
Powder Mountain
8,464 acres, 500 inches annual snowfall, uncrowded skiing in Utah's northern Wasatch. Indy Pass included.
Powder Mountain spans 8,464 acres across Weber and Cache counties in the Wasatch Range, claiming the title of North America's largest ski area by acreage. The resort operates between 2,103 metres base and 2,872 metres summit, delivering 769 metres of vertical drop across 154 runs split 25 per cent beginner, 40 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent advanced, and 5 per cent expert. Annual snowfall averages 500 inches, with the resort receiving 12.7 metres during a typical season.
The terrain includes 3,000 acres of lift-served skiing alongside additional acreage accessed via snowcat rides, shuttle buses, and guided tours into zones like Lightning Ridge and Powder Country. Nine lifts serve the public mountain, including five quad chairs, one triple chair, and three surface lifts. The 2025-26 season runs from 6 December to 29 March. Powder Mountain ranked number one in Ski Magazine's Top 30 Resorts in the West in 2023.
The resort caps daily ticket sales to maintain low skier density, averaging one skier per acre on busy days compared to 14 or more at major resorts. Three base areas—Timberline, Hidden Lake, and Sundown—offer lodges, rentals, and dining, with night skiing available at Sundown until 9pm. On-mountain facilities include the Powder Keg bar, Hidden Lake Cantina, and Timberline Cafeteria, plus two terrain parks reinstated for the 2024-25 season.
Powder Mountain operates on the Indy Pass with two-day access included, whilst adult day tickets range from 109 to 219 US dollars depending on dates. Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings assumed ownership in 2023, introducing a blended public-private model with some terrain reserved for the Powder Haven homeowner community. The uncrowded atmosphere, affordable cat skiing from 25 US dollars per ride, and massive acreage suit powder hunters, families, and intermediate skiers seeking space.
Powder Mountain markets itself as the largest ski area in the United States by acreage, with 8,464 acres (3,425 hectares) of lift, snowcat and shuttle-served terrain in the Wasatch Range above Eden, Utah. The 154 runs drop from a 6,900 ft (2,103 m) base to a 9,420 ft (2,872 m) summit, a vertical of 2,520 ft (769 m). Trails split 25% beginner, 40% intermediate, 30% advanced and 5% expert, so the mountain is mostly friendly, with plenty of room to stretch out. Daily ticket sales are capped, which keeps skier density low even on busy weekends.
Timberline, Hidden Lake and Sundown are the three base areas. Powder Country and Woody's World are off-piste zones, with about 1,200 acres reached from the Sundown, Timberline and Hidden Lake lifts and a free shuttle bus returning skiers to the bases. Single-ride snowcat trips to Lightning Ridge deposit skiers at roughly 8,500 ft for runs through Weber Bowl, an expert-rated bowl, as well as Cache Bowl and advanced chutes. Night skiing runs at Sundown until 9pm. Powder Mountain suits powder hunters, families and intermediates who want space to roam, although the shuttle logistics reward visitors who plan their day around where they want to finish.
The 2025-26 season opened 6 December 2025 and closed 29 March 2026, delivering a typical 16-week operating window. Powder Mountain historically opens mid-December and operates through late March or early April depending on snowpack. The resort's 2,103-metre base elevation sits lower than Salt Lake resorts like Snowbird at 2,469 metres, creating more variable conditions but also capturing unique storm patterns.
Powder Mountain averages 500 inches of annual snowfall—12.7 metres—benefiting from a northern Wasatch microclimate that often receives snow when other Utah resorts miss storms. The 2025-26 season recorded 342.9 centimetres through mid-May 2026. Base depths typically range from 100 to 150 centimetres mid-season. The resort operates no snowmaking, relying entirely on natural accumulation across its 8,464 acres.
January through February delivers peak powder conditions, with the highest monthly totals historically arriving in February at 57 inches followed by March at 52 inches. December and early January see lighter accumulation averaging 23 and 40 inches respectively. Spring skiing extends through March with warming temperatures and corn snow developing on south-facing aspects. The resort's northern location means storm cycles can arrive later in the season compared to central Wasatch resorts.
Night skiing operates daily from 4pm to 9pm on the Sundown lift for 19 US dollars. The resort hosts Natural Selection Tour events in February, drawing freeride athletes to its steep terrain. Four passholder-only weekends in February provide exclusive access to season pass holders. The resort's uncrowded policy means powder can remain untracked for days after storms, particularly in the expansive Lightning Ridge and Powder Country zones.
Powder Mountain sits east of Eden, Utah, in the northern Wasatch Range where Weber and Cache counties meet. The resort spans elevations from 6,900 to 9,422 feet across ridges overlooking Ogden Valley to the west and the Great Salt Lake beyond. James Peak marks the summit at 2,872 metres. Eden village lies 10 kilometres west at the valley floor, whilst the resort's three base lodges occupy mid-mountain elevations around 2,500 metres.
The resort operates 88 kilometres northeast of Salt Lake City and 40 kilometres from Ogden, Utah's seventh-largest city. Ogden serves as the primary service town with a population of 87,000, offering hotels, dining, and historic railroad attractions along 25th Street. Huntsville sits 16 kilometres south of Eden in Ogden Valley. The area was established in 1972 by Alvin Cobabe on ranchland his father acquired starting in 1902 for sheep grazing.
Access follows State Route 158 through Ogden Canyon from Interstate 15, climbing east into Ogden Valley before ascending Powder Mountain Road to the resort. The drive from Ogden takes 40 minutes, whilst Salt Lake City lies 75 minutes south via I-15. The winding mountain road gains over 1,000 metres elevation from the valley floor. Parking operates on a first-come basis at Timberline, Hidden Lake, and Sundown lodges, with weekend paid parking until 1pm.
Salt Lake City International Airport sits 89 kilometres south, providing the primary air gateway with direct flights from major US and international cities. The airport-to-resort transfer takes approximately one hour by car. Ogden-Hinckley Airport lies 30 kilometres west but serves limited commercial traffic. No direct shuttle services operate, making rental cars the standard transfer option. Utah Transit Authority buses connect Ogden to Eden with the 674 route, though services remain infrequent for resort access.
Hotels and lodges near Powder Mountain, powered by Stay22.

