In a canyon with a fair share of quaint, historic après bars, The Tram Club at Snowbird, Utah, sets itself apart. The Tram Club feels more like your neighborhood sports pub than your stereotypical aprés ski bar. The walls are covered with flat screen TVs and framed jerseys instead of antique skis and black-and-white photos. It’s not a place you go to play backgammon or slap up stickers from your home resort, but rather a good spot to catch the game and have a beer after riding powder all day. But don’t let the motif fool you. The regulars at the Tram Bar are as hard-core as they come when it comes to snow-sliding. If you’ve ever seen a photo of someone riding Snowbird in a ski or snowboard magazine, chances are that person has also knocked a couple back at the Tram Club.
“And then I was like, ‘swooosh… wabash!’”
Open Since: January 1994.
Typical Clientele: “Great group of Snowbird regulars, the type that ski more days then they miss,” says bar manager Steven Carter. “We also get a lot of people that visit Snowbird from all over the country storm chasing or getting in a winter vacation.”
Best known for: “As part of the staff I want to say we are known for being the best aprés ski sports bar EVER!” says Carter. “As a guy that loves to ski, I’d say we are known for being a great spot to kick your ski boots off, grab a cold one, catch up on your favorite teams score, and brag to your buddies about the steep line you found while they were posting pictures to their Facebook page.” The Tram Club is also known to be the bar that’s open the latest in Little Cottonwood Canyon, for those looking for a little aprés aprés ski.
Signature Cocktail: The Tram Club is full service and can make you anything. But most of the locals belly up with a beer and a shot.
Busiest time: “Aprés ski, evenings, major sports events, and anytime the Snowbird tram closes,” says Carter. There is also occasionally a rush around 9 or 10, after the bars in Alta close, and their patrons migrate down to Snowbird.
The Tram Club has live music Thursday through Sunday.
Regular nights: The Tram Club features music Thursdays through Sundays during aprés ski. “Everything from local bands, jazz, blues, rock, cover bands, and live DJ’s,” says Carter.
Something unique: “It sounds cheesy, but it’s the people,” says Carter. “The Tram Club staff is the same people fighting for fresh tracks after a storm and rushing to make last tram with you. It’s a place where the guy next to you at the bar that skis 100 days a year is excited to hear that you made it down from the tram for the first time. Every one celebrates a great day together. Its the kind of place where you talk trash on Tom Brady and Eli Manning and then buy the guy a beer because the Patriots just beat your Chicago Bears. Yes, our draft beer is 3.2 and our shots are metered, but if you stop in I promise we’ll have a good time together.”
