Powder up in Utah

For many skiing New Yorkers, an expedition to the slopes involves a major decision: north or west?

Most of those who pass on the long drive to Vermont end up flying to Colorado. But here’s the thing: If you’re going to get on a plane, you might as well head to Utah. The resorts around Salt Lake City compensate for the pricier airfare (about $350 on average for a nonstop vs. $200 to Denver) and the extra hour in the air with fantastic snow in fantastic quantities — minus the lift lines that plague Colorado’s Vail and Breckenridge.

Rather than glitzy Park City — the third-priciest North American ski town, according to TripAdvisor — you should head to the smaller Cottonwood Canyon resorts, all within 35 minutes of the Salt Lake City airport. That part of the Wasatch Range gets more of the fluffy white stuff without the prices and crowds, and each locale has a distinct identity: There’s truly one for everyone.

Alta

Best for: Ski purists

True to unassuming form, this family-run resort recently celebrated its 75th anniversary with a special-edition beer and a homey torchlight parade. Tucked in at the end of Little Cottonwood Canyon Road, Alta (alta.com) just doesn’t care about showing off. A day pass maxes out at $75 ($99 for an Alta/Snowbird combo), and people go there not to flash fancy outfits but to ski — and ski only. Snowboarders are off-limits. Alta’s vertical drop is only about 2,000 feet, but the varied terrain includes everything from chutes to bowls. With an average of 560 inches of prime powder a year, the place is a magnet for hardy enthusiasts who don’t mind the occasional traverse to claim first tracks.

Despite its reputation as a hard-core skiing paradise — a local nickname is “steep and cheap” — Alta actually is a good place to learn. Beginners should start off at the Albion Base, which accesses the resort’s eight green runs and hosts the excellent ski school’s main office.

Snowbird

Best for: Steeps hounds

A mile down from Alta, with which it shares a boundary, Snowbird (snowbird.com) means business, on and off the slopes. Some people say it’s suitable for beginners, but the truth is that the Bird rewards confident skiers and riders. Officially 38 percent of the 100 runs are blue, but some of them make East Coast black diamonds look puny.

As for Snowbird’s black diamonds (and double-blacks), they can turn an expert’s knees to jelly. I’ve been skiing for more than three decades and experienced one of my most memorable crashes ever on the black Tiger Tail in January. We’ll meet again, Tiger Tail!

Powder up in Utah