Utah Ski Resorts, A trip to Brighton

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Skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous activities, please ride within your ability levels and respect others around you

Ever considered taking a ski or snowboard trip to Utah? Known to be one of the best places in the world to ride, on a good week the snow can stack up quick giving one a taste of the “champagne powder.” A coined term of light fluffy powder that you can experience if good snow rolls through. There are some amazing ski resorts to ski or snowboard at in Utah, but one of my favorites is Brighton. It’s close to Salt Lake and also not far from Park City.

Established in 1936, the resort still has that old school feel to it. Parking at the base of the resort, an old A Frame Tavern, and the Brighton Lodge all give it that mom and pop feel that seems to be disappearing from the ski industry. Lift tickets are still under $100 for the day and you’ll notice a brown bagged section in the lodge, designated for those who packed a lunch, but want to eat inside. Although the mountain itself offers a number of groomed trails for beginner to intermediate riders, there is plenty of terrain for the more experienced rider. Chutes, trees, and what I’d like to think of as a natural terrain park are all things you’ll find inbounds at Brighton.

In this post I’ll be going over where to stay, how to get to Brighton, where to buy/rent gear, and what to know ahead of time. Let’s get into it!

Where is Brighton

Located at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton Ski resort is about 35-40 minutes from downtown Salt Lake city, without traffic. You’ll drive up a road with a series of switchbacks until you pass the Brighton General store on your left and arrive at the parking lot. It can be sunny and warm in downtown Salt Lake and snowing up at Brighton, which is what makes Utah unique. However if it’s snowing or raining in the city, typically you know it’s going to be a deep day up at Brighton! I listed times and distances from a few major areas below.

Park City: 60 min/44 miles

Salt Lake: 45 min/31.5 miles

Ogden: 1 hour and 20 min/67 miles

Where to stay

There’s a number of different places to stay in Downtown Salt Lake that will be close to the canyon. I’ve stayed in Park City before when riding Brighton, but the thing I like about Salt Lake is the close proximity to the Canyon. But if city life isn’t your thing you can stay in Park City and even up by the resort. There’s a number of rentals and a couple lodges close to Brighton. I listed places to stay below.

Salt Lake- I stayed in this tiny home as well as this 1 bedroom through VRBO. They were both really nice and not too expensive, yet close to Brighton. There’s also a number of hotels with free breakfast on hotels.com

Park City- Park city is a ski town, so you’ll be able to find anything from 1 bedrooms all the way up to townhomes and private homes

Brighton Resort- Look on VRBO for places to stay in Big Cottonwood Canyon or check out Silver Fork Lodge along with the Brighton Lodge.

Where to eat

One thing I love about staying in Salt Lake, is being in the city, there are some great restaurants. With a lot to choose from, below are the breakfast, dinner, and coffee shops I tried during my time in Utah!

Breakfast

Hub & Spoke Diner- A classic diner spot with a modern take on some of the menu options. What I loved about this restaurant is the '“from scratch” kitchen including all of the sauces. Great place to go before you get to the mountain, just make sure you get there early if Brighton has a pow day so that you can get up the Canyon and grab a parking spot!

Eggsburgh- Located right in the downtown area, I would say what stands out about this breakfast spot is the creativity behind the menu. Grab a booth right by one of the big windows and enjoy the city like feel of this restaurant.

Coffee

When I was looking up coffee shops, Cupla popped up and I decided to try the location in downtown Salt Lake. Cupla means Twin in Irish, as the business was started by two twins. The Latte I tried was one of the best I’ve had. There’s also going to be a breakfast and lunch menu that focuses on low carb and low sugar. Swing through even after your day on the mountain as they are open until 7:00 pm.

Dinner

Both places I went to for dinner (The Copper Onion and Pago) were honestly really good. I did some reserarch on these and was pretty impressed with the service, food, and just overall ambience. The Copper Onion has this 1930’s vibe going on inside. Very classy and a great place to, grab a meal and a drink (s) with friends. They source ingredients that are local and sustainable. I would say the food is classic American comfort, but with the upscale touch.

