Ever since my mother's passing in 1998 left me bereft of parentage, it has been my lucky fortune to accompany Kari and her wonderful parents on their annual family ski trip. Back in those days we skied all the big resorts in the Rocky Mountains: Steamboat Springs, Sun Valley, Jackson Hole, Alta, Park City, Snowbird and Solitude. But for the past ten years we've happily settled into less arduous routine: we now spend our precious ski holiday at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. The reasons are many:
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| The top of the highest lift to the lodge at the bottom covers an astounding 3000 vertical feet of drop. It's a great resort! |
1) Deer Valley is one of only three resorts in the U.S. to forbid snow-boarders. While we don't have an issue with snow-boarders per se, Kari's mom, Joyce, seems to attract the out-of-control ones through no fault of her own. On our first day of skiing at Steamboat Springs one year, a snow-boarder broke Joyce's shoulder and upper arm. Though Joyce is not immune from harm even from skiers at Deer Valley (in 2014 an out-of-control skier broke her wrist, requiring 22 stitches, 9 pins and months of physical therapy), the snow-boarding component is happily taken out of the equation at Deer Valley -- it's one less thing we have to worry about.
2) Deer Valley limits the number of skiers on the mountain each day, meaning smaller lift lines and less crowding on the slopes and in the lodges at lunchtime.
3) Deer Valley lets you check your skis overnight for free, meaning we don't have to lug our equipment back and forth on a bus from and to our hotel each morning and night.
4) While we had "favorite" sections at all of the resorts, Deer Valley really has some outstanding runs: 73 percent of their 103 runs are intermediate skill-level or higher; the runs are steep but many are broad and long (the longest is 2.8 miles!) and all are easy to get to via 21 different lifts, more than half of them high-speed quads. Furthermore, Deer Valley takes special pride in their meticulously groomed runs. We always get an early start so as to take full advantage of those freshly groomed conditions!
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| Kari, at left, me in the middle, and Joyce at right |
5) Since our principal navigator, Kari's dad, passed away in 2012, Kari has aptly taken up the mantle of pilot extraordinaire. We all agree that it is more fun to explore Deer Valley's diverse terrain than to figure our way around a new and unfamiliar resort each year.
Last year, Joyce opted not to ski. At 80 years old, she said she just had a "feeling" that she shouldn't be on the slopes that year, so instead she cooled her jets in the ski lodge with a good book each day while Kari and I and Kari's husband, Stuart, burned up the slopes. Shortly after that trip, Joyce let it be known that nothing would keep her off the slopes this year!
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| Joyce models her suit |
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| I love to ski! |
Fast forward to February 21. This year Stuart opted not to accompany us on our ski trip, so we girls decided to tweak the trip and do things a wee bit differently. We flew into Salt Lake City earlier in the day on Thursday than we normally do, and spent the afternoon shopping,which was a lot of fun. We dined that evening at Spencer's Steakhouse at the downtown Salt Lake City Hilton, then rose early Friday morning to catch our private car for a 36-minute ride up the mountain to Park City, Utah. While last year that easy commute was turned into an hours-long debacle by an overturned tanker on the mountain pass, this year the sailing was smooth.
By 10:00 a.m. we had checked into our hotel in Park City, purchased our lift tickets, rented our skis and caught the Park City bus for the slopes. It was a chilly seven degrees Fahrenheit as we pulled on neck gators, stuffed handwarmers into our gloves and boots and headed for the lift line. But we were absolutely stoked. The resort had received four inches of fresh powder overnight, settling softly on a deep base of 103 inches. That's more than eight and a half feet of snow base! Last year we had coped with rocks and bare spots poking through the snow -- and rain! There was none of that to worry about this time, and we reveled in the pristine conditions laid out before us in the morning light. By our second run, Kari and Joyce and I were in fine form, and we enjoyed a spectacular day of skiing, just us girls, with few crowds and fewer lines. It was, to use a snowboarder's expression, totally awesome!
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| From left: Kari, Judy, Mike, me and Joyce |
In the evening we were joined by Kari's cousin, Mike, and his wife, Judy, who had traveled in their customized pickup truck all the way from South Dakota so that Judy could participate in a private para-ski lesson. Left a paraplegic following a motorcycle accident in 2015, Judy longed to regain a modicum of the vigorous physicality she and Mike had enjoyed as an energetic, active couple. She and Mike had crossed the country to join us on our ski trip two years ago, and Judy enjoyed a para-ski lesson that year very much. Now she hoped to build on that experience.
