Pow Pow at Snowbird

Alas, my dear readers (all two of you), it may seem like I have abandoned the blog altogether. Not so! I have a great trip to Salt Lake City to report. Unfortunately, not a single photo was taken the whole time, so you will just have to use your imagination.

We spent the President's Day weekend snowboarding at Snowbird. It was fantastic. 7" of new snow between our first and second day, and my legs were jello by Sunday afternoon.

The hype on Snowbird: This place is great for advanced skiers and boarders, but be forewarned... There are more double black diamonds than Liz Taylor has ex-husbands. If greens are your thing, this may not be the place for you. Mineral Basin, the network of trails on the backside, has excellent deep powder, but we didn't really get to enjoy it simply because the visibility was so bad that I felt like I might accidentally plunge over a cliff at any minute. One run of that was enough to seek a clearer spot.

See what I mean? Go to their website (www.snowbird.com) to check out the full size views of these bad boys.

In other reviews, I give the hotel we stayed at (Hotel Monaco in downtown Salt Lake City) five stars. The price was not cheap ($169 a night), but the service was impeccable, and the place was charming. My only complaint was that the breakfast service at their restaurant was extremely disorganized and slow for run-of-the-mill, overpriced food. My hubby, however, was not so taken with this place. He found it a little too "festive" with the touches such as leopard print bathrobes and funky bright couch draped in tulle in the lobby, not to mention the bright green striped wallpaper in our bedroom. Although I was pleased, if I had to do it over again, I would probably devote a little more time to web surfing in order to find a good ski package deal. Another tourist we spoke with told us of a deal at Holiday Inn where one night, including two lift tickets was $140 (not verified by moi). If that is the case, then I am sold.

I give the UTA ski bus three out of four stars. There could not be a cheaper way to get up the mountain. $3 per person each way. It takes about an hour to get from the downtown area to Snowbird. Shortcomings include crowded buses at the end of the day, and drivers who don't like to turn the heater on. But otherwise, it is an efficient and reliable way to go. The bus makes two morning stops on the weekends at most major downtown hotels, and heads back down the mountain at the end of the day, one bus at about 4pm and the other at about 4:45pm. Check schedules for exact times. The other thing that you need to know is that this bus only goes to Snowbird and Alta. There are buses that transfer to Brighton and Solitude, but this will take awhile longer. If you want to get to Park City or some other ski area, I don't think these buses will go there.

And last, but certainly not least, my restaurant reviews:

Two thumbs up for Squatters Pub Brewery. This place has wonderful microbrews, including choices from the nitro tap and cask-conditioned hand pump style. The food is great, too. Both DJ Melly-Mel and I think they have the best turkey burger ever. Not that you would expect much from a turkey burger, but this one is awesome!

Would I return to SLC next year to do another ski trip? Absolutely! This place is friendly, easy to navigate, and probably has some of the world's best snow. I would consider going a different weekend, though, to avoid the crowds and pick up some better deals on lift tickets and lodging.