I would say that Powder Mountain, the mammoth but little-known resort in Northern Utah’s Wasatch Range, is a very lucky place to be. So why 13 reasons to jinx it?
While Western superstition considers the number 13 to be unlucky, it means quite the opposite in traditional Chinese culture. When pronounced in Mandarin, “1” sounds like shi (“definite”) and 3 sounds like san (“life,” “living,” or “birth”). Together the numbers signify a state of being that’s full of life or growth — a very lucky disposition that I strive to live by.
Here, the 13 things I love most about Powder Mountain:
1. Over 7,000 acres of powdery goodness… all to myself.
2. Untouched powder runs at the end of the day, less than a 10-minute walk off the trail.
3. Aspen tree runs galore.
4. Waiting in the backcountry for the shuttle bus with a crowd of super stoked powderhounds.
5. The legendary Woody, manning the Woody’s World/Powder Country shuttle for more than two decades.
6. Night skiing on Sundown Ridge, where “night” begins at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and goes beyond sundown.
7. True ski-in/ski-out lodging on top of the mountain.
8. This very fine view from our balcony.
9. Our adopted pet raccoon camping in a snow cave outside our window.
10. Waking up to snow-covered aspens on a bluebird morning.
11. Digging out the car after a glorious champagne snowstorm.
12. Snowcat skiing. The best $15 ever spent.
13. And last but certainly not least, James Peak, the highest point on Powder Mountain — and where I accepted a very sweet proposal.