The Secrets of the Canyons Trail Map

So there you are, on the first day of your ski holiday, with the Canyons trail map in your hands. You’re fizzing with excitement. Above you lies Utah’s biggest ski area – covering 4,000 acres of groomed trails, tree runs, and open powder fields. And if you’ve lucked into the right conditions, it’ll be drenched in the some of the lightest, driest snow you’ll ever ski, too. You can’t wait to get started.

But where do you go? Thing is, the Canyons is not your average resort. It’s a deep, wide and concertina-ed place – as intricate and multi-faceted as a crumpled piece of cardboard. The Canyons trail map does a brilliant job of flattening it all out onto a single piece of paper: but it doesn’t give up all its secrets in a single glance. So before you get started, here are some important rules of thumb.

1. First things first: eat some proper food at Murdock’s

You’ve got a big day ahead of you. So don’t try to tackle all that terrain on slice of toast. You’re going to need some proper sustenance: courtesy of a breakfast bagel at Murdock’s. It’s a sledgehammer hit of egg, cheese and ham, and it’ll set you back $8. Polish one of these puppies off and you won’t hear a squeak from your stomach till 1pm.

 

2. Next: walk straight past the gondola to the Orange Bubble Express

(Though we can’t guarantee chair-lift companions like this lot).

Now it’s time to get up the mountain. There are two lifts to choose from, and you want the Orange Bubble Express. It’s America’s first and (as yet) only heated chair lift – and very welcome on a chilly mid-winter morning. But that’s not what matters here. The key point is that – in a single ride – it whisks you up to a point that offers easy access to both sides of the ski area.
 

 

3. Then head south, for empty trails…

Short, sharp tree runs…

Lots of powder stashes…

A bit of house envy…

And freshly-made pizza.

Sometimes, the intricacy of the Canyons’ terrain seems to defeat even the locals. So even on a powder day at the weekend, the only busy(ish) area is the central band of runs beneath the Saddleback and Tombstone Express chairs. Ski beyond them, towards the left-hand edge of the Canyons trail map, and you’ll find some blissfully uncrowded slopes. Even by American standards, there’s an unusual variety of terrain here, too: easy blues, steep tree runs, powder stashes and plenty of bumps. Oh yes, and the odd house. This part of the resort is home to The Colony – one of the most high-end housing developments you’ll find in any ski resort, on either side of the Atlantic. Many of the properties here are bigger than Alpine hotels.

Ski hard: because that way, you’ll have the appetite for one of Cloud Dine’s pizzas. Freshly-baked pizza at 9,270ft? YES PLEASE.
 

 

3. Or head north, for carving…

Bumps…

Steeps…

And, every now and again, another skier.

There’s another option at the top of the Orange Bubble Express: turn right, and you can get stuck into the long, steep-sided valleys at the right-hand edge of the Canyons trail map. Here you’ll find four of the resort’s best groomers: Echo, Eclipse, Apex Ridge and Boa, and as you work your way north you’ll find each one emptier than the last. It’s crazy: these are long and classy fall-line runs. Why don’t more people ski them?

It’s not all about the corduroy though; because plummeting off the ridge lines are several scintillating black and double-black diamond runs. I say “scintillating”: they will be if you’ve got strong legs and a steady nerve. But if you’re not up to steep and sustained mogul fields you may just have a nervous breakdown instead.

 

4. And don’t forget, on a powder day, there are challenges all over the mountain – not just at the top.

One final point. Whenever Utah’s famous powder snow falls, the temptation is to head for the more open powder fields at the top of the ski area. However, it’s worth remembering that this terrain is often the last to be opened up – because it needs to be secured against avalanches. So when a storm first hits, the local skiers often stay lower down, amongst the trees – for example, in Paradise Bowl beneath the Tombstone Express chairlift, or on the slopes beneath the Cloud Dine restaurant. You’d be well-advised to join them.

The Canyons is 35 minutes’ drive from Salt Lake City airport – and you can book accommodation direct from the resort here. British skiers can also buy tailor-made flights-and-accommodation packages from tour operators such as Ski Independence.