The best winter ski and snow vacation destinations are great for travelers who want a Christmas holiday trip, but who don’t need to warm up somewhere tropical. Cold weather has its adherents; top winter ski vacation spots in Colorado, Utah, and other western states offer more than just the best powder and slopes for skiing, snow boarding, and snow tubing. Now, there are lots of options out there for family winter travel, girlfriend trips, and romantic winter getaways besides winter sports. The Vacation Gals and other travel experts weigh in with recommended top winter travel destinations.

Travel Experts’ Best Winter Vacation Destinations

Colorado - It’s no surprise ColoradoGal Kara Williams’ favorite winter travel destination is her home state. Colorado beckons with 26 different ski resorts, for all budgets and ski levels. She’s partial to the ski hills in her own backyard, Aspen/Snowmass, and she loves the new slopeslide Viceroy Snowmass: the multi-bedroom residences are great for families. Her family had a ball at Keystone Kidtopia last winter, with all sorts of great special activities for kids and plenty of family-friendly condo-lodging options right at the base of the mountain. Another top resort is the luxurious Beaver Creek. The kids’ ski school is top-notch, and she recommends a stay at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek — make time for a treatment at the excellent Allegria Spa!

Quebec City, Quebec - TwinCitiesGal Beth Blair picks Quebec City as one of her favorite winter destinations. The rich history, detailed architecture, cobblestone streets, and quaint shops add to the city’s cozy ambience. The best time to go is during the Quebec Winter Carnival. Be sure to get a photo with the carnival’s mascot Bonhomme. Another “must do” is a side trip to Hotel Glace, a hotel built out of ice and snow. Better yet, take the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and spend the night.

Sun Valley, Idaho - Ciao Bambino’s Amie O’Shaughnessy comes from a family of winter sports enthusiasts, so ski venues are her favorite destinations for Christmas and winter travel. While her site has a terrific list of family-friendly ski hotels and resorts in North America and Europe, her favorite is Sun Valley, Idaho. Other than the hassle factor to get there, Sun Valley is a winter paradise. The ski terrain is comprised of long runs, so you don’t wait in line every 10 minutes, and there’s a separate ski area just for kids and beginners (the separation from the main mountain means that novice skiers don’t need to worry about being run over by experts). Accommodation options are plentiful; Amie likes Sun Valley Lodge for the old-world vibe, long list of children’s activities, and impressive list of special events.

Michigan – Jessica Voigts of Wandering Educators loves to take her family to Traverse City, Michigan any time of year. Summer is beautiful she says, but winter is magical. There are many places to ski and snowboard, but this part of Michigan is so much more than a haven for winter sports. Downtown Traverse City is lovely – old fashioned street lamps, a plethora of unique stores (including an incredible toy store), arts and culture, and extraordinary food. Family winter vacationers should consider staying at the Great Wolf Lodge; the huge indoor waterpark provides a great escape from the cold.

Olympic National Park – The Vacation Gals aren’t alone in our infatuation with this US National Park in Washington state. Pam Mandel of Nerd’s Eye View says, “Sure, you could go to Washington state’s Olympic National Park in the summer time, but the weather on the rugged northwest coast is unpredictable year round, so why not pack your foul weather gear, hope for the best, and head to the ocean in the off season!  If it buckets rain, you can watch the big stormy skies from your cozy beach front cabin at Klaloch or Ocean Shores, and hey, because it’s off season, you can get a killer deal on a place with a breathtaking view. And if the weather is good, you can hike in the rain forest or go to low tide at Ruby Beach, and then lurk by the big fireplace in the lodge on the edge of Lake Quinalt. You’ll see a million shades of green in the deep mossy forests, fill your lungs with the salt air of the ocean, and find a nature inspired winter peace like no place on earth.”

Park City, Utah – One of my recommendations for a top winter ski vacation spot is Park City, Utah. I’m hardly a skier, but The Vacation Gals had an amazingly fun girlfriend getaway in Park City, and our ski instructor couldn’t have been better. He enabled me and Beth to feel comfortable (well…relatively comfortable) on the beginner slopes in one session. Park City is much more than a top ski resort, though; the town’s charm, hopping bar scene, and fabulous restaurants made it perfect for a girlfriend getaway. Not too ritzy but hardly humble, Park City hits all the right notes for a memorable ski vacation.

