Feb 26 - Mar 7
Took the Delta nonstop from JFK to Salt Lake City. The flight arrived on time. We were planning on skiing many different areas so we rented a car. Plus we like the freedom of having our own vehicle. There is bus service to the various ski areas if you prefer not to drive. We had mostly beautiful sunny weather with high's around 40, we were not cold once. Even the nights were mild.

I found a very good rate at the Park City Holiday Inn Express. Not really located in Park City proper but only a 10 minute drive to Historic Main St. The hotel was a great value, free continental breakfast, Apres ski soup, and an indoor hot tub and pool. The hotel is only a few years old. It is well kept and clean. If you are looking for fancy decor this is not for you.
Our room was a nice size big enough for 2 double beds, dresser table and 2 chairs without being cramped. I would stay there again. Located only about 3 miles from The Canyons Ski resort.

Our first day we opted to ski at The Canyons. This a fairly new area with upscale hotels and condos at the base. They offer no day lodge only a locker room. The ski area is very large, 8 peaks in all. We skied a few runs at each peak so we could see the whole area. We enjoyed the area with Dreamscape, Day Break, Peak 5 and Ninety Nine 90 lifts. Only my husband ventured up the Ninety Nice 90 chair, Black level only skiing there. A bit above my skiing talents. There are portapotties and an outdoor grill/snack bar on this side of the ski area. This is not noted on the trail map. Maybe someday they will install indoor plumbing.

The next day we ventured to Big Cottonwood Canyon to ski at Solitude. About a 40 minute drive from our hotel. Very easy to get to. They have developed the base area with beautiful accommodations, a few shops and restaurants. Again no day lodge but we did find a spot to get ready in the morning. Another good day, skied all the areas except the Powder Horn lift which was not operating. My husband was disappointed since many nice black runs off this lift. Crowds were non existent. You gotta love the slopes to yourself. Unlike Vermont on the weekends.

The next day we headed to Deer Valley. Very upscale, fresh flowers in the bathroom and leather furniture in the slope side restaurants. The best food around, a little pricey but the quality was great. This day was a very weird weather day. Partly cloudy to start, then some snow, then the fog rolled in for a time. After lunch the sun was out again in full force. We enjoyed Apres ski outside at the Snowpark Lodge. We hit every area except Little Baldy Mountain. My favorite area was Flagstaff MT, blue heaven. My husband like the more challenging Bald MT area.

Our next venture was Little Cottonwood Canyon to ski Alta. This was our favorite. The scenery was awesome and we loved the layout of the mountain and the terrain. Many blue trails had place to go off piste for more of a challenge. So we were both happy. Groomers for me, moguls for the hubby. Alta even has a blue level bowl, the Ballroom Bowl which was great fun. We really had a great day. No crowds, great weather, beautiful scenery. What more do you need?

Park City Ski Area next. Another beautiful day in Utah. A nice little village at the base with shops, restaurants and accommodations. Another fun mountain, plenty of trails to ski. We also enjoyed the historical mine ruins thought out the area. The one bummer was the Silverlode lift was not working. This lift is dead center making it easy to get to Jupiter bowl from the other side of the resort. Needless to say my husband had quite the trek to get to Jupiter after lunch. I headed to the base in the afternoon to check out the shops.

Back to Little Cottonwood Canyon to ski Snowbird. They have quite a base area with many places to stay. This is the only ski resort in the area with a Tram. Reminded me of Europe. Spent an enjoyable morning in Mineral Basin a wide open area(again reminded me of Europe) with groomers and off piste for the blue and black skiers. We headed to the Gad 2 Lift for a few runs before lunch. Checked out the area near the terrain park after lunch. I headed to the base after that. My husband took the tram up for one more run before Apres ski. Another fun filled day, more great weather.

Our last day of skiing was Saturday we decided to head to Big Cottonwood to check out Brighton. A neat area, not so big as the others. Really nice for families. We arrived by 830a and parked right next to the lodge. We enjoyed our first few runs with hardly anyone else on the slopes. Even as the day progressed the crowds were not bad, no liftlines to speak of. This resort had nice groomers for me and my husband was able to find some off piste stuff to keep him happy. We splurged at lunch and did the Molly Green Pub which has table service. The prices weren't much more than the self serve restaurant. It was a fun last day.

The overall snow conditions were packed powder. We only got a couple new inches of snow. But enjoyed the mild temps and sunny skies. We had a blast going to a different area each day.
*One tip, swing by Canyon Sports in Salt Lake City to buy discount lift ticket, we saved $86.00 (that's a lot of Apres Ski drink). They have a website if you want to check out the prices. http://www.canyonsports.com/

Park City is a fun town with some really neat western Architecture. Main St is great, lots of neat shops, galleries,restaurants and accommodations. We also enjoyed learning about the history of the area. One negative, parking is a nightmare Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Way too may cars looking for too few parking spots. Although I must say we never attempted to try the public transport.

Lots of pricey places to eat in Park City. We tried not to break our budget.
Restaurants we visited
No Name Saloon...had lunch here, fun pub food, happening bar too
Wasatch Brew Pub..good causal food and prices, go early or late on Saturday otherwise long wait
Purple Sage...love this place, upscale western food, beautiful decor, really good food and service
Fiore...Italian, attractive decor, good service, not too pricey
Taste of Saigon...tasty Vietnamese food, inexpensive, serve beer and wine
Bandits...a great BBQ place, loved the food, the price was right, we even got a seat by the window
La Cantina...good Mexican food, they have a salsa bar and the best homemade tortillas
Main Street Noodle & Pizza..casual Italian, order and pay at the counter, they bring the food to your table.
Chimayo...This was our big splurge for our last night. Wonderful food. Southwestern with a flare. Cozy atmosphere. Service was pleasant but a few issues, did not remove my salad plate before bringing my entree, never removed my pre-dinner cocktail glass and only offered us bottle water when tap was available. For the amount we spent I can be nit picky. But these minor issues would not stop me from visiting again. The Asparagus/Bean Salad was awesome. We had the Elk and Buffalo entrees, both were great.

We are a great time and will go back some day.
Carole