Pago is a true farm to table restaurant with a number of their menu items coming from local farms. Located in a nice area of Salt Lake with other shops, small businesses, and restaurants around, Pago is part of this little slice of Salt Lake. Known especially for their wines, I would make sure to at least try a glass if you are looking to grab a drink. Make sure to book a reservation in advance and enjoy a nice meal in this unique spot.

What is the average annual snowfall

Brighton’s avg annual snowfall is 500 inches a year! That is one of the amazing things about Utah, they seem to get a lot of snow through out the winter. Track a storm and try to plan a trip is the name of the game if you can.

Where can I buy or rent ski/snowboard gear

Being close to a big city in the mountains means there will be a lot of choices for where to rent or buy ski and snowboard equipment. My favorite retail shop is Evo, they have a pretty large selection for ski’s, snowboards, jackets, pants, goggles, etc. The best core snowboard shop will be Milo and for ski’s only I would check out the Lifthouse, for retail along with rentals. Other rental shops include Ski n’ See as well as Brighton Mountain Sports, right at the base of the mountain!

I also recommend checking out WNDR (Wonder Alpine), a small locally owned shop in Salt Lake. Their ski’s and boards are all made without Petroleum, a company that puts sustainability at the forefront.

If you plan on renting, just make sure to book a reservation ahead of time. Shops will offer rental packages based on your ability level. Depending on where you rent ski’s or snowboards from, the shop will have a try before you buy program which is called, Demo. This allows someone to try different ski’s or snowboards out before purchasing them.

Where to park

Parking can be tricky at Brighton because there really isn’t that much parking space overall. The first thing to note is that you have to make a parking reservation for Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays on Brighton’s website. They have a list of guidelines I would recommend checking out. There’s been talks of a gondola from the base of the canyon to the resort, but I’m not sure when that will start to happen. With that being said, if you’re able to park in the main lot, you are right at the base of the resort, which is pretty amazing.

There is also a little bit of overflow parking at the Brighton General Store if needed.

There’s also a very limited amount of parking at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon with a free shuttle that can take you up to the resort. They have two lots a smaller one and an overflow lot. Just arrive very early on good powder days or weekends. Below I have links to these parking lots.

East Big Cottonwood Park and Ride

Overflow Big Cottonwood Park and Ride

PLEASE NOTE: Since you are in a City don’t leave anything valuable in your car when parking in these lots

What pass is Brighton on and how much are lift tickets

Other then the Brighton Season Pass, you get 5-7 days on the Ikon, depending on which Ikon pass you purchased. Lift tickets are only $79 for the day and $89 dollars if you plan on night riding at all.

Does it snow a lot

Utah in general receives these snow storms that seem to just stack up on one another, with winter of 2023, resorts were having record numbers of over 800 inches! That’s what I’ve noticed when I go to Utah to snowboard is when it snows, it snows.

What makes Brighton special

The mom and pop feel you get when you park at the base of the resort. There’s cliff drops, easy greens and blues, and then side/back country access right off the resort. You can also cover most of the resort in 3 days and lift tickets are still under $100/day. Plus night riding 6 nights a week makes this place hard to beat.

Photo by Kevin McAvey

Where to ride

The mountain is split into 3 sections with Crest Express, Western Express, and Milly being the starting lifts to access the runs on those parts of the mountain.

Crest Express and Snake Creek

The runs off of these lifts is where you’ll find the majority of the green’s and blues, perfect for just cruising, warming up, or progressing! If you plan on dropping into some of the tree areas right off of Crest, be prepared for a short hike out. I think it’s worth it to ride through those areas even with the hike out. Not many people do, so you get some untracked lines when there’s fresh snow. For people looking step up from the bunny hill, hop on the majestic lift!

Josh all the way from NZ enjoying Brighton Resort!

Photo by Kevin McAvey

At the end of the day I’ll Take Pacific Highway and catch a good view on the way down and ride through some of the trees on Wren Hollow. If you have kids, the runs off of Crest are great because they aren’t too steep and everyone can kind of stay together as a family. The base area of Crest can get cluttered, but with the lift being a 6 person chair, the line moves quick.

Snake Creek will also have some beginner to intermediate runs if you were to take a left off of the chairlift. However! they also have some amazing trees and steeper lines if you go right off of the lift, terrain such as Snake Bowl and Doyles Dive is awesome to ride on a powder day. You’ll be cruising through some trees and then all of sudden it opens up with natural terrain to jump off of and areas to slash a few good turns.

