Mountain Layout—Snowboarding

For the advanced rider, a trip to Utah without riding Snowbird would be like going to Hawaii and not surfing in the ocean. This big mountain is what freeriding is all about and if it dumps snow, plan on some runs of a lifetime.

When it comes to the ultimate freeriding resort in Utah, Snowbird is the place. With a vertical drop over 3,000 feet, Snowbird offers steep, long, gnarly lines that can push anybody to the next level.

Riding up the tram will immediately put the magnitude of this mountain into perspective. The lower half of the tramline highlights endless steep tree shots. The upper half gives a bird’s-eye view of the famous Cirque. Take advantage of the ride up to check out some lines or cliffs that look good.

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At the top of Hidden Peak the riding options are unlimited. To the east lies Mount Baldy, a 15-minute hike to giant chutes and cliffs.To the west is the treeless Little Cloud bowl. For an even more technical line cruise out the Cirque Traverse to Lone Pine. Here on rider’s right are multiple chutes and cliffs. On rider’s left are big shots with scattered trees and rocks. If you drop in here, you'll eventually end up at the Gad Valley and the Gadzoom quad. The Gad Valley is much mellower with wide-open groomers braiding all over the mountain. However, there are still some good steep chutes and drops right under the lift.

Runs to rider’s left of Gadzoom leads to the Little Cloud double. This area is divided into five wide-open bowls. On a powder day, it’s wise to head here first because at times it quickly gets tracked out. Another option is to ride down past Little Cloud toward the Gad 2 Lift. This double chair accesses steep, north-facing trees that have good snow all day. Runs on rider’s left head toward the far west boundary of the resort and to the backcountry gates. When open, this area is where some of the best lines of the day can be found.

On the backside of the mountain is Mineral Basin, a massive, south-facing paradise. Vast bowls, all-sized cliffs and some smooth, rolling groomers are all waiting to be hit. This side of the mountain resembles a big, natural terrain park. There is even an unofficial jump run which has hips, rollers, and a few cat track gaps. Just follow some locals to figure out the drill. Another section worth checking is Powder Paradise. From the top stay high on the right traverse to the boundary gate and hike to the goods from there.

Parks and pipes at Snowbird
Each year Snowbird’s parks have been getting bigger and better. The area served by the Baby Thunder lift is dedicated to the expert terrain park. The Tiny Tiger trail has the biggest tabletops on the mountain. Most of these jumps have a few different lips which can throw riders 10 to 60 feet down to the transitions. Depending on snow conditions, it can be hard to make it to the tranny, so check it out first or let someone else be the guinea pig. Past the hits there are a few really fun boxes and a couple of decent rails. Another run off Baby Thunder is Alice’s Avenue. This is the intermediate park where the consequences aren’t as high. Small to mid-size tabletops are found here with a few rides on boxes and rails.

Upper Blue Bell is home to a boardercross course with a luge, an intermediate hip jump and a couple of intermediate tabletops. Lower Blue Bell has five large expert rails and funboxes. Snowbird's second boardercross course, with six intermediate jumps and tabletops, is on Tiny Tiger.

The Snowbird superpipe lives on the Big Emma run. The pipe is 400 feet long, 50 feet wide and has walls up to 17 feet. The super big transitions make this pipe pretty user-friendly. Next to the pipe there is a smaller beginner park with a few super-mellow jumps. With the resort’s huge selection of tabletops, boxes, rails and the superpipe, there are perfect hits for everyone from beginners to pro riders.