What makes the perfect snowflake? There’s a recipe. New snow, soft underlying snow, “right-side-up” snow are the essential qualities required for those stellar dendrites to produce the driest, lowest water-content snow, enabling that coveted flotation experience—the Holy Grail of powder-skiing. It’s the kind of snow that feels like you’re skiing through a cloud; sounds like you’re slicing through silk; leaves plumes of shimmering pixie dust in your wake. And where is this type of snow consistently perfect? The Wasatch Mountains of Park City, Utah. Serene. Panoramic. Immaculate. It’s the most wonderful skiing in the world.
For winter-chasers, mindful of climate change and crowds, the list of international ski destinations that check all the boxes is receding. With increased direct flights to nearby Salt Lake City, Park City, Utah has vaulted to the fore as the coolest ticket for winter fun.
There is a European-feel to Park City; a sophisticated sensibility, variety of languages, a diverse dining scene, and a big love of Canadians. It’s the original home of the Sundance Film Festival, and a mecca for wine enthusiasts savoring the most incredible showcase of over 500 different international wines, beer and spirits at the Park City Wine Festival. Welcoming visitors is part of the lifestyle.
Hospitality is second to none as we enter the fitting room at the Deer Valley Resort and are immediately swept up by smiles eager to help us into the right sized boots and equipment with disarming ease. Impeccable service right from the start leaves us questioning why we’ve ever been or would ever again go skiing anywhere else.
Now, we hit the slopes. There are no crowds. It feels like a lesson in smart-growth versus urban sprawl. The lift system here must have been designed by urban planners who have expert understanding of the flow of traffic—they must be skiers themselves. There is even a new state-of-the-art lift designed specifically for wind resistance. There are staff at every lift and on every run, like hosts, directing us with the most up-to-the-minute weather conditions. Some lifts seem like train stations with multiple tracks, local and express, but they are abundantly staffed with conductors who graciously recalibrate our routes to make sure we don’t go too far afield. There are so many runs that unfurl for miles, and lifts that criss-cross like interstate love songs right back to the top.
Disembarking the chair lift for our first run, we’re so high up, I turn to my son as the aperture of his eyes widens with joy. “We’re in the clouds!” he beams back incredulously. This is the start of a playdate we never want to end.
What stands out is the silence. The panorama before us is so still it looks photoshopped, and that’s part of the allure—the views, at every turn, are spectacular. The “hero snow” through which we’re gliding is easy like a Sunday morning. We meander through the woods along gracious turns and trails that cut between runs like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Seemingly infinite tributaries mean we can ski the same run over and over and never do it the same way twice.
Lunch at the Champions’s Club of Stein Eriksen Lodge within Deer Valley keeps the wow-factor on high with lip-smacking thin crust pizzas like the Scandinavian Pizza of Swedish meatballs, Lingonberries, Fontina cheese and a creamy roux, and the West Side Pizza with pesto, mozzarella, grilled chicken, artichokes and pine nuts. In between bites, and sips of gargantuan frothy milkshakes, we take advantage of the free arcade in the room, including Air Hockey, Pinball, Pacman, Galaga and Jurassic Park. It’s a dreamscape for a child.
Watching my son ski here is an absolute joy, because even at such a high altitude and the speed he’s picked up, it feels so safe. The exhilaration on his face, as though he’s on his own independent path of discovery, is wonderful. As for me, out of shape, and not having skied in years, I think about Shakira. She was right: my hips don’t lie; nor do my knees or my quads, which all feel like they're burning up on re-entry. But it is so worth it! I’ve never experienced skiing like this in my life. The slopes are groomed more perfectly than a fairway, and they’re all beautiful. By day’s end my body feels like Jell-O (which, by the way, is the state snack of Utah,) and it is glorious!
Reaching the chalet at the bottom we gaze up the mountain. There are so many runs stacked up and across with the illusionary feel of Escher’s Relativity, while the network of lifts seems to continue up and up into the heavens.
It’s Apres-Ski time. The village below the slopes is lined with art galleries, restaurants, a cowboy shop, a distillery and a saloon. There is much to explore.
Grappa Restaurant showcases rustic Italian cuisine. Our calzone of duck confit, wilted kale, ricotta, roasted onion, provolone and tomato pomodoro is a crunchy parcel of robust flavours to warm us up. Tender slow-braised veal Ossobuco luxuriates in creamy polenta, accented with roasted heirloom tomatoes, red wine and toasted pine nut gremolata. The confluence of textures in the Duck Risotto is sublime. A crispy duck leg lacquered with cherry agrodolce is enlivened with a lush saffron risotto laced with grilled scallion and trumpet mushrooms. Amoré!
