Vol. 4, No. 1, January 2008
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Hitting the Slopes
A panoramic view of ski and snowboard resorts in our backyard
As November rolls around and snow begins to fall at the higher elevations, there’s no need to sit in the city and wait for the pools to reopen in May. There’s more than one winter wonderland not far beyond the perimeters of the Strip, and these destinations are just waiting for you to partake in downhill skiing, snow boarding, and, oh yes—the drinking of hot buttered Captain Morgan’s rum at days end.
Vegas’ Secret Getaway
Located just 30 miles outside of Las Vegas off U.S. Highway 95 lies the beautiful and scenic area of Mount Charleston. Drive approximately 17 miles up Highway 156 and you’ll find yourself in the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest—specifically Lee Canyon—the home of Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort.
Average annual snowfall for this local’s favorite is 120 inches with added snowmaking capabilities on 75 percent of the entire terrain. There are four lifts available, including two double-chair, one triple-chair and one surface-lift.
The highest elevation point for your downhill journey is 9,370 feet accommodating a 3,000-foot run with an 850-foot vertical drop. There are 11 trails to choose from: 20 percent are beginner, 60 percent intermediate, and for all you pros out there, 20 percent advanced. The Terrain Park offers a variety of features including a 500-foot intermediate half-pipe, table-top jumps and assorted rails.
When the need hits to satisfy your hunger between runs, the Big Horn Café at the base lodge serves soup, salads, sandwiches and burgers inside the quaint dining room or outdoors on the scenic deck. If you would like to quench your thirst for a hot toddy you can order at the full service Bristlecone Bar. The Sports Shop carries any and all equipment rentals for an active day on the slopes, including snowboards and boots for a reasonable $35. All rentals are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Arrive early if you don’t own your equipment.
Full-day or half-day lift tickets are available for purchase from $25 to $50. The very avid skier can save on season passes starting between $269 and $549. And there is no need to haul your equipment to and from home when you can rent lockers for $150 for the entire 2007-08 season. All lift ticket reservations and locker rental purchases can be made by logging onto www.skilasvegas.com. Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort is open daily at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m.
If 4:30 in the afternoon is a little early to wrap up your snow day, and you’re searching for a location that offers amazing ambiance, fabulous food, cozy rooms, and a taste of fine spirits, travel approximately 10 miles back down the road into Kyle Canyon. Your destination? The Hotel on Mount Charleston. Built in the early 1980s this property underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2005, and the result is pure mountain charm. With more than 60 rooms, a bistro that specializes in gourmet coffee, the Cut Above Restaurant offers full service dining and a lounge that features overstuffed couches, plasma TVs, and an award winning drink menu. This place is a wonderful winter haven—and during the week, the hotel welcomes those in the hospitality and casino industry with half-price rates on rooms. With a brand-new state of the art spa facility opening this month, this establishment is a must stay. Call 702-645-2754 or log on to www.mtcharlestonhotel.com.
Another seven or so miles down the road in Kyle Canyon is the Mount Charleston Lodge. Hosting 23 individual cabins ranging from 500 to 900 square feet, you must reserve far in advance to take advantage of these accommodations. Each cabin has a private deck, fireplace and double-wide whirlpool bath. Their award winning restaurant features signature wild game such as elk chops, ostrich filet and pheasant. The lounge closes at midnight nightly. For room rates call 702-872-5408 or logon to www.mtcharlestonlodge.com.
Utah Powder
There are a couple of things to consider on choices for transportation to and from the pristine mountain terrain of Brian Head. The comfortable drive from Las Vegas will take just about three hours. There are also numerous flights out of McCarran Airport daily to this mountain destination. One hour in the air on Delta or U.S. Airways will land you into Cedar City for around $198 round trip. Rent a car at the airport and a scenic 40-minute drive will take you right to the resort.
The Brian Head Resort encompasses two mountains—Giant Steps and Navajo—and as of summer 2007 they are finally connected. This long awaited interconnect system consists of a new skier bridge that allows snowriders to enjoy both mountains without ever leaving the snow. Resort base is at a 9,600-foot elevation and the summit tops out at a lift-served 11,000 feet, creating a 1,320-foot vertical drop. We’re talking serious height, here.
Average snowfall is an annual 400 inches of legendary “Utah powder.” Nine chair lifts, including seven triple chairs, one double chair and one surface lift transports snowboarders and skiers alike to 65 different trails. An uncrowded 650 acres provide runs for skiers of all abilities with 40 percent designated for beginners, 40 percent for intermediate and 20 percent for experts.
Terrain parks offer countless features, rails and fun boxes. The snow tube park consists of a six-lane, frozen water slide with a surface lift that whisks you to the top, where all the way down you can burn rubber on the ice, while racing your friends to the finish line. Two hour tubing sessions begin daily at 10:00 a.m. for a very reasonable $12.
