Snowbasin: Ride Report
My son and I decided to make the pilgrimage from Tremonton to Snowbasin on Saturday to give the lift-serviced trails a try. I used to ski up there years ago, before the big money took over, and always thought the area would make for some great mountain biking. I have ridden the Maples trail and enjoyed it, so we hoped that the trails on the resort would be good as well.
Being older, and in somewhat rounded shape, my son and I (okay...me!) decided to spring the $12 each for the lift tickets, and spend the day cruising downhill. We were both on hardtails, so I was praying that the trails would be smooth. We got up to the resort a little after 10, and were just in time for the first runs of the day. The trails were buff and tacky, after some rain the night before. As we were traveling up in the gondola for our first run, I commented to my son that the gondolas didn't have much ventilation, and probably got hot in the afternoon...I didn't know how prophetic that statement was.
Long story short...the trails were amazing. They are routed so that they are challenging, but not over-the-top difficult. And they are long!! Our first run was a loop around the entire resort...the Needles loop...and it took us well over an hour to get back to the bottom. We were the first riders of the day to go on parts of that loop, and got soaked with dew to prove it! As the day went on, the trails got dry, the air got hot as hell, and we got tired. But all in all, it was a great day.
Props:
- Great trails.
- Closer (for me) and cheaper than Deer Valley trails.
- Fantastic facilities and staff.
Slops:
- $20.00 for 2 cheeseburgers and 2 Cokes at the lodge...ridiculous...I'll bring my own food from now on.
- Skidiots...most of the corners on the trails are already blown out beyond belief. Porky's and the lower part of the Needles are especially bad. At this rate, the trails will be destroyed soon. Somehow, people need to be educated how to ride. The trails aren't that steep, and skidding was never necessary.
- Gondolas have no ventilation...hot, hot, hot!