Snowbasin's gondola is a bonus for bikers

Ogden, listen up! This is probably as close as you are ever going to get to having a tram up the Wasatch Mountains — Snowbasin having a lift operating in the summer for the first time ever.

Plans for a tram up the east side of Ogden will probably never materialize, but Snowbasin's Needles Express Gondola, running all summer up the backside of the Wasatch, is certainly the next closest thing.

They could rename Snowbasin "Bikers' Basin" in the summer now, because this usually quiet area is fast becoming a mountain biker's destination with such convenient access.

Snowbasin's gondola operates Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Sept. 26 (plus Labor Day) for the summer season.

This refreshing area is still uncrowded, compared to other traditional summer Utah resorts. The Needles Gondola uses eight-passenger enclosed cars (less passenger room for bicycle haulers) and climbs 2,310 feet to an elevation of 8,710 feet and the Needles Lodge.

Snowbasin has 25 miles of bike trails. These aren't real technical trails, but with loose gravel and fabulous scenery, they offer a fast cross-country experience.

"They need to take out a few switchbacks," said John Christensen of Syracuse.

Christensen and two friends tried out the trails earlier this summer — none had been near the top in the two previous years. Christensen and Phillip Barker, Brigham City, both yearned for steeper, faster hills with more features.

But Ogden's Jeremy Little, who bought a $110 season pass, was impressed.

'"It's kind of a fast cross-country course, not really a downhill course like at Deer Valley," Little said. "It's nice for me. I like it."

Rick Vallejos, recreation manager for the Ogden Ranger District, said steeper downhill sections could come in a few years.

"These trails were built to Forest Service standards, not necessarily for extreme mountain biking," Vallejos said. "But we're definitely going to consider that. This is just a big experiment. . . . We're pleased that it's going as well as it is. This is a monumental moment for us; we've been looking at this for a long time."

While bikers currently dominate the mountainside, hikers and plain outdoor lovers will enjoy the gondola, too. Unless the outdoor patio at the Needles Lodge is reserved for group use, you can picnic for free on top. Also, the luxurious restrooms at Needles are like a transplant from Las Vegas.