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LITTLECOTTONWOODCANYON, UTAH:
The
adjacentold-school resortsof
ALTA
and
SNOWBIRD
feel frozen
in time, but theyhave terrain thatwill challengeeven the
world’sbest skiers—andplentyof it.Botharebucket-list
mountains forexpertalpineand telemarkskiers, and inad-
dition togreat runsandvastbowls, the real appeal is themi-
croclimate, producing reliableanddeepultradrypowder
thatmanypunditsconsider thebest skiingsnowonearth.
For thosewho takepureskiing literally, somevisitors love
the fact thatAltaSkiAreabanssnowboarding,which is
allowedatSnowbird. If forsome reason theseworld-class
slopesarenot enough, Snowbird isalsohomebase foroneof
thenation’soldestandbusiestheli-skiingoperations,
WASATCHPOWDERBIRD GUIDES
,whichoffersendlessuntracked
powder runsoutside the resortboundaries.
CRESTEDBUTTE, COLORADO:
Authenticity iskey
inaplacenicknamed“Colorado’sLastSkiTown,”andCrest-
edButte is famed for itsOldWest-meets-Bohemianflair,
whereStetsonsandduct tapeareconsideredmore fashion-
able thancashmere.Butavidskiersandboarderscomehere
mostlybecause ithas themost lift-accesseddouble-black-
diamondexpert trails inColorado, awhopping542acresof
them,withmostof them located in thedeeppowder-filled
bowlsaroundandabove tree line.Groupsofmixedabilities
canstill enjoyCrestedButte,whichoffersplentyof less-
aggressive terrainwithgreenandblue trailson themid to
lowermountain. Local celebrityandski iconWendyFisher,
anOlympic racerandWorldChampionextremeskier, offers
private lessonsonan individual basis for intermediateand
expert skiersvisitingherhomemountain.
HiddenGem:
POWDERMOUNTAINRESORT,
UTAH
: The least-knowngreat resortnearSaltLakeCity
has little in thewayof lodgingordining, but itdoeshave the
nation’s largestamountof skiable terrain,more than7,000
acres, including rare in-boundssnow-cat skiingand the
unique1,200-acre“PowderCountry.”Skiersenter this trail-
free, backcountry-stylearea throughagateandpickwhatev-
er route theywant through thevastareaof trees, open faces,
and ravinesbeforehittinga roadwhere theyarepickedup
byshuttlebuses.
73
celebratedliving.com
WINTER 2011
INSETS, COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: skiing in Little Cotton-
wood Canyon at Alta Ski Area; fresh powder in Snowbird; skiing
through birch trees in Powder Mountain; world championWendy
Fisher. LARGE PHOTO: skiing fresh powder in Crested Butte
