You in all probability do not want me to inform you this, however snowboarding within the U.S. has gotten costly — very costly.
There are methods to scale back the associated fee, corresponding to with a preseason or early-season buy of the foremost ski passes, particularly if snowboarding at a big-name resort within the Epic Move or Ikon Move community. However it will possibly nonetheless simply be a whole bunch of {dollars} per day per individual while you think about tickets, gear, classes, lodging and extra.
However imagine it or not, there are nonetheless a handful of resorts which are inherently inexpensive, even with no go buy. And one of the inexpensive full-service ski resorts in the US is one you could not have heard of but for those who do not frequent Utah: Brian Head, situated in southwest Utah.
At Brian Head, raise tickets begin at simply $29, children ski free with out restrictions, senior residents ski free, there’s $25 snow tubing, a ski faculty and you should purchase a burger and fries on the mountain for simply $12 … which, for those who’ve eaten someplace like Aspen or Vail anytime just lately, is a relative discount that rings in at half the traditional on-mountain burger basket price (which turned out to be a theme all through the journey).
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What’s the Brian Head ski resort?
What began as a one-chairlift operation in 1965, recognized initially as Monument Peak as a result of its excessive elevation, has grown. Not solely that, however with the best base elevation in all of Utah at 9,600 toes, Brian Head Ski Resort has some legit snow and runs.
Brian Head’s snowfall averages are available in at 360 inches throughout its 650 acres and two linked mountains, every with its personal base space.
The resort boasts 71 ski runs and eight chair lifts. To present some context, Breckenridge Resort in Colorado averages the same quantity of snow at 355 inches yearly and has 35 chair lifts. In different phrases, Brian Head has strong snowfall and is smaller than some ski resorts, however it additionally is not so small that you just’re relegated to only a daytrip.
Brian Head sometimes opens for the season in mid-to-late November and closes in mid-April, circumstances allowing, with lifts open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays. As well as, it is likely one of the resorts that provides night time snowboarding on Fridays and Saturdays through the Blackfoot Elevate till 9 p.m., with costs beginning at $25.
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Brian Head has 5 eating choices within the winter:
- Final Chair Grill and Brews in Large Steps Lodge with a pub-style menu
- Large Steps Eatery within the Large Steps Lodge with informal choices like pizza and rooster fingers
- Navajo Eatery within the Navajo Lodge with burgers, sandwiches and related gadgets
- Elevate Bar and Pation within the Brian Head Lodge with breakfast buffet, burgers, appetizers and a Prime Rib dinner on Saturdays
- Navajo Espresso & Deli within the Navajo Lodge with espresso, sandwiches and pastries
The ski faculty provides non-public and group classes for each youngsters and adults. Youngsters ages 3-6 can enroll in First Tracks, which provides a half-day non-public instruction. Group or non-public classes can be found to these 7-12 years outdated.
On high of that, there is a free program for first-time skiers ages 13 and up; we’ll get to extra on that shortly.
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The place is Brian Head ski resort?
Like many ski resorts, Brian Head is somewhat off the crushed path, in that it is a few hours from any main metropolis.
Nonetheless, it is only a snowball’s throw from Interstate Freeway 15 in Parowan, Utah, which makes it comparatively simple to get to, even when it takes a few hours to take action from both Las Vegas (2.5 hours) or Salt Lake Metropolis (3.5 hours). It is also one hour from Zion Nationwide Park and 35 minutes from Cedar Metropolis, which is the place you will discover numerous (normally) inexpensive finances and midrange accommodations, corresponding to a Courtyard by Marriott, Vacation Inn Categorical, Hampton Inn and Greatest Western.
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SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
There is a free shuttle that may take you the 14 miles up the mountain to Brian Head, which may be additional useful in winter driving circumstances. However for those who do make the drive up the mountain your self, parking is free at Large Steps Lodge and Navajo Lodge (house allowing), with inexperienced persons and people with classes doubtless eager to park at Navajo Lodge.
