When we realized that our spring break fell early this year, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to head out west to ski again. We went to Keystone in Colorado for President’s Day two years ago and were excited to try some spring skiing this time. I was excited to ski but didn’t want to spend a full week skiing (too many days for me and too expensive) so we looked for locations with other activities nearby. Utah seemed like the perfect place because we could combine it was a trip to Moab and some of the national parks.
We arrived over Easter weekend and were (very happily) surprised at how low the crowds were. We were also surprised that it was snowing! There was already a good base layer and the new snow made it so that your skis almost disappeared into the powder in some places. After lots of icy ski trips in NC, we weren’t complaining about the powder.
We stayed at the Three Kings Condominiums, which was walking distance to Mountain Village and its 3 beginner lifts. From there we had access to a few short green runs that cut over to longer lifts and more green and blue runs.
With 7,300 acres, 17 peaks, 44 lifts, 341 trails and two distinct base areas, there is plenty to explore at Park City. The first day we stuck to the Mountain Village side. We did a few of the greens and blues (and always seemed to end up on Homerun for at least part of every run). But thanks to the short lift lines, we were able to get in more runs than I ever have in a single day. And as a bonus, it was my birthday and each time they scanned my lift ticket, the Beatles’ song Birthday played and all the employees wished me a happy birthday.
It stayed overcast with snow on and off all morning. And the slopes stayed almost empty!
As is typical of spring skiing, we started to see some blue skies and warmer temperatures after lunch. Thankfully the lines stayed short and the slopes uncrowded so we thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous afternoon.
The next day our group split up between the more and the less adventurous, with the more adventurous heading over to the Canyons side. It is a commitment to get there! It is a long trek on blues, lifts and gondolas to crisscross your way across the mountains. (Yes, you can take a shuttle between the two villages but where’s the fun in that?) But they found it so worth it! They loved the skiing over there and the adventure of it all. Plus the Orange Bubble Express was a treat! Featuring heated seats and a protective orange shield, this lift was a fun surprise for everyone.
Overall we had a great experience skiing at Park City. The conditions and crowds were great and we got in a ton of skiing. I will admit though that despite all of the thousands of acres of trails, I somehow seemingly got stuck on the same run over and over again. Less than 10% of the trails at Park City are greens so if you or someone you are skiing with wants to stick to beginner runs, your options are fairly limited.
