Snowbasin did its heavy construction before this season started. The Becker lift rebuild, RFID gates at every lift and the wider beginner runs all arrived for 2025-26. The Needles Gondola cabin refurbishment wraps up before opening day. What's new for 2026-27 has less to do with terrain and more to do with the morning drive: what your pass covers, which lots you can park in, and when the bus runs.
For anyone driving up from Mountain Green on Trappers Loop, those changes matter more than any new chairlift would. Your route to the base area is shorter than the trip from Ogden or the Wasatch Front, so the pass you buy and the time you arrive shape the season more than anything on the trail map.
The Calendar Between Now and the First Chair
Fall at Snowbasin has a few weeks left. SnowWiesn, the resort's Oktoberfest, runs Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. through October 18, with beer, live music, food vendors, a market and family activities. Mountain-Top Brunch runs the same Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and ends on that same date. After that weekend, the resort goes quiet until the snow arrives.
Date | What happens |
|---|---|
October 7 | Snowbasin's 2026-27 season pass prices go up |
October 17–18 | Final SnowWiesn weekend and final Mountain-Top Brunch |
November 27 | Tentative opening day, depending on conditions |
December 21 – January 3 | First Value Pass blackout period |
Snowbasin's season pass page lists the October 7 price increase. The November 27 target appears in the Salt Lake Tribune's September 20, 2026 roundup of resort opening dates and in Ski Utah's list, which says dates are conditions permitting and subject to change. Until Snowbasin confirms it, treat that date as a target.
The Mountain Is Already Built Out
Last season's upgrades are what skiers return to this winter, which is why this season's changes are elsewhere. Becker was originally a fixed-grip triple from 1986. It now runs as a high-speed detachable quad carrying roughly 1,800 riders per hour, and the ride to the top takes six minutes, half of what it used to. Bear Hollow, Snowshoe and Slow Road were widened along with that rebuild, and Becker's bottom terminal now sits next to Wildcat Chairlift, which makes the Family Zone easier to get around. RFID scanners at every lift read passes in pockets, and Snowbasin says lift lines move up to 25% faster.
The Needles Gondola is the only piece still in progress. Snowbasin says every cabin has been refurbished in a multi-year project that started in 2024-25 and will finish ahead of opening day.
The newest addition is a summer amenity. The Snowbasin Bike Park, Powered by SCOTT, opened four trails in summer 2026, served by Littlecat Express. It has beginner trails with dirt berms and wooden skill features, intermediate and advanced flow trails, and room to grow in future seasons. No new winter lift, lodge or terrain project is listed for 2026-27. That's why the pass and arrival changes are this season's real news.
The Pass Changes
Two pass changes are new for 2026-27. The first is the Wasatch Benefit, which gives Premier Pass holders one free weekday of skiing at each of Alta, Brighton and Snowbird. The tickets are nontransferable and not valid Friday through Sunday or on holidays. The second is Value Pass pricing for youth, teens and young adults, which Snowbasin labels new this year.
Here are the prices Snowbasin listed ahead of the October 7 increase:
Age group | Premier | Value |
|---|---|---|
Adult, 27–64 | $1,319 | $1,029 |
Young Adult, 19–26 | $959 | $769 |
Teen, 13–18 | $759 | $569 |
Youth, 5–12 | $509 | $359 |
Senior, 65+ | $979 | $559 |
The Value Pass costs $290 less for an adult and $150 less for a child aged 5 to 12. The trade-off is the blackout dates: December 21 through January 3, January 16 to 18, and February 13 to 15. The longest blackout covers two full weeks around the winter holidays, and the other two each block a three-day stretch over a weekend.
How much that matters depends on when a household skis. The Premier Pass's extra perks only work on weekdays, and the Value Pass gives up mainly holidays. Either way, the pass works best for someone who can ski on weekdays. Mountain Green is closer to Snowbasin than Ogden, Layton or Salt Lake City, so a weekday morning on the mountain takes less of the day.
A midweek Value Pass for all ages is listed at $579. Children 0 to 4 ski free on the Value Pass.
The Drive Up From Mountain Green
The Trappers Loop junction has been easier for a while now. In summer 2024, Snowbasin and the Utah Department of Transportation set up a traffic pattern that lets northbound and southbound cars turn onto Snowbasin Road at the same time. Snowbasin estimated it would raise vehicle speed by about 25%. That improvement is already part of the drive from Old Highway and doesn't change this winter.
The rules once you reach the resort matter more. On weekends and holidays, Earl's Lots A through E are reserved for cars with three or more people until 11 a.m. After that, they open to all vehicles while space lasts. On weekdays, Earl's Lot A is carpool-only. From the roundabout, traffic splits into several lanes. Carpools use a middle express lane, and cars with two or fewer people get extra lanes into Canyon Rim or Maples. Parking is still free with no reservations, and Weber County manages street parking on Snowbasin Road.
For a two-person car from Mountain Green, getting to the base area quickly isn't the hard part. The 11 a.m. cutoff decides whether Earl's is an option. A car with a third rider can use the carpool lots on a Saturday morning.
The free bus pass is the other new perk. Snowbasin says season pass holders get a free UTA bus pass for the 2026-27 winter. The listed routes are Route 675 between Ogden and Snowbasin and Route 677 between the Layton FrontRunner station and Snowbasin, and Snowbasin says winter service details are coming soon. Neither route is listed as starting in Mountain Green. The perk mainly helps skiers coming from Ogden and Davis County, which could take some cars off the same road Mountain Green drivers use.
On the way up, Lee's Marketplace at 4935 Old Highway Rd opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. Lee's Ace Hardware, in the same complex at Suite 1, has hardware, garden, household and sporting goods departments.
The Longer Road
Two longer-term projects affect this corridor. Snowbasin calls itself the official Alpine Skiing venue for the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Grizzly and Wildflower downhill courses remain open to guests. The resort's Olympics page lists investments it has already made in chairlifts, restaurants, snowmaking, parking and restrooms, but it gives no 2026-27 Olympic construction schedule.
Closer to home, UDOT's planned Mountain Green Interchange at I-84 and SR-167 has moved forward on paper. The environmental assessment was completed on August 25, 2025, with a Finding of No Significant Impact. In March 2026, UDOT's Amendment #4 to its long-range plan proposed moving the project from unfunded to fiscally constrained Phase 1, listed at $50 million in 2022 dollars. UDOT says the project would still need to be added to the state transportation program, funded, designed and then built. No construction start date has been set. For this winter, the route from Mountain Green to Snowbasin stays the same: Old Highway to Trappers Loop to Snowbasin Road.
If you're weighing Premier against Value for your household, or wondering how Snowbasin's 2034 plans could affect the Trappers Loop corridor, we follow those questions closely. Range Realty Co is glad to talk through what the coming season means for your part of the valley. Connect with a Valley Expert.
