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With the final bolts tightened, tests passed and chairs hung, Utah’s largest on-mountain improvement for the upcoming season is ready for action - Powderhorn II.

Powderhorn II starts near the bottom of Sunshine Bowl, travels above a widened Concord ski run, and ends in the same location as the original Powderhorn Lift. Some terrain improvements at the top terminal allow Diamond Lane to start right at the top terminal - no more crossing the road to get to the other side. Skiers left - towards Eagle Ridge - has been graded eliminating the off-camber double fall line mogul field to access gentler terrain. Guests will no doubt enjoy a smoother ad quicker transition from riding the lift to making turns.

PH II Bottom Terminal as viewed from Moonbeam Express. Photo: Marc Guido

The move to a mid-mountain starting point allows expert snowriders to make continuous laps on the upper mountain - from Diamond Lane to Sunshine Bowl - without the need to return to the base area via beginner runs. A speedy 7 minute lift ride on the new lift, as opposed to 12 on the old double, saves 5 minutes per run on some of the state’s steepest groomed terrain. Plus, the off-piste terrain in Honeycomb Canyon will still be conveniently accessed from the top of this lift.

Beginner and intermediate visitors will appreciate the new lift, as well, even though they may not ride it until their skills improve, as advanced and expert visitors will remain higher on the mountain, easing traffic in prime learning areas lower on the mountain. Crafting this natural segregation put visitors of like abilities in terrain conducive to their ability, creating an improved experience for all.

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Far and away, the most legitimate resort awards program is by Ski Magazine. Being that actual skiers - the readers of the magazine - not editors swayed by advertising revenue and popularity contests, are rating the resorts they frequent, Solitude is proud of the amazing rankings we received.

OVERALL - #26. Just being ranked is compliment - nevermind scratching close to the top 25.  Thank you readers!

In individual categories, Solitude really shined in areas we expect to (weather, snow, etc.) as well as in areas we strive to excel, such as providing a wide variety of groomed terrain.

#1 Weather

#4 Snow

#10 Grooming

#6 Value

#8 Access

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The chopper visited us again and flew in all the towers - believe it or not in about 3 hours they had every tower in place. Talk about efficiency - these guys should run the Senate or something. The next phase of this project will be to put thetop and bottom lift terminals in place, then stringing cable, hanging chairs, etc. With the first day of autumn in the books, Powderhorn II is right on schedule.

Notice that Concord is a much wider run now. We plan on grooming this for your gravitational enjoyment this coming winter.

In addition to putting in the lift, Solitude’s Mountain Staff has been hard at work with bulldozers and graders to create a smooth transition from lift to skiing.  It is amazing what these guys can do with equipment weighing several tons - nimbly moving dirt into all the right places.  Skiers left down Eagle ridge used to be a double fall-line bump run, which got old after the first few laps towards Paradise and Vertigo. Your other option was to make a hairpin switchback on a cat-track to access the ridge runs or Diamond Lane. Not exactly what most skiers had in mind looking for a nice steep groomer.  Now, the aformentioned bump entrance to the ridge has been graded, eliminating the double fall line, while also allowing visitors a nice little ramp up into Honeycomb Canyon.  Diamond Lane will now start right at the top terminal - no more crossing the road to get to the other side.  Picture’s really are worth a thousand words, so imagine these with snow on them and hopefully you’ll be as excited as we are.

Honeycomb gate on left, and easy access to Eagle Ridge / Paradise / Vertigo / etc. on the right.

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A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s a few chapters to enjoy.

Equipment in staging - lift towers and the like.

We hired a heli to fly in concrete for the footings.

This is the concrete bucket the heli swings around like a rag doll.

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That’s right - Solitude Mountain Resort has begun installation on Powderhorn II, a $1.5 million improvement to the lift system. This new fixed grip quad replaces the original Powderhorn double, a holdover from its mid-70s installation - albeit with an improved lift line .  Coming on the heels of last winter’s $7 million investment in two detachable express quads the resort should ski much more efficiently. That’s three new quads in just the past two years!

Powderhorn II will start from the bottom of Sunshine Bowl, travel above the Concord ski run, and end in the same location as the original Powderhorn Lift. The move to a mid-mountain starting point allows expert snowriders to make continuous laps on the upper mountain - from Diamond Lane to Sunshine Bowl - without the need to return to the base area via beginner runs. A speedy 7 minute lift ride on the new lift, as opposed to 12 on the old double, saves 5 minutes per run on some of the state’s steepest groomed terrain. Plus, the off-piste terrain in Honeycomb Canyon will still be conveniently accessed from the top of this lift.

