SeniorsSkiing Guide: SnowBasin
Great Skiing. Terrific Views. America’s Fanciest Loos.
The Needles Lodge and Gondola at SnowBasin on a bluebird day.
Credit: Jon Weisberg
SnowBasin is the expansive, exceptionally beautiful Utah area that most out-of-staters never get to ski. They’re attracted to the bigger name resorts just 45 minutes east of the airport. Head north, add 10 minutes, and you’re at MAGNIFICENT, SnowBasin—site of the 2002 Olympic Downhill events.
At the top, looking over its 3,300 acres, the cliffs and outcroppings suggest Europe. The vertical is 2,950 feet.
From this reviewer’s perspective, it ranks high for older skiers.
Snow and Terrain
- There is much here for every ability: trails, bowls, glades. On powder or post-powder days, freshies await.
- Lifts are fast and modern, including two gondolas and a short tram serving a vast black diamond area.
- Ample snowmaking assures good coverage while nature sleeps. Elevation can be an issue. Its base is 6400 feet. Alta’s is 8530 feet, meaning more snow. But when conditions are good, Snow Basin is great.
- Visibility is another issue. When it’s not bright and bluebird, its vast, treeless spaces produce unusually flat light; disorienting to anyone with compromised visual acuity.
Lot-to-Lift
- Easy to reach lodge and lifts: The resort runs a frequent shuttle service delivering skiers a short distance from base lodge and lifts.
- Parking is well organized: lots of personnel guiding you to your spot.
- A fleet of large plastic garden carts is available to transport equipment and grandkids.
Day Lodges
Taking a break at SnowBasin
These are not your typical lodges. They’re every bit as luxurious as Four Seasons hotels. Finishings. Furnishings. Flooring. You name it. No expense was spared, either at the base (Earl’s Lodge) or on the mountain (John Paul Lodge and Needles Lodge), where the luxe interiors and glass enclosed patios have spectacular views.
Food is several steps up from most resorts. House-made soups can stand up to most big city eateries. Look for Snow Basin’s Dining Discovery Series with sustainable farm-to-table selections. More on that on the resort website under “Events”.
Loo Review
Clean, classy luxury in every lodge! Men’s Rooms have a foyer with upholstered furniture, a washroom with gold-plated fixtures, and fully-enclosed commodes. Every place you go has shelving and hooks for gloves, helmets, and parkas.
Culture and Practicalities
From parking attendant to ticket window to liftee, there’s a culture of friendliness and helpfulness. Some areas don’t seem to care or have personnel who don’t even bother to sweep snow from chair. Snow Basin has trained its people to make the interaction truly enjoyable.
Unfortunately, there’s no onsite lodging. Condo rentals are available at nearby Pineview Reservoir. Many hotel/motel/other options are available in the city of Ogden, 20 – 25 minutes away.
Best to get there by auto although inexpensive public busses run three times a day between Ogden and the resort.
Bottom Line
- Day Pass at ticket window: 65-74 is $79; 75+ is $29.
- Season Pass: 65 – 74 is $699; 75+ is $89. Click here for benefits associated with each.
- Private instructor/guide available for up to 5 people: $399 a day.
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Skiing Has Trails for Seniors
The Trapp Family Lodge, near Stowe, VT, is a one of a few of our favorite things.
Credit: Trapp Family Lodge
The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Senior Skiers.
In 1968 Johannes von Trapp opened the first commercial Nordic Center in the U.S. on his family’s farm overlooking the Worcester Range in Stowe, Vt. The Trapp Family Lodge continues as a diamond of Nordic skiing with 100 kilometers of trails on more than 2,500 acres in one of the most scenic spots in Vermont.
Snow and Terrain
Grooming and trail maintenance are impeccable, and it is wonderful to see beginners shuffling around wearing parkas and goggles versus lightly-fleeced skaters zooming by. Snowshoers are welcome off track.
The center’s high elevation captures snow, and it has recently added snowmaking in the stadium area to redistribute as needed. Good for seniors, the center has a lot of variety. Many like to visit the Slayton Pasture Cabin, a gradual three-mile climb, warm up by the open fire with hot chocolate, then shoot back down, about three hours round trip. A nice close-in loop is Sugar Road to the Telemark Trail, but the Haul Road, Slayton Pasture Trail, and Skater’s Waltz all provide varied journeys over rolling terrain, allowing the mind and skis to wander in equal measure.
You can get those four-pin bindings and leather boots out and wax up your wooden skis for the TFL’s antique ski race.
