Snowbasin by UTMB
Snowbasin by UTMB – 28K
Snowbasin Resort
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The Snowbasin by UTMB 28K is a 29 km mountain race with 711 m of positive climbing, run entirely on the trails of Snowbasin Resort in Utah. It is the shortest step into the Snowbasin by UTMB weekend, but with a high point of 2563 m it is a genuine high-altitude course, not a rolling foothill run. The defining feature is a single long, steady climb: the route rises almost continuously from the 1950 m start up to the Needles high point at 2563 m before turning for home. That means the day divides cleanly into a patient ascent and a long, fast descent - and the runners who understand that shape, and who respect the thin air, are the ones who finish strong rather than fading on the way down.
The Course and Terrain
The 28K starts and finishes at Snowbasin Resort, with the start (0 km / 1950 m) marked as a crew point. From there the trail climbs steadily: Green Pond at 5 km (2058 m), Becker Lift at 12 km (2379 m), and the Needles high point at 17.8 km (2562 m). After Needles the course drops all the way back to the 1950 m finish at 28.1 km. The elevation numbers describe a classic resort-mountain shape. The first 5 km to Green Pond gains only around 100 m and works as a warm-up, but from Green Pond to Becker Lift the grade steepens, adding roughly 320 m over 7 km. The final push from Becker Lift to Needles climbs another 180-odd metres to the top of the course. It is almost 18 km of net ascent followed by roughly 10 km of net descent, so runners spend the majority of the race going up and then get one sustained downhill to close it out.
The Decisive Climb
The race is decided on the long haul from Green Pond (2058 m at 5 km) to Needles (2562 m at 17.8 km). That is the sustained work of the day - a little over 500 m of climbing spread across roughly 13 km, at altitudes where every effort costs more oxygen than it would at sea level. It is not a steep wall so much as a grinding, high-elevation ascent that rewards a steady, controlled rhythm over surges. The steepest concentrated pitch sits between Becker Lift (2379 m at 12 km) and Needles (2562 m at 17.8 km), and this is where over-eager starters pay the price. Push too hard on the lower slopes to Green Pond and Becker Lift and you arrive at the base of the final climb already in oxygen debt. The 10 km descent from Needles back to the finish is genuinely fast and can make up real time, but only if you have saved enough leg strength and focus to run it hard - blowing up on the climb turns that downhill into a survival shuffle.
How to Pace and Fuel It
The data lists no intermediate cut-offs on the 28K, so pacing is governed by your own effort rather than a clock at each aid point. Aid is spaced across the climb - Green Pond at 5 km, Becker Lift at 12 km, Needles at 17.8 km - with the longest carry being the 10 km descent from Needles back to the finish. Fill up at Needles before you start down, because there is no station between the summit and the line. The pacing plan is simple to state and hard to execute: run the first half well within yourself. Treat the opening 5 km to Green Pond as deliberately conservative, settle into a sustainable climbing pace to Becker Lift, and only assess how you feel once you crest Needles. Fuel steadily on the way up, when your stomach can handle it and the effort is aerobic; at altitude, digestion is less forgiving, so favour frequent small intakes over big feeds. With crew access at the start/finish, plan to leave and return self-sufficient for the full loop.
Altitude and Conditions
Everything on this course happens between 1950 m and 2563 m, so altitude is the environmental factor to plan around. Runners coming from lower elevations should expect a noticeably higher heart rate and breathing rate at any given pace, and should arrive a few days early or accept a conservative effort to compensate. Hydration matters more up high, where the dry mountain air pulls fluid faster than you notice. Mountain weather at these elevations can swing quickly: the Needles high point is exposed, and conditions at 2562 m can differ sharply from the resort base. Sun exposure on the open upper slopes is strong, while early starts can be cold at the bottom. The takeaway is to respect the mountain more than the 29 km distance implies - carry sun protection and a wind layer, drink consistently, and let the thin air, not your legs alone, set the ceiling on your climbing pace.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 1950 m · —
5 km · 2058 m · —
12 km · 2379 m · —
17.8 km · 2562 m · —
28.1 km · 1950 m · —
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