Outdoor Adventures / Snow Play

13 Things I Love About Powder Mountain

A good sign on a bluebird morning

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:

Over 7,000 acres of powdery goodness

1. Over 7,000 acres of powdery goodness… all to myself.

Untouched powder runs at the end of the day

2. Untouched powder runs at the end of the day, less than a 10-minute walk off the trail.

Aspen tree runs galore

3. Aspen tree runs galore.

Waiting in the backcountry for the shuttle bus

4. Waiting in the backcountry for the shuttle bus with a crowd of super stoked powderhounds.

The legendary Woody

5. The legendary Woody, manning the Woody’s World/Powder Country shuttle for more than two decades.

Night skiing on Sundown Ridge

6. Night skiing on Sundown Ridge, where “night” begins at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and goes beyond sundown.

True ski-in/ski-out lodging

7. True ski-in/ski-out lodging on top of the mountain.

This very fine view

8. This very fine view from our balcony.

Our adopted pet raccoon

9. Our adopted pet raccoon camping in a snow cave outside our window.

Snow-covered aspens

10. Waking up to snow-covered aspens on a bluebird morning.

Digging out the car

11. Digging out the car after a glorious champagne snowstorm.

Snowcat skiing

12. Snowcat skiing. The best $15 ever spent.

James Peak

13. And last but certainly not least, James Peak, the highest point on Powder Mountain — and where I accepted a very sweet proposal.

About Author

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in TIME, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »