Park City + Alta | Utah

In January we traveled out west to PARK CITY, Utah! I fell in love with this chic mountain town and surrounding ski slopes on a trip with my dad and sister over 10 years ago. For Christmas Bob gave me a ski travel bag and the card hidden inside it revealed this trip! A bunch of friends were on board too. With easy direct flights from BOS to SLC, we rented a four bedroom house situated in between the Park City Town lift and Main Street. Utah's Wasatch Mountain Range offered plenty of snow - we had an absolute blast. Would you expect anything less?! 

Here's a look at where to play in Park City, Deer Valley and in Little Cottonwood Canyon at Alta. 

On PISTE: Lookout Cabin at The Canyons @ PCMR 

Stein Eriksen Lodge at Deer Valley (post here)

Park City Mountain Resort: Lookout Cabin is located at the top of Short Cut Lift and off the Orange Bubble Express mid-station. They offer table service, a full bar, and gorgeous views of the Wasatch Range. After an incredible morning that saw us up early for first corduroy tracks, navigating from Park City Town Lift to the Canyon slopes via Quicksilver Gondola, and skiing runs at pretty much every peak area including Ninety-Nine 90, Sun Peak and Murdock Peak, we were ready to relax. We shared a jalapeno poutine, I drank a glass of sparking rosé, and we enjoyed a cauldron of creamy Mac n Cheese.

In town: High West Distillery & Saloon is a must! Located at the bottom of Quittin' Time ski run - they're the only ski-in gastro distillery in the world! High West encompasses a rowdy, sprawling saloon as well as intimate drinking and dining spaces. We settled in a back room on some comfy leather couches to sample their award winning whiskey via flights and impressive cocktails. I wouldn't hesitate to make dinner reservations at High West next time around - the plates of alpine inspired Western fare passing by looked really good. 

I'm drinking You're a Daisy If You Do ($13) - stirred and strong with Campfire, Ron Zacapa 23, Carpano Antica + Ramazzoti. I sampled the whiskeys in Bob's High West 101 Flight ($13) - the Campfire is sweet, spicy and smoky.

Zoom is Robert Redford's restaurant located on Main Street inside a restored train depot. Pictured is my entrée of Smoked Chicken ($28) accompanied by cheddar grits, chicory lettuces + puffed farro. I was a big fan of all the appetizers we shared like Hamachi Crudo ($16) with citrus, pear, kimchee chips + a cilantro emulsion, the Fried Brussels Sprouts ($9) with dates, almonds + a fennel hatch chili mostarda, and Grilled Meatballs ($12) made with wagyu, roasted chicken, stewed chickpeas + peanuts. Zoom was a crowd pleasing and noteworthy meal.

Shabu is an intimate subterranean sushi spot ideal for date night. With two seats at the raw bar we watched ski movies playing overhead and noshed on specialty maki rolls. The Coco Loco ($18) with albacore tuna, cucumber and Thai basil topped with maguro tuna, salmon, tobiko and sweet wasabi coconut aioli was indeed crazy (loco) good! The Nitro Roll ($19) with tempura shrimp, avocado and pineapple, topped with maguro, tempura flakes and eel sauce was another exceptionally creative maki. We paired our rolls with fun Sake Flights. 

Continuing with the Park City town recommends:

Riverhorse on Main - Friends dined here for their date night and were raving. I ate here ten years ago and remember it fondly! Riverhorse is actually one of the oldest and most distinguished restaurants on Park City's Main Street and continues to set the standard for fine dining in Utah.

Rock n Reilly's - more of a warning and not a solid recommend. With a divey alpine ambiance it worked just fine to watch the Patriots playoff game but the food was supbar. Wings came out cold, they were out of about half the menu, and the meals they did have were drab and disappointing. If you do end up here - skip the food.

O'Shucks - Inexpensive beers, shuffleboard, pool and pinball. They also have a nice selection of hot beverages - I'm drinking a Hot Buttered Rum!

No Name Saloon - I love this place! In fact, adding to my list of best ski town/après bars. (Alongside Chambre Neuf in Chamonix, France and Merlin's at Whistler Blackomb, BC.)

The photos below are from Alta and surrounding mountain views in Little Cottonwood Canyon which is about an hour drive from Park City. This was my first time skiing Alta and it was beyond impressive. (I've skied Alta's adjoining neighbor, Snowbird, amazing in its own right.) Alta makes you work for it.

We ended the trip on a classic note before catching the red eye home! Goldminer's Daughter at Alta is a sprawling saloon with floor to ceiling window views of the slopes, cozy fireside seating, and excellent loaded chicken nachos. Then we headed next door for one more at The Peruvian. The cozy locals bar on the second floor of this hotel has live music, boxed wine, and the.best.shot.ski ever. It has legit ski boots, eight of them, that clip into adorable little bindings.

Mont-Tremblant | Québec

Here we are at Mont-Tremblant - the third and final destination on our Quebec ski mountain road trip! From Château Bromont we headed Northwest through Montreal and two and a half hours later arrived at the Marriot Residence Inn Manior Labelle situated at the base of Tremblant's vibrant pedestrian village. A few minutes later we were bar side at Microbrasserie La Diable with some excellent craft beers, a cauldron of poutine and a toasty, cheesy croque monsieur. I'm glad we discovered this chill microbrewery first-thing as it would not be our last time here!