Last winter’s new Apex and Moonbeam Express lifts introduced high speed lift access from both base areas to mid-mountain, allowing Powderhorn II to begin higher on the mountain. Accessible from all three detachable lifts, including Eagle Express, a greater on-mountain flow is achieved throughout the resort. Solitude’s goal with terrain and lift improvements, now and into the future, is to efficiently utilize pockets of terrain which are naturally separated by the layout and slope of the mountain.

Beginner and intermediate visitors will appreciate the new lift, as well, even though they may not ride it until their skills improve, as advanced and expert visitors will remain higher on the mountain, easing traffic in prime learning areas lower on the mountain. Crafting this natural segregation put visitors of like abilities in terrain conducive to their ability, creating an improved experience for all.

Note the mid-mountain starting point for the new lift - still ending at the same top terminal.

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Mud season quickly turned into rain season…or is that just another way of saying mud season was extra long this year? Either way, Summer is officially here, as of June 21. And as if on cue, the sun is shining, the mountains are green, flowers are beginning to bloom, so tada! Summer is here.

As far as the nuts and bolts go, the lift is running Fri - Sun, from 1 - 6 on Fridays and 11 - 6 on the weekends and holidays.  The trails could NOT be in better shape.  they are smooth and tacky and plush and soft and just generally awesome. See, rain and precip does have its advantages! Solitude also offers an 18 hole disc golf course, bike rentals, scooter rentals and much more.

The Stone Haus is open for pizzas, coffee, sandwiches, energy drink and beer (is that redundant?) from Wednesdays - Sundays from 11 - 7. Don’t miss kimi’s mountainside bistro  - a new Village dining institution with an unbelievable patio and great food in a relaxed setting. They are open for dinner Wed- Sun from 5 - 9 and open for weekend brunch (that’s right, Sundays aaaand Saturdays!) from 10 - 3. The Yurt is also available for a gourmet adventure dining experience - so if you need to wow a group, that’s the place!

See ya on the trail!

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Utah’s poster girl weighs in after a day on the hill at Solitude:

“During the springtime at Solitude, the snow piles up extra deep in the woods.  We found bottomless powder off of Powderhorn on the Milkrun and from Summit chair in the Evergreen forest.  It’s a great time to take advantage of spring specials and find your own patches of deep, untracked Utah powder.”

Caroline kicks up a trail of Utah brand cold smoke.

I think she's somewhere under that cloud of smoke.

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Solitude’s Spring Stimulus allows you to enjoy the best snow conditions of the year for just $39 a day (juniors ski for only $29/day). With a 114″ base and over 70″ of snow in the past seven days there is no reason not to take full advantage of the few remaining weeks of winter!

Solitude closes April 12 (Easter Sunday), so come on up to the mountains and get your powder grin on a few more times!

There are no blackout dates, just come on up to any ticket window here at the resort and $39 gets you out on the hill! Not valid with any other coupons or discounts.

Solitude. If You Only Knew…

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Can’t afford to hire a private heli for the day? Well, grab a seat in ours and feast your eyes on a scenic ride from frontside groomers to the depths of Honeycomb Canyon.  Soar and float like a bird above skiers and boarders making their way down the hill - with no risk of motion sickness. Enjoy!

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One of the benefits of working at a mountain resort is occasionally we do an employee specific event, like we did last night at the Nordic Center.

The idea was simple, expose our employees to something here at Solitude they would never otherwise do on their own.  The center provided rentals and a lesson and we had about 15 people show up to give Nordic a try.

The majority of those attending had never Nordic skied prior and the overwhelming consensus was - - if you have a little Alpine skiing in your background, you can easily pick up and have a fun day Nordic skiing.  Everyone chose to try Skate skiing, which if you are unaware is the latest and greatest thing in Nordic skiing.  It’s certainly not new, but arguably it is gaining great traction here in the U.S.  Anyway, by the end of the evening, everyone was actually holding their own - - we even held a little relay race for some departmental bragging rights.

So, what does all this have to do with you?  As I was listening to one of the instructors last night, WHO JUST HAPPENS TO BE A 2002 WINTER OLYMPIAN, I thought to myself how cool it is to be listening and learning from a guy that competed in the Olympics!  And then I thought to myself, it cost nothing extra for our customers to come up and learn from this Olympian.  And, most weekdays, if you can come on weekdays - you’d probably be one of maybe only 2 or 3 in the lesson (if you are really lucky it would only be you - which certainly happens).

Get out and try something new this year, it is a phenomenal workout and a wonderful way to enjoy the Wasatch Mountains.  If you are lucky enough to ski with our Olympian or not, you will for sure receive unparalleled instruction and attention from the Solitude Nordic Center.

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