Dreaming Of Utah Ski Trip

We arrived in Salt Lake City in the afternoon. We rented a large pickup, which was useful for all of our baggage and skis! We headed up toward Park City, enjoying the views of Salt Lake and arriving at our hotel at sunset. Great stop if you are looking for a shorter stay, or to avoid Park City base. Great to meet up with our travel companions!! It was a short drive from our place to Olympic Park–fun to see this incredible facility. We had hoped to drive up into Park City proper from our hotel, but the traffic was bumper to bumper. We opted out of that and had a great dinner nearby at the modern family-friendly "Hearth and Hill."

Unable to check into our VRBO in Snowbird until afternoon, we decided to stop at another resort on our way from Park City, Snowbasin. There wasn't much fresh snow, however the skiing was decent with plenty of groomer runs open. I had never experienced the vibe I had at Snowbasin...the lodge at the base was quite fancy, and was packed at lunchtime. We had a great time! We left for our VRBO in Snowbird, about an hour and 15 away. We popped off at the Cottonwood Canyon for groceries at a Whole Foods. Our VRBO was great for our two families, with ski-in/ski-out access if you are a decent skier. Snowboarders, be prepared for a little help from your skier friends heading out in the AM, FYI. It began snowing that evening, and we couldn't contain our excitement for the next day. Big decision for me...snowboard or ski!?

We awoke to sunshine and frigid temperatures. Some of us upgraded our layers at the base, and we began to explore! Lunch at Mid-Gad Lodge was rustic and fun, great music playing kept our energy up to brave the cold again. Skiing and boarding were fabulous, with much more snow and "untamed" terrain than Snowbasin. The snow came at the end of the day, and finding our way back home via trails was a fun adventure! Have great times in our cozy VRBO, dinner, and games, and look out for the eucher card sharks!

Powder day!!! We continued to explore our mountain paradise and were so happy as it continued to dump snow. We enjoyed powder tree skiing off of the Peruvian lift and then headed toward the Peruvian tunnel and headed to Alta!! Be sure to have your skiis as they are a "skier only" mountain. Insert roll eye emoji. But I'm actually so glad, as I fell back in love with my skiis this day. Alta was phenomenal!!!! We loved their mom-and-pop style base, which reminded me of Wisconsin skiing. But only the base...this is incredible alpine skiing! Great fun lunch at the Watson Cafe as we watched the snow come down. Another great homecooked meal at our VRBO–Snowbird does not have a village with tons of dinner options. They feel mostly like lunch options–this place is all about the skiing. If you wanted to enjoy Snowbird, spend a bit more and avoid cooking at all costs, there is one lodge at the base of Snowbird, which looks phenomenal–The Cliff Lodge and Spa. We are going to give it a test-run!

Our last day of epic skiing in Utah. Spent the day on the Snowbird side and explored different parts of the mountain. We loved blazing powdery trails on the backside, Mineral Basin. We all skied hard, and I felt thankful we were all in great shape after such incredible terrain. We enjoyed our last night with friends with Pasta, wine, and more cards!

travel day. Woke up to blizzard conditions for our early departure. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport!!! Be prepared for mountain winter travel conditions. We had to run to our gates!!! Dream trip...that's for sure.