Powder Mountain: The Most Aptly Named Resort in the World
A few years ago, a tongue-in-cheek disinformation campaign popped up around Ogden, allegedly “Paid for by Powder Mountain Locals.” It encouraged people to avoid the hidden gem with proclamations like, “All that fluffy white stuff up at Pow Mow is actually ASBESTOS” and “There’s YETIS up here. Real mean ones. Mostly rabid.”
Powder Mountain locals have always understood the special nature of what they have.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Aliens.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=96f9e534a1b4b137f67ea27e1ce54eff 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Aliens.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=1600d7a750daec18b6fd6cce0781c014 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Aliens.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=4c170d3c9820e94d7d6b3a25c894cbea 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Aliens.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=139fc0ddcd3d95ae30db61a9a988a870 800w)
The campaign, obviously paid for by Powder Mountain, provided the resort plausible deniability with its die-hard locals, allowing them to claim they were doing their best to keep people away.
Long-time Powder Mountain loyalists had the good stuff, and a lot of it. To Powder Mountain’s credit, they acknowledged the special vibe they had cultivated and have done everything in their pow(d)er to maintain it.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-Snowcat.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=54c466538c6af8bf659d63b6302049ca 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-Snowcat.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=519c9b3c6d5a2992755a479dfe508108 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-Snowcat.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=8f1cec7db366ea6e70ce31ca970fb973 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-Snowcat.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=913c59552dd722f9a4d975a7a2089bfa 800w)
As one of the largest ski areas in North America at 8,464 acres, they could have easily installed high-speed quad lifts and gondolas delivering thousands of skiers to their abundance of terrain. Instead, they have placed an aggressively low cap on season passes and daily ticket sales and maintained snowcat-serviced side-country access at a nominal fee to protect the wide-open character of the resort.
The result? Over 3 acres per skier on even a sell-out powder day.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-9.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=58b81cd12a84122162cfff0f7a10b9ce 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-9.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=6454b87b32b0a0de6479ede0fb258dfc 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-9.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=b982e1b114c8ac816a85e209efb6f692 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-9.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=607060badfe747c9fa1b5b7b9d1a2476 800w)
“We want people to enjoy skiing and riding the way it was meant to be: uncrowded, unspoiled and adventurous. Powder Mountain is a one-of-a-kind destination that needs to be experienced firsthand to truly appreciate” explains Mark Schroetel, General Manager of Powder Mountain Resort.
“Long time Powder Mountain skiers and riders consistently ask us to keep the resort uncrowded and affordable while honoring the legacy of a resort that feels like a secret spot and is one of the last resorts in North America that still offers untouched powder for days after a storm.” adds Schroetel. With the extremely limited number of passes available, purchasing in advance has become a necessity to guarantee access to Powder Mountain.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Home.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=8a08d4f6450d4bfc82a6ca1a431ae5af 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Home.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=0b6c435c9b404a24ae7c2b4a30878e34 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Home.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=18299cd7dca17da27befc513cc5f8a72 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Pow-Mow-Home.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=c8c485012f8b903609a8bdcee82ebb77 800w)
The limited development occurring at Pow Mow is currently being pursued in a way that has been featured by Architectural Digest and the Wall Street Journal with small, eco-friendly homes designed to blend into the surrounding terrain. Bottom line: Powder Mountain is like no other resort you’ve ever experienced.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=b77791c86c754ad8f06023ec8d8dd4f9 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=d8c4af3e9591028dfdb7d7118bd24779 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=addb107a2e5eb9d8570d9858ec5a83db 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Mountain-BENH2984-5.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=0c1493236e195aeea5a6e2ef06595b3f 800w)
Powder Mountain boasts ZERO snowmaking equipment. Every flake that gets carved is 100% natural. It can occasionally mean a later opening date, as competing resorts start turning lifts around Thanksgiving on what locals refer to as “White Ribbons of Death”…single runs with a few inches of man-made snow surrounded by dirt hillsides.
