"Some trips are better than others. Some trips aren't even about skiing. This road trip across California, Nevada, and Utah is a perfect mix of both. Some skiing, some Area 51, and one rastafari cowboy. Exploring some oddities when it comes to skiing around Las Vegas, and finding ice and powder outside of South Lake Tahoe. The road also leads us to the daunting discovery of the true color of the Golden Gate Bridge, before heading down legendary Highway 1 to Los Angeles."
Text and photo: Johan Ståhlberg
Las Vegas is desert and surprisingly fun skiing
Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Valley of Fire och Death Valley National Park.
Your first thought of Las Vegas isn’t probably skiing, right? But if you are willing to travel a bit, and happen to have your skis with you to Nevada, you will find slopes both locally and a day's trip away. Rolling into Las Vegas is a special sight. Even if it is pitch black, the headlights reveal a golden brown desert landscape. A sandy, and hauntingly flat, hot-pot of neon signs and an Eiffel tower. It is not hard to understand that NASA deemed Las Vegas as the brightest place on the planet. The city is radiating red, blue and yellow neon lights from the massive complexes around the strip. All built to satisfy all the needs you never even knew you had. Many of the casinos are without windows so you shall forget about the invention of time. All in favor of the hazard games screaming for your attention. With the mild weather, me and my, by now eternal travel partner, Andreas Lundstam, hit the town. We don’t need to walk far to realize Sin City is doing its best for two young men to gamble away all their retirement funds. It is the middle of January, and we are actually here to ski more than indulge in sin. Slot machines, all-you-can-eat buffets and cabaré shows will have to wait.
As you probably understand, the skiing opportunities around Las Vegas come with a grain of sand, more or less. Surprisingly enough there are a handful of resorts around Las Vegas to choose from. One almost visible from the neon signs, and some a few hours away. Lee Canyon is about an hour west from the strip. Big Bear is hidden in the desert just outside of Los Angeles, and Brian Head will take you just over the border to Utah. If you stay within a four hour drive, you can also add Snow Summit and Mountain High.
Lee Canyon - California surf meets snow
The warm desert wind blows sand over the road as we stop next to a surprisingly good looking cactus, just off Highway 95. By the barren view from the windshield, it is hard to imagine this once was a lush oasis. The sign in front of us says no gasoline on the mountain, and we are faced with a Sophie's choice kind of situation. We debate whether to take a gamble (you know, when in Vegas) and hope we have enough gas to get us back to Las Vegas after skiing, or drive the daunting 30 kilometers back and forth to Indian Springs to fuel up. 40 minutes later we pass the same sign with a full tank of gas and continue the winding road up towards Lee Canyon. This is the first time we see other cars with skis. It has, honestly, been quite lonely with the skis on the roof of our Volvo, driving around Las Vegas.
Even though they are beautiful, the mountains in front of us, housing Lee Canyon, are lacking snow, and we are still driving in a goldish desert landscape. Lee Canyon has hosted winter sports since the 1930s, but got its first ski lift in 1968. Four chair lifts, one T-bar, and 11 slopes, is still quite impressive, seeing as we still have desert dust left on the car parked between all the jacked up trucks. We quickly realize that Lee Canyon has something special. First, we are a minority on skis, and with our fat powder skis we become unicorns. Snowboarding is clearly dominating as the choice of weapon here.
They also seem to come directly from Venice Beach and just switched out the type of board under their feet. It is hard to really pinpoint what makes Lee Canyon so special. It might be the very relaxed atmosphere or carefully curated clothing making a fashion statement.
It can also be the sweet smokey smell in the air, which also would explain the relaxed atmosphere. The resort, just like many others right now, is lacking in snow. Half of the lifts are closed and just by looking at the off-piste gives you deep scars under the skis. It does not happen very often, but we actually got some snow after lunch. The fairly flat slopes are showered in a champagne-like foam of snow, and suddenly two weathered skiers are smiling. But it isn’t the snow injection that makes Lee Canyon a memory, but the local population and their view on life and snow. Never in my life have I heard so many stoked people and encouragement between strangers in any ski resort. This is what skiing and snowboarding is all about. Not the slope of the mountain, how tall the cliff is, or the amount of flips between kick and landing. But people having fun together and enjoying the snow. Then the 262 meters of vertical drop of Lee Canyon is a non-issue.