Brian Head raise tickets
This is the place we get to the actually good elements about Brian Head; the low price of raise tickets.
First, know that youngsters 12 and below ski without spending a dime with no restrictions or necessities, aside from it’s essential to signal them up for the free Energy Youngsters Move, which you are able to do on-line in only a minute or two. That is unusually easy on this planet of kids-ski-free choices. On high of that, these ages 75 and up may also ski without spending a dime with out restrictions, which can be fairly uncommon lately. That is what gave start to our three-generation ski journey concept because the youngest and oldest within the group would ski free.
For everybody else, raise ticket costs begin at $29 per day, with a standard supply being $10 in included “Corduroy Money” with every ticket to spend on issues like mountain eating, classes, purchasing and gear leases.
Costs aren’t at all times fairly that low, however $45-$60 per day is frequent a lot of the season, with advance buy costs topping out round $99 on essentially the most peak days, like President’s Day weekend, so long as you guide not less than 5 days out. Examine that to raise ticket costs of $200-$300-plus per day at many main ski resorts for those who do not plan months upfront to buy one thing like Epic or Ikon Passes, and it is an enormous distinction, particularly since children ski free.
Professional tip: Brian Head typically has a 20% off sale on reward playing cards throughout Black Friday that you would use to decrease your efficient price much more.
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How a lot does it price to ski at Brian Head?
Along with the cheap raise ticket costs that we simply mentioned, you will have another prices to ski. On-site gear leases at Brian Head begin at $25 per day throughout March and April in 2024 however can price $35-$40 per day for a primary grownup ski rental package deal for the remainder of the season.
Group ski faculty for youths 7-12 years outdated begins at $145 for a half-day and $310 for a full day with lunch, so whereas that’s lower than at another mountains, it is nonetheless a hefty sum you will wish to finances for. Snowboarding throughout weekends and holidays will drive these costs upward some, in addition to not reserving not less than 5 days out.
In order for you a personal lesson, these are less expensive at Brian Head than many different mountains, as half-day non-public classes may be had beginning round $250, when that quantity can simply strategy $1,000 elsewhere.
Contained in the Brian Head Lodge
You may select to remain up on the mountain at Brian Head within the 100-room Brian Head Lodge, which has lodging beginning at round $100 per night time with some frequent promotions such because the second or third night time free and even a free night time with a raise ticket buy (with some blackout dates). Good luck discovering free on-mountain lodging with a raise ticket buy just about wherever else.
Whereas I did not keep within the lodge personally, as we stayed at a points-friendly lodge in Cedar Metropolis, the photographs appear to be the resort hasn’t been renovated shortly. Nonetheless, it does have a basic lodge vibe and an indoor pool/waterfall, outside scorching tub and on-site spa. There’s additionally a sport room with issues like air hockey and basic video video games.
Should you select to not keep on the Brian Head Lodge, you possibly can as an alternative keep in Cedar Metropolis, about 30-35 minutes away, at locations just like the Courtyard Marriott Cedar Metropolis, Springhill Suites Cedar Metropolis or quite a lot of different budget-friendly manufacturers.
An excellent resort for first-time skiers
Many first-time skiers and snowboarders assume lengthy and onerous about the place to take that first ski journey. And if the aim is primarily simply to study to ski or journey, the reality is, you need not go to a giant resort — you will not ski a lot of the mountain on that first journey anyway.
Brian Head is a superb selection not solely on your pockets however for youths that you don’t need venturing too far off however you wish to give some runway to. It even has a reasonably distinctive on-snow expertise that gives a free hour of ski and snowboarding fundamentals at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for these 13 and older.
The resort recommends pre-booking a slot to make sure house, however there isn’t any cost to start out studying the fundamentals past your raise ticket and equipment, which it’s essential to pay for.
