Mountain Review: Powderhorn
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
7
Snow:
5
Resiliency:
5
Size:
6
Terrain Diversity:
6
Challenge:
5
Lifts:
8
Crowd Flow:
3
Facilities:
7
Navigation:
6
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $89-$109
Pass Affiliation: Indy Pass
On-site Lodging: Yes
Après-Ski: Limited
Nearest Cities: Grand Junction (45 mins)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Lower crowds than Colorado competitors
Standout advanced-level glades
Lower price than most other Colorado areas
Easy-to-understand mountain layout
– Cons
Smaller size than advertised
Slow, low-capacity West End lift
Lack of beginner and true expert terrain
Nearest après options are a ways away in Grand Junction and Palisade
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 5
Trails: 42
Beginner: 20%
Intermediate: 50%
Advanced/Expert: 30%
Mountain Review
When skiers and riders think of Colorado resorts along the I-70 corridor, they may conjure up images of weekend warriors congesting roads and long lift lines, but the further from the Front Range you drive, the less of a concern this becomes. Case in point: Powderhorn Mountain, an independent resort located over 4 hours west of Denver, and about 45 minutes east of Grand Junction. While this no-frills, locals-focused mountain doesn’t have the most exciting terrain compared to your typical mega-resort, Powderhorn puts emphasis on value and accessibility for the everyday skier. Is this enough to justify going out of your way to catch some laps?
Powderhorn is located on the northern slope of the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, and as a result, it sees some notably sporadic snowfall patterns when storms roll through.
Snow Quality and Resiliency
Powderhorn rises 1,650 feet from top to bottom, which is respectable for a regional spot. The resort’s base resides at 8,200 feet, just above a semi-arid high-desert. This environment provides high quality light and airy snow when conditions are favorable, but it also results in big swings in snowfall between seasons. Higher accumulation years can see totals over a solid 200 inches, but bad years can be especially unfavorable, with natural snowfall dipping well below 100 inches. Even on a daily basis, weather can change sporadically; because storms circle back around the flat top after clearing up, conditions can alternate between clear and heavy snow in just a few minutes.
Snowmaking exists on a handful of top-to-bottom groomer runs surrounding the Flat Top Flyer lift, somewhat insulating the mountain from years of lower accumulation. Investment in these systems in recent years have allowed for a longer season for at least part of the mountain, now averaging from late November or early December to early April.
With 845 skiable acres and a 1,650-foot vertical drop, Powderhorn is smaller and shorter than the major Colorado destination ski resorts.
Size, Terrain Layout, and Ease of Navigation
Powderhorn claims to have a 1,600 acre “permitted” footprint, which, while true, is somewhat misleading. This includes the full footprint of land leased to the resort from the US Forest Service, so in reality, we calculated Powderhorn only has about 845 acres of in-bounds skiable terrain.
Located on the northern slope of the Grand Mesa, which is billed as the largest flat-top mountain in the world, Powderhorn provides expansive views into the valleys and red-rock desert landscape carved out by the Colorado river and its tributaries. To the skier’s left, an arm of the mesa wraps around the flank of the resort, cutting off views of major population centers and leading to a feeling of isolation. That said, because of the nature of a Mesa, you never feel like you’re truly on a mountain peak, and the resort lacks the sweeping 360 degree views that would accompany it.
Powderhorn’s layout is generally easy to understand, but getting to and from the West End area can involve frustratingly flat trails.
The resort is laid out in two wings with only one major lift serving each, creating a sort of double-peaked footprint. The Flat Top Flyer, the resort’s only high speed quad, runs out of the base and serves the eastern flank, while the West End lift, a slow fixed grip double, serves the western flank. The West End’s base can’t be accessed by car, and requires that guests must first take the Flat Top Flyer or Easy Rider (the minor lift serving the learner area). There are several runs that allow you to cross from one end to the other without much trouble, but many of these are flat catwalks that can slow down the progress, especially Tenderfoot from the top of the West End, Boardwalk going to the West End base, and the upper portion of Bill’s Run off Flat Top Flyer.
Beginner Terrain
There isn’t much on the table for beginners at Powderhorn, but the learner area around the Easy Rider lift provides a couple of magic carpets, gentle wide groomed runs, and tree trails for skiers taking their first turns. Beyond that, the opportunities for progression into intermediate runs is limited to a green switchback coming from the top of the Flat Top Flyer which then splits off into a couple of more wide open groomed runs toward the bottom.
Powderhorn has plenty of intermediate cruisers, with red-rock desert views to boot.
Intermediate Terrain
Intermediate skiers have much more to work with on the mountain; groomed blue runs act as the web stringing the resort together from all corners while cutting around smaller pockets of trees. They’re all pretty similar to one another, though some of the blue runs around the West End can be steeper than on the rest of the mountain. Grooming is solid and plentiful across the footprint.
Terrain Parks
You’ll find two parks on Upper and Lower Peacemaker, easily lapped via Flat Top Flyer, with small and medium sized jumps, boxes, and rails at the time of our visit.
Advanced and Expert Terrain
The mountain’s advanced terrain can be split into two pods. Black Diamond runs off the Flat Top Flyer are are long and moguled, with some options for tree skiing. Runs like Wonderbump and Cannonball (though the latter is more a single black than double) take a good amount of stamina to power through.
Powderhorn has some nice steeps and excellent glades, but experts should be able to handle everything.