Brian Head - Southern Utah powder
It is arguably too early in the morning, way before 6 AM as we head out from Las Vegas. The rush hour traffic is accumulating in the rear mirror and the warm morning sun in the windshield. We have two buckets of Denny’s pitch black coffee fighting over the space in the non-american standard cup holders. Highway 15 is taking us through Nevada, a short detour into Arizona and in the end, the most southern parts of Utah.
All a three hour ride away from the neon signs. I truly enjoy this kind of ski trip where you get the chance to explore more of the local culture and nature. Much more than just sitting in the same standard 1A cast type of resort there usually is. The heavily sleeping Andreas Lundstam in the passenger seat does apparently not agree regarding my thesis. Despite the mostly straight highway, I do enjoy the flat and barren desert landscape. It is beautiful in its own way. In Parowan we exit the highway for the last 20 minutes to Brian Head and 2900 meters above sea level. The radio is warning us of an oncoming storm. The forecast tells us some snow has fallen during the night, and a few brave snowflakes are dancing down as we ascend. Refill is on the way.
Just as in Lee Canyon we park between a couple of trucks. The snow has started to fall much heavier.
Brian Head hosts eight lifts and a total of 71 slopes, all packed on a vertical drop of 402 meters. Even if most of the slopes are more or less beginner friendly, the fresh powder is making a more fun type of skiing possible. We spend most of the day here around the Giant Steps Express, skiing the surrounding slopes in 10-20 centimeters of fluffy powder. The Plunge is graciously not prepared, and is a perfect fit for Swedes with fat skis. Each run takes us further in the forest in the hunt for more untouched snow.
We decide for lunch at the restaurant with the same name as the Giant Steps Express lift. Just like most slopes and lifts, the place is almost empty of people. When the waitress announces they will soon be closing due to the coming storm, she is witnessing the rare sight of two Swedish gentlemen short-distance running in skiboots. As we make the last lifts up we thank god for walk-mode.
We decide to mix things up a bit and spend the last runs outside of the off-piste gateway, entering Wild Ride. Among the sparsely grown trees we find untouched powder and lots of laughter. We hike lap after lap until the ski patrol abruptly points out the area is now closed.
As we descend the mountain on the windy road back to Parowan and Highway 15, we can see the storm further away. It is beautiful. Leaving now feels like a criminal act. Entering the highway we get our sentence. Snow is falling so heavy we can’t see the 18-wheelers in front of us. The large snowflakes are reminding us that life is not fair sometimes.
Big Bear - a desert bear hug
The last resort we have decided to visit is Big Bear. Just like Brian Head, it is located just a few hours from the strip and the slot machines. The feeling when driving towards sandy beaches and surf, is indeed an odd one. Good old trusty Highway 15 is taking us to a number of iconic locations in American culture. The sun has just found its way into the rear mirror when we make a stop at one of the obligatory stops when traveling in the area, Peggy Sue's 50's Diner.
Originally from 1954, the joint screams of nostalgia in the form of menus, music, and waitresses in time-appropriate outfits. A classic omelette and milkshake as the perfect breakfast side, we aim for the restaurant's backyard. As any roadside diner with dignity, Sue’s also has a dinosaur park, with flamingos.
Full to the brim, we roll into another legendary location, Barstow. The town is an important historic- and cultural part of the old Route 66.
When Route 66 still existed, the crossing of routes 91 and 446 (when they still existed), was one of the busiest ones in the entire USA. The local Route 66 museum informs us that 800 gallons or 3000 liters of gasoline was consumed daily before the modern highways were constructed outside of town. To put that in perspective, a regular gas station, often consisting of a single pump, consumed 100–200 gallons a day.
