensed day care for ages 6 weeks and up, with low child-to-caregiver ratios.
"The best investment you can make to get the most out of your skiing and snowboarding experience is to take a lesson," said Henry Hornberger, winter sports school director and general manager. "You learn the required skills, which allow you to get better and have more fun."
Review: Brian Head is considered to be one of America's best ski and snowboard values. This season it has received more than 360 inches of snowfall, which has resulted in excellent ski conditions. Family Travel Forum listed Brian Head as a "Top 10 Getaway." Along with skiing, the area is well-known for its beautiful surroundings, which include the red rock formations of Cedar Breaks National Monument, views of the Great Basin and Markagunt Plateau.
Number of lifts: eight — five triples, one double, two surface
Vertical drop: 1,707 feet
Skiable acres: 540
Terrain: 40 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate, 20 percent advanced
Number of runs: 53
Night skiing: Friday and Saturday evenings through March 19
Snowboarding: yes
Terrain parks: three (one beginner, one intermediate, one advanced)
Halfpipe: Yes