Ever since I first heard of Powder Mountain, I’ve wanted to go. With a cap on season pass holders and over 8,000 acres of in-bounds terrain—most of it not accessible by lift but only by hiking, snowcat, or shuttle—it sounded like an adventure. Sure, it didn’t have the steep terrain of Snowbird or the snowboarding history of Brighton, but it was less about maximizing vertical and more about maximizing the experience. With this being the last season on the Indy Pass, we made it a point to visit, and the day we were there, they announced they were lifting the cap on season passes.
The Powder Keg was Just That
Enjoying a frosty pint and a delicious bowl of pho at Powder Mountain’s ski bar, the Powder Keg, I struck up a conversation with the people around me. Nearly everyone sitting near us wasn’t from Utah—there was a couple from Michigan, an entire family from California, and others from places like Idaho, Texas, and New York. None of them were happy about the removal of the season pass cap. The reason they had chosen Powder Mountain in the first place was that it wasn’t as crowded as the other Salt Lake City resorts. They would rather pay for a day lift ticket and have a more relaxed experience than visit an Ikon or Epic resort. Oblivious to Powder Mountain’s current strategy, I began to dig into it.
How it Started
In 2023, Netflix co-founder and former CEO Reed Hastings acquired a controlling interest in Powder Mountain through a $100 million investment. A few months later, he stated, “Powder has been struggling financially, so I stepped in to invest and help find a sustainable path for staying uncrowded and independent.”
Plan A: Go Semi-Private
As part of his strategy to improve Powder Mountain’s bottom line, the resort would need to sell more real estate. To help spark more sales, it would go semi-private, designating the Village and Mary’s lifts—serving beginner and intermediate terrain—plus a new lift on Raintree to be accessible only to homeowners.
Throw Skiers A Bone – $20 Million In New Lifts
As part of the announcement to go semi-private, he also stated that the resort would invest $20 million in three new public lifts (and one private), to be installed in summer 2024. The efforts would replace the fixed-grip Paradise quad, which is one of the only ways to ski its full vertical, with a high-speed detachable quad. They’re also replacing the 50-year-old Timberline double with a new fixed-grip quad and installing another fixed-grip quad to provide lift-served access to Lightning Ridge.
People were “OK” with What Went Private
The vibe I got from local skiers and snowboarders on the lift and in the Powder Keg was that they were ‘OK’ with the private access, even though everyone felt it wasn’t handled well. It wasn’t ideal, but at least it wasn’t on some of the more fun terrain on the mountain. Personally, riding in the Village and Mary lift-accessed zones, I felt the same way. It could provide some fun, hippy pow turns on a 6-inch day, but it was low-angle, to say the least. Additionally, the promise of the new Lightning Ridge lift would finally add some steeper lift-accessed terrain, something the mountain had been lacking.
Removal of Season Cap
To reiterate, what REALLY bothered everyone I spoke to at the Powder Keg was the removal of the season pass cap. In fact, the waiting list for Powder Mountain’s season passes ‘measured at least twice as long as the 3,000 passes it allotted to sell.’ Everyone around me felt it seemed counterintuitive to CEO Reed Hastings’ pledge of continuing the ‘decades of exceptional, uncrowded skiing for all.’ One of the reasons Powder Mountain has remained so uncrowded was because of the season pass limit.
How Will They Keep It Uncrowded?
According to one of CEO Reed Hastings’ letters, he stated that they will do this by ‘limiting day ticket sales, expanding terrain, and increasing parking.’ In addition to the cap on day tickets, there are a few other plans in his strategy. For starters, the season pass will increase from $1,259 to $1,499 (minus a $100 discount for current passholders). They’re also removing most of the discounts they previously offered, such as:
- Seniors 75 and older will no longer ski free; their pass will now be $1,049.
- Children ages 7-17 enrolled in the Weber or Cache County school program, which was $109, will now be $199 for those aged 7-12, and $1,049 for ages 13-17.”
It Continues to Evolve
The latest chapter in Powder Mountain’s strategic evolution was revealed in October. Along with unlimited season pass sales, the mountain will reserve all Saturdays and Sundays in February 2025 for passholders only—no exceptions. They’re serious about it too: even those who have booked non-refundable accommodations ahead of the press release during those days MUST buy a season pass to access the mountain.
Keeping Their Promises
Even through all the changes Reed Hastings has implemented, one thing that may come as a shock is that the four lifts he promised in February to be installed this summer actually happened. While the changes they’re implementing are painful, there is a glimmer of hope that if they can follow through on the lifts, they will also stay true to their motto:
“Uncrowded by Design”
They can have all the passes they want .. no snow on that mountain.. they get about 1/2 of what Snowbird and Alta get .. it is a beginners and intermediate skiers mountain ., perfect for the people from Texas and Midwest who don’t know how to ski !! You may get a few days of powder but it is a groomers delight !!
I’ll bet those old 75 yr olds were over running the place with the free lift ticket!
You saw that too? I’ve NEVER seen that. It must be filled with 75 year old parents with 12 years old kids. Talk about the fountain of youth.
I’ve been scanning tickets at Mad River Glen this season and I can’t believe how many septuagenarians are skiing this mountain on a daily basis.
They wanna get those runs in before 80 baby, I’m 58 and charging it,til the END 🔥
You forgot to mention having to pay for parking now on top of the increased ticket and season pass prices. Which was disclosed after people bought their season passes.
No doubt. With the new pricing, they’ll make all of $1049 in extra profits this year!
If you can still ski at 70, you should get a free nation-wide season pass.
Thank you,Curtis. I turn 70 January 20
As a local I’m so sad with what has happened at powder. I used to get a ski pass for $500 not even 10 years ago. 🙁 it’s so inaccessible for locals.
Some say the end of the golden era at Powder Mountain happened. Long time ago when my family,the Cobabes sold the resort almost 20 years ago. Before the developers who wanted to make Powder Mountain a town came or the three other sets of owners each with their own Vision sat at the table and tried to build a ski Utopia. Not all the choices are ideal and some are brilliant while others are fubars. But at least the new ownership has resources to keep the resort going. Skiing is shrinking and fewer and fewer resorts are starting up their lifts in the fall. I say let’s give it a little time and see if the good outweighs the fubars. I am impressed that the lifts got completed as planned. Some things are a marketing reinvention of the old made new again. I think it was a bad idea to make village and Mary’s private because people expected to get to use those since they were public in the first place. They were running empty most of the time and the negative press was not worth the elitist vibe it puts off. And the Feb weekends for passholders might be a bad thing because it ripples out to so many people and ruined a lot of vacation rental business in the peak of the season but sometimes people Have to learn the hard way and what changes get made going forward will make it or break it. Employees are not disposable and some of them are nearly impossible to replace. I am sure that basin and Nordic are big fans of the new bosses and all the green that will be headed their way in Feb. I just hope that they don’t get fed up after it doesn’t happen as quick as they want. Thing sometimes change slowly at powder and it is hard to get things done at such a location. I think that the private side of the resort won’t have as much activity as it needs for the vibe to be what people expect at powder. It is a little weird when you are the only one you see on the chairlift. Kinda eerie.