Bubbly and Snow: New Year’s Eve in Salt Lake City

By: L. Paul Mann

Article Category: Get Out Of Town Leave a Comment

Several years ago, a friend suggested we spend New Year’s Eve in Salt Lake City, Utah. My first concern was whether or not we’d be able to find a place to enjoy a glass or two of champagne to celebrate the occasion. I am not a heavy drinker, but I do enjoy a couple of cocktails once in a while, especially on New Year’s Eve.

I was under the impression that the famously Mormon capital city was a dry town. But I was persuaded to go along with the idea after being informed of the terrific vacation packages available, including some of the most affordable skiing and snowboarding vacations in the country.

Some vacation packages include a special ski pass, good at four different ski resorts. The “Ski Salt Lake Super Pass,” also sold separately in increments of one- to six-days, is good over a seven-day period, and is valid at all four world-class resorts in the Cottonwood Canyons area. The pass provides an easy and inexpensive way to experience each of the resorts through a single lift pass while enjoying all the dining, nightlife, and value that downtown Salt Lake has to offer. With extensive websites offering the latest up-to-date information on conditions, you can research the different resorts the night before, deciding which mountain to visit at the last minute.

Super Pass prices start at $114 for a two-day adult pass and goes up to a six-day pass for $336. It’s valid at Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude, and is redeemable for a full-day lift ticket at any one of these resorts. To make getting on the slopes from Salt Lake even easier, the Super Pass also includes free transportation on the UTA ski buses and the new TRAX light rail. The direct-to-resort ski buses run on regularly scheduled service, eliminating the need and associated costs of renting a car. In addition to offering the Super Pass, a Salt Lake winter vacation provides a variety of lodging options to fit every interest and budget. From a luxury five-diamond hotel and spa to a variety of remarkably well-priced budget hotels, Salt Lake offers a downtown base camp that is high on value and low on stress. Off the slopes, visitors can take advantage of the other activities Salt Lake has to offer, including a variety of cultural offerings, a happening restaurant and nightlife scene, and endless shopping.

Available for purchase online at www. ski-saltlake.com or through travel agencies, tour operators, and Salt Lake hotels, the Super Pass gives visitors the opportunity to tour all of Salt Lake’s famed resorts from a convenient base camp. Ski Salt Lake promotes Salt Lake and its four Cottonwood Canyon resorts as the ideal winter vacation destination unmatched in accessibility, variety, and snow quality. Located just 40 minutes from the Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake’s resorts each average 500 inches of snow annually and collectively offer more than 7,500 skiable acres.

Alta is a skier’s mountain committed to preserving the traditional skiing experience. No snowboarding is allowed. Skiers consistently rank Alta as one of the best resorts in the U.S. for powder, snow, quality, terrain, and value.

Brighton ski resort does allow snowboarding and has a half-pipe. A little more out of the way than the other resorts, Brighton has been a popular place for locals to ski as far back as the 1850s. It’s also Utah’s only resort that can boast that 100% of its terrain is accessible by high-speed quads. Their five quads give access to 1,050 acres and 1,875 vertical feet of incredible Utah skiing. Other amenities include The New Millicent Chalet, three additional day lodges, high quality rentals, a top-notch ski and snowboard school, lockers, cafeterias, and a pub (with alcohol).

Solitude is a large, full-service ski resort with all different types of terrain for skiing and snowboarding, and offers 65 named runs and three bowls spread beautifully over 1,200 acres. Featuring wide-open powder bowls, gladed tree runs, steep chutes, and gentle cruising boulevards, Solitude has terrain for every level of skier. Its longest descent is 3.5 miles down Honeycomb Trail.

Snowbird is one of the most well known resorts in the country. The top of the resort is the 11,000- foot Hidden Peak, and the lowest point on the mountain is the bottom of Baby Thunder chairlift at 7,760 feet. The 125-person tram covers 2,900 vertical feet in approximately seven minutes. Snowbird is one of the scariest mountains I’ve ever tried to snowboard down. I’ve never been more than a very intermediate level snowboarder, and my more expert level friend on the trip convinced me to start out on a black diamond run. Unfortunately, frigid conditions and inclement weather rendered the run like one giant ice cube. Petrified, I slid down most of the way on my back and spent the rest of the afternoon on the bunny slopes as my companion took the tram to the top. Personally, I much preferred the more gradual sloping of the other resorts, but experts love Snowbird.

After an exciting day on the slopes, we headed back to town to get ready for dinner and to take a walking tour of downtown Salt Lake City. Still decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments, downtown historic landmarks like the courthouse and Mormon Temple offer a spectacular view of the festive holiday spirit in the city. While there are no official public pubs or bars, we quickly determined that there is no problem imbibing in your favorite beverage within the city. Private “clubs” are allowed to serve alcohol throughout Salt Lake, and to take advantage of this loophole, all you have to do is become a member of a particular establishment. The membership fee is usually a trivial symbolic amount, maybe $5 or so. But a well-placed smile at the front door may also get you an invite from one of the “clubs” members who can bring you in for free as their guest.

When we visited Salt Lake for New Year’s Eve, the city had recently instituted the “First Night” celebration downtown. First Night is an outdoor/ indoor artistic and cultural celebration that takes place each New Year’s and was first established in Boston in 1976 as an alternative way to celebrate the New Year without the need for alcohol. First Night festivities now take place in cities all over the U.S., Canada, Britain, and New Zealand. The celebration was a great way to experience downtown on a festive occasion, with dozens of establishments from museums to ballrooms participating. And you could always wander off to a private club if you were in need of a beer or cocktail.

This year, the festivities in Salt Lake are expanding into a newer and bigger celebration. Building on a 16-year legacy, the local creators of First Night have reached deep into their imaginations to dream up the evolution of Salt Lake’s wildly popular Winter Festival. On December 29, 30 and 31, tens of thousands will gather for “EVE,” a first-ever indoor/outdoor urban extravaganza — with snow on the ground, fire in the sky, music in the air, and a party in the streets. Presented by the Downtown Alliance with corporate community partners including eBay, Coca-Cola, and American Express, EVE is hosted at venues throughout Downtown — Gallivan Plaza, The Gateway, Temple Square, Pierpont Avenue, the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, the Off-Broadway Theater, Broadway Center Cinemas, the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum, Clark Planetarium, and more. You can find the complete schedule for next December’s events at www. eveslc.com.