Heading for the Mountains of Utah for Spring Break

While many of my friends and their kids headed to the beaches for spring break, we chose instead to head to the mountains. Following the call of the best snow on earth, our party of four – me, a gal pal, my teen son, and a cousin – made a beeline for the Beehive State for spring skiing in Utah. They may call it spring, but a few days before we departed, the Wasatch Mountains got more than two feet of snow. We knew we were in for a treat.

Plan “S” for Snow

Thanks to meticulous planning, we made the most of our spring break, visiting three resorts plus a sports park over our 7-day adventure. By mapping out our trip to maximize mountain time, we took full advantage of all that Utah’s spring skiing season offers – excellent weather, sparser crowds on the slopes, shorter wait time at the chairlifts, and non-peak-season pricing.

We got a mix of skiing and riding experiences by visiting big-name resorts like Brighton and Solitude, which are renowned for their luxury ski experience, and we also were thrilled to explore Beaver Mountain, one of Utah’s best off-the-beaten-path ski areas. During our down time, we discovered unique Utah dining at some outstanding local independent restaurants, and we found some one-of-a-kind treasures at local thrift stores.

To cram all that into a week, we stuck to a tight itinerary.

We arrived around 9 pm on Easter Sunday, and we stayed overnight at the chic Hotel Monaco, in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. After a good night’s rest and a hearty Bambara Breakfast at the hotel, we headed picked up our gear at Christy Sports – a superb place to rent, known for their high-quality equipment and excellent service. By reserving our gear ahead of time, we were in and out within 15 minutes.

 

   

Parking It in Woodward

Day One, we warmed up at Woodward Park City, an action sports fantasyland that the boys described as “unbelievable.” The park’s 66,000-square-foot indoor facility offers jumps, rails, stairs, ledges and other features for skateboarding, parkour, and BMX, MTB, and scooter riding. Outdoors there are 60 acres of mountain terrain for snowboarding and skiing, plus the longest tubing lanes in Utah.

The boys survived a day of dare-deviling with no injuries (yeah!) and worked up an appetite for lunch. We lucked out finding a fantastic fast-casual restaurant in Park City, Slapfish Coastal Seafood Kitchen. We reenergized ourselves with healthy bowls of mahi-mahi, cod, and seared ahi tuna over fresh locally sourced salad mixes including radish, pickled bell peppers, and red cabbage. Wish we had this chain near us in the DC area!

The boys exhausted themselves sufficiently to sleep soundly in the back of the minivan for the two-hour drive to our next destination, Logan, where we checked into accommodations at Marriott Springhill Suites. We had a relaxing evening and enjoyed one of the best dining experiences we had in Utah, at the artsy and homey Le Nonne Restaurante Italiano in Logan. The boys devoured delicious pasta dishes of Pollo Al Limone and Ravioli Di Spinaci, while the adults savored perfectly cooked and seasoned Tagliata New York Steak and Salmon Filet. Delizioso!

Everyone Loves The Bev

We rested up for Day Two, at Beaver Mountain, a family owned and operated resort that is a hidden gem, about 45 minutes from Logan. Everything about the place is quaint. The people are friendly and helpful, and you can almost get to know the entire staff in a day. Marge, the daughter-in-law of the founders, was working at the ticket window when we got our passes. The chairlift, Marge’s Triple, was named after her.

The inside of the lodge is welcoming, though nothing fancy, consisting of folding tables and a small snack area with the usual ski lodge fare of hotdogs, French fries and chicken nuggets. The pro shop is a treat, with lots of “I Luv Beaver” souvenirs, with a double entendre meaning that escaped the boys as they bought beaver stickers and put them on their helmets.

We had two fantastic days at Beaver Mountain, traversing 828 acres of skiable terrain. Lift lines were practically non-existent, and even late in the season all six lifts were running, and all 48 trails were open, thanks to about 400+ inches of snow the resort gets annually. The resort was a perfect place for our group of mixed levels, as my ski buddy and I got our ski legs back on day one on the beginner trails, comprising 35% of the runs, and progressed to the intermediate slopes, comprising 40% of trails, on day two. The boys started on the intermediate runs and quickly moved on to tackle the more advanced runs, which comprise about 25% of the trails, from the top of the summit at 8,860’.

The runs are well-marked, though at one point we veered off to take a pipestem we thought would lead to a blue run and found ourselves on a double black diamond trail, appropriately named Skid Row, through the forest. Our tree-dodging skills were put to the test until we realized we were in over our skill level. We ended up taking off our skis and hoofing it through hip-deep snow to a clearing where we could put our skis on again and traverse the mountain down to the base. Besides that one wrong turn, we had a spectacular day at Beaver. Often, the crowds were so sparse we skied and rode by ourselves on the mountain, which was a pretty awesome experience, especially night skiing from 5-9 pm.

For dinner in Logan, Cafe Sabor was recommended by the locals for best-in-town fajitas and quesadillas, perfect for replenishing ourselves after expending our carbs on the mountain.

Comin’ Round the Mountain

From Beaver Mountain, we drove back to SLC, checking into Courtyard Marriott Cottonwood Heights, close to our Day Four destination, Brighton Ski Resort. Anyone driving for the first time in the Utah mountains should be forewarned to allow extra travel time. While springtime storms are fewer than winter storms, we did run into snowy conditions on the roads, and the curvy mountain highways can be treacherous when slippery. Though the street plows are extremely efficient, road signs advise travelers of areas where chains are needed in the heavy snowfall.