Past that, this season, from March 1 till closing day (apart from March 11-17), the resort is providing those that buy raise tickets the flexibility to guide a $100 afternoon newbie group lesson and a normal $25 ski rental package deal, that are costs a lot under what you’d typically discover elsewhere, making this not simply an inexpensive place to ski, however an inexpensive place to study.
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What it is like snowboarding at Brian Head
We skied for 2 days at Brian Head over President’s Day weekend and located it to be an excellent worth for what we bought. There was good snow, pleasant skiers (with an enormous variety of guests coming from San Diego that weekend) and a laid-back perspective shared by skiers and boarders simply seeking to have , inexpensive day on the mountain like we have been.
It isn’t a flowery mountain — the services have not been actually up to date shortly from what I might inform (although an enlargement challenge is underway) — and most of the little issues that greater resorts do to make issues simpler (like placing short-term labels in your rented skis, having a ski valet system or offering wagons to haul your gear) do not at the moment exist right here.
Additionally, there aren’t many locations to sit down, and the road for meals on President’s Day weekend was near an hour proper after ski faculty set free. However … the meals was inexpensive and did the trick to fill you up and get you again out on the mountain — which was what you got here for.
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Ideas for snowboarding at Brian Head
- Parking is free at Brian Head, however the heaps can replenish on busy days within the late morning, so I like to recommend arriving about half-hour earlier than lifts open to have a straightforward choose of spots to park.
- Lifts opened at 9:30 a.m. whereas we have been there, and the primary half-hour or so have been devoid of any noticeable raise strains, which made for an effective way to get in a number of fast runs earlier than the strains did develop on the busy lengthy weekend.
- Like at most ski resorts, you’re finest served to keep away from the bottom raise strains throughout peak hours for those who can.
- Attempt to eat early — particularly if it’s a busy weekend — as meals strains can get very lengthy, particularly on the Navajo aspect of the resort, as there aren’t a ton of shops to select from. I like to recommend checking lunch off the listing by 11:30 a.m. if attainable, and positively earlier than half-day ski faculty will get out at 12:30 p.m. That is while you’ll wish to head again up the mountain whereas the raise strains are barely shorter.
- Talking of the Navajo aspect, that mountain has extra beginner-friendly terrain. However, as quickly as your group can graduate to simple blues, we discovered the Large Steps aspect to be a bit much less crowded. You may nonetheless do a number of inexperienced runs there off the Blackfoot raise that had considerably shorter strains than the first specific lifts.
- Do not skip snow tubing, as it is also worth at $25 for limitless runs for 90 minutes.
- Whilst you need not make your Brian Head purchases months upfront simply to make them inexpensive, it would be best to do it not less than per week or so upfront of your journey, as costs bounce 15% inside 5 days and 30% inside 24 hours.
Is Brian Head price visiting?
If you wish to ski on typically above-average snowfall for an inexpensive amount of cash, aren’t on the lookout for a flashy ski scene and are OK driving a number of hours from Las Vegas (or Salt Lake Metropolis) to get there, then 100% sure — Brian Head is price visiting. It is a midsize mountain that provides number of terrain for a number of days and will not put a everlasting dent in your pockets. And it is the plain selection if snowboarding with a multigenerational group the place the children and the 75-plus can each ski without spending a dime, as we did.
On the flip aspect, if you’d like Aspen-style eating choices or Vail-style purchasing and revel in expansive mountains that take a full week to discover, then Brian Head in all probability is not the best spot for you. It additionally is not the best ski vacation spot for those who want — or actually need — issues like ski valets, table-service eating, a hybrid ski program for preschool-age children, a luxurious ski-out lodge and different nice-to-haves that may admittedly make snowboarding somewhat simpler (and costlier).
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As for us, we totally intend on returning to Brian Head for journeys when simply getting some days on skis is the aim, sticking to the finances is vital and we aren’t on the lookout for a ton of extras to go along with it. However that stated, there isn’t any doubt that Brian Head is a gem of a vacation spot as one of many final actually inexpensive ski resorts the place you do not have to be a one-percenter to have some enjoyable on the snow.
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