If you really want tougher terrain, you’ll be consistently spending time in the West End. The West End maintains the best terrain on the mountain, with a wider variety of moguled black diamond runs and a solid offering of steep glades. The standout here are the boulder fields dotted near the lift path, which provide some opportunities for deep pivot turns and can act as smaller cliffs to launch off of. Of course, since these tend to stick further out of the ground, they’re more likely to be closed during the early and late season.
Unfortunately, you’ll need to ride the ancient West End lift to effectively lap these runs, and it’s a slog at 12-15 minutes per lap. A higher speed upgrade is really the only major lift infrastructure improvement the resort could benefit from.
There’s almost no truly expert level terrain on the mountain, and the only run that would really qualify as such is Mudslide, a sweet run with pitches steeper than the rest of the mountain featuring gladded moguls and boulders. But even that’s short lived, almost immediately dumping into the more mild Cow Camp run.
The totality of all these runs might amount to a single advanced zone at a larger resort, but it gets the job done with a solid day’s worth of exploration, and can provide some serious fun in untracked snow.
TRAIL MAP
Uphilling
Powderhorn allows uphilling on a number of routes for low-priced day passes or an uphilling season pass. If you buy a full downhill season pass, an uphill pass is included.
Crowd Flow
Powderhorn sees low crowds, mostly serving locals from the Grand Junction and Palisade area. Even with a smaller footprint, pockets of powder can stick around for days after a storm. Lift lines longer than a couple minutes are rare, even on weekends and holidays, though small lines can occasionally form around the West End lift due to its lower capacity. The lack of serious traffic creates a laid back and unpretentious atmosphere at the resort.
Powderhorn rarely sees major crowds, with lift lines usually occurring only on the busiest weekends and holidays.
Facilities, Food and Après
Facilities are pretty sparse at Powderhorn—you’re not coming here for the pomp and circumstance of a destination mountain. The base lodge maintains functional staples like the ticketing office, rental shop, and restrooms. They have a simple grill with burgers and fries priced at non-extortion prices, a cafe, and taco truck serving lunch. Beyond the base, there are just a couple of porta-potties and ski patrol huts scattered across the mountain, so if you’re hungry or thirsty you have to head back down or pack a lunch.
For après, there’s a circular tented Umbrella Bar located right at the bottom of the Flat Top Flyer, serving local brews and wines in a relaxed atmosphere.
If you want more options, there are a few more places to eat and drink around the tiny town of Mesa, CO, just 10 minutes down the road. For any real kind of variety, you’ll need to drive to Palisade (apparently an up and coming wine region), or further along to Grand Junction, the biggest city on the Western Slope with a plethora of restaurants and bars.
Powderhorn has a nice and spacious base lodge, but there are no facilities besides porta-potties elsewhere at the resort.
Lodging
The Goldenwoods Condos and some Tiny Homes are available per night just steps from the base. If you’re willing to drive, you can find some more options in Mesa, as well as some smaller lodges and cabin rentals in the surrounding area. For cheaper options, you’ll have to commute from Palisade or Grand Junction.
Getting There
The resort is located 45 minutes east of Grand Junction via I-70 and State Highway 65. Grand Junction’s airport can be a good option anyway to access western CO resorts like Telluride or Aspen for those who don’t want to brave Vail and Loveland Pass via Denver. Otherwise, Powderhorn is also 1.5 hours north of the Montrose Regional Airport, up and over the Grand Mesa and its scenic byway, or about 4.5 hours west of Denver International Airport.
Public transit to the resort is nonexistent, but parking is ample and free on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a circulator shuttle picking skiers up from lower lots on busier days.
Pass Affiliation and Partner Resorts
Powderhorn is majority owned by Pacific Group Resorts, a multi-mountain owner whose name flies under the radar in the North American ski scene. Smaller companies owning multiple mountains are increasingly rare in a world where headlines are dominated by Vail Resorts and Alterra gobbling up as much competition as possible. Most of these remaining smaller operators usually have a regional focus, but PGRI is something of an anomaly with resorts spread out geographically across the continent.
Powderhorn season pass holders get ticket access to its PGRI sister mountains (Jays Peak, Wisp Resort, Ragged Mountain, Wintergreen and Mt. Washington), as well as several days at other independent resort partners (Monarch, Loveland, Silverton, Eagle Point, and Sunlight).
Powderhorn is also available on the Indy Pass with no additional blackout dates, but blackout dates on the Indy Base Pass apply.
Despite its regional orientation, Powderhorn has some nice condos for on-site lodging.
Verdict
Powderhorn isn’t going to blow anyone expecting a destination experience away with its offerings. It’s no true fly-to resort and experts need not apply, but for the average skier who’s looking for a good deal with solid intermediate and advanced offerings, Powderhorn punches above its weight. It combines a non-pretentious attitude and low crowd flow while being a step above competitors with spartan infrastructure and beginner terrain options. The value proposition, inclusion on the Indy Pass, and handful of partner resorts mean that Powderhorn could make sense as a stop on a greater roadtrip of independent ski mountains, or as a solid regional option if you’re already in the area and want to get some laps in.
Pricing
Full-day adult tickets range from $89 to $109, with a variety of discounts for half-day tickets, buying them in advance online, or for kids. They also offer further discounts for access limited to the Easy Rider lift only.