Vermont - Mara Gorman of Mother of All Trips has a hands-down favorite top winter destination as the slopes of Mad River Glen in Waitsfield, Vermont. This is a purely old-school New England ski resort that’s changed little from the days when Mara was a kid herself. What’s great about Mad River is the amazingly varied and gorgeous terrain, and the family-friendly atmosphere. It’s truly a skier’s mountain (no snowboards); the ski school offers the best programs in the area that will get children up on the mountains, and get them back down again with a clear understanding of the fundamentals. Mad River is all about skiing, skiing, and more skiing. And at what other ski area can you get beer that’s brewed using maple sap in the bar?

Top travel experts weighed in with their picks for tropical vacation spots too. Not every Christmas vacation in a wintry clime has to focus on winter sports, obviously. No matter how you tailor your winter vacation, The Vacation Gals wish you the best one yet.

“Oh, FINALLY you’re back!” said Mike, a kitty caregiver at Colonel’s Barracks, one of the cathouses in Cat World, part of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southwest Utah. Mike expertly scooped up Patricia, the tiger-striped cat my nine-year-old son and I just taken on a kitty sleepover during our three-day volunteering stint at the the animal sanctuary, the nation’s largest no-kill safe haven for displaced, homeless or unwanted domestic animals. With a syringe Mike had apparently been carrying about his person, he squirted a dose of medicine into her mewing mouth, and then deposited several firm, loving kisses on her head and ears before releasing her into her cat quarters.

Dog trainer Ann Allums rollerblading to help Jackson the dog burn off energy. Photo by Gary Kalpakoff.

I smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. We’re about twenty minutes late, aren’t we? It was hard to get both cats back in their carriers, collect all of the wet and dry food and water dishes, empty the litter pan and get here by 8:15 am to return the cats on time.”

Mike seemed partially mollified. However, despite the fact that Miss Patricia is one of about 150 cats in this particular house, Mike clearly knew all of these cats’ dietary and medicinal needs. In fact, during our stay at Best Friends, I was most struck by the fact that all of the staff seemed to know all of the animals, what their names are, how they were acquired, their quirks and length of stay at the sanctuary.

My son Sam and I had arrived at the sanctuary two days earlier, and we had three cats spend the night at our cabin with us on two consecutive nights, as a part of the animal sleepover program run by the sanctuary in order to help the animals become more comfortable with people, and therefore more adoptable. In fact, the slogan for Best Friends is “No More Homeless Pets,” and everything the staff does is geared toward finding homes for all of their 2,000 animals, a motley assortment of cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, pigs, goats, horses, and assorted wildlife on their way to rehabilitation. With a 75 percent adoption rate, they’re coming close to their goal.

Apollo the cat on a hotel slepover. (Nice digs!) Photo by Sarah Ause.

What is happening here in Utah is in fact, a massive animal lovefest, enacted by serious animal devotees, both hired workers and their ever-growing cadre of volunteers who assist in this remote corner of the state, near Kanab, close to the Arizona border. Started by 20 British friends with a common cause for animal rescue, the facility on 3,500 pristine acres now has more than 400 employees, and a swelling list of volunteers who, though handled with grace, organization and efficiency, threatens to engulf them by their sheer numbers and blundering good intentions.

As a single mom, I’m always looking for unusual, enriching experiences for Sam, but up to this point, volunteering hadn’t been among them. We own two cats, and are dotty over them, treating them like beloved family members, so an opportunity to volunteer overnight at Best Friends seemed like just the thing. Besides, I wanted Sam to see animals that have less. I hadn’t bargained on the exquisite care these “homeless” animals receive, as is demonstrated by the enormous wait list for animals whose owners can no longer keep them.

Gorgeous desert views from the lunchroom patio, where Best Friends volunteers can dine during the day. Photo by Gary Kalpakoff.

I didn’t spend much time beyond a cursory tour of the other animal facilities, but as a cat volunteer, I became acquainted with most of the ten cathouses, personally volunteering in three of them over the course of our stay.  We swept floors, brushed kitty beds, helped prepare wet food dishes, and “socialized” with the cats, giving them much needed brushing and petting sessions.

There are the floor cats, which lounge around on the ample bedding provided, within petting reach, and the “rafter cats,” who live up in the roofs of each run (which generally house about 23 cats each) and peer down suspiciously at the steady flow of visitors, volunteers, and frequent tours.  These rafter cats don’t have the same chance of being adopted, but all the workers strive to turn rafter cats, or ferals, into cats that will allow petting and show affection, which in turn, might lead to future adoption.

