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Salt Lake City is heaven for skiers
But it also offers plenty for the rest of us. It's a great place to learn to ski powder. And, the Alf Engen Ski School is there to teach you. I took a two-hour private lesson ($150), which helped eradicate some of my bad habits. Though it hadn't snowed for a few days when I visited, my instructor took me to some secret stashes of untracked powder. Aside from the ski instruction, a lesson offers a quick tour of the best areas on a mountain.
For beginners to experts, Big Cottonwood Canyons Solitude and Brighton are the best spots for diversity. My fiancee prefers beaches, but has reluctantly accepted that winter sports are part of the relationship package. She's still tentative, and prefers wide-open groomed runs that aren't steep enough to build a lot of speed. Solitude has lots of greens and blues that fit the bill.
Brighton is very family friendly. Children 10 and under ski or board free with a paying adult. (Some other resorts offer similar kiddie freebies, though the ages vary). There's a pretty nifty terrain park under one of the lifts. And we were pleased that a green run extends from one of the top peaks down, meaning we could take Snake Creek Express lift up to the top together and I could split off and challenge fate a bit and then merge back in and meet my companion down the mountain on the bunny run.
The mountains are absolutely huge, with stunning views of craggy peaks, snow-covered pines and pure white powder stretching for miles.
One of the drawbacks to the Utah ski trip on the cheap was the lack of an apres-ski scene around our hotel. The Best Western is right on a busy road, with little personality. But there are several good places to eat and catch a post-ski libation within easy walking distance.
If the legs are rubber from a day of shredding the mountain, Cafe Silvestre is a short limp across the hotel parking lot. It's reasonably priced and serves decent Mexican food.
A slightly farther walk on the main road, Midvale Mining Company Restaurant serves tasty diner-type food at a good price. The bacon cheeseburger will fill the nagging void left by a day of intense skiing. The hotel often has coupons.
If you'd like a freshly brewed beer and great pub food, the Bohemian Brewery & Grill is about a 10-minute walk away on the main street.
While the apres-ski choices on a budget tour aren't overwhelming, the combination of fantastic snow, varied terrain, convenience and affordability makes Salt Lake City my No. 1 ski destination.
If you go:
UTAH SKI RESORTS: (800) 754-8824.
ALTA: (888) 782-9258.
BRIGHTON: (800) 873-5512.
DEER VALLEY: (800) 424-3337.
SNOWBIRD: (800) 232-9542.
SOLITUDE: (801) 536-5777.
ACCOMMODATIONS: The Best Western Executive Inn, at 280 W. 7200 South, in Midvale, Utah, is a great launch pad for a Salt Lake City ski vacation. Book online at Travelocity.com or Expedia.com to get a $50 nightly rate. To reach Best Western directly, go to http://www.bestwestern.com or (800) 780-7234. From the Salt Lake City airport to the hotel, take the XPress Shuttle, http://www.expressshuttleutah.com/ or (800) 397-0773, $18 one way.
TRAX: The Trax light-rail connects many of the hotels in Salt Lake Valley to downtown, and the Ski Bus provides service to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, Solitude and Sundance resorts; http://www.rideuta.com/schedulesAndMaps/routeSchedules/.
SKIING MESSAGE BOARD: Don't be fooled by its Washington roots - the http://www.dcski.com message board is a fabulous resource for skiers. It draws skiers who know resorts all over the country and world. Look for advice from regulars on the message board and browse through the archives for tips on various resorts.
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