Credit: Trapp Family Lodge
The best backcountry skiing is accessed by climbing to the Slayton Pasture Cabin, then climbing the trail to “Round Top,” says Ryan Kukar of Trapp Family Lodge. “Bear right at the top and then drop in off the ridge towards Hare Line trail. Skiing through the woods this way is great and allows skiers to bisect some of the other Nordic ski trails.” Several backcountry zones have been trimmed to open up the lines for us seniors whose reactions may be slower. Rental backcountry gear available at the Nordic Shop include the Rossignol Soul 7 skis, with Dynafit boots and bindings, skins required.
Dining, Lodge and Culture
For many, the draw to the Trapp Family Lodge is the von Trapps’ compelling family history, brought to life in The Sound of Music. Pilgrimage would not be too strong a word.
The lodge has 96 rooms, guest houses, and villas. The food is outstanding. The lodge’s gardens, greenhouses, laying hens, and livestock, have long been providing fresh and tasty fare to guests (marked by a crown on the menu).
Pour syrup from the majestic sugar maples onto your breakfast French Toast. Add to the tasting list an Austrian style Trapp Lager made right on the premises and the new von Trapp Weiss Beer (a white beer made with coriander). The wine cellar isn’t bad either and available for regular wine tasting sessions.
The lodge is cozy; get a good night’s sleep under Tyrolean eaves and feather pillows, comforters, with a window view over the mountains. Classical music wafts out of the lobby.
As an overnight guest, you have access to the ski trails, the Fitness Center with indoor pool, massage therapy, sauna, and hot tub. Grandchildren will appreciate the daily Mountain Kids Club.
After a day on the trails, there’s nothing better than to head to the Lounge in the lodge, order a von Trapp ale and maybe a house-made Bratwurst and Tagessuppe, and watch the winter twilight set in.
Bottom Line
For seniors: Day pass, 65 and over: $20.
Edelweiss, edelweiss must be along here somewhere.
Tracking along on groomed trails is another one of our favorite things.
Credit: Trapp Family Lodge
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Feb.19)
Big News For Our Subscribers, Resort Reviews, Stretching Advice, Boots and a Ski-From-Home Apartment in Borat-Land.
We are extremely excited this week to announce a fantastic and exclusive discount deal for SeniorsSkiing.com’s subscribers. Now you guys can sign up with Promotive.com (using a special access code you will receive shortly in a separate email), and get discounts on top brands in ski equipment, clothing and lots of stuff. We know this is important to you because our reader surveys have revealed that discounts are critical, really. So, there you go, have at it. Free. No charge for subscribing to SeniorSkiing and no charge for signing up with Promotive.com. Look for the subscribers-only email with access instructions very soon.
Stories this week include reviews of Mt. Baker, snow catcher of the Northwest, by our newest contributor John Nelson. Great ticket deals there, seniors. There’s also a guide to skiing easy ways down Mt. Mansfield, Stowe’s magic mountain, by correspondent Tamsin Venn. We remember beautiful, long runs down the Perry Merrill, many, many years ago. Stowe is a special place in the pantheon of skiing., and Tamsin does a great job of introducing seniors to its charming, blue runs. Paul Foy also shows us some lightweight gear that might encourage you to visit the backcountry, a segment of snow sports that is really growing.
We asked Salt Lake City correspondent Harriet Wallis to investigate the stretching challenge we discovered in our recent poll. We found that 60 percent of you do some level of stretching and 40 percent don’t. What she found when she consulted with her physical fitness advisor and others surprised her, us and it will you, too.
Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg has a report on Muck Boots, hearty footwear for snow country. Curious how a boot originally designed for cleaning horse stalls has made its way into snow country fashion.
Finally, we have a bit of fun with a most amazing architectural design: An apartment building with a built-in ski slope. Yes, this is legit; it even won an architectural award. Think of the implications for Saturday night parties.
Preview
Because this week was so busy with our Promotive announcement, we weren’t quite able to get the Washington Birthday race story in press. It is interesting that our queries around the ski industry into that race’s history resulted in little information. The Washington Birthday race was a “people’s race”, like the Vassalopett in Sweden. Everyone lines up in a giant, snow-covered field, and off you go. Was great fun back in the 60s and 70s. Anyone out there have memories or pictures to share?
That’s what Borat says.
More Resort Reviews, product ideas, and ideas for making snow sports rewarding. Remember, if you want to communicate with other readers, find people to pal up with or ask questions, use the FORUM. Click the menu in the upper right, blue bar.
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