Skier-friendly Brian Head beckons Las Vegans

A terrain park at Brian Head Resort helps skiers learn balance and basic riding techniques in a controlled environment. The Utah resort offers pristine ski conditions much of the time. (Courtesy photo)

Snowmobiling at Cedar Breaks National Monument. (Courtesy photo)

Brian Head Ski Resort with stunning red rocks. (Courtesy photo)

At 8,960 feet, Brian Head boasts Utah’s highest base elevation. The ski resort is about a three-hour drive from Las Vegas. (Courtesy photo)

Snowtubing at Brian Head Resort. (Courtesy photo)

Take flight in Utah's only Bag Jump. (Courtesy photo)

Brian Head’s strength could also be its weakness if what you want is plenty of dining, nightlife and shopping options. There are wonderful restaurants but not a lot to choose from. And who goes to Brian Head to shop anyway? If, however, you seek pristine, clear conditions, where you can finish one ski run and coast onto an awaiting chairlift, where you can enjoy several great restaurants or spend an evening around the fire and cooking together, Brian Head fills the bill.

With the highest base elevation in Utah at 8,960 feet, Brian Head Resort in Dixie National Forest usually receives more than 400 inches of snow each year and approximately 310 days of sunshine.

The resort rarely seems crowded. Brian Head brags of its snowpack, but with the drought the West has endured for several years, our family encountered a few dry patches last season, but that didn’t affect our enjoyment of skiing.

The resort is tailor-made for families, large group reunions and winter enthusiasts. Lodging is mostly condominiums and cabins, so your stay feels like home. But if you want luxury, two full-service hotels, Cedar Breaks Lodge and Grand Lodge, offer indoor pools, bars, restaurants and day spas. Restaurants range from breakfast places and fast food to Mexican and steakhouses.

Our trip brought together family members from the East Coast and Midwest, so we especially enjoyed being together in a large condo — waking up to coffee together and cooking one evening followed by hours sitting together by the fire. We also went out one evening to Double Black Diamond Steakhouse, known for its steak and wild game. Every meal was very good but — no surprise — the steak was a favorite as were the lamb and veal. The restaurant was able to accommodate our large crowd in a quieter area where we could visit and eat.

We also enjoyed Brian Head because it is so easy to get to. The resort is only about three hours from Las Vegas, mostly interstate with the last 12 miles on mountain roads. It’s a bargain, too. Midweek lift tickets are $35 Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Bob Hunt of Chicago, visiting Brian Head for a weekend while on a trip to Las Vegas, echoed those thoughts.

“Brian Head is a great ski destination. It is an easy trip from Las Vegas,” he said. “I was able to spend my time skiing instead of waiting in line for a chairlift.”

Nevada isn’t the only location celebrating a milestone birthday this year. Brian Head Resort in Utah marks its 50th anniversary this winter season — 50 years that has seen it grow from a single chairlift, a T-bar and warming house to the family friendly resort it is today with more than eight chairlifts, 71 runs and a range of activities for all ages and skill levels.

Building up to this year’s 50th, the resort has spent the past two years making more than $5 million in improvements, including upgrades to the base lodges, restaurants and facilities, magic carpet lifts and a new snow-tubing hill. This 2014-15 season, Brian Head unveils its new high-speed quad lift, which will reduce the transport time to the top of the hill from 15 minutes to five, according to Maria Twitchell, executive director of the Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau.

Also new this year are Sno-Cat tours out to the red rock wonder of Cedar Breaks National Monument and the tried and true sleigh rides available around the town of Brian Head. For those intending to spend New Year’s Eve at the resort, a special Fireworks &Torchlight Parade begins at dusk at Giant Steps Lodge.

The resort is also well known for its ski school, the Terrain-Based Learning Center. The new learning center is a unique program that uses shaped and sculpted snow to help new skiers and snowboarders learn balance and basic riding techniques in a controlled environment. Kids Camp is a fully supervised daycare and winter coaching facility. Lesson programs include exploring the mountain on special trails, playing in terrain parks and learning new skills.

This season the resort is offering “Learn to Ski in 3 or It’s Free.” Beginning ski school students, who do not complete “Brian Head University,” receive the schooling for free. Those completing the class receive a free season pass for the remainder of the season and discounts on season passes through 2017. The new program is available for all ages and is included in all beginner ski school packages.

Sports activities abound including skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and snowmobiling.

With two tubing hills, this winter activity is great for the whole family. Surface lifts provide easy access to the top of the hill with 600-feet and 550-feet runs. The tubing hills are fun for everyone but our youngest son, who is autistic, especially enjoyed tubing. We spent half a day bouncing down the hill. Be careful getting off the conveyor at the top. Otherwise, you’ll eat some snow (as we did).

Brian Head Resort caters to skiers and snowboarders of all levels with a wide range of intermediate and advanced trails and an entire mountain of beginner runs at Navajo Mountain. The Brian Head Bag Jump features a huge, cushioned landing pad to experiment with tricks such as straight jumping or a half pipe.

As one of the first resorts to welcome snowboarding in Utah, Brian Head is committed to being Utah’s leader in parks and competitions. Parks for beginners are at the Navajo Mountain lifts and the intermediate and expert parks are at Giant Steps. Night skiing and boarding also is offered Thursday through Saturday on the Blackfoot lift.

“I’ve been a season pass holder for over 30 years,” said Bryan Komareck, “and one of my favorite memories came last year when I took my kids skiing; we went night skiing and watched the sun set while riding the lift and skiing the slopes. It was a beautiful, colorful sunset that southern Utah is famous for.”

Utah is rich with snow and more than 850 miles of groomed snowmobile trails traversing from the red rock canyons of southern Utah to the rugged mountains in the north of the state. If you are not one for staying on trails, there are acres and acres of high mountain bowls of famous Utah powder snow and Brian Head makes a great home base for a snowmobile vacation.

One final question: How did Brian Head get its name? Brian Head was originally known as Monument Peak and was used by early surveyors and expedition leaders as a point of reference. The name changed in the early 1900s and, while no one really knows why, there are three competing stories.

Story one claims that famous explorer John Wesley Powell named the peak after an official in the Geological Survey Office by the name of Bryan. Another story claims that residents of neighboring Parowan changed the name in 1890 to Bryan Head in honor of American politician William Jennings Bryan. Still another story claims that the wife of a U.S. Government official visiting the area didn’t like the name Monument Peak and wrote letters to prominent government officials to change the name to Bryan Head. None of the stories, however, explains why the resort is spelled Brian today.

But by whatever name the area goes by, Brian Head Resort offers sun-filled days of uncrowded skiing, snowboarding and all types of winter sports.