Signature Run — Weber Bowl

Management and staff collaborated and decided that the signature run was Weber Bowl. The reason is simple enough: Skiers, snowboarders and, when time allows the staff, love to leave their signatures in the form of tracks in the powder in the bowl. Its popularity stems from the fact that the tracks are visible from the road, the two lodges and the parking lots. The run is accessed by way of the Lightning Ridge snowcat program. It is rated as expert with a 30-degree consistent pitch on a wide open bowl. It is wide enough that about 30 tracks can be set side-by-side in the snow after a storm and never will two of the tracks cross. The vertical drop is about 1,100 feet, which also makes it a good long run. Weber Bowl got its name because it is on the Weber side of the Weber County line. As might be expected, Cache Bowl is located in Cache County.

No. 1 Rim — White Pine

There are a number of reasons why this is the most popular run, among them being easy access and being a great cruising run. The run is accessed off the Hidden Lake high-speed quad and is rated as an intermediate run. This is a wide open area that is ideal for wide turns and relaxed skiing. It is also lined with, as would be expected, white pines, making it a very scenic run. This is a favorite area for those looking for some great powder skiing after a storm. It's intermediate slope and good snow conditions make it a popular place for skiers or snowboarders to either learn, practice or simply enjoy a little deep-snow skiing. At the top of the lift is the Hidden Lake Lodge, which makes it a convenient stop between runs for a hot drink or quick meal.

Top 10

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1. White Pine; 2. Dilly Dally Alley is an intermediate run accessed off the Timberline lift and is one of the first runs of the day because of its slope and length — three miles; 3. Cobabe Canyon is a beginner run, is accessed by the Sunrise lift and is popular for many reasons, including its length —3.5 miles — and the fact it leads to a number of intermediate powder runs; 4. Grizzly Bowl is a black diamond run and is accessed off the Timberline lift and is a steep, ungroomed run that is among the first tracked-out after a new storm; 5. Hook Chute is a double black diamond run accessed off Lightning Ridge and is popular with the expert powder skiers and boarders; 6. Cache Bowl is a sister to Weber Bowl, is an expert run and is noted for its consistent 30-degree pitch; 7. Lumberyard is an expert run accessed off Lightning Ridge and is a steep, north-facing run for powder skiers and boarders; 8. Powder Chamber is another of the black diamond runs accessed off Paradise lift and is steep and offers plenty of turns; 9. Carpe Diem requires a short hike to the top of James Peak and from there connects to Big Kash and offers more than 2,500 vertical feet of great skiing; 10. Hidden Lake Runand Terrain Park is an intermediate run that runs the length of Hidden Lake lift and features the terrain park with S-boxes and wall rides and super-spine line, and also offers access to the new Lumberjack features.

History

Powder Mountain has one of the longest and most interesting pasts of any Utah resort, dating back to the days when sheep, not skiers, ran the slopes. Frederick James Cobabe, a sheep rancher, purchased large parcels of land around Eden. In 1948 Cobabe's son, Alvin, purchased the 8,000 acres. While riding horses in the 1950s, a friend suggested his high-mountain land would make a great ski area. In 1972, Powder Mountain ski area opened with the Sundown lift and, along with lessons, he added lights for night skiing. Food that season was prepared on an outdoor barbecue. The following season he built the Main Lodge and Sundown Lodge, and he added the Timberline lift. In 1995 he opened the Hidden Lake lift. In 1981, realizing the opportunities for powder skiing on his land, he opened a shuttle service that allowed skiers to ski open-powder runs that terminate at the road and there be picked up and returned to the main resort area. In 1984 Powder Mountain became the first Utah resort to welcome snowboarders. In 1994 the Sunrise lift opened, and the Paradise lift followed in 1999.

Powder Mountain remains in the hands of the Cobabe family, putting it in a small group of resorts that remain under original, private ownership.

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