The "Disney barn" is a popular stop on the Best Friends tour; the site was actually used in the 1970s film "One Little Indian."

We’ve been home for a couple weeks now, our trip a snippet of memory, jogged by the two books we own, Dogtown, and Kittyville, both books about the sanctuary, and the former the inspiration for a National Geographic cable series on the dogs of Best Friends’ Dogtown. We miss Fo, the sleek black cat who spent the night at our cabin inside the covers, meowing softly and purring, and crotchety Cybil, who at 17, is a cat matriarch. We recall fondly Miss Patricia, who got herself into a hell of a mess when she climbed inside our cabin crockery cabinet, and Miss Dot, a special needs cat from Benton’s House, who is blind. Though she didn’t come on a sleepover, Miss Dot still managed to worm her way into our hearts.  Probably because of her blindness, her pupils were huge, making her look permanently lovesick.  She climbed all over Sam while we were in her presence.  Who knows, maybe she thought he was one of the cat trees dotting the room.

Just the other day, Sam gave a big sigh. “Mom. I love Miss Dot.  I miss her. I really do.” And so, I find, do I.  I care about these cats now, and so, obviously, do many, many, other people, in far-flung locations.  No more homeless pets!

If you’d like to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, check out these FAQ for planning your visit, including how to get there and where to stay. And here are details about how to volunteer.

Also consider a vacation package from Green Earth Travel, which combines a stint at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, with time spent in Zion National Park or the Grand Canyon.

TeacherGal Lucy Osius and her son Sam live in Leadville, Colorado, where Lucy teaches first grade and Sam is finishing up third grade.  They will be heading out for another adventure in August, as Lucy has accepted a teaching job at a private school in Abu Dhabi in the U.A.E. Their cats, Daisy and Kiwi, will be staying with a friend during their absence.

Photos courtesy Best Friends Animal Society.

Arches National Park is one of my all-time favorite national parks. I love it for sentimental reasons — it’s the first national park my then-boyfriend/now-husband took me to when we were “just friends” 13 years ago. And I love it for its otherworldly, natural sandstone formations. The geological arches, spires and monoliths here are utterly amazing — there’s nothing like this landscape anywhere else in the world. Oh, and I also love Arches National Park because it’s two miles from downtown Moab, a favorite spring and fall destination for all its awesome camping, biking and hiking opportunities.

Famous Delicate Arch

But some of Moab’s best and most popular hiking trails are actually found inside Arches National Park, home to more than 2,000 cataloged arches that range from a 3-foot opening (the smallest a proper “arch” can be) to 300-foot-long Landscape Arch. The marked trails run the gamut from easy nature walks that bring you up close and personal with picturesque rock formations to maze-like labyrinths that require hiking permits. Here are my favorite hikes for kids:

Delicate Arch: Moderately Strenuous Hike for School-age Kids (3 miles round trip)

On our most recent family trip to Moab last weekend, we took the kids on the Delicate Arch trail to see the arch made famous on Utah’s license plates. The last time my husband tackled this hike was in 1997; I was thrilled to introduce my 8- and 10-year-olds to this quintessential Arches trail. It’s three miles long round trip, and it took our family 70 minutes on the way up to the arch, and 45 minutes back down.

Follow the cairns to Delicate Arch.

The trail is quite busy — or at least it was mid-day on a Friday in early May. We had to hover in the car in the Wolfe Ranch parking area for about 5 minutes before someone pulled out to give us a spot to park. We felt comfortable hiking around noon because it wasn’t too hot a day at all; in late spring, summer and early fall, I definitely recommend hiking early morning to avoid the blasted desert heat. Bring plenty of water along on  your hike.

The beginning of the Delicate Arch trail is well marked, with a few switchbacks to start. Then it opens up to slickrock, and you have to follow the cairns (stacked rocks) and/or the other people ahead of you. Views along the way are fabulous, particularly of the snow-capped La Sal mountains in the distance. We also spotted lots of cactus, colorful desert flowers and lizards scooting about.

About 200 yards from your destination, Delicate Arch, you’ll need to traverse a rock ledge (not too scary at all); you’ll also spot a small arch on your right, and if you scramble up to it, you can see Delicate Arch in the distance. It’s worth this little side view, as it’s a cool spot to snap some photos (see below).

