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January 2018
Third Annual Ski Trip
We started at Bridger Bowl outside Bozeman MT. We enjoy skiing Bridger Bowl and this year there was plenty of snow. The town of Bozeman has a number of interesting bars and restaurants
Then on to Whitefish, MT. The town of Whitefish is also a great ski town. Last year we stayed at The Lodge at Whitefish and loved it, but this year there was no availability (supply and demand since ski conditions elsewhere are so bad everyone heads north and prices were 50% higher) so we stayed at a new hotel downtown. It was very nice and everything was within walking distance. The problem with skiing Whitefish is the fog. The first day was clear but the next day was very foggy with light rain. Skiers reported that they were covered in ice by the end of the day. We headed to the movies to avoid the ice.
Well next to snowy Canada, land of the Australian guest worker
Banff, Canada
When we arrived we drove directly to the Lake Louise ski area. At the info desk the attendant suggested that we stay in Banff Village, which was about 40 minutes from the ski resort. Like most ski resorts there is a bus service to get you on the slopes. So we stayed in Banff, a very cozy ski town with three world class ski resorts close by.
We skied Lake Lousie and Sunshine and there was plenty of snow, in fact we ran into whiteout conditions one day.
Interestingly about 80% of the people we met (hotel clerks, bar tenders, ski resort workers, waiters, filling station attendants. etc.) were guest worker from outside of Canada. Most were Australian with a few Brits thrown in. Our Australian sailing friends tell us that this is a right of passage for young Aussies. They get a two year work visa and leave Australia for worlds new to them. We skied on Australia Day and the mountain was full of the Australian flags worn as capes.
One quick food review. We ate at a pizza place one night and ended up sitting at the bar since the wait for a table was 45 minutes. When the pizza came the bartender offered us honey and a spice red pepper oil to mix on the plate to use as a condiment (best to dip the pizza into the mix). Delicious! In fact, we went back again. We haven't had pizza at home since we have returned but you can believe we will have the honey and pepper oil ready. You should definitely try it.
Ketchum, ID
We first visited Sun Valley in 2016. It is beautiful and a wonderful place to ski and the lodge has such a terrific salad bar. We have a late lunch-dinner consisting of salmon, steak, chicken, tuna, and a great number of cheeses and vegetables to choose from.
Sandy, Utah
Skied Alta for two days. Still one of the best ski resort in the US.
Glenwood Springs, CO
Checked out the hot springs one day and skied Snowmass where, for the first time during this trip, it was bright and sunny. Usually while in Glenwood Springs we ski Sunlight but the lack of snow caused the skiing to be limited to weekends with just a couple of lifts running,
Telluride CO
Didn't make it this year. Our ski trips are planned around the Combined Mountain Pass which allows you to ski a couple of days at 12 or so resorts. Telluride was one of the resorts that we wanted to ski but it was a five hour drive from Glenwood Springs. The drive coupled with a blast of frigid air that was due made us think twice, But what the heck, we've got the cold weather gear, let's do it. So we started calling around for rooms only to find out that they were sold out within a 40 mile radius of the resort. We could get a room for the Friday night but nothing for the weekend. So we decided to skip (for this year).
So next year we are looking forward to "ski-in ski-out" at one location eliminating the driving and equipment hassle.
Maybe Japan?
To view all of the pictures from our ski trip, please click HERE
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