Milly

My favorite area of Brighton will be the runs off of Milly. It has just about everything from little drops to cliffs, trees, and even some blues and greens. If the snow isn’t deep or great I’ll usually stick to the groomed terrain, but if it’s a powder day as in the photos below, take a left off the lift and traverse as far as you’d like and then drop in! FYI, make sure you know where you are when riding through terrain off of Milly to avoid getting cliffed out. Cliffed out means the only way down is to jump off the cliff.

My favorite run through Milly is Scree Slope because it’s a steeper wide open bowl that fills in nicely after a snow storm. The turns through these areas are amazing after a storm, especially if you get first chair! For more advanced and experienced skiers or snowboarders, there’s an inbounds hike right off the lift that drops into Milly Bowl. Make sure to be aware of your surroundings and what terrain is in-bounds or out-of-bounds when doing the hike.

Photo by Kevin McAvey

Not experienced enough to ride some of the steeper terrain off Milly? Take a right off the lift and there will blues and greens, such as backdoor and backbone

Great Western

To access the Great Western Lift, you’ll need to take the Snake River lift and go left off the lift, follow the trail signs for Great Western. There’s a lot of terrain to cover on this part of the resort and I honestly haven’t spent too much time on this side of the mountain. A couple of my favorite places to ride are the Aspen trees off of Golden Needle and I also like to ride down Western Trail, it’s kind of like a cat walk and then you can drop in wherever looks good. Western Trail is a blue so if you don’t feel like riding steeper terrain, just take this run all the way until it connects to another Blue run.

Below you can see some of the runs on Great Western off in the distance.

Is there a terrain park

The parks at Brighton are pretty sick with beginner, intermediate, and advanced rails, jumps, and features. These can be easily accessed off the Crest Express and Majestic Lifts. Even if you are just starting out in the park, there’s going to be some very small boxes and jump at Brighton, great for learning the fundamentals while keeping it fun.

Shot by Matias Zanotti

The other cool thing is the terrain park off Majestic is open during night riding! Take a few laps under the lights and don’t forget to bring a clear lens for your goggles.

NZ snowboarder Josh lapping through the Jump line

Any back country access from the resort

There will be back country gates right off the resort as well as some side country zones. You’ll notice out-of-bounds signage for these areas, which I mostly noticed off the Milly Lift. I would highly recommend having the proper equipment, partner, and knowledge if you were to access any of these areas!

Best Apres’

The best place for Apres’ will be right at the base of the resort at Molly Greens Tavern. Awesome vibe inside and great place for a drink or some appetizers. Depending on where you sit, you’ll also get some views of resort and Wasatach mountains

On mountain Dining

Other then Molly Greens, Brighton has a number of restaurants on mountain for those seeking to take a break and eat a good meal on the mountain. If you just want a quick snack, swing by the Brighton Store before getting on the mountain. For coffee, breakfast, or just a hot drink mid-day check out the Blind Miner in the Brighton Center.

Also in the Brighton Center will be a Brown Bag section for those who pack their own lunch (Name another ski resort that has that!??) along with a main cafeteria style dining area called Alpine Rose. If you’re into a sit down restaurant, that has more of a fine dining menu, check out the Milly Chalet at the base of the Milly Lift. On the side of this restaurant will also be Doyles Dawgs with beers, chips, brats, and hot dogs.

Last, is my favorite place to grab a quick meal and that is Sidewinder located in the Snake Creek Lodge. It’s got an awesome seating area with large windows that lookout to the resort and mountains. The food is pretty much Burgers and tater tots, but it’s honestly pretty good and not overly priced in my opinion.

Tree Riding

There’s going to be a lot of good tree riding off of Crest, Snake River, and the Western Express. I honestly like riding through a lot of the trees on the Green runs and also the aspen trees off of Great Western.

Shot by Matias Zanotti

Are lessons available

Yep, Brighton offers Private and Group lessons along with night lessons. Night lessons will be more affordable! They also offer an intro package which includes equipment for ski’s or snowboards as well as a two hour lesson.

