Having gotten just a taste of Park City and the Canyons last MLK weekend, I knew I wanted to come back for a longer stay. I enticed my family (who don’t like to repeat mountains) to return to the area with the promise of day trips to Alta and Snowbird, two close by mountains they had never skied. In fact, one of the things that I have come to love about Utah after our week here is the proximity of so many ski resorts and the ease in which to access them. To me, it’s the best thing about a ski trip to Utah.
When we weren’t mountain hopping, our home for the week was the Westgate Park City Resort at the base of the Canyons. We skied 6 days in a row which was unprecedented on any of our prior ski trips out west over the last eight years. (We usually take off one day mid week.) The conditions were that good, despite the cold temps. Our timing was perfect as many of the ski resorts in Utah were lacking for snow until we came and brought it with us. Our second night there, 14 inches fell to be followed by more snow most of the other days we were there. Between all the falling flakes, we got in a blue sky day for Daniel’s 16th birthday.
Overall, we were treated to over 2 feet of snow during our 7 nights in Utah. In addition to all of that fluffy white powder, here are our other mountain stats…
4 Mountains
Park City and the Canyons-We skied at home 3/6 of our days. The terrain seemed endless. We probably only covered about 50 percent of the mountain in our 3 days. This combo mountain is huge!
Deer Valley-We hooked up with our friends for a gorgeous snowy day of skiing in Deer Valley, broken up with a yummy lunch at Apex at the Montage. (Wow!) This mountain was actually a repeat for my kids but it’s not like they remember. Deer Valley was the first mountain out west that we took them to back in 2010. Haven’t they grown up so much ?
Alta and Snowbird– We took two day trips, each about an hour away to Alta and Snowbird. It was easy to get to these mountains, as both mornings we were picked up by Canyon Hop, a company that transports you to most of the Utah mountains and provides you with lift tickets as well. This is beneficial as you don’t have to deal with buying passes upon arrival. Mike, the owner, has been operating this business for 30 years and yet it is still a relatively unknown service. Most of my frequent Utah visitor friends had never even heard of the company. Canyon Hop transports you by van. They drop you about 9AM and pick you up about 4PM. It’s an early wake up, but you can use your hour ride home for a nap. It could not have been any more pleasurable or easy both of the days that we “hopped”.
5 Restaurants
And all great meals. I love ski town food! We had many recommendations from those in the know so it was easy to choose. In the town of Park City we dined at Fletchers (“best potatoes”Daniel “ever had”) Shabu, High West Distillery and Chimayo. High West did not take reservations so we put our name down at about 5 PM and used the 90 minute wait to explore charming Main Street and its array of quaint ski town shops. High West was our favorite (that tomahawk pork chop!) until we hit Chimayo the following night. Despite the very hefty price tag, late reservation (couldn’t get one before 830-book early!) and somewhat slow service, this restaurant came out on top for all of us. A guacamole app, two branzinos, one elk, one duck, and one short rib entree later, we were all in agreement that it was the best meal of our trip. Our final night we ate the sports bar in our hotel, Drafts Burger Bar. It was a fun and easy final night.
1 Great Hotel
We were very happy at the Westgate. The location of the resort was very convenient. The hotel sits at the base of the Canyons by the Red Pine Gondola and the Orange Bubble lift. The resort’s skier services made the skiing experience even more enjoyable. We merely made a call in the morning to skier services and our skis were waiting for us either at the gondola (for the days we skied local) or at the lobby (for the days we traveled). Another great perk is the hotel’s free shuttle service to the town of Park City and to the bases of Park City and Deer Valley mountains. (It probably goes other places too, I just listed the places we went to on the shuttle). Although the hotel has a few shuttles, they do book up so try to reserve them early once you know your plans. There is also a spa, huge indoor/outdoor pool, hot tub, ping pong tables, game room and laundry on every floor. Rob said the gym was good too! (I didn’t see it 🙂 ). However, there are a few small negatives too IMO. The WiFi at times was spotty, mostly in the afternoons after skiing when probably a lot of people were connected. The coffee shop only stays open till 2pm (Why?) and one night there was a boiler problem and we lost hot water for a few hours. A few minor inconveniences for an otherwise great stay. (Ok the WiFi part was annoying.) Although we flew to Park City for free, I unfortunately had to pay for our stay. Yes, we do that sometimes. However, you can be sure that the card I used upon check out was my Chase Sapphire Reserve as I earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel.
So now, another February ski trip is in the books. For next year, I am thinking either Breckenridge or Aspen, two mountains we have still yet to conquer. However, I cannot imagine we won’t be back to Utah. I can see why so many people I know buy homes out here. What an amazing place where u can hit a multitude of so many different mountains and truly #skiutah!
