 
 Lack of snow in our backyard ski areas got you down? Try what I did
last week and jump on a 7am Delta flight out of Logan and you can be
skiing some of Utah’s finest terrain by noon! Best of all, these high elevation ski areas have already received over 15 feet of snow including 3 feet just over the Thanksgiving weekend. Needless to say, the coverage is already exceptional. This time of year it is all about  elevation,
so you will want to head to the lofty ski areas in
Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. This
means skiing
Solitude, Brighton, Alta and Snowbird. I started my ski week at Solitude, a quaint 47-year old ski area that does not get the acclaim of namedrop Utah resorts like Park City, Deer Valley and Snowbird. But I can personally attest, it has similar big mountain terrain plus something the others lack… solitude! This lack of crowds makes for a powder skier’s dream. I can appreciate the spectacular draw of Little Cottonwood Canyon (a.k.a. Alta and Snowbird) but skiers are doing themselves a disservice by skipping over this lesser known ski resort.  What our family loved about Solitude is that we had most of the 1,200
acres all to ourselves – rarely meeting up with another ski pack. As
we dropped off the back of the 10,350-foot summit into Honeycomb
Canyon – we could see and ski 400 acres of backcountry bowls
(backcountry but lift served - a delightful oxymoron), rocky mountain
chutes and gorgeous groves of aspen trees, all shared with less than a
half dozen other skiers.Solitude is boutique skiing, like a private powder club of Montana’s Yellowstone Club genre - only at Solitude you don’t need to ante up $3 mill to be a member, just a $47 lift ticket and you’re in.  Speaking of classy club amenities, the slopeside Village of Solitude
was designed by Intrawest (of Tremblant, Whistler, Stratton pattern).
The European style complex is luxurious and impeccably well planned.
Just steps from your beautifully appointed condo suite, are the
slopes, plus a couple of shops and restaurants. And there is Club
Solitude, with billiards, movies, video games for the kids, an outdoor
pool and hot tubs with a cozy firepit. Skinny skiers will be happy to know, Solitude also has one of Utah’s largest Nordic facilities. You can even slide or snowshoe to dinner at the Yurt one night. What Solitude lacks, besides crowds, is nightlife. You can certainly whet your whistle at the Thirsty Squirrel, but Solitude is the place to go if  you want to get away from hustle,
bustle, outlet malls and barroom brawls – it is peaceful and posh,
with cord and powder aplenty.Neighboring Brighton, which you can ski to from Solitude along the interconnect Sol-Bright trail, is more popular with the Salt Lake set (particularly the Y-Gen riders). While Brighton has 3 high-speed quads, and terrain parks galore, we liked exploring the natural bowl terrain on Mount Millicent, with ski anywhere you like snowfields, and meandering natural halfpipes between rock formations.  After spending a few days exploring Big Cottonwood Canyon, we moved on
to more famous neighbor Little Cottonwood Canyon. Home to two skiing
legends, Alta and Snowbird, this is a skiing Mecca and a must visit
for anyone who wants to be considered among the hardcore of
our sport. Dating back to 1938, Alta is one of the country’s oldest
ski areas with amazing lore and loyalty (Altans seem cut from the same
cult-cloth as Mad River Glen lovers – earthy, eccentric folk that ski
every day available). From the old-fashioned chalets that dot the alpine base (elevation 8,530’), to the “no-snowboard” policy, Alta is steeped in ski tradition, and just plain steep. “Alta is a very special place, it is a true skiers’ mountain,” said Alta’s Mayor Bill Levitt. “I like to refer to Alta as a haven.  We get
more snow here, and there isn’t the stress people have in their
everyday lives. You get out on Alta’s slopes, in the powder, and you
can’t be thinking about your problems.”Indeed, Alta’s 2,200 ski-able acres are already perfectly covered in snow for the season. We skied venerable vertical runs like High Rustler and Eagle’s Nest with hair-raising drops and stupendous chutes. We opted to go for the classic Alta experience by staying slopeside at its oldest lodge, the Alta Lodge, same 1939 vintage as the ski area. This funky ski hotel is a veritable ski museum, from the communal style dining to the décor, which oozes decades of downhill history. Après ski in the Sitzmark bar affords fantastic views of your day’s tracks, a crackling fire, and a visit by Mayor Levitt,  who happens to
be the Lodge owner. Over martinis, Levitt chronicles Alta anecdotes,
many of which he proclaims are “actually true.” The Lodge is
infectious like the powder skiing off Alta’s Sugarloaf lift. While the
accommodations are modest, even retro (no in room TV), the food and
camaraderie are exceptional. Who needs the tube when you can share
tall tales with like-minded ski fanatics?Alta is regaled and revered as a skiing original, but it is no relic resort. Alta is a top ski destination since its recent addition of modern lifts, snowmaking and a consistently first-rate staff and ski school.  We were at Alta for the christening of their third detachable lift; a
new base to summit quad replacing the classic (read: slow) Collins and
Germania lifts. A high-speed inauguration is big news at the high
elevation oasis, otherwise removed from the 24/7 CNN-cynical cycle. An
hour prior to the lift’s grand opening, dyed-in-the-wool skiers
gathered for pole clicking, yips and yahoos, firecrackers and
champagne toasts, to accompany the 10-inches of champagne powder (a
more common occurrence). Management assured skiers that the uphill
capacity would be unchanged – the ski experience at Alta is #1
priority –
 so there will be no overcrowding of slopes – and still no
snowboarders…tradition.To further improve their indomitable terrain, Alta made a connection three years ago (and made history yet again) with Snowbird to create America’s first lift-served interconnect. A $66 day Alta/Bird ticket accesses a total of 4,700 acres – terrain nearing Vail’s immensity. Staying at Alta, you are immersed in skiing history and surrounded by some of the best terrain in North America.  If you long for wide-open bowl skiing and frequent fresh powder, steep
chutes filled with soft snow, and mountainous views as far as the eye
can see, an early ski trip to Utah is a bountiful bet. While we wait for Eastern base depths to pile up – the western powder hounds are getting face shots and raccoon tans. Should we let them have all the fun? If you go: Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah www.skisolitude.com 1-800-748-4754 Brighton Ski Area, Utah www.brightonresort.com 1-800-873-5512 Alta Resort www.alta.com 1-888-782-9258 Alta Lodge www.altalodge.com 1-801-742-3500 Snowbird Ski Resort www.snowbird.com 1-801-933-2222
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