The actually existing road 247 takes us straight south from Barstow into a flat and hot desert. Our skis on the car roof must believe they have been kidnapped to be sold for firewood.
A hauntingly long straight road later, without any mountains in sight and an abundance of scorching sun, we finally see the silhouettes of peaks. Passing through the picturesque Lucerne Valley, road 18 is finally taking us upwards. The characteristic 180 degree turns is a happy reminder we are ascending higher altitudes. Suddenly the landscape drastically change. From a barren desert the view from the car becomes lush green, and we start to see snow. It is like we have entered a secret oasis in the middle of the Californian desert. Big Bear, located at the lake with the same name, feels very much malplaced. From the beaming neon signs of Las Vegas, through Sue’s 50s Diner, to yet another desert, we now roll into a normal ski resort, with log cabins and ski-rentals in every corner.
While the storm that passed through Brian Head missed the memo regarding Big Bear, we get to enjoy the blue sky and sun. Almost everything a skier can wish for. While this feels like the most complete ski resort of the three we have been visiting, the lack of snow is showing. With surgical precision the snow only lay within the slopes border. If you think about going out of bounds you can better do it in your thongs. I am not saying it feels hurtful in my skiers soul, even as we had been studying the weather and snowfall data for the last month.
But we start to think about the happy bunch in Lee Canyon. We can have as much fun here in the sunshine as they had, without the extra smoke booster.
While not the biggest resort, the topography offers some fun skiing. The snow is nice and slushy from the beaming sun as we jump off the Bear Mountain Xpress. We just give each other a look and put those fat skis to work down the mountain. The bumps from previously plowing skis become new possibilities. The plateaus transform into long jump competitions, where the loser gets honor to drive home.
The sun is shining, the temperature at a comfortable -2℃, and every run is to the view of the blue Big Bear Lake. There is something special about skiing this close to Los Angeles. You can almost taste the salt from the ocean in the air.
As stated, Big Bear, established in 1941, is the most complete resort of all the three we have visited around Las Vegas. It is smaller than Brian Head with seven lifts and 26 slopes. But Big Bear wins with more restaurants, aprés ski and all the tasty sides that belong to a regular ski resort.
Las Vegas is skiing – if you really want it
As we figured, you don’t go to Las Vegas for a full week of just skiing or hunting powder. But going here for just that is not the purpose either. Getting something different than a ski resort molded in cast 1A and adding skiing is the reason you go here. But Las vegas also have apés ski, but not at a ski in/ski out location. Inside the legendary Cosmopolitan is a secret ski lodge. Behind three doors it hides in anonymity, just like a good forest run.
While we never got the bottom less powder this time, we for sure got some memories for life. Looking down on the city from the hotel room on the 21 floor, this has been a good one. Packing for South Lake Tahoe feels kind of great to be honest. Las Vegas is fun, but desert dust in the ski boots is not.
Fact box Las Vegas and friends
Eat
The dining experience is not why you visit, but find the Ski Lodge inside Cosmopolitan. Have a pizza and a drink named after the great 1980s action heroes. We chose, of course, a Dolp Lundgren each. Alexxas serves great food and a good place to scout the strip and the famous Fountains of the Bellagio,
Stay
Fontainebleau is classic ground. Beside a mandatory in-house casino, you have a horde of restaurants and luxury shops to spend your money at. Located about a 15 minutes walk to the classic Las Vegas Strip.
Get here
Fly to Las Vegas with KLM. Good standard to affordable prices.
We think that KLM offers a good standard at affordable prices. But most major airlines fly to Las Vegas, so you can simply take your pick.
Do
A walk or two along the strip is a must. It's a spectacle without its equal, with Eifell towers, Paris wheels and the Bellagio Fountains. Why not a gondola boat ride in the Venice replica inside the The Venetian? Note that if the cops putting hand-cuffs on you wear Daisy Dukes, they are not real.
