Wasatch Powder Touring, Little Cottonwood

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Wasatch Range, Utah · United States

Challenging6 daysNorth America~£1,700 est.

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Overview

Utah's licence plates say 'Greatest Snow on Earth' and Little Cottonwood Canyon is the evidence: 500-inch seasons of cold, low-density powder falling on a compact range where world-class tours start from laybys. Skin up Cardiff Pass or Grizzly Gulch from Alta before the resort wakes, drop into Days Fork's endless aprons, and be back at the trailhead before the road traffic — the infamous 'red snake' — has cleared. A six-day camp based in the canyon teaches the Wasatch way: dawn starts, avalanche-savvy line choice in a snowpack that rewards respect, and the peculiar local institution of 'interlodge' — mornings when avalanche control locks everyone indoors while howitzers thump the slide paths. It is the best value expert powder skiing in North America once you tour for it rather than queue for it. Fly to Salt Lake City; the trailheads are 40 minutes from the terminal, so you can land at nine and be skinning by eleven. December to March is prime. Around £1,700 for six days with guiding and shared canyon lodging — book accommodation early, as beds in the canyon are scarce and dear.