Eagle Point Ski Resort is nothing short of a home for me. I’ve grown up working in various jobs and departments since the resort opened in 2010. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work for Cedar Sports and get the privilege of sending my customers up to my favorite resort. I still teach up there most weekends, and my family does whatever we can to improve each customer’s experience at the resort to share a little of the love for the Tushar mountain range that we have accumulated over the last decade. This article will cover some of the tips and tricks that I have learned to have a wonderful trip to Eagle Point Ski Resort.
Tickets
Like with most resorts nowadays, the key to getting a good experience with tickets is the earlier, the better. The earlier in advance you can purchase tickets, the cheaper they will be. This is the same with season passes and day passes. The best time to purchase a season pass is around March the season before. When you purchase it online, it saves money and time. Eagle Point Ski Resort uses RFID passes for all of their lifts. All the information can be input online before even setting foot on the mountain, making check-in super easy. You can print your initial pass at either one of the Eagle Point Ski Resort Lodges or Tucker High Adventure Tours in Beaver. Once you have your initial pass printed, that is your pass for the season. If you are only doing a couple of days at a time, you can refill your pass for additional days throughout the season, and you can even put money on it to use at the lodge for food, hand warmers, drinks, etc.
Lessons
Most times when I mention lessons to customers at Cedar Sports, they think that lessons are only for people who have never tried skiing and snowboarding before or as a resort daycare sort of thing. If you want to have a good time at a resort you’ve never been to, or a resort that you haven’t had the chance to explore much, a lesson is one of the best things you can get. Not only can you improve your skiing/riding skills, but you also get your own personal tour guide. A lot of the instructors at Eagle Point Ski Resort have ridden there for many years, even way back when the resort was known as Elk Meadows. They know this mountain better than anyone and can take you to terrain that is fun, challenging, or all of the above. Even the instructors who haven’t been teaching for over a decade, like myself or my family, spend day after day riding the mountain and learning where to go to have a good time. I had one lesson a few years ago where my client wanted to work on free-ride skiing, so rather than just riding the park or the designated trails, I took him to every side hit, rock drop, or natural kicker that I knew of, and we had a blast. That wouldn’t have been possible without grabbing a lesson.
Trails
Eagle Point Ski Resort has some amazing trails; the mountain is divided into two different parts: the Upper or Skyline Lodge and the Lower or Canyonside Lodge. The Skyline Lodge is the main lodge for beginners and intermediate skiers. The Skyline lift is a two-person chair that has almost entirely green runs. The trails are long and perfect for beginners and people getting more comfortable on skis and snowboards. These trails are some of the best trails for teaching because they are long but very mellow. The Monarch lift is for those who are a little more confident in their skills. This lift is almost exclusively blue with a couple of greens and also features the terrain park of the resort. The Canyonside Lodge is the main lodge for more advanced skiers. This is also the part of the resort where you can explore the most and really get the best bang for your buck. This whole side of the mountain is almost exclusively black runs. There are a couple of reasons why this part of the resort is my favorite. Firstly, Eagle Point Ski Resort is only open on the weekends, so any of the snow that falls Tuesday-Thursday waits for you until Friday. This is what gives Eagle Point Ski Resort their famous Powder Fridays. My personal favorite runs are Missing Linc and Delano Drop. Missing Linc also has an extension that is relatively shaded and almost always has some of the best powder stashes. It does require a walk out to get back to the lift, but it’s totally worth it!
Gear
To really enjoy Eagle Point Ski Resort, getting the right gear is important. There is a rental shop at the Skyline Lodge that has your basic rental gear that will get you on the mountain and having a great time. To save time, though, I would pick up rentals off-mountain. Usually, they are a little cheaper and faster than the resort rental shops. Cedar Sports offers some high-performance demo skis and boards that are perfect for great powder days. To have the best time on the mountain, I would recommend anything made for some off-piste riding, usually something all-mountain or a directional surf style board like the Rossignol Slashimi or the Nordica Enforcer skis. As far as what to wear, I like using a highly waterproof shell with a puffy underneath, as well as a pair of ski pants and a base layer. Most resorts don’t rent pants or coats, but you can rent those at Cedar Sports if you don’t want to buy a whole new wardrobe.
Lodging
There are a ton of different options for lodging at Eagle Point Ski Resort, Beaver, and Cedar City. At the resort, there are cabins with amazing views that really help you appreciate the beauty of the mountains, perfect for big families or multiple family trips. There are a ton of options for ski-in, ski-out condos as well. Many people prefer to stay down in Beaver since it is usually a little cheaper. If you don’t feel like driving up to the resort or the roads are a little out of your comfort zone, Tucker High Adventure Tours (https://www.tuckerhighadventuretours.com) is a local business that offers a shuttle service to and from the resort for customers.
Food
Though Beaver is a small town, it offers some very good food options. At Eagle Point Ski Resort, the Canyonside Lodge has a full bar and restaurant that has an assortment of really good food. I personally am a sucker for some chicken tenders or a big cheeseburger after a day of skiing. If you head down to town, some other restaurants I recommend are Maria’s (https://www.mariasbeaver.com), Beaver Taco (https://www.beavertaco.com), Crazy Cow Cafe (https://www.crazycowcafe.com), and Timberline (https://www.timberlinebeaver.com).