Skiers Only

A few years back, pre-Covid, I was invited to go to Sundance with our friend Tim. This trip was a great balance between skiing and partying which for me, was how I used to get through the cold winters. We stayed in the village of Park City and spent the day skiing at Park City Mountain. This was on a Thursday during a random week so the mountain was dead empty. We owned the mountain which was so nice avoiding the crowds and the sounds (and fear I get!) of the screeching snow boarders.

Speaking of snow boarders…

My friend Lisa and I had discussed going over to Deer Valley mountain on the Friday morning before all the Sundance films begun. I am so glad that we did. We had the most peaceful day skiing over there where it’s skiers only and snowboarders are not allowed.

It had been two years since we had skied and though we could have gone skiing last year, I had heard that all of the lodges, restaurants and aprés ski had been canceled and for me, that’s half the fun. So we waited until things properly opened back up so we could do it right once again…

This Christmas, Adam and I decided to take the kids to Deer Valley as our winter vacation. The boys were thrilled to be back on the mountain as was I. We got really lucky with the weather. It snowed every day so we got to ski on true, natural powder every day that we were there which is absolutely blissful for those who appreciate good skiing.

We stayed at the St. Regis Deer Valley and found it was a fantastic hotel for families. They have a ski in, ski out entry, you get the chalet vibes and they have great amenities like a heated pool, hot tubs and a spa.

My boys are fearless on the mountain and I support their adventurous spirit. I however, enjoy taking it easy on the blue and green trails and avoid the black diamonds at all costs. So on every ski trip that we take, I book a private instructor for my kids for at least one of the days that we are skiing and I have them take them out onto the challenging trails, through the trees and through the back mountains. We found an awesome instructor in Park City, Sandy. The boys adored him and really enjoyed skiing together. While the boys kept Sandy skiing till they dropped, I hit the spa for a much needed massage.

Now let’s talk about food…

Mornings we kept it easy by making eggs and toast in our room. Our room had a kitchen and was set up like a condo so on the first day we went to the grocery store to load up with breakfast foods and snacks for the week.

Lunch, we would grab on the mountain. Sandwiches, soups and nuts + chips helped to get us through the afternoon.

For Apres ski which is very important to me (and Gavin - ha) we would go to the hotel bar and every single day Gavin and I would order the same thing: Their Wasabi bloody Mary for me, Tuna Tartar for Gavin. We skied right into this bar every afternoon around 3pm and grabbed a window seat so we could stare out onto the mountains and recap our day. Not only was the cocktail and snack delicious but it was so nice spending that quality time with Gavin.

At the same time, Luke and Adam would hit the hot tubs to warm up and then grab a hot cocoa on their way back up to the room.

Dinner is where we got to explore and I cannot recommend these two restaurants more…

Grub Steak: The food at this low key restaurant was so spot on for me and my family. Great menu, meat heavy and a mean baked potato.
Fireside dining: This place was SO cool! There were wood burning fires set up all over and you walk around the stations to build your plates for each course. This place was cozy, family friendly and so yum!

When the last day of our trip rolled around, my older son began to cry and begged us to stay for another night…or 10. He had the most wonderful time. We all did.