10 out of 10, a dream day at Brighton
I had been going to Utah on and off for 13 years and never went to Brighton. From the stats it is not as tall as Snowbird, does not have as big of a park as Park city; why bother I figured? Well, after seeing so many photos in the magazines from the terrain near Brighton it seemed kind of stupid not to check it out. Well, my first visit found a foot of powder, no crowds (on a weekend) and lots of fresh tracks. Well, I felt pretty stupid for not going up there sooner.
Located up at the head Big Cottonwood Canyon, about 14 miles from the suburbs of Salt Lake, lay Brighton. The base area is kind of surrounded on three sides by terrain. As mentioned earlier, the stats are not as impressive as other spots but this area packs a mean punch. There really is something for everyone and at a great price (by ski resort standards). Heck, how many photos have you seen in the mags labeled “Brighton backcountry”.
Brighton has a laid back kind of down home feeling. No big resorts, no outlet malls, just riding. Lots of locals hang here cuz it is sick and steep. Pro shreds head out to the back country for photo ops for the world to see. Let’s not forget the snow, light fluffy and 648 inches of it that fell last season.
Learning riders can have fun on the Majestic Quad and their own lift – Explorer. Intermediates can find runs off every chair but may enjoy the crest express the most. Advanced? Now we are taking. Brighton has steep shots on all lifts. Sunny pow day? Head up Millicent for face shots and cliff drops. On a day when visibility is low, head up the Great Western lift for double black lines. Thin trees help keep you from getting to dis-oriented. The trees off Snake Creek are fun too. The inbounds terrain includes some hike to spots, including Mt Millicent and Preston Peak. If you are properly prepared with the right Avy gear you can head out of bounds at the gates located at the top of all the high lifts. A gate to the riders right of scree slope also allows access to the Mary Chutes backcountry; a sick area that leads right back into the area. Other bc areas include but are not limited to Wolverine Cirque, Hidden Canyon and Pioneer backcountry areas.
Most people stay in Utah but Brighton does offer some lodging right at the resort. It seems like a cool experience to stay up at Brighton. No nightlife but a good place to get away. Down in Salt Lake there are lots of pretty young, bored Utah girls looking for some excitement.
There is also a fun little park at Brighton. It is kind of three separate parks linked together; including a funky traverse but it is pretty creative and runs almost top to bottom off the Crest Express. So stay at Brighton, stay in Salt Lake, drive your car or take the city but get to Brighton sometime, it has it all.
Stats
Vertical Drop: 1745
Acres: 1050
Price: Day - $47, ½ day - $40
Hours: 9-9 mon-sat, 9-4 sun
Lifts: 7 (3hsq, 1q, 2d, 1t)
Runs: 66
Parks: 1 long one or three short ones
Pipe: yes
Slopeside Lodging: yes
Best food: Red Iguana in Salt Lake
Web: www.skibrighton.com
Park: 6 stars out of ten
Pipe: 4 stars out of ten
Freeride: 7-9 stars out of ten
Heads you may see: JP Walker, Bjorn Leines, Eric Leines, Marius Otterstad, Alexis Waite…many pro heads may show up on a pow day for the out of bounds
Here is the trail map for you
Shifty off the biggest jump in the park
A little skate style qp
Shreddin a box
Rails under the Majestic Quad
More box action
You can even leave the driving to the city bus if you like
Mormons are everywhere in Utah but they are nice and the non-Mormon girls like to party
The wide open terrain of the Millicent lift
Out of bounds Mary Chutes – tons of lines
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