Trade in that futuristic GORE-TEX® outerwear for a neon windbreaker, some jeans and boot gaiters. Spring skiing is here in Utah. The annual thaw has many tearfully mourning the end of another winter. (View closing dates here.) But dry those eyes because there’s plenty of shredding left to be done, and spring in the Utah mountains holds some of the best skiing and riding of the season! Comfortable temperatures, a deep snowpack, time-honored traditions like clown-day shenanigans on April 1 and legendary shred parties like The Frank at Alta and Spring Gruv at Park City top it all off.
Cold, dry powder gets all the accolades around here, but let’s not forget about spring snow’s contribution to The Greatest Snow on Earth. Large diurnal temperature swings and warm sun create a perfect riding surface when the bonds between melt-freeze snow grains begin to break down. Then it’s time to harvest some corn, baby! Follow the sun from south and east to west and north aspects for primo skiing and riding as the days get longer. Whether you’re hot-dogging through bumps, ripping groomers or boosting daffys off everything in sight, there’s something for every skier and snowboarder to wring the last bits of radness out of the season. Here are 10 of our favorite spring skiing runs in Utah.
Snowbird: Junior’s Powder Paradise
What better place to start than in Mineral Basin? The sun-swept bowl on the backside of Snowbird—home to the longest season in Utah—has plenty of enticing options, but Junior’s Powder Paradise is a ripping, steep east-face groomer that softens up early in the day for some high-speed carves.
Deer Valley Resort: Empire Bowl
Take a ride up Empire Express for a bowl full of Hollywood bumps right under the chairlift. The endless slushy bumps are prefect for zipping a tight line in your best retro garb, while the views of stunning southern Wasatch peaks from the top of the bowl are the cherry on top.
Brian Head Ski Resort: ARB’s
The sun giveth and the sun taketh away. When the relentless heat serves up mashed potato snow, take a rip down ARB’s for some sheltered, shaded terrain in the trees. Take it all the way down to Giant Steps Lodge for a little après fun in the sun.
Park City Mountain: Pick Axe Park
When the snow softens up and the landings get nice and forgiving, it’s time to dust off the freestyle skills for some spring park laps. Pick Axe Park’s medium-sized features are immaculately sculpted for up-and-coming shredders, glory-days throwback seekers and everyone in between.
Sundance Mountain Resort: Bishop’s Bowl to Pipeline
Timpanogos sure looks good in the spring. Take a peek at mighty Timp on a bluebird day from the top of Red’s Lift, then drop in for a long, looping cruise down Bishop’s Bowl and Pipeline that covers the entire upper mountain.
Alta Ski Area: Alf’s High Rustler AKA High Boy
Get those practice laps in at the site of the famous High Boy closing day party so you can send it when it counts. Rustler never disappoints, but it’s hard to beat it in the spring when the corn cycle gets in gear each afternoon for you to test your late-season quads with some top-to-bottom burners.
Solitude Mountain Resort: Woodlawn Honeycomb Canyon
Keep it cool with an uber long, shady cruiser lap down Woodlawn in Honeycomb Canyon. The towering walls above give some respite from the relentless sun when the corn starts to get a bit rotten and slushy. Pop off the groomer at any point along the way for a little taste of springtime gnar.
Brighton: Endless Winter to Great Western
We’re all chasing an endless winter this time of year, so why not head to the run bearing the name? With afternoon sun, Endless Winter’s steep terrain has perfect spring snow. Connect it back to the groomer on Great Western to finish up a full pull of the chair of the same name.
Snowbasin Resort: Main Street Strawberry
It doesn’t get much better than a toasty, long T to B (top to bottom) ripper in the sun in March and April. Main Street tracks the fall line down from Strawberry peak all the way to the back to the bottom of the gondola. The gondi ride gives you a chance to cool off for a minute before doing it all again.
Powder Mountain: Lightning Ridge
Keep earning those turns all spring long. The steep runs off the bootpack up Lightning Ridge and PowMow from Waterfall and Hook Chute to Lumber Yard and Hair Raiser hold snow well late into the season so you can keep shredding the steeps until lifts stop spinning.