For snow students, instruction is offered at the Winter Sports School at base camp. There are numerous ski and board packages available at full and half day prices. Lift tickets start at $12 up to $52 for the day. An extensive list of season passes includes snow tubing for $89, equipment rental from $229 and freedom passes, providing unlimited usage for $999.
Breakfast and lunch are served cafeteria style at the Grill located at the base lodge. Lifts operate from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and night skiing is available every Friday and Saturday from 3:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. For further information log on to www.brianhead.com or phone 435-677-2035 to speak to a representative.
There is myriad lodging available in and around the Brian Head area including the town of Parowan, and Cedar City is just a few miles away. For on-mountain accommodations consider the Cedar Breaks Lodge, featuring 102 rooms and a full service hotel and day spa. Offering packages beginning at $179 per person that include three nights lodging and two all-area lift tickets, this cool alpine setting is hard to beat. The Double Black Jack Diamond steak house is a small intimate dining experience offering hand-crafted entrees from only the freshest ingredients. A shuttle is available to pick up guests and transport them to base camp every 15 minutes between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. For reservations call 1-888-282-3327 or log on to www.cedarbreakslodge.com.
California Dreamin’
Just a 3.5-hour drive toward Los Angeles will take you to Southern California’s first choice for winter activities for more than 55 years, Big Bear Mountain Resorts. BBMR includes two white-capped mountains, Big Bear and Snow Summit. With a total of 438 developed acres, this resort relies heavily on its snow making capabilities for 100 percent of the terrain. With 100 inches of snowfall annually, BBMR continues to make snow with water provided by Big Bear Lake from November to March. Their snowmaking system can convert 6,000 gallons of water per minute to provide quality snow for hundreds of thousands of skiers and snowboarders every season.
There are more than 55 runs featuring the Steeps at Bear Mountain and the long intermediate cruisers at Snow Summit. The highest lift-accessible peak is 8,802 feet and the longest run is one mile of advanced-expert terrain. The Park at Bear Mountain averages 150 jumps, 80 jibs, and a superpipe almost 600 feet long, 77 feet across with walls 18 feet high. Snow Summit is home to the family park, the mountains slow-skiing and boarding zone with low-intermediate terrain. There are a total of 26 lifts, including four high-speed detachable quads, and six moving carpet lifts. All of these exciting jumps, jibs and pipes truly define Big Bear as the amusement park of mountain resorts for snowboarders and skiers of all ages.
BBMR provides complete equipment rental packages for half-day, full-day and night skiing adventures. Rates range from boots only for $20 to $40 for a snowboard package.
Lift tickets range from $15 to a $54 daily rate, and weekend rates of $99 to $119. Season passes can be purchased from $99 to $799. There are more places than you could imagine to take a break and get all fueled-up in order to be back out onto the snow in no time. Eateries abound at BBMR, both at the base resort and high above at the summit. Food and libations from the Bear Bottom lounge to the View Haus, provide informal dining and drinking for every snowbound visitor. Hours of lodge operation are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekend night skiing sessions from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For information and reservations log on to www.bigbearmountainresorts.com, or call 909-866-5841.
The Big Bear Mountain Resort does not own lodging facilities, however rooms, condos, cabins, and seasonal rentals on furnished homes are available in abundance. Bear Mountain works very closely with the Big Bear Lake Resort Association, and you can too. To find the best place to stay overnight while enjoying the winter festivities, just log on to www.bigbear.com to find the perfect accommodation that’s right for you.
I did find a little secret place located right in the heart of the Village in Big Bear Lake, only about 3 miles from the base mountain. Originally built in 1915, Chad’s Place is a local’s bar and entertainment hot spot that boasts the motto, “Work is the Curse of the Drinking Man.” You can dance to live bands scheduled every Friday and Saturday, with local Southern California groups that play only two kinds of music: rock and roll. And every Wednesday and Thursday DJs play classic “get out on the floor” dance favorites. Chad’s rustic mountain saloon setting offers six pool tables, two dart machines, two foosball tables, video games and nine televisions, including two big screens to watch the games. After an endorphin-rushing day on the slopes, Chad’s Place is definitely the spot to party on.
Whichever destination you choose, whether its our very own Mt. Charleston, the family-oriented Brian Head, or the Southern California party in Big Bear, you can certainly see that there is an abundance of winter fun for everyone. And whether you classify yourself as a recreational snow buff, or a ski bum with a gravitational pull so great that there is nowhere on earth you’d rather be between November and May, remember that the sport of skiing and snowboarding is a beautiful dance—and inevitably, the mountain always leads.
Sharon Denning is a freelance journalist residing in the scenic mountain community of Shingletown in Northern California.
