OGDEN, Utah -- Utah’s ski industry is no stranger to national attention, but, while Salt Lake City and Park City resorts get most of the spotlight, Ogden is drawing praise as an emerging ski town.
The most recent issue of National Geographic Adventure named Ogden among the top emerging ski towns in North America.
They touted Snow Basin and Powder Mountain for having excellent powder.
Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty said the recognition isn’t surprising.
“It’s great to see Ogden get recognized,” he said. “As the locals, we kind of knew it all along. Ogden's a great ski town and one of the best ski towns for sure.”
Skier Deborah Debries comes to ski from California, and she said she doesn’t want Ogden to become too popular of a destination. She said she can see why Utahns love Powder Mountain.
“It’s a nice secret,” she said. “I thought about that this morning. I don’t want to spread the news too much.”
Her son, Daniel, said his experience at Powder Mountain is a nice change from California resorts.
“It's not crowded, no lines,” he said. “If I was at where I normally go in California, I’d be standing in line more than riding.”
Sara Toliver, Ogden/Weber Convention and Visitors Bureau president, said the establishment of more outdoor retailers in the area may be one way the news about Ogden is spreading.
“In Ogden we like to tout and promote and brag about all the independent offerings we have,” she said. “We think that’s what makes us unique and really sets us apart from a lot of other places.”
The Ogden ski area has been featured in a number of outdoor magazines, and it has received some high accolades, which has some worried about their “best-kept secret.” But Toliver said those fears are unfounded.
“I think it’s the fear of some of our locals, who like having those resorts to themselves,” she said. “But really we have so much space and so much area that’s still not being utilized that we're a long way away from that being a problem.”
Still, some skiers say they’d rather the area doesn’t get too much attention.
“'I don't want anyone at the time-share to know that we're skiing here because it will fill up,” Deborah Debries said.
