Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1187612
45 DECEMBER 2019 PHOTOGRAPHS, TOP TO BOTTOM BY MOSAAB ALI, BY DINO VOURNAS (and spa) recently got a multimillion-dollar overhaul, including upgrades of all 350 rooms as well as the heated outdoor rooftop pool. A complete change of pace, Brighton, at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, draws locals and families (kids 10 and under ski free), including those who like to night ski weekdays after work and school. Started in 1936, Brighton is the oldest ski resort in Utah. Here lovely, winding tree-lined trails provide plenty of visual cluing to guide you down, a relief for Easterners. Brighton also has plenty of chutes and glades to hop into and rocky cliff bands to navigate, including the slopes slung below Mt. Millicent (10,452 feet) off the Milly Express. Armed with an avalanche beacon and knowledge that the ski patrol will not come after them, the prepared can ski and board the Hidden Canyon glades and Lackawaxen bowl off the Great Western Lift. Brighton offers $15 one-ride lift passes for such adventures. Look left from the top of the Milly Express and you will see the lift at Solitude, allowing you to ski back and forth on one ticket on the SolBright Trail. Solitude is the best-kept secret in Utah, says one Boston area resident MOUNTAIN STATS + ALTA Vertical lift-served drop: 2,538 feet Base elevation: 8,530 feet Top elevation: 11,068 feet Runs: 116+ Lifts: 6 Skiable acres: 2,614 acres + SNOWBIRD Vertical lift-served drop: 3,240 feet Base elevation: 7,760 feet Top elevation: 11,000 feet Runs: 169 Lifts: 13 Skiable acres: 2,500 acres + BRIGHTON Vertical lift-served drop: 1,745 feet Base elevation: 8,755 feet Top elevation: 10,500 feet Runs: 66 plus lots of off-piste runs Lifts: 7 Skiable acres: 1,050 acres + SOLITUDE Vertical lift-served drop: 2,494 feet Base elevation: 7,994 feet Top elevation: 10,488 feet Runs: 80 Lifts: 9 Skiable acres: 1,200 acres THE SKI CITY SUPER PASS offers discounted lift tickets at all four ski areas, with direct lift access via an RFID card and free transport on UTA buses. Buy 3 to 10 days, good over a 14-day period. visitsaltlake.com/skicity/ super-pass THE IKON PASS ($1,049) includes all four areas in its access to 41 resorts around the world, with no blackout dates. ikonpass.com SKI BUTLERS will deliver rental skis to your hotel room (bring your own boots), fit you, and then pick gear up at your trip's end. skibutlers.com/ HYATT PLACE COTTONWOOD CANYON is a modern, edgy hotel in Cottonwood Heights, close to entry to Big Cottonwood Canyon. Free hotel shuttle to UTA bus stop. Hearty skier's breakfast, ski room, plus heated outdoor pool and hot tub. hyatt.com SPITZ MEDITERRANEAN street food, offers the cheap but filling shawarma plate. spitzslc.com SILVERFORK LODGE AND RESTAURANT has rustic furniture, a roaring fire, bison burgers, good coffee, and is on the way to Solitude and Brighton. silverforklodge.com RED IGUANA has the best Mexican food in Salt Lake City—outstanding mole sauce dishes, and ong waiting lines. rediguana.com DAY OFF The Natural History Museum of Utah is a stunning building in the foothills that explains Utah's natural history, including dinosaurs. nhmu.utah.edu/ DRINKS. The 2002 Olympics helped loosen Utah's strict liquor laws in this Mormon state, and like many youthful states, Utah has a thriving craft beer business. who frequently skis all of these areas. It is known as a family area, as it's quieter and less crowded than the other three, and a good place to go on the weekend. But it is also well known among locals for chutes off Honeycomb Canyon, a good place to go when powder panic causes Snowbird and Alta to be skied out much quicker. Solitude provides a lot of variety, and you can move all around the mountain with plenty of low-angle intermediate and beginner terrain. Solitude has a base village area with lodging somewhat reminiscent of Stratton, Vermont. A new Himalayan restaurant—The Roundhouse, off the Moonbeam Express—is very popular. Many days it's an easy 40-minute drive up the canyons on dry roads, but avalanches can close them. A public bus system (Utah Transit Authority, or UTA) with stops near downtown hotels and dedicated parking lots at the base of the canyons is the most relaxing way to reach the ski areas, unless you are an early bird driver. All of these options make this an amazing experience that is hard to replicate on the East Coast, and it is easy to reach on daily nonstop Jet Blue or Delta flights from Boston. IF YOU GO Brighton is at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. At Snowbird you can follow the sun around the mountain.