Operation Elevation

They call it The Greatest Snow on Earth™ and I’d have to agree, nothing compares to Utah skiing. I was 16 when my Dad took me skiing to Utah (Park City & Alta). It all came full circle this year as my 16 year old son Ben came into his own as a skier. Cue the Father-Son trip. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that our friend and client, John Duncan, is part time Alta resident and manager of Alta’s 3 on-mountain ski shops. Killing two birds with one stone, our trip couldn’t have been better timed.We enjoyed three days of some of the most amazing conditions I’ve ever skied. Day 1 started at Alta after a night that gifted us with a full foot of fresh snow. It was a bluebird day, full of knee-deep fluff, and face-shots for powder hounds. It was so good, in fact that several locals, including John, remarked that they hadn’t seen a day like that in 3-4 years. Mission accomplished.

Day 2 saw us venturing to Park City, the largest ski area in the country. They joined The Canyons this season to merge 7,300 skiable acres—hard to explain how enormous that is. It was all sun, plenty of skiing and legendary terrain parks that Ben could sink his skis (not teeth) into. The day was as epic as the skiable terrain.

Day 3 brought us to Brighton Ski Resort, a smaller, local fave, located high in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We inadvertently saved the best day for last— abundant sunshine, powder left over from the previous storm, and arguably the greatest collection of terrain parks seen anywhere in the west.Perhaps best of all, this was Superbowl Sunday, not only did we end the day at a cool restaurant, but the big game came on early (thank you Mountain Standard Time).

A productive Father-Son Utah ski trip with ski epic powder, a client visit, and the Super Bowl, I consider it a big check on the bucket list. If only every winter could be like that.