Another factor to be aware of when driving the windy thoroughfares is that passing is only allowed in the left lane, and all traffic is required to travel in the right lane except when passing. Despite the ubiquitous signs that advise of these road rules, beware of impatient drivers who ride your bumper if you are driving the speed limit. It’s not hard to pick up momentum when heading downhill, so be ready to brake, and be safe rather than sorry. Lastly, unless you are staying to night ski, depart the mountain before nightfall, as most of the mountain roads do not have lighting. Also, if you leave late in the afternoon, you may capture one of the storied pink Utah sunsets reflected on the mountains, which is an awesome sight.

Our Brillant Day at Brighton

Brighton, at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, is known to get some of the best snow in Utah, which says a lot, since in general Utah is famous for its light and fluffy snow quality, the study of which is covered in a semester-long course at of one of the local universities. The lower moisture content of the flakes, due to the climate and weather patterns, form low-density snow (only 8% water content) that doesn’t compact, making it ideal for deep-powder skiing and riding. With an annual snowfall averaging over 500 inches, Brighton features some of the driest, lightest powder in the region.

The resort attracts a lot of skiers and riders from all over but also is a favorite of locals and has a low-key, family friendly vibe. The resort covers 1,050 skiable acres, has a top elevation of 10,500’, and operates six chairlifts and two surface lifts servicing five terrain parts and 66 runs, 30 of which are open for night riding. They also boast the fastest chairlift in Utah, the Crest 6. The diversity of the terrain has earned Brighton a reputation as a great place to learn to ski and ride.

While the boys shredded the terrain park and caught some air on the amazing jumps and rails, us adults skied the well-groomed green and blue runs, with Backbone, Main Street and Perris Bowl being our favorites.

 

 

We had a fabulous day on the slopes, with temperatures that reached 60 degrees and had us shedding our ski jackets and donning puffer vests and fleece zip ups. We learned that spring skiing has many pros, but also, we found that by later in the afternoon the snow got mushier, forming a consistency known as “mashed potatoes,” so the best time to get on the slopes is morning and early afternoon.

Solitude, and Sadness That it Was Our Last Day

By the end of our third day, we were feeling pretty confident on the slopes, and we were excited to experience Solitude, the biggest resort we visited, at 10,488 peak elevation and featuring 1,200 acres of skiable terrain, 82 trails, and 8 lifts. Solitude offers midweek passes that are touted as the best season pass deal in the Wasatch, though they tend to sell out quickly, so make sure to buy them in advance.

During the spring season, the Solitude name fit the setting especially well, as many of the runs were completely open with no other skiers or riders in sight. All the lifts were open, with minimal or nonexistent lines, so it was quick work to get to the summit and down the mountain and back up again. There were plenty of mellow and semi-challenging runs for us intermediate adults skiers, and two expansive terrain parks for the boys.

Despite its size, Solitude is known for its friendliness. The staff is unhurried and helpful. Besides some of the most pristine snow in Utah, the resort also boasts a full range of activities for snow enthusiasts of all levels and for the whole family. There’s yoga, stargazing, foodie events, and live music. Guests (14 and up) can also hire expert guides to take them on exclusive ski and riding experiences, catering to advanced snow sports enthusiasts who want the thrill and challenge of tracking backcountry terrain.

Solitude is also home to The Yurt, an exclusive on-mountain dining experience that involves a moonlit snowshoe tour to a cozy yurt, a circular tent-like structure, where guests enjoy a multicourse dinner prepared by renowned chefs.

We opted for an exciting dining adventure at the Porcupine Bar and Grille in Cottonwood. The menu offered a huge variety of cuisine and lots of sharable appetizers, like ahi spring rolls, hot wings, beer battered shrimp, and satisfying and generously portioned entrees of wahoo fish tacos, baby back ribs, pizza and burgers. Of course, we had to finish off our meal with the restaurant’s signature porcupine sundae, a decadent chocolate-covered brownie and ice cream dessert shaped like, you guessed it, a prickly hedgehog, with googly candy eyes and quills made of nuts — almost too adorable to eat!

 

Besides the Porcupine, we found another great choice for lunch or dinner in Cottonwood Heights was Bandits’ Grill & Bar. The boys were hankering for a steak, and this place had a terrific menu with savory tri-tip steak and excellent wood fired barbecue.

Nifty and Thrifty

In between skiing and riding, we managed to squeeze in some shopping. The boys like searching for rare finds at out-of-town thrift stores, so we located several hip and happening shops around Utah. We checked out the massive Deseret Industries Thrift Store, where we picked up several pairs of vintage Levis in great shape; then we ventured on to iconoCLAD, where we found an awesome sheepskin shearling coat; and then we stumbled on the Utah thrift store mecca for us, Plato’s Closet, in Logan, where we snapped up several pairs of new-looking Vans Old Skool and SK8 shoes for $10-15 along with some other bargains. We bought so much stuff we had to get trash bags from the hotel to carry what wouldn’t fit on our luggage!

Time to Fly

It was an exhilarating week in Utah, but all good things must come to an end. We returned our rental gear to Christy’s — and picked up some end-of-season bargains on ski apparel, and we packed our bags to return to DC. Looking back on our ambitious itinerary, we managed an amazing amount of mountain time for a short trip. We hit every destination on our list, and we squeezed in some leisure activities and sampled some of the local flavor of the area. As far as Utah skiing and riding goes, we only touched the tip of the iceberg, or the Wasatch mountains as it were, so we plan to return, next time with an even more grand plan.