We went out West 3 times to ski during the year of covid. After all, I felt comfortable and safe flying and where else to be safer than outdoors and already masked! I hit Colorado 2x. The first time Rob and I spent 5 amazing days in Aspen with our friends who had rented a place there for January. I then hit Colorado again when I took my twins plus four of their friends to Steamboat in March for some spring skiing. And over our final February break, we skied in Deer Valley in Utah. All of the locations I chose were based on the fact that Rob and the kids had gotten IKON season passes for the first time. Having the pass was great, and it is definitely something I will consider doing for them again in the future if I think it will be worthwhile. As for our time in each of those places….here are the highlights.
Aspen
Rob’s days were filled with skiing, while mine were filled with hiking during our 5 days in Aspen. And both of our days were filled with the amazing food of Aspen.
While Rob was off skiing each day, I was getting my exercise while taking in all of the breathtaking scenery with various hikes. We started easy the first day, walking about 2 hours on the popular Woody Creek Trail but increased our difficulty level each day. We trekked up 2000 feet to the Fryingpan 
Overlook on the popular Smuggler Mountain Trail. We took a pause at the summit and enjoyed the views of Aspen and Aspen Mountain, and took lots of pictures! 
Our hardest hike of the trip was the Arbaney-Kittle Trail that climbs 2,000 feet from Basalt to the ridgeline separating the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan river valleys. This trail was grueling going up as we climbed to 9,000 feet and scary going down on the snow-covered path that was icy at times. I wouldn’t try this hike in the winter without crampons which we had. We got amazing shots on this hike too. This one was my favorite one of the trip, but you need to be fit to accomplish it!
My lunches with my friend Marlo after we spent our mornings tackling a peak or trail were my favorite part of the trip. We hit some old standbys like White House Tavern (my favorite) and Ajax Tavern. But we also tried some new places when we indulged in an extravagant lunch at Clark’s and checked out a new town (Basalt) and dined at Heather’s.
And our outstanding meals continued at dinner. We ate at the J Bar, at the Hotel Jerome. This was my second visit to this lively locale, and it does not disappoint. Get the burger! We also visited Jimmy’s for the second time, another great restaurant in Aspen that has been around a very long time. 
We finally went to the LA-based restaurant, Matsuhisa, which is the same as all of the Nobus and is one of my favorite restaurants. And for Superbowl Sunday, we picked up from Home Team BBQ. This South Carolina-based barbecue joint is now at the base of Buttermilk Mountain. We got an assortment of chicken, ribs, and sides, and needless to say, the food was amazing!
Park City/Deer Valley
From Aspen, we found ourselves a few weeks later tackling the trails of Deer Valley (another IKON Mountain) and enjoying the amazing dining scene in Park City. We booked this trip very late as we had Squaw Valley secured, but we ended up not being able to get in during covid. 
With a lack of places to stay so late to the game, we ended up booking a 3 bedroom large condo in Kamas, Utah, for 7 of us, and we had a car to transport us back and forth to the mountain and town each day. The only downside was the lack of Ubers available if someone needed to get to the mountain a bit later, but maybe this was a sign of the covid times.
During our time in Utah, my family enjoyed 4 days of skiing the snowboard-free trails of Deer Valley and hitting the bustling Main Street of Park City. As for restaurants, we went to some old favorites like Sammy’s Bistro (no reservations, expect to wait, but it’s worth it!), Bangkok On Main, Tekila (they were not happy the savvy teens took sips of our margaritas), and Fletchers. I finally got to Blind Dog and I think this is now my new favorite restaurant in Park City despite the location off of the main drag. Needless to say, it was a week of tons of eating, amazing snow (it snowed every day), and great friends!
Steamboat
Our final trip out west was to Steamboat the first week of March. I used my Vistana timeshare (which I usually convert to Bonvoy points) for a 3 bedroom lock-off villa at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort.
I was the mom of the year as I took my twins and 4 of their friends for 5 nights. 
And it only worked because of the time difference and the fact that they could take advantage of online school. They would get up at 5:30 am bleary-eyed but eager to get school over with so they could hit the slopes by noon. Luckily 2 days of the trip fell on the weekend. While the kids skied, I hit the town, spa, and the restaurants once again!
I spent a couple of days meandering around the western, charming town of Steamboat Springs. During those times, I had some pretty great lunches at Winona’s (always a wait!), Salt & Lime, and Creekside Cafe. Another day, I hit the spa at the Rocky Mountain Day Spa, Boutique & Salon thanks to a gift certificate from the parents of the kids I had with me. Thanks, Guys! And I enjoyed some long walks with breathtaking views as I aimed to get my exercise most days.
I have to say, by the end of the winter season, Rob and my kids surely got their money’s worth from their IKON season passes. 
I wish we had the time and flexibility to do it all over again this year, but with 3 kids in college (yay), I do not think that our schedules will allow multiple ski trips. I am having trouble figuring out just one! However, I am grateful for our winter adventures in 2021; there are some upsides to covid! 🙂
