Utah's winter lasts all year in many of the high ranges. Mount Timpanogos has a "glacier" that never thaws, and elsewhere in the State there are perpetual snows that can be used in a pinch for skiing and tobogganing. Normally, the season lasts from November to May for skiing, skating, and tobogganing; bobsled parties, traditional to rural America, begin whenever the farmers exchange wheels for runners on their wagons and hayracks. The mountains from the north to the south boundary are admirably suited to the sport. The winter climate is dry, with a preponderance of clear days; "powder snow" is the rule rather than the exception above the 7,000-foot level, where the best ski trails and facilities are found; and the improved ski areas are easily reached by car or bus.
Alta, Brighton, and Park City, in the mountains one hour cast of Salt Lake City, reached by different roads, are connected by a network of ski trails, cleared and widened at the turns. Brighton and Park City offer overnight accommodations, Alta has a Forest Service lodge. The Alta chair lift attains a vertical altitude of 700 feet above the lower terminal, carrying skiers to the crest of a ridge, from which there are runs for any degree of skill. Ecker hill ski jump, in the Park City area, 310 feet from take-off to dip, with a slope of 58 degrees, is one of the largest in the nation, and has been used several times for national championships. Brighton is the special haven of those who take their skiing comfortably, with fireplace gossip and an occasional skating party on Silver Lake. Tony Grove near Logan, Farm Creek Mountain near Duchesne, Polehaven near Manti, and Horseshoe Mountain and Taylor Field near Ephraim, are regions with minor improvements. Information concerning snow conditions should be obtained in the nearest town before visiting them.
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