Skiing has been my absolute escape from reality this winter (and now, spring.) Fresh air, lunch outside, and après at the Airbnb? A perfect pandemic escape. After spending so much time in our home and sitting at my desk, the few weekends we’ve escaped to the mountains has seriously rejuvenated my mental health.
We flew to Salt Lake City via Oakland on Southwest Airlines. Note that we always try to fly this airline for ski trips since you can check a large bag, along with a ski bag per person, free of charge. I usually pack my helmet and boots in my carry-on Away bag so that my checked bags aren’t overweight. I will note that our plane was almost full going to and from Oakland to SLC, but, as always, the airline did a fantastic job keeping us safe. (Southwest is no longer blocking middle seats.)
We flew after work on a Thursday, having dinner in the airport. After our quick flight, we grabbed our bags in the gorgeous new SLC terminal and called an Uber to Park City, only about 25 minutes away. I’ve always said Park City is 10x’s easier to travel to versus driving to Tahoe for us Bay Area babes.
We stayed in this amazing Airbnb, located directly across from the mountain base. I specifically like staying in Airbnbs on ski trips since half the fun is cooking a big mimosa breakfast beforehand and cozying up to the fire in your PJs after a long day of skiing. We also worked remotely all day on Friday, which would have been impossible in a hotel room.
We traveled to Park City last winter also, but rented a home right off the mountain, slightly farther than town on that trip. Since we were with a larger group that time, we didn’t explore much of the town as we cooked and played hours of games in the house! Both trips were memorable, but this time, I felt like I was able to get to know the town more. On Friday we worked all day and skied an hour over lunch. We usually buy Epic Passes, so skiing for an hour isn’t wasting a ticket. Post work, we headed downtown, excited for the dining scene since when we went, SF was still in a full lock down. We started off at No Name Saloon, an absolute favorite in town. This cool dive bar has 2 levels and 3 separate areas to eat and drink. We came here every day of the trip at some point! We had a quick round of cocktails, followed by a local brew, “Flat Out” by Salt Flats, which ended up being a favorite. I need to figure out how to order it online! After drinks and the “funnest time ever” since it was the first time in a bar for months..we headed to Purple Sage for local cuisine in a classy setting. The ravioli was delish!
On Saturday, we actually didn’t ski! I was super excited to spend the whole day relaxing and meandering around the ski town. Our Epic Pass was blocked on this day, so it was the perfect excuse not to hit the slopes. We shopped all over town and had lunch at High West Distillery. Their whiskey cocktails and food were the most memorable of the trip. You have to pop in all the adorable boutiques, so many great finds. Before heading back, we grabbed happy hour at a cute little dive bar, then stopped at Atticus Cafe, a tea house (Kyle was in heaven) with the coolest little gift shop. I bought a tarot card deck there that we played later in the night with my cousins, it’ll be perfect for dinner parties! Said cousins came up to Park City for the night and stayed with us. We made homemade Chicken Parm and sipped red wine by the fire. It was so nice! I always stock our ski house rental with Groceries the day we arrive with a one dinner option, breakfast essentials, and snacks for happy hour using Instacart, which is now in almost every tourist area. We didn’t rent a car this trip so getting the groceries delivered was great.
We skied the rest of the weekend, in total bliss to be out on the mountain in the fresh air. Honestly? I like Park City wayyyyy more than Aspen and Tahoe. Shh, don’t tell. 🙂
To close out the trip, we headed the opposite way of town, about 1/2 mile from the base of the mountain and our Airbnb to have dinner at Twisted Fern, a nice local restaurant with the BEST burger and brussel sprouts. I’ve recommended this hidden gem to every friend I know thats visited PC this year.
Happy spring skiing!
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