Snowbird is an unincorporated community in Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

Mining became a large local industry, and Little Cottonwood Canyon became one of the largest producers of silver ore in the Wasatch Mountains.

At its peak, 8,000 people lived and worked in the narrow canyon, which held two smelters, 138 homes, hotels, boarding houses, stores and a railroad.

The resort operates almost entirely on privately owned land, unlike the majority of Utah ski areas.

Johnson met Dick Bass, a Texas oilman, in 1969, and the two partnered to create the Snowbird resort, which opened in 1971.

Snowbird, which operates primarily on privately owned land, usually closes on Memorial Day in late May while the occasional ski year can last as long as the Fourth of July on the upper part of the mountain (accessed by the aerial tram), perennially offering the longest ski season in Utah as other Utah resorts must close earlier because they are on Forest Service land[citation needed].

Snowbird is perennially celebrated by industry magazines for its exceptional snowfall, vast and wide-ranging terrain and easy accessibility from the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Snowbird currently has 10 chairlifts (6 high-speed quads, 4 doubles), a surface lift, an aerial tram, and a 600-foot (180 m) tunnel enclosing a one-way conveyor lift connecting Peruvian Gulch to Mineral Basin allowing easier access for beginners and intermediates to new terrain.

The tunnel, the only of its kind in North America, also allows for skier transport when winds require the closing of the aerial tram.

Throughout the warmer months, Snowbird offers activities such as: Alpine Slide, Mountain Coaster, Summer Tubing, Vertical Drop, and Ropes Courses.

The Alpine Slide is a course that runs down the Chickadee ski slope and includes twists, turns, and tunnels.

The Ropes Course, located near Chickadee bowl, allows participants to be strapped into a harness and walk high above ground.

According to SKI Magazine (October 2002) Snowbird ranked 20th in North America with gold medals in snow, access, challenge, terrain, scenery, weather, and lifts.

[12] Two of Snowbird's mountain school instructors, Rob Sogard and Nancy Thoreson, made SKI Magazine's Top 100 list.