25 FALL 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 01

SNOWGOER . COM 26

This meadow didn ’ t have a track in it when we arrived , but 20 minutes later you can see the results . The best part ? A bunch of fresh snow fell again that very same night so the next morning it was a fresh playground again for the next visitors .

Following Greg , our group carved up one meadow after another . On day one , we were primarily in one of those shake-out rides that the guides lead flatlanders on – taking them into really cool areas and testing their skills in terrain that is moderately tricky but not troublesome .

The light , powdery snow was about 4 feet deep in most places , requiring riders to stay on the gas and make smart decisions . If an unwise decision was made , however , Greg would appear seemingly out of nowhere and use a combination of finesse , leverage and raw strength to free the sled and get the stranded rider moving again .

Our ride led us through places called Swan Flat and Egan Basin , down the rolling Pig Trough and through Franklin Basin . We played in a vast , powder-filled area called Disneyland , picked our way through some tight trees and then met up with the other two groups for a guide-hosted bonfire lunch in Boss Canyon . Hot dogs , potato salad , cookies and Gatorade never tasted so good .

At lunch , riders were allowed to switch groups if they wanted – one group would head straight back to the lodge , another went for a moderately aggressive ride and the third group turned up the wick even more . Groups two and three visited high peaks , played in gullies , did more tree riding and found even more places to get stuck .

By the time the ride ended , the skies had turned gray due to an approaching storm , at least four sleds came back with bent A-arms when some riders made it through the powder and found the rocky surface or a stump underneath , and the guides had worked up a heavy sweat and earned a healthy tip .

“ You won ’ t believe dinner ,” Nepper , the plastics company owner , told us as we returned the sleds .

Beaver Creek Lodge has 11 guest rooms , some with two queen beds , others with a single queen and extra-long bunk beds , and most rooms have a jet-powered bath tub . The tidy rooms aren ’ t overly sizable , but folks don ’ t come here planning to spend much time in the rooms .

Bunk beds may seem like an unusual fixture in a hotel room , but Lundahl said his resort is almost entirely populated by groups of guys in the winter , and most guys won ’ t share a queen or even a king bed with another guy . So he built the luxury bunks to increase his capacity to 38 people .

Being Utah , alcohol is not served on the premises , but if you want to howl at the moon the staff has no problem with guests bringing their own and hanging out in the massive , third-floor great room .