In a state whose license plate proudly proclaims “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” Powder Mountain is the resort that gives the phrase legitimacy.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/Powder-Mountain-Timberline.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=e3a582db22b5fc0f4c460c04c4725fbe 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/Powder-Mountain-Timberline.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=d79443458e72f46f132c99a51d9c4590 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/Powder-Mountain-Timberline.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=81f1474542a996412e0fc6a3a6107768 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/Powder-Mountain-Timberline.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=86e285ba1d6a7a2f37a8a012d2561bcb 1024w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/Powder-Mountain-Timberline.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=7dc640e14ba561f9947e6e52160fcfb6 1044w)
While the mountain of powder is clearly the hook, it’s the rest of the culture at Powder Mountain that reels you in. This place is a bastion of what skiing and snowboarding were before corporations and conglomerates homogenized the whole thing into the $12 beers, $20 burgers, and $50 T-shirts you see at most of the resorts you visit today.
Stop for lunch at the Timberline Cafeteria and grab some Lucky Slice pizza. The dude sliding it to you on a paper plate is likely the star of an underground snowboarding film that was shot by the guy running the oven behind him.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Keg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=a00909ca63a88d6b168e3256ea83f61c 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Keg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=0a1fd7942825bd5f63c7ff1cb488b0c5 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Keg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=f11b6c44b0df83f687f9cde7964ab32b 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Powder-Keg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=935697c59d1c32151a807cb24f3a976c 800w)
Roll into the Powder Keg, the mountain’s laid-back bar, at the end of the day. Don’t even attempt to take an entire table. This is where you make new friends over a steaming bowl of ramen and a pitcher of cheap beer while live music thumps from a stage the size of a postage stamp.
In an hour, you’re going to be moving the contents of your table to the small ledge under the window to make room for table-top dancing with strangers in ski boots. You’ll be buying a round for a couple of your lifties and the cat driver you chatted with earlier. Chances are, the various members of the band shredded past you a couple of hours ago.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/powder_mountain_dusk.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=fb5fcf03bc4ba277e6a7ec1ec8eedafc 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/powder_mountain_dusk.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=17856881909dfff42ac6e46f01dd5e74 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/powder_mountain_dusk.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=d95066242fe2d453566b9721b42651a5 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/powder_mountain_dusk.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=614b8dbe6b9148a5ccd265eb2a8a5e33 800w)
You see, not just anyone makes the drive up the 16% grade that leads to Pow Mow. Those who make their way to the top are likeminded snow lovers, and once you’re there, you’ll feel right at home.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Shooting-Star-Saloon.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=e7065ae3a519b841b16e130e28aa8047 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Shooting-Star-Saloon.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=2f27f3770f10cf5695b3337b0fe72c8c 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Shooting-Star-Saloon.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=032aa0d7f68a05a94c72000792312dff 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/blog-images/Shooting-Star-Saloon.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=2f934ea93d97fcf74b0ee154f5c5642c 800w)
Once off the mountain, après ski options abound with similar vibes in both Ogden Valley and historic, downtown Ogden. In Ogden Valley and its communities of Eden and Huntsville, it can be anything from a tour and tasting at New World Distillery to cheap draft beers and burgers at the Shooting Star Saloon, the oldest continually operating saloon west of the Mississippi River. The Shooting Star even operated during the height of Prohibition with look-outs posted at the top of Ogden Canyon to send warning of impending raids of law-enforcement officers headed up from below.
![](https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/historic_25th_street_december_2016.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=320&s=def6c6aebc5011182f819227bec10373 320w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/historic_25th_street_december_2016.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=540&s=5c2036c26ca00aec029a01aca9140c98 540w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/historic_25th_street_december_2016.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=768&s=10b88186fc6513da565993c6b45c178c 768w, https://visit-ogden.imgix.net/images/historic_25th_street_december_2016.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1024&s=16abebdc29420313dcf11e556d52bfbb 788w)
Just 10 minutes down the canyon, the options become endless in downtown Ogden. This one-time railroad hub was once home to dozens of gambling halls, saloons, and brothels built to accommodate cross-country rail passengers. Today, Ogden’s grit remains palpable, while giving way to independently owned restaurants, art galleries, watering holes, and shops.
Whether you’re looking for fine dining on wild game with a smoky cocktail followed by a ballet performance, or long-neck beers with burgers followed by live comedy, live music, or competitive axe throwing, Ogden simultaneously has everything you expect from a ski town while being like no ski town you’ve ever visited.
As a result, you’ll simultaneously want to tell everyone about your trip to Ogden and Powder Mountain, while desperately trying to keep it your own little secret.
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