Evenings in the mountains are as unique as they is magical. Feeling like you’re so far away with barely a light to distract from the stars illumination.  Or in a swirling storm it can feel like you’re as far away as the moon but in reality here in Utah you’re only 15 minutes away from the city. A sense of romance exists that isn’t easily duplicated.

If you enjoy the mountains how could you not want to delight in the serenity and beauty of the mountains this Valentines Day!

Snowbird is offering Valentine’s Day dinners in the Wildflower Restaurant, the Aerie Restaurant and the Lodge Bistro. All three locations recommend you make a reservation and prices will vary.

I’d likely head straight for the Wildflower since my wife lived in Italy and they serve up Italian with a Mediterranean focus but if you’re looking to make memories the Aerie will be serving a 5 course meal from the 10th floor of the Cliff Lodge.

At Solitude, Creekside will be offering up it’s standard weekend brunch which is anything but standard.  This option is especially attractive for Utah Vacation Homes customers who happen to be staying with us at the Solitude Village.

For a truly unique experience and a sense of adventure, the Cross-Country ski-in to the Yurt is a memory worthy of Valentines.  Work up an appetite as you ski in to a 5 course meal you’ll not soon forget.

Escape the usual dinners of the valley this Valentines with a 15-minute drive up either Little Cottonwood Canyon of Big Cottonwood Canyon and celebrate the evening with delicious food and romance that can’t be beat.

If you’ve just landed in Utah or are headed here this week, you might want to put this event on your calendar.  That is if you’ve got a sweet tooth.

This Saturday January 24, 2009 at Solitude Mountain Resort the 19th Annual Chocolate Lovers Tour will be landing.

There will be free chocolate treats from local companies like Cream O’Weber and Utah Truffles along with nationally known brands like C. Kay Cummings, Sweet’s Candy,  Bakers C & C.

One of the funnest things will be the six chocolate stations arouind the lower part of the mountain where you can get a passport (yes, a passport for chocolate) and you can win prizes by completing the tour of chocolates.

Don’t worry, there will be more than enough for everyone on the mountain. Bring your sweet tooth, tell your friends, but don’t tell the dentist.

–images courtesy of Jay Burke at Solitude Mountain Resort

Solitude Mountain Resort opened for the 2008-09 season today under bluebird skies and not a bit of wind. While most dream of a knee to waist deep opener, I think the bluebird day is a great way to open.

I shared the 5 tips for Solitude from my post earlier this week with Nick Como (pictured below) who works in Marketing up there and he replied back with 5 tips of his own. Hey, we go to the source for our Utah Vacation Homes guests!

Here they are:

• Parking close to Eagle Express, instead of Moonbeam get more vertical on the first run.
• Hit the cafeteria at 11:30 to beat the lunch lines
• Buying tickets down in the valley,[or from Utah Vacation Homes] saves you about $8 a person
• Want to ski some of Solitude’s powder? Sign up for a Backtracks tour with the ski patrol.
• Looking to ski pow on your own? Hit Honeycomb Canyon.

There you go, straight from the source!

Thanks Nick.

Skiing or snowboarding at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon can be a surreal experience given that it’s not uncommon to find yourself skiing a deep powder day with but a handful of locals.

It’s sort of the country club ski experience for those in the know. Which coincides nicely with their tag line “If you only knew”

If I were sending someone there for the first time here are the top 5 tips I’d have them keep in mind.

1. Get there early and park at the upper “Village” parking lot. It’s small so don’t waste time getting there.
2. No matter how deep it is, don’t be the first out the traverse in Honeycomb.  Let someone else put in the traverse and then head out there for freshies
3. Milk Run - need I say more?
4. Don’t be fooled by the Powder Horn lift.  Although slow, this double will deliver the fresh snow all day long.
5. Do you like tree skiing?  Skiers left of Challenger holds some of the most untouched tree skiing on the mountain.  You’ll thank me later.

Check out the Solitude trail map.