We settled comfortably into our one-room suite situated on the on third floor of the front tower; with a small balcony overlooking the ski trail below. The living room décor and color scheme felt outdated while the kitchen was fully updated with stainless steel appliances and black granite counter tops. Steps away the Cabriolet Lift was a two minute ride up and over the village to the gondola base, while Voyageur trail looped around the village directly back to the hotels front door. Ski racks are appropriately placed here and locks are given at check in so you can be sure to secure your gear overnight. Cabriolet-out / ski-in accommodations could not have been more fun and convenient! 

Other hotel highlights included the dueling outdoor hot tubs and easy-access underground parking reached by the hotels central elevators. The only thing I found to be lacking was the continental breakfast. While there were plenty of options, the food didn't stack up and each morning when we arrived it was smokey / someone was burning something in the kitchen! We stuck to the waffle maker. If it wasn't complimentary I would have gone out for crepes. 

We stocked the fridge with our favorite local goodies collected over the past 4 days: St-Ambroise Double IPA (Montreal), Archibald - La Matante Blonde Ale (Quebec City) +  Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider (Cantons De L'est).

We skied two full days - the first with local ambassador, Norm, who knew the mountain ins and outs, the history, and the meaning behind each trail name. I loved having our own personal concierge and the fact that he kept referring to me as a "reporter"! Day one was foggy with low visibility and some rain in the afternoon, while day two brought sunshine and blue sky with deceivingly chillier temps. The snow coverage was terrific with packed powder conditions. It was key to follow where the sun hit on day two, it made all the difference between soft moguls and chattery, icy slopes. Tremblant has a great variety of terrain on both north and south facing slopes (Versant Nord, Versant Sud). My favorite runs included: Zig-Zag and Haut Tension for steep bumps, Nansen Haut for a long green circle cruiser, and La Griffe and Laurentienne for fast blacks.

For après be sure to check out Le Shack where the top of the village meets the ski slope. A Bloody Caesar on La Forge patio in the late afternoon sunshine hits the spot. The lower section of the village is defined by old rustic wooden lodges turned restaurants (O Wok, Savoie), bars (La Diable, Le P'tit Caribou) and even some chic nightclubs (Jackalope Lounge). Back in the day these adorable little buildings were actually situated trail side and where skiers would spend the night. 

Featuring Thai and Chinese dishes, O Wok has seamlessly blended a modern Asian aesthetic into their rustic lodge. We had lunch here in our ski boots, which consisted of a Hot Sake Carafe, Steamed Pork Dumplings ($9) and flavorful, toothsome noodle bowls. I couldn't get enough of Le Pad Sew au Boef ($19) loaded with tender savory beef, thai basil, mushrooms, pepper and onions. Bob enjoyed a traditional Le Pad Thai Au Crevettes ($22). 

One evening we had dinner at Gypsy, a Mediterranean Tapas bar located at the village's Le Westin Resort. The urban chic atmosphere of the glorified lobby restaurant didn't quite mesh with the vibe of a ski village or resemble a Spanish inspired Tapas bar, so the whole thing felt confused. It simply read like a well designed lobby space that might - and in fact did - serve a nice cocktail so we started with Dirty Martinis. 

I was disappointed to see only three wines by the glass - inconspicuously listed among the bottles. Tapas bar or hotel lobby bar, identity crisis or not, I'd expect a few more choices either way. As far as the tapas themselves go the patatas bravas were underwhelming, but, fortunately, the rest of the dishes were a success. Shrimp a la Grand Mariner, soft grilled pita and red pepper hummus, perfectly seared scallops with avocado mousse, the lamb burger and the pork shank all proved satisfying!

The restaurant truly not to miss in Mont-Tremblant is La Savoie - an authentic Swiss Fondue and Raclette eatery. It is popular with families and makes the top of my must visit list in Tremblant thanks to a combination of the warm, cozy Swiss Alpes inspired atmosphere, our all around excellent server and the incredible experience of eating piping hot, bubbly, rich, tangy and creamy melted raclette cheese scraped off the wheel over potatoes, dill gherkins, pearl onions and dried meats like Parma Ham and Salami. La Raclette Savoyard ($50pp) includes all of the above as well as a lightly dressed green salad to balance out all the cheese and meat. A visit to La Savoie is not complete without Chocolate Fondue for dessert. A platter of marshmallows, shortcake, sliced bananas and strawberries are provided for dipping in a warm bowl of silky milk chocolate. 

There were quite a few large groups and families in for an early dinner (6 pm) and I know there was a second dinner seating around 8 pm (as we were unable to push our reservation back when we inquired). They obviously book up fast on weekends so make sure to get a reservation in advance.

In the heart of the Lauretians, Mont-Tremblant is a destination worthy ski resort for everyone from couples like us, to families, to large groups of friends. With a European inspired pedestrian village offering a wide range of cuisine, nightlife and shopping, you are sure to have a unique and memorable experience if you make the trip!

 Mont-Tremblant

1000 Chemin des Voyageurs
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec J8E 1T1, CANADA

*our accommodations, ski tickets, and most meals (not including alcohol or tip) were covered by Tourisme Quebec. Prices listed are in CAD. All opinions are my own*