For the past few years, Rob has taken our boys on ski trips out west over MLK weekend. In 2015, they flew United into Eagle, CO using miles and in 2014, they flew American into Eagle using miles. They frequently traveled to Colorado because we own a timeshare at the Westin Riverfront in Beaver Creek, so the stay was always for free through that.
However, this year, I was unable to secure the Westin timeshare for MLK weekend 2017. I decided to explore other ski options for that weekend. In the end, I booked them Park City with free flights and a free Marriott stay and Jessie and I ended up tagging along as well. You see, I am new to high school. Daniel is a freshman and after I had already booked their trip, the school announced midterms for the Tuesday after MLK weekend. I did not trust Daniel to go away the three days prior without my watchful eye to ensure he was studying or lacking my guidance in case he needed help. (I am pretty good at math.) So, I booked myself a flight as well. Then, the week prior, we learned that Jessie had a light weekend with no basketball tourney, so I booked her with me on my Delta flights. In fact, I am writing this post on my Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Newark, using one of my GoGo in flight wi-fi passes. Thx Amex Business Platinum!
It was a lot of travel for only 3 nights and 2 days of skiing, but every aspect of the trip worked. The ski conditions and weather were amazing. The hotel room was large enough to accommodate Jessie and me (the two last minute guests) and all flights on two different airlines were on time. I realize we got lucky in every regard.
It had snowed A LOT the week prior to us arriving in Park City and the mountain conditions were unbelievable. There was so much snow, and all trails and sections in both Park City and the Canyons were open. (As of two years ago, you can travel from one mountain to the other via gondola during your ski day). This was a welcome change for me when comparing this trip to the last two times I had skied out west. Last year, I felt like I risked my life each time I got on the snow in Whistler due to foggy conditions and in 2015, the year of hardly any snow out west, I skated my way down Telluride’s icy slopes. Needless to say, I was loving the snow!
And just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, we were treated to two bluebird days of skiing. The weather was in the high 20s, the sun shone bright and the wind was non-existent. We skied each day from about 9am to 3:30pm, stopping for about an hour each day for lunch. On the slopes, we ate at Cloud 9 at the summit (have one of their amazing Asian salads while enjoying the breathtaking views!) and at the base of the Canyons, we dined at the Umbrella Bar (I wouldn’t go back for lunch-looks like a cool spot for apres ski).
Since we are on the subject of meals, unfortunately, I came onto the scene too late to make dinner reservations at any of the places recommended to us by “those in the know”. I tried, but unless we wanted to dine at 5PM or at 9PM, the restaurants were booked. Fortunately, we still had one very enjoyable meal and another great Thai meal. We ate at Grub Steak our first night, right down the street from our hotel. It was a family friendly place with a salad bar, good food and a treat of live music. Our entrees consisted of prime rib, steak, shrimp and chicken. Our second night, we ate Thai food at Bangkok Thai On Main in the town of Park City. We shared shumai, spring rolls, pad thai, fried rice, barbecued pork and chicken. Everything we ordered was amazing and the restaurant was packed. It seems like a favorite for “others in the know”.
After dinner, we went to Mason’s favorite place for dessert, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Whenever we go away, Mason does an immediate google search to see if there are any stores in the location we happen to be. We don’t have any of these by us in New York (I don’t count the location in Pleasantville-not the same inventory). For those of you who have been to a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory before, you must be aware of the many varieties of caramel apples. They are covered with oreo, chocolate nut, M n M and strawberry cheesecake to name a few. Mason settled on an oreo apple, Jessie and Daniel on ice cream and Rob and I split some white chocolate bark.
We then walked around the winter wonderland of Main Street and popped into a few shops looking for our stickers and pins that we try to get in every place we ski. MK, I loved the town. It was a very quaint, long Main Street and I wish I had gone during the day to fully explore and get a true feel of the town. I want to go back one day. 🙂
We “slummed it” at the hotel as the Marriott Park City is not ski in-ski out. (It was free-Beggars…) It was fine! There is a shuttle you can reserve to take you to either Park City or Deer Valley each day (not the Canyons). Make sure you call the day of your arrival for the following day or you may get shut out like we did. Our first morning, we had to take the city bus to the mountain which was also ok, other than the fact that it took a little bit longer due to the additional stops. We also learned that cabs are readily available and took one back from the Canyons to the Marriott on our second day costing $20 for 5 of us with all of our gear.
The hotel room was originally supposed to be for just Rob, Daniel and Mason, but was large enough for Jessie and me to crash. There were two double beds in the room, so a cot was not an option because it was a fire hazard. (In most hotels, usually just rooms with king beds can accommodate a cot). Luckily, Mason can fall asleep on any sort of bed, so we packed an air mattress and Mason slept like a baby on that. Don’t forget, it is easier to travel for free if you are flexible in terms of your accommodations (aka squishing ).
There was an indoor pool and hot tub which we did not use, but which looked decent. Rob was happy with the gym. There was a nice large lobby with a fire where Rob and I spent our mornings before the kids awoke. Also, everyday from 4-5 pm, there was complimentary hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee and tea accompanied by freshly baked warm cookies on the first day and smores on the second day. This was one of our favorite parts of the day. 🙂
Due to delays, it was risky for our family to split up and travel on separate flights and it could have been disastrous. But, we flew on days with clear calm weather and the flights were on time and even early. We used Protrans to get to and from the airport. It was seamless. Thanks SZ for the tip!
Overall, it was an amazing weekend which may have signified the end of the boys ski weekend. I think, barring the midterm schedule :-), it will now be an MLK family ski weekend!