There will be a beginner chair, Explorer, along with magic carpets (not a chairlift) to get you up the hill so you can ride down and learn the fundamentals on easy runs. The instructor will help you with things such as stopping, linking turns, getting off and on the lift, and how to use your equipment.

Does the canyon road ever close

It can if there needs to be avalanche mitigation done, but this only happens if there is a lot of snow. Typically Littlewood Cotton is the canyon that closes after a snow storm, which is the road up to Snowbird.

Is there Night Riding

One of the best parts is night riding Monday-Saturday from 4-9 pm. There’s going to be a number of runs open off the Crest and Snake Creek lifts at night. And if you’re wondering if there is any beginner terrain for night riding, there is, off of the Snake Creek lift. There’s even a terrain park that’s open for night riding! It started dumping the second night of my stay in Utah, and riding powder at night is pretty incredible experience. You may even see people with headlamps riding through the trees.

That’s it for a trip to Brighton! If you have any questions or comments, drop them down below. I plan on covering more Utah ski resorts in the future so stay tuned.

Looking for another place to take a ski or snowboard trip to? Check out Steamboat in Colorado, it’s one of coolest places you can ski or snowboard at in Colorado, definitely worth checking out.

Snowboarding on your first Day, Top Tips and Advice

Disclosure: When you buy something through the Affiliate product links I have created below, I earn a small commission. I only promote products and companies I support as well as believe in.

I remember the first time I went snowboarding, Mad River Mountain in Ohio. All my friends were signing up for middle school ski club and so of course my brother and I signed up too. Buying used equipment at our local skate/snowboard shop Sunsports, we were set up to go every Tuesday and Thursday after school. After a day or two of learning how to make it down a run, I was hooked. Something about riding down the mountain on a snowboard, it’s different, a freedom like feeling. No coaches telling you what to do or how to do it, just you, your board, maybe some friends, and the mountain (or Hill lol).So maybe you’ve thought about giving snowboarding a try or you’ve been considering switching over from skis for a day to see what it’s all about. One of the most rewarding activities you’ll get into is snowboarding (also pretty challenging at times).

Riding a snowboard will teach you a lot of life lessons through your successes and failures on snow.! It’s also a great way to meet other like minded people who want to spend time outdoors in the winter. Who knows, you might even meet some of your lifelong best friends through it. In this post I’ll be going over the basic fundamentals to get started with snowboarding, what gear to wear, renting equipment, and lastly what you can expect. Alright lets gooo.

What should I wear

I’m not going to lie, snowboarding gear is EXPENSIVE. However, there are ways to make it affordable if you’re not looking to spend a whole lot of money. Consignment shops, holiday sales, sales on previous years gear, and getting a job at a ski resort (resort employees get discounts on winter gear) are all ways to save money on snowboard gear. If you’re unsure on if you’ll like snowboarding or not I would go the route of cheaper before you invest a bunch of money into the sport. Below I listed the items you’ll need for your first day.

• Jacket- This needs to be waterproof and have some warmth. If you’re starting out, it’s better not to get too technical on gear and to have something that will keep you warm as well as dry on the mountain!

• Snow Pants- These also need to be waterproof and warm. A good pant to start with is Burton’s Cargo pant. They make this pant in tall sizes and also short sizes. The Burton women’s Society Pant is also a great starter snow pant.

• Goggles- You’ll need these to protect your eyes from snow, wind, and sun. Oakley, Anon, Smith, and Giro all make great goggles for someone starting out.

• Gloves- Gotta keep your hands warm when on the mountain or strapping into the board. Hestra and Burton will offer some great options that last longer then one season. If you don’t want to spend too much, Walmart or Amazon will sell more affordable options that will also keep your hands warm for the day.

• Helmet- The majority of people wear a helmet on the mountain and rental shops will include them in your rental package. Although not a requirement, I would highly recommend wearing one.

• Ski socks- Stay away from Cotton! Anything that has wool or polyester will be able to wick moisture and keep your feet warm!

• Base Layers- Wear these under your pants and jacket. Again stay away from anything cotton! Burton will make some of the best base layers. Since they offer a lot of options, I would recommend a mid-weight option.