Guidebooks say to hike to Delicate Arch at sunset; that’s what my husband did 13 years ago, and we found that dozens and dozens of (mostly Japanese) tourists had read the same guidebooks. It was packed up there at the main viewing and picture-taking spot as the sun set. I recommend taking the kids first thing in the morning in an attempt to avoid crowds, even if the light is prettier in the early evening.

Petroglyphs at the base of the Delicate Arch hiking trail.

Don’t miss the nifty petroglyphs at the base of the Delicate Arch trail; we walked the short distance to view them after we’d already hiked to the arch, but you might consider doing this first if you think your kids will be tuckered out afterwards. These are very cool, well preserved examples of rock art, even if they aren’t “ancient”; they are believed to have been carved into the sandstone in between 1650 and 1850 A.D.

Devil’s Garden with Primitive Loop: Long Hike for Tweens and Teens (7.2 miles)

This is another hike my husband and I did way before we had kids; I don’t think my children could handle it yet, but it’s on our agenda for when they both reach middle- or high school. It’s the longest of the maintained trails in Arches National Park, and it takes a few hours to navigate the loop. What’s cool is that you come across eight different arches along the way — sights that you can’t view unless you embark on the hike. So, it’s rewarding. There’s some scrambling and rocky ledges, so it’s not for the un-sure-footed; but it’s definitely worth the time and energy. I felt proud of myself when I completed the hike, so your tweens and teens should, too!

Balanced  Rock: Easy Trail for Preschoolers and even Toddlers (.3 mile)

Balanced Rock is huge; see the little people to the right of its base?

You can see Balanced Rock, seemingly precariously perched on top of a sandstone formation, from the pull-out parking lot and even from the (great) picnic area across the road. But if you want to check out the nifty geological wonder up close, take the short wheelchair-accessible loop trail around its base. This is a nice place for even the littlest hikers to stretch their legs and appreciate the outdoors.

Delicate Arch Viewpoints: Easy Hike (100 yards) for Preschoolers or Moderate Hike (.5 mile) for School-Age Kids

If your kids aren’t quite old or skilled enough to make the three-mile round-trip hike to Delicate Arch I describe above, you still can view the famous arch by hiking one of two short trails. The Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint trail is paved and wheel-chair accessible; the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint trail involves a rocky climb to the top of a nearby ridge. We did the latter with our kids two years ago — when they were 6 and 8 — and they got sweaty (and complained mildly) on the way up. But the  incline is short, so there is instant gratification.

View pretty desert plant life on hikes throughout Arches National Park, like this Indian Paintbrush.

There are loads of other family-friendly hikes in Arches National Park. You’ll receive a map and visitor guide when you enter the park ($10/vehicle for 7 days), with many details. You can also ask for suggestions on the best hike for your family in the fabulous visitor center. The rangers here know the park like the backs of their hands, and they are chock full of knowledge to help you plan your time in Arches National Park.

Be sure to ask about the parks’ Junior Ranger Program — my daughter loves working on the activity books and earning a certificate and badge at every national park or national monument we visit. It’s a great way for kids to learn about the geology and history, flora and fauna in the parks — and have fun doing it!

Here are some more favorite photos from our hike to Delicate Arch last week:

On my first trip to Monument Valley, I stood at the parking lot’s edge, surrounded by a traveling busload of tourists and Native American vendors, craning my neck to catch a glimpse of the sunrise lighting up the famous rock formations. Later, my husband and I paid the $5 per person fee to drive the 17-mile dirt road that loops through Monument Valley, along with a long line of traffic. Some travel adventure! What happened to the remoteness of the desert landscape, so familiar from the cowboy westerns that baby boomers watched on television and at the movies?

Drive north of Monument Valley and you’ll discover the real West — wide-open spaces bordered by mountain ranges, strange rock formations, prehistoric ruins, petroglyphs, and the best part, no crowds. We make Bluff, about 40 miles north on Highway 191 from Monument Valley, our headquarters for exploring southeastern Utah, including the 5 US National Parks and Monuments that are within a day’s drive. But before you go traipsing off to Canyonlands National Park or Hovenweap National Monument, let me introduce you to the off-the-beaten path adventures that are closer-by.

