Weather conditions: (800) 27-BRIAN, National Weather Service (801) 524-5133
Annual snowfall: 400"
Ski season: Early November-late April
Chamber of Commerce: (801) 677-2810
Average cost shared housing: $100-$250 Cedar City
Cost of 1-day adult lift ticket: $40
Employment Website: www.brianhead.com/employment/index.html
Local newspapers: Daily Spectrum, (801) 586-7646; Iron County Advocate, (801) 586-3366

Brian Head Area Profile

Brian Head is Utah's highest and southernmost ski resort, offering a different atmosphere than the cluster of resorts surrounding Salt Lake City. Brian Head is a smart choice for a family vacation, and guests always enjoy short lift lines. The town of Brian Head is very small and mainly consists of lodges and condos; the nearest major town is Cedar City, home of Southern Utah University, with a population of 17,500.

The ski area is situated near Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park, and the beautiful red-rock formations of Bryce Canyon National Park.

Winter Activities

Brian Head offers 500 skiable acres, fifty-three trails, and a vertical drop of 1,320 feet on two mountain peaks. The resort now offers snowcat skiing to the top of Brian Head Peak (11,307 feet) for 1,707 total vertical feet. The runs are designated 20 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate, and 40 percent advanced. Elk Meadows Resort is a smaller but excellent ski area within fifty miles of Brian Head.

Aside from phenomenal downhill skiing, this area has excellent cross-country skiing (thirty kilometers at Brian Head Ski Resort) and snowmobiling conditions. If tubing or sledding is your preference, contact the superintendents of the nearest national parks for more information on safe areas.

Summer Activities

Cedar City has hosted a Shakespearean Festival at Southern Utah University for over thirty years. The resort operates a large mountain bike park in the summer with lift rides on sixty miles of single-track trails and a shuttle service. There are also beautiful places to boat, raft, swim, fish, or explore on foot or horse. For bike trail information, contact Brian Head Resort at (801) 677-2035 or Bicycle Utah at (801) 649-5806. Call the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation, (801) 538-7220, or the superintendents of Bryce Canyon, (801) 834-5322, or Zion National Park, (801) 772-3256, for more information.

Apr�s-ski

Restaurants at the ski area are limited to four sit-down establishments and four fast-food places. However, Cedar City holds more choices for the hard-to-please. The Panguitch Cowboy Smokehouse serves food Western-style, and the Black Swan Restaurant carries over the Shakespearean theme.

Transportation

Brian Head is located on Highway 143 just twelve miles off Interstate 15, in the Dixie National Forest. The nearest airport is in Cedar City, thirty miles west. The airport is connected to Salt Lake City and Phoenix through Skywest Airlines, (800) 453-9417. Rental cars are available at the airport.

The resort provides free shuttle service from Cedar City and Panguitch for resort employees.

Housing

Housing opportunities are limited in Cedar City due in part to the arrival of 4 ,000 students each September. Locals recommend, if at all possible, coming to Cedar City prior to November in order to secure shared housing. The papers carry few classifieds for housing, but check the Southern Utah University Thunderbird for current apartment listings.

Brian Head Ski Resort Employment

Read the following listing carefully and contact the personnel office for information. Time is of the essence, so write or call at least a month before the start of ski season. The Brian Head Ski Resort also recommends contacting the Cedar City Job Service, (801) 586-6585. Visit Brian Head Ski Resort Jobs website.

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