Musings: 2019

We drove out to Utah for President's Day Week, which will likely be the last time we can do that, since the school district is ending the longer holiday week, and shifting time off to long weekends during the winter months. It has been incredibly, exceptionally snowy the last six weeks, and we were lucky to catch breaks in the storm patterns to cross the Sierras via I-80 both going and coming, with relatively little disruption (2-3 hours through the mountain passes, when there were plenty of stories of people being blocked for days). The drive from home is about 650-700 miles each way, but is straightforward on the interstate, taking about 12 hours, leaving at 7 ish each morning there and back.
Our first stop was four days in Big Cottonwood Canyon at a newer Hampton Inn, which had a handy UTA bus stop in front, to take us up to the mountains. It's not a quick ride though since its 17+ miles, and if its crowded on the way back, one may not get a seat. Still they drop you right off at the day lodge, so one doesn't have to deal with parking. But the first day after we arrived we relaxed in the pool & hot tub, and rested after the drive, eventually venturing out to a nearby/grill for dinner. The next day would start the skiing.
After a big breakfast at the hotel -- which was the exact same food for 3 of the 4 days btw -- we headed up to Brighton. It's been 20 years since I've been here, but I have fond memories of it then and now. It's an older area, without the most modern amenities, but has consistent snow and moderate terrain that the kids could enjoy for their first day. We really enjoyed the winding trails, but had one scare when M got separated from the rest of us. Fortunately, she repaired to the lodge, waiting by our lunch & cookies, while I hunted around for her. Good thing that SMS works on the mountains! The shop at Brighton was very picked over, not much choice at all, a result of a busy holiday weekend and large crowds.
The whole area around the hotel was designed as tourist zone, since the city generally doesn't want people staying in the narrow canyon areas, due to avalanches, road constraints, and water issues. So there were many other large hotel chains, as well as many restaurants of all types, all within walking distance. We ended up trying an underwhelming pan Asian place next, and then an ok Greek place, all in the same general vicinity. At least one didn't need to drive after getting there.
Next I went up to Solitude, and got my bus pass activated. Holders of IKON season passes can ride the UTA buses for free (normally its $4.50 per ride) but that has to be activated in person in resort. As a practical matter though, the bus drivers seem to be lenient on charging people who are getting passes activated. I only ended up having to pay for 50% of various ski bus fares this trip, which is about the same as last years Alta/Snowbird Little Cottonwood Canyon experience. But I think its easier to stay in BCC versus Sandy for accessing all these areas. I also liked Solitude, and the name befits it. I only shared a lift ride up with another person once during that whole day. I skied the lower mountain areas and enjoyed the wide open spaces, free from others. Parts of the big apron in the middle of the area reminded me of Lech, in Austria. The upper reaches though, and the backside, looked steep. Everything was better groomed than I expected, but its now owned by Deer Valley, so perhaps they have brought their grooming acumen over. My legs were quite tired by the time I grabbed one of the fleet of buses heading down valley. Curiously, I noticed lots of signs warning off brown bag lunches -- they don't have much lodge space so maybe its become a problem.
The next day was a rest/travel day, so we visited Target to stock up on condo items, and then went back to the dumpling place we had found last year. It was as good as before, and we ordered even more than last time, so we had left overs to take back. The drive up to Park City was easy, and we unloaded everything into a big condo at the Silver King, which was welcome after staying in a hotel room for a few days. Park City / Parleys Canyon / I-80 is much more weather sure than the narrow Canyon roads, but Park City proper had a lot of snow everywhere. Amazingly, we bumped into our literal next door neighbors in the same condo complex, and got together for a glass of wine. They are PC regulars, while we tend to be more ski wanderers / snow opportunists.
The kids and J had a day to themselves while I took the condos shuttle up to Deer Valley to explore, and map out the next few days with the kids. To ski at Deer Valley, even with an IKON pass, requires a reservation, so before we departed for the trip, I'd booked spots on all the days we wanted. The mountain caps the numbers of daily skiers -- and doesn't allow snowboarders at all. DV is more sprawling than other places; there are 5 entry points into the resort area for example. And unless one wants to take lots of cat walks or access trails, its a place that needs thought on how to spend the day, rather than just clicking into the skis and zooming off. They also heavily groom the mountain, which can mean than the snow hardens up faster than one would expect, despite the soft, frequent snow fall they have. But they can have a lot of traffic on narrow trails (relatively for the region) which makes them bumpy or cut up. Anyways we determined that the Flagstaff and Snowpark areas would be the best for the girls, and when we went with them for the next two days, we had a really great time. By this time we were all skiing better, and could stop in the warming huts for snacks/heat, and enjoyed the outdoors, even with the 16F temperatures. We met J on the mountain afterwords, and then the kids went shopping, getting the mandatory ski T shirts to bring home. I know DV prides itself in being Vail's category (with matching prices!) but I don't really see that. I think the experience at Vail is better - longer runs, better snow, wider trails, more space, etc. Maybe there were less crowds in some spots of DV, but in general, I didn't find it isolated or crowd free (like Solitude).
Park City has a lot of nice restaurants, but with the condo, we made dinner most nights. Our InstaPot came along for the trip and contributed a great spaghetti sauce, and then some baked beans. We did go out to a fancier, well regarded place -- The Twisted Fern -- which I do recommend. I had a tasty trout there. It seems to be one of the few vegan/vegetarian options in the area, but it has all kinds fish/fowl as well.
For the long ride home, we listened to a Harry Potter book on audio CD, which is actually pretty good for 10-20 hour long drive since they tend to finish just as the journey ends. Our trusty Thule roof pod did a good job again, but we did not over pack it this time. They can only really hold 80-100 lbs, even though they are spacious. And I need to get the kids skis tuned up at REI locally before we go any where else. Thanks Mom for caring for the cat while we were away!