Explore a mini-Monument Valley

At Valley of the Gods, about twenty minutes south of Bluff, a 17-mile dirt road winds through a valley studded with red sandstone buttes and monuments. The road is passable for passenger cars although 4-wheel-drive vehicles are preferable. Drive at your own pace, park the car and explore, or photograph to your heart’s content – without fees, vendors, tour buses or hordes of tourists. Although there are no official hiking trails, it’s safe to roam and explore. But you won’t find any artifacts, petroglyphs or ruins as this valley was, and still is, sacred to Native Americans. Valley of the Gods Bed and Breakfast sits at one end of the valley. Book a room in the 1930′s era ranch house to experience life off of the energy grid. I couldn’t believe the night view of the Milky Way as it smeared a bright path across the dark sky.

Discover Vistas with Quirky Names

While you’re in the Valley of the Gods area, stop at Goosenecks State Park. The paved road leads to an overlook of a deep canyon carved by the San Juan River, with a little help from nature’s erosive forces. Although the San Juan flows for five miles in the canyon, the many twists and turns result in only one mile of westward progress for the river.

Of course thrill-seekers shouldn’t miss the chance to drive up Mokie Dugway. Close your eyes if you’re afraid of heights, I did. The one-way gravel road with pullouts climbs a 1200 ft. cliff onto Cedar Mesa. At the top, take the 5-mile spur road to Muley Point, which crosses through open range and ends at the mesa’s edge. Trails skirt the lip of the cliff with dynamite views of Monument Valley and Goosenecks. Photographers will want to stake out a position at sunrise or sunset for a photo that will wow the folks back home.

Look for Ancient Clues

For thousands of years, the Anasazi called this part of southeastern Utah home. A dry climate combined with the remoteness of the area has preserved many rock art paintings, petroglyphs and cliff dwellings. Finding them is part of the fun. Center your search on Comb Ridge. The 1,000 ft monocline, a large fold in the earth’s crust, extends for about 100 miles. Both Comb Ridge Road and Butler Wash Road provide primitive access to hiking trails on both the east and west side of the ridge, with numerous opportunities to view rock art panels and cliff dwellings. If you’re not comfortable exploring this rugged area on your own, Far Out Expeditions in Bluff offers guided hikes.

Do you want to know a travel adventure that’s on my list? Join Wild Rivers Expeditions, headquartered in Bluff,  on a guided San Juan River rafting trip. Choose journeys ranging from one day to a multi-day vacation excursion. You’ll stay cool while exploring petroglyphs and Anasazi ruins.

Find Life’s Necessities

Lodging and dining options are scarce in remote southeastern Utah. And, camping is not an option for this baby boomer princess. In Bluff, Desert Rose Inn provides clean, well-appointed rooms. My husband and I turned a southeastern Utah adventure trip into a romantic anniversary celebration by booking a cabin. After walking to Cottonwood Steakhouse, where the food is cooked outside on a barbecue and the best table is reserved for locals, we returned to our cabin porch to watch a late sunset, with champagne, of course. Another dining option, Twin Rocks Cafe, serves surprisingly good food and is the only restaurant open year-round.

So, if you’re a boomer who craves off-the-beaten-path western travel experiences, drive beyond Monument Valley. Be brave, visit in winter, when hot air balloons color the sky at the Bluff Balloon Festival.  Not a boomer? Adventures in southeastern Utah are waiting for families and gal pals, too.

BoomerGal Donna L. Hull specializes in writing travel and human interest content for online and print publications. Her popular blog, My Itchy Travel Feet, explores the world of active travel for baby boomers.

Want a great ski trip? Park City Mountain Resort in Utah offers just about every kind of winter sport activity imaginable. TwinCitiesGal and I had fun learning to ski on the actual Park City Mountain Resort slopes, and then that night a whole gaggle of gals went to Gorgoza Park for some nighttime snow tubing. Was it fun? Yes, absolutely: Take a look for yourself.

I thought my hat was going to fly right off my head! Gorgoza Park is part of the Park City Mountain Resort family, and it’s great fun to get pulled up the mountain (it’s lift-served, so no trudging in the snow) and then go speeding down. It operates during the day and night during the winter ski season. Gorgoza Park is also well lit for nighttime snow tubing. We went down a whole bunch of times together; to form a group, switch off who holds whose lead ropes. It’s a faster, more thrilling ride when we can scream and laugh with our friends.

