Riding the Cat at Pow Mow p: T. Roberts

This just in: New for the 2006/2007 season, Powder Mountain has a new Snow Cat with a heated cab.  No more hanging off the rope.  Ride in style to some of the deepest powder in Utah.

Cat Boarding at Powder Mountain is also affordable.  You will need a lift pass, but, at $50 you won't break the bank. Then just buy the number of cat runs that you want for $8 each. You meet the Cat near the top of the Sundown lift.  From there, wait until the cat comes back around and hang on.  The initial drag up Lighting Ridge can get a little rough on your back, but, hang in there.  It's worth it.

At the top you can either dive straight in or hike up James Peak for some wide open runs.  If you decide to do the hike up James Peak, be sure to have avalanche safety gear and the skills to use them.  Either way you have 700 acres of powder and 2100 vertical feet that will have your legs begging for mercy but your adrenal glands screaming for more. From the exhilarating hook chute, to the wide open steeps of Carpe Diem, the runs here are big, steep, and serious.  At the bottom just jump on the quad chair and go do it all again.  

Powder Mountain is one of Utah's hidden gems.  Tucked into the mountains above Ogden, Utah, yet still only an hour from Salt Lake, Powder Mountain boasts one skier per acre on the busy days, leaving caches of powder for everyone.  Enjoy the relaxed pace of these beautiful mountains and reflect on snowboarding as it should be.  After a long day of riding the cat, be sure to hit up the Powder Keg for beers, burgers, and high fives with your buds.  See you at Pow Mow.

Click here for more info on Powder Mountain Cat Boarding. 

Scott Swanson letting it rip at Powder Mountain. p: T. Roberts