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| The free bus to the slopes stops right outside our hotel |
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| The lobby is beautiful |
Last year we stayed at The Peaks for the first time and will probably continue to stay there for years to come. Their prices are amazingly reasonable, the food in their restaurant is excellent, the staff is friendly and accommodating, and they even have a ski equipment-rental store in the lobby, another amenity Park Plaza lacked.
On our first night there this year, Kari, Joyce and I met Mike and Judy in The Peaks bar and raised a toast to our wonderful initial day of skiing. Dinner followed, with the hotel's Versante restaurant graciously accommodating Judy's motorized wheelchair by giving us one of the high top tables that her chair arms can easily fit under. Mike and Judy shared a pizza, while I enjoyed a kale salad sprinkled with chopped butternut squash, toasted farro and goat cheese with a cranberry mustard vinaigrette. Kari tried a hearty Italian chopped salad full of diced chicken and salami, sun-dried tomatoes, pasta and fresh greens dressed with a Gorgonzola vinaigrette. Joyce had chicken tenders. So good!
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| We love our matching pajamas! |
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| The Peaks' restaurant is lovely |
The next morning, we boarded the bus early for our second day of skiing. The temperature hovered at a brisk 5 degrees Fahrenheit. We were cozy in fleece undergarments and other heat-retaining accoutrements. The sun dawned brilliantly and stayed that way all day as we skied run after run after run.
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| Joyce and me |
Shortly after a hearty lunch at the mountaintop lodge, cousin Mike joined us on the slopes for a few runs. Eventually, we three girls decided to call it a day, although the ski conditions were so perfect that it was hard to throw in the towel, even as tired as we were. Mike, of course, got in a whopping twenty or so additional runs after we bid him goodbye.
I can't say enough about how ideal the conditions were on that mountain. Despite the challenging altitude, 6,570 feet at the base of the ski resort and a whopping 9,570 feet at the top of the ski lifts, the three of us girls had been energized by our athleticism -- especially Joyce's! While Kari and I both pride ourselves on being athletic skiers (Kari far more so than I) despite being over 60, Joyce astounded us with her eternally graceful athleticism at 81 years old! The three of us rocked that mountain!
Yet we knew when it was time to call it a day, not wanting to risk injury from pushing ourselves beyond what we'd already accomplished. Back to our hotel we ventured, ready for a hot shower and a bit of relaxation before our final dinner together.
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| The Peaks sports an indoor- outdoor pool |
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| You can see Park City Ski Resort from the windows of the hotel |
A gymnasium with equipment graced the second floor of the hotel, and out back a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs beckoned guests to lounge. Views from every direction of the hotel were stunning.
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| On our last evening, we posed with Judy for a portrait in the hotel lobby |
At dinner on our final night together, we celebrated another marvelous day of skiing with Mike and Judy, and tucked into another robust meal. The food was excellent, and conversation, laughter and wine flowed easily.
The following morning, Kari and Joyce and I slept in, something we rarely do on any of our trips together, and I, for one, was very grateful for that. Usually, on any trip with Joyce and Kari, I have to come home to rest! I'm not complaining, as I love our trips together and would much rather be busy than idle. Still, sleeping in on a ski trip was a special treat for me and I heartily embraced the opportunity.
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| The family that skis together, stays together! |
In the morning we stowed our luggage at the front desk of our hotel and asked where we might enjoy a leisurely brunch, as our driver would not be arriving to pick us up until noon. "Five 5eeds" was the answer! And... it was within walking distance!
Although it was just nine degrees Fahrenheit outside as we ventured into the cold, we briskly walked the easy, level mile to the restaurant and were rewarded for our tenacity with a fabulous brunch in a lovely atmosphere. I had long read about "smashed avocado on toast" but had never actually tried it, so that was my choice from the versatile menu. We lingered over coffee and patted ourselves on the back once again for our skiing agility.
Our driver arrived promptly at noon to whisk us to the Salt Lake City Airport. We had some time to spare after going through the various airport security checkpoints, so we reconvened at an airport restaurant and toasted ourselves with a final glass of chardonnay before heading off to three different airlines that would carry us home to cities in three different parts of the country (Dallas, Spokane and Baltimore). Another successful ski trip was under our belts. We were stoked.
Cheers,
Lynell
"We define family in many different ways: not just by blood
but by people with whom we find a common ground and a common bond." ~ Adrienne C.
Moore
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