Should I use protective equipment other then a helmet

It doesn’t hurt to wear protective equipment with being new to snowboarding, Burton makes wrist guards, knee pads, and impact shorts

Sizing

You’ll want the board to be shorter as it is easier to turn. Boots should be snug, about a half size down from your normal tennis shoes. Bindings will have a boot size range you’ll need to follow. Binding sizes come in Small, Medium, and Large.

Key Snowboard Terms

Stance Width- The width between your feet on the snowboard.

Bindings- What keeps your feet attached to the snowboard.

Binding Angles- Bindings will have numbers on them that correlate with how each foot is angled on the snowboard. This is a personal preference for every snowboarder.

Regular- Riding down the mountain with the left foot forward

Goofy- Riding down the mountain with the right foot forward

Base- The bottom of the snowboard

edges- The sharp metal part that goes around the entire snowboard

Topsheet- Top of the snowboard

Straps- The parts that go over the snowboard boot, locking in the boot to the binding.

Highback- A Part on the binding that supports the back of the snowboard boot.

Channel- A way to mount snowboard bindings to the board using only two points of contact for each binding.

4 Hole pattern- A more traditional way to mount snowboard bindings to the board using 4 points of contact for each binding

Heelside- Edge of the board where the heels of your snowboard boot are

Toeside-Edge of the board where the toes of your snowboard boot are

Skating- Pushing the snowboard with your back foot to get from point a to point b. Your lead foot will be strapped into the binding when doing this.

Stomp Pad- a grippy pad that is placed in between the bindings towards the middle of the snowboard. It helps with stability when getting on and off a chairlift.

Can you rent gear for Snowboarding

Yes! However for most places you’ll only be able to rent the board, boots, and bindings. Some shops will rent the jackets and pants, but I have found those places to be few and far between. Goggles and gloves you will always have to buy.

I recommend renting an LTR set up for your first day. LTR stands for Learn to Ride. The set up will be much softer and more playful, allowing you to learn the basic fundamentals of snowboarding. For busier times of the ski season make sure to, make a rental reservation in advance through the ski resorts website!

Is Step ON worth trying on my first day

You can, however, since Step on Boots and Bindings are more performance oriented the flex will be stiffer. A stiffer set up makes it harder to initiate a turn on a snowboard if you have never done it before. I think LTR is still the way to go on your first day. If you like snowboarding after trying it, Step Ons are great for getting in and out of a board without having to deal with straps.

Do you recommend taking a lesson

I definitely recommend taking a lesson on your first day. Resorts will typically offer half day, full day, and group or private lessons. They will be able to teach you the basic fundamentals of snowboarding as well as how to use your snowboard gear. However! Lessons can be expensive so hopefully this guide will help you as well.

How much is it to snowboard on the mountain

Ski resorts require a lift ticket or season pass to be able to snowboard on their mountains. You can pick these up at the base of the resort. If you plan on snowboarding for more then 3 days, I would recommend buying a season pass ahead of time (spring and summer will be the cheapest prices on passes for the following season). To save money and time, purchase your lift ticket(s) ahead of time online at the ski resorts website. Resorts also only sell so many ski passes, so the earlier the better when buying a pass.

Depending on the resort and location lift tickets can cost anywhere from $50 a day to over $200 a day.

Where should I start once I have all of my snowboard gear

Alright so you picked up your gear, and you are all set up for your first day on the mountain or hill. I would say 99% of ski resorts have a beginner area where you can learn the basics. I wouldn’t even try to get on the ski lift until you have tried the beginner hill, which will more then likely have a magic carpet. Look on the trail map or talk to someone at the ticket office to find out where the beginner area is!

What should my binding angles be set to

I would say +9 and -9 degrees for your bindings is a good start with the stance centered in the middle of the board or at reference. Each binding should be angled out slightly. Your board will also have reference points for the stance so you know if it is centered. It’s also helpful to have someone at the shop where you bought the board at, to set it up. Your bindings will have numbers on them in increments of 3, look for the 9 on both bindings. If you are really short, bump the stance width in and if you are really tall, bump the stance width out.

For rentals, the shop will set the board up for you, but it doesn’t hurt to double check how they set the board up!

