Snowbird
Slope Breakdown
Snowbird at a glance
Snowbird is a ski resort in United States, part of the Snowbird area. It offers 100 km of slopes served by 14 lifts, with skiing between 2,365 m and 3,353 m (988 m vertical). That makes it the 18th largest of the 19 ski resorts in United States listed on Intski. The season usually runs from December to April. Snowbird leans towards strong skiers, with around 35% of the slopes rated expert (black).
Top features of this resort
Snow forecast
About 10 cm of new snow at the top (3,353 m) in the next 3 days, none at the base.
New snow and temperature at the top station. Estimated by Intski from the MET Norway forecast, updated every few hours. Where it snows most this week
Email me when it snows
An alert when 15 cm or more is on the way at Snowbird, and a heads-up before it opens.
Getting there & lift pass
Nearest airport
Salt Lake City (SLC) — about 36 km from the resort, straight-line distance, allow more by road.
Lift pass
Adult day pass around 239 USD (2026/27 season). Snowbird day pass, high season rate.
About €2.12 per km of piste the pass covers (100 km).
Compare lift pass prices at all resortsPrice source, checked 2026-09-14
Snowbird resort facts
Difficulty shares from skiresort.info, applied to the area total.
About Snowbird
Snowbird is an unincorporated community in Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah.
Resort Highlights
Big-mountain skiing minutes from Salt Lake City
Snowbird is an unincorporated community in Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah. It is known almost entirely for Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, an alpine skiing and snowboarding area that opened in December 1971. There is no historic town here. Snowbird is a mountain resort built in a steep canyon, and its identity comes from the terrain and the snow rather than from a village.
The skiing
The resort offers 100 km of pistes and 14 lifts, with skiing from a base of about 2,365 m up to 3,353 m. Both numbers are high. A base above 2,300 m means even the lowest runs sit higher than the summits of many European resorts, and the top at over 3,300 m makes Snowbird exceptionally snow-sure through the December to April season. The vertical is a little under 1,000 m, which is moderate, but the altitude and the character of the terrain more than compensate.
Snowbird’s reputation rests on its off-piste and ungroomed skiing. This is a mountain for confident skiers and snowboarders who want steep, open terrain and deep snow, and the 14 lifts for 100 km ratio shows an area of big lift-served bowls rather than a dense network of groomed trails. Intermediates will find enough groomed skiing for a holiday, but the resort is at its best for those who came to ski the whole mountain rather than just the pistes. Beginners are better served elsewhere. Snowboarders are as much a part of the picture as skiers; the resort has always been billed as an alpine skiing and snowboarding area, and the terrain suits both.
Setting and character
Little Cottonwood Canyon is dramatic, high and enclosed, and the resort sits inside it rather than on a plateau above a town. As a summer resort too, Snowbird keeps its infrastructure running year-round, but in winter the focus is single-minded: snow, and lots of it. The lack of a traditional village is a trade-off some visitors welcome and others do not. The summer operation means the resort is not a ghost town out of season, but the winter identity is dominant.
Practical notes
Salt Lake City airport is roughly 36 km away as the crow flies, one of the shortest airport-to-resort transfers of any major ski destination. The season runs from December to April. No official resort website is listed in this profile, so lift and ticket information should be confirmed through the resort directly.
Frequently asked questions about Snowbird
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort opened in December 1971 in Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City, Utah.
No. Snowbird is an unincorporated community that exists almost entirely for its ski and summer resort, so there is no traditional village or historic town centre.
The base sits at about 2,365 m and the skiing reaches 3,353 m, so even the lowest runs are higher than many European resort summits, which keeps the snow reliable from December to April.
Snowbird is best known for off-piste and ungroomed terrain aimed at confident skiers and snowboarders. Intermediates will find groomed runs, but beginners are generally better served at other resorts.
Snowbird has 100 km of marked slopes: 27 km easy (blue), 38 km intermediate (red), 35 km expert (black), served by 14 ski lifts.
The skiing in Snowbird ranges from 2,365 m at the base to 3,353 m at the top — a vertical drop of 988 m.
The ski season in Snowbird typically runs from December to April. Exact opening dates vary by year and snow conditions.
Snowbird works for beginners, though it is not a dedicated beginner resort: about 27% of the slopes (27 km) are easy blue runs.
Snowbird has 35 km of expert (black) slopes — about 35% of the total. It is also known for its off-piste terrain.
An adult day pass in Snowbird costs around 239 USD (2026/27 season). Snowbird day pass, high season rate.
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