Location: It's impossible to miss. Simply drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and it's right there at the top, where the road circles and heads back down. It's about 35 miles from the Salt Lake International Airport.
Lifts: Seven lifts—three high-speed quads, three doubles and one triple.
Base: 8,755 feet
Peak: 10,500 feet
Skiable area: 850 acres—65-plus runs with 21 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate, 39 percent advanced.
Lift passes:
All-day $39
Half-day $34
Combination Brighton/Solitude $58
What it's known for: Probably its long-standing reputation. Brighton was among the first resorts in the state. Many locals learned to ski on the slopes of Brighton and its next-door neighbor, Millicent. And because so many of the locals know Brighton, it's hard to keep secrets. The area was the first to allow snowboarding, to build a halfpipe and have a groomer to groom it. Brighton, too, has had a long tradition of being a family resort. It was, for example, the first to offer free skiing for kids when accompanied by an adult.
A snowboarder catches some air at Brighton Ski Resort.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News |
If you go: Take the Great Western lift, where the runs down are long and straight. Move over to the Snake Creek lift, where the runs are open, windy and great for tree skiing. Millicent (or Milly) offers a mix of skiable terrain. Brighton offers a great terrain park for snowboarders, as well as the Burton Method Center, a state-of-the-art teaching tool for the sport's enthusiasts. It features special equipment for beginners. Popular, too, is the backcountry skiing around Brighton. Skiers are advised to check with the patrol for directions and advice.
Best-kept secret: Millicent, hands down. It offers some of the best skiing and the most varied terrain, yet few people go there because there are no high-speed lifts. So, while everyone else is on the other lifts, people in the know head for Milly. The area faces north, so it also holds the light powder longer.
For more information check out Brighton's Web site at www.skibrighton.com.