How do I get into the snowboard and decide which way to ride down hill

With snowboarding you’ll either ride down the hill right foot forward or left foot forward. There’s a number of different ways to find out which way you slide sideways down the mountain. Examples include, what foot you use to kick a soccer ball with, which foot goes first if someone were to push you, and the list goes on. However! I would say the best indicator is.. the foot you use to strap into the board first, will more then likely be the lead foot used to go down the mountain!

The easiest way to get into your bindings, unless you have Step-Ons, is to sit down. Clear the snow off your boot and binding and start to crank down the toe and heel buckles. Once both feet are strapped in, see if you can pop up off the ground and balance yourself over the snowboard. If standing up is easier for you try that instead when strapping in.

What next once I’m strapped in

The first run will probably be challenging and be prepared to fall! Falling is part of the learning process. Your main goal on the first day is to get a sense of balance between your snowboard and the snow, understanding somewhat how the board turns.

Beginner Tips to help with getting down the hill or Mountain

You’ll want to first learn how to stop on your heel edge. Do this by putting pressure on the heel edge with both feet as the board slowly moves down hill. You can go straight and then stop with your heel edge once you get comfortable. Please note, this will take some practice! Another way to practice getting comfortable stopping heelside is to ride down “falling leaf”, meaning you go heelside the whole way down the run, while slightly going forward with your front foot then going forward with your back foot.

Once you start to feel comfortable with your heel edge try see if you can go toe edge. You’ll do this by putting pressure on the toes of your snowboard boots and toe edge of the board, while looking downhill. Again, this will take some practice. If you can’t get this on the first day, keep trying!

The key to any board sport is to try to get to a place where you have a good center of gravity and balance. To do this flex the knees a bit and try to maintain an athletic stance. Note, you don’t need to be athletic to snowboard, but try to understand that being centered over the snowboard will drastically improve your day and prevent falls.

Skating on your Snowboard

This is where you push with your back foot to get from point A to B. You don’t really need to learn this on Day 1, however as you progress and start to ride a chairlift it’s important that you know how to do this! Practice at the base of the mountain on a flat surface. It helps to have a stomp pad in the middle of your board for balance and stability.

Linking “S” Turns

S Turns are where you essentially make an S in the snow as you ride down the mountain. This is the last beginner fundamental in snowboarding, so if you're able to do this on the first day, that’s pretty amazing. Combine the heel edge and the toe edge together to link turns which will allow you to ride down the mountain more smoothly. The key to doing “S” turns is to look in the direction that you want to go.

How to get on the Chairlift

If you feel comfortable enough to ride the chairlift on your first day, go for it! The easiest way to get on is to skate up to the line and then look behind you as the chair is approaching. Take a seat and when everyones ready, put the bar down. Either rest your board on the footrest connected to the bar (some chairlifts only have the bar) or put your foot under the heel cup of your binding (see photos below).

How to get off the Chairlift

Once the lift approaches the top, lift the bar up, put your back foot in the middle of the board, push off the seat cushion, and ride straight. Try to be graceful when doing this and avoid getting tangled with other people and your board!

Where to buy a snowboard

Hopefully you caught the bug and want to buy a set up! If so, welcome to the Dark Side as they say. There’s a number of different places to buy a board, boots, and bindings with the best being your local snowboarding shop! Shop employees will be the most knowledgable and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction based on your size, skill level, and type of snowboarding you are interested in. To find the nearest shop, google “local snowboard shop.”

If you don’t live near a snowboard shop, then your next best option is online. Most online sites will have tools and customer service that will be able to assist you in buying a set up. Below I listed a number of great local snowboard shops and their location.

Darkside- Vermont

Tribute- British Columbia

Underground- Breckenridge Colorado

Gravity- Copper Mountain Colorado

The Boardroom- Ellicottville New York

Wave Rave- Mammoth Mountain California

Radio Boardshop- Aspen Colorado

That’s it for how to enjoy your first day on a snowboard. Just remember snowboarding is challenging at first, but stick with it and you’ll have a new activity and a way to spend time outdoors! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below! It’s always cool to connect with people:) Interested in taking a snowboard trip? Check out Steamboat, an authentic mountain town with awesome terrain (including beginner), amazing restaurants, and of course natural hot springs.