Heavy snow blankets skiers as they ride the gondola from the parking lot to the base of the mountain at Canyons Village ski area in Park City, Utah.SALT LAKE CITY – Utah resorts still want skiers and snowboarders to come enjoy their groomed slopes and high-speed lifts this season, but they’re also offering expanded options for people who want to get a taste of the backcountry without the risk of going alone.
New opportunities include a pair of new lifts at Powder Mountain Resort that open 5,000 acres of powder skiing through trees, and a new luxury cat-skiing operation at Whisper Ridge in northern Utah on 60,000 acres. Ski Utah is also widening its marketing of a long-running guided tour that takes in the back country near six resorts in one day.
The appetite for exploring beyond the boundaries of resorts has been growing in recent years. An estimated 5.7 million skiers and snowboarders ventured into the backcountry in 2015-2016 – up 34 percent from 2008-2009 ski season, according to research from SnowSports Industries America. A large chunk of those people went into the “side country,” areas connected to resorts that resemble backcountry.
Utah ski resorts are hoping to repeat last year’s banner season in which they parlayed good early-winter snow and buzz created by Vail Resort’s new mega-resort into a 10-year high for visitors. Several of the state’s 14 ski resorts are hoping to open in November to kick off season, though a lack of early season snow could make that difficult.
Here’s a look at what’s new this year, including several of the new options for backcountry-like experiences.