Europe’s ski season is open, technically. After a record-warm summer, glaciers in Austria, Switzerland and Italy are running a few pistes apiece, Sölden, Stubai and Kitzsteinhorn started late, Titlis has pushed back to 24 October, and Zermatt reopens a few lifts on 14 October after more than two months shut. Finland’s Levi and Ruka are skiing on stored snow. Here is what is open, and what you actually get at each.

Zermatt is having another crack at a World Cup downhill, and this time nobody has to cross a border. Around 13 million Swiss francs is going into rebuilding the Gornergrat piste, including a jump fed by a roughly 300-metre in-run across the roof of the Gornergrat Railway gallery, with the Matterhorn lined up behind it for the TV cameras. First men’s race is pencilled in for March 2028, pending FIS homologation.

Lake Tahoe’s highest base elevation is paying off early: Mt. Rose has started making snow for 2026-27 after the first flurries and a cold snap. The Nevada resort is backing it with nearly US$2 million in upgrades, including a replacement snowmaking main line, a new PistenBully groomer and restraint bars on every lift. Opening day is yet to be confirmed, though Heavenly and Northstar are already eyeing 20 November.

Utah is still building flat out. For 2026-27, Powder Mountain opens a steep new Skytrac chair into more than 1,000 acres of advanced terrain, Deer Valley adds 200 acres on Hail Peak, Sundance gets a new quad and Park City adds a gondola from its new parking structure. Snowmaking is expanding almost everywhere, Eagle Point stays closed after the Cottonwood Fire, and the 2034 Games are setting the pace. Here’s what’s new, resort by resort.

Mt Hutt is getting busier, and its base lodge is about to catch up. NZ$12 million goes into a heated sun deck roughly three times the current size (430 m² to 1,300 m²), plus a new toilet block, heated steps down to snow level, extra storage and a new food and beverage outlet. Building starts after the 2026 season, with everything due for winter 2027.

Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.

Less than four months out from the Crans-Montana 2027 World Championships, the man running the organising committee has stepped down. Claude-Alain Schmidhalter resigned as Swiss-Ski vice president and OC president after being indicted over a business dispute unrelated to skiing. He denies the allegations and faces court on October 27. Interim leaders are in place for the February 1-14 event.

Kelly Canyon had a rough 2025-26, and the Idaho resort has spent the summer making sure it doesn’t repeat. Snowmaking now reaches the top of Goldrush, the terrain park is doubling in size with a stereo system, lights and a snack shack, and the car park is getting bigger. Grooming is stepping up too. Target opening is December 4, conditions permitting.
Opening day for the winter 2026 - 2027 season is scheduled for Dec 11, 2026 (subject to change). Lift tickets at Powder Mountain typically go on sale well before the start of the ski season.
Our lift ticket pricing was last updated on Sep 28, 2026.
Day passes start from US$29, with peak rates up to US$229.
All-Day Ticket at Powder Mountain for the 2026/27 season, 9:00am-8:30pm - no separate age-tier pricing published, dynamic date-based pricing. Regular/peak reflect the resort's own confirmed low/high per-day range ($63-$229/day).
Buy passAfternoon Ticket at Powder Mountain for the 2026/27 season, 1:30pm-8:30pm - flat rate, all ages, new this season.
Buy passNight Ticket at Powder Mountain for the 2026/27 season, 4:00pm-8:30pm - flat rate, all ages.
Buy passMore Powder Mountain intelligence: snow report, webcams, resort overview.