Shabu transports us to a hip izakaya in Hokkaido. There is nothing more nourishing after a day of skiing in the sunshine than slurping up a savoury hot pot. It’s been kicked up a notch with Peruvian aji panca spice, a touch of sake for some sweetness, and a melange of charcoal-grilled broccoli, carrots, beef and colossal shrimp. Our next course is a hot rock on which we cook strips of wagyu beef to our desired temperature, and then lavish them with ponzu butter. Every morsel is so decadent, and every dish flying out of this flavour-forward kitchen further enlivens the joie de vivre of the room.
Comfort food abounds in Park City, and 501 On Main has got it on lock. The Norwegian Chowder is so chock full of shrimp, clams, lobster and white fish, it’s as though I’m dining at a boathouse in a Maritime harbour. It’s just so rich and warming. Not to be outdone, the Mountain Sheppard’s Pie is a savoury sampling of Rocky Mountain cuisine. Meaty local bison, carrots and onions are simmered in a velvety gravy and crowned with the smashed crunch of Idaho russet potatoes encrusted in melted cheddar. Insert mic drop here. This is all I need to reward me for today and refuel me for tomorrow.
Our Park City Lodging is located in the centre of the village. This is perfect for a family. Our apartment is not merely fit for a king, but a family of kings. Cozy, private, totally convenient, and equipped with a fabulous warm bath. There is more than enough space here to lay out our ski rentals and relax in style.
As the morning sun rises, the mountains shine bright like diamonds. Before round two on the slopes, we head downstairs to enter Harvest for breakfast. Did I just have the best cappuccino of my life? What is going on? This is not some indie hole in the wall in Seattle or Portland. This is an Australian café where, evidently, they are serious about the quality of their beans. My avocado on multi grain toast with tomatoes sings of freshness, and cradles an over-medium egg and a sprinkling of pine nuts. I’m going healthy. My son, on the other hand, has opted to make me jealous with a warm freshly-baked cinnamon bun shellacked in a glaze and paired with decadent hot chocolate, brimming with marshmallows and towering over with whipped cream.
Just a few steps out the door, in the centre of the village, is our ski lift up to Park City Mountain Resort. It could not be more convenient than that. This is the largest ski resort in the United States. There are 348 diverse trails for all skill levels spanning over 7,300 acres between Canyons Village and Mountain Village, and including training courses for the U.S. Olympic ski team.
Picture this: as our gondola carries us up, up and away from the village, we reach the base elevation of 6,900 feet (2,103 m). The summit elevation is 10,026 feet, and the (3,056 m) vertical rise is 3,100 feet (945 m). The trail map shows the massive range of choices for which we have to plan. This is not a straight up-and-down affair. We need to strategize which of the 41 lifts are on our intended route as we zig zag through the mountains and eventually ski into town for lunch.
With record-breaking snowfalls, there’s a reason why Park City is renowned for the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” but it also cannot be overstated how nice everyone is here. The kindness is what makes up those “Park City Moments” I’ve heard so much about. The vibe is one of collective soul; a shared care and appreciation for the natural beauty to be experienced on these fantastical fluffy slopes.
We love the paths between slopes; those pleasureful interludes through the trees from which we emerge into glorious new vistas. I love when my intrepid son excitedly cheers, “Follow me!” as he spots moguls from which to get more adrenaline-charged air time. Our sense of freedom from the rush of stretching out and gliding along this wide alabaster canvas beneath the turquoise sky, amidst snow-caked trees, crisp clean air and a beaming sun is spectacular.
Both Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort offer childcare programs, and the Deer Valley Kids Programs include a Kids Ski School with a variety of options from private lessons tailored to individual needs to dynamic group sessions. Beyond the slopes, the cross-country skiing here is an idyllic experience through a magical landscape plucked out of Narnia.
At Woodward Park City we ascend two successive carpet conveyor lifts with our tube in tow to ride Utah’s longest tubing lanes. For my son, wind-up giggle doll that he is, my genuine screams of horror at being hurled down a 1,200-foot long pipe at warp speed only adds to his laughter. Begrudgingly, I have to admit it is hysterically exciting. At night, the nocti-luminescence from the pristine white snow reflecting up to the scintillating stars above only elevates the fun.
The anatomy of a snowflake—what makes it unique; what makes it perfect—is more than the structure of the crystal, it’s the aggregate that makes the icing on the cake the best part. Park City is in the Goldilocks zone of geography and meteorology, matched to a community of outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts with hospitality-mindedness that welcomes all those who seek the most rewarding family-fun to be found on the slopes—anywhere. And with every lift we take, we find another going even higher. How high can go we go? The sky’s the limit.