I also went down solo. This was fun too: While not as fast a ride, the tube spun around in circles on the way down, and I got a face full of powdery snow. After my solo snow tubing ride, I joined the larger group in a yurt for hot chocolate and general laughter.  Funny; I’d never been in a yurt before, either. Check one more item off my list of things to do on a ski trip!

Park City Mountain Resort also has snowmobiling, sleigh rides, and an alpine coaster, so there’s plenty to do in Park City besides ski. I recommend tubing at Gorgoza Park. For those of us who are, shall we say, less than proficient skiers, it feels great to be able to be good at a winter sport activity. Even if it IS just sitting down.

To be brutally frank, none of The Vacation Gals is a true shopaholic. We typically prefer doing at a new-to-us destination, not browsing it. (To wit: our fun ski day at Park City Mountain Resort). But with an entire morning free during our long weekend in Park City and our fabulous boutique hotel The Sky Lodge just steps from historic downtown’s Main Street, it made perfect sense for us to relax over a leisurely breakfast followed by a stroll around town.

Posing with Franz the Bear in downtown Park City, Utah.

And what a fun morning we had! How often do you make the time to just chill with girlfriends with no huge agenda in mind — except to be aimless for a while? Since the only real morning objective we had was picking up souvenirs for the kids back home, the three of us took time to just chat (and chat and chat), peek in the local boutiques, snap photos of the century-old storefronts and admire the surrounding snowcapped mountains.

Here’s a peek at just a few of the highlights we discovered in Park City:

The Eating Establishment: We fueled our day with omelets, potatoes and plenty of caffeine at this casual restaurant at the “top” of Main Street. A landmark in Park City, the eatery serving breakfast, lunch and dinner been around since 1972. I give it huge thumbs’ up for it’s open and airy atrium with plenty of seating, plus its hearty portions. Note, however, that when one of us (who shall remain nameless) tried to order a mimosa, we were told that liquor isn’t served there until noon. It is Utah, after all…

The mining town of Park City incorporated in 1884.

Village Keepsakes: There are plenty of gift shops in town, but this one stands out for its funny gear: “SL,UT” T-shirts and goofy “Danger: Women Cocktailing” martini glasses made us giggle. The store has a huge array of Del Sol gift items: T-shirts, flip-flops, jewelry and hair accessories that change colors in the sunlight. This is just the tip of the iceberg of miscellaneous souvenirs here.

Mary Jane’s: This darling, girly boutique sells women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. I thought it was named after its owner, but rather takes its moniker from the feminine shoe style (that I adore — giving me yet another reason to love this store). Prices here aren’t necessarily bargain basement, but TwinCitiesGal found a cute hat and I picked up sassy and lacy, um, undergarment off the clearance table!

From left, that's The Diva, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Black N White - well worth every calorie!

Sugar Buzz: If you’ve got a sweet tooth, do not miss this candy boutique just one street over from Main at 651 Park Avenue. Kids love picking out their own “penny candy” from the clear jars lining the shelves. We couldn’t resist the $3 gourmet cupcakes. Owned by a mother-daughter team, this shop also sells retro goodies (can you still get Sugar Babies or a Sugar Daddy in the local grocery store?), cookies, truffles,  and espresso coffee drinks.

High West Distillery: You can’t leave Park City without at least poking your head in this historic house and livery turned distillery and restaurant. A block from Sugar Buzz, it’s Utah’s first legal distillery since the 1870′s and claims to be the “world’s only ski-in gastro distillery.” I just call it really cool. You can take a tour of the distilling operation to understand the purpose of a gorgeous 250-gallon copper pot (on display behind a floor-to-ceiling  glass window) and how the whole process works. The High West whiskey still needs to age, but right now it’s offering three different ryes from other distillers, as well as vodka made from locally grown oats and a Utah Peach Vodka. We sampled items off the apres-ski afternoon menu (like yummy French Onion Soup) and some of the signature cocktails, including refreshing High West Lemonade with Rendezvous Rye and mint. Tasty!

Kids walk from the slopes to this popular pizza place in Park City's downtown.

Davanza’s: Across the street from Sugar Buzz, and a stone’s throw from the in-town chair lift, Davanza’s, we’re told, is the place for kids go to for lunch during their ski day. Indeed, judging by the number of skis and snowboards parked outside at about 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, we’d have to agree. In fact, with tweens and teens spilling outside of the restaurant to sit with their pizza on the porch steps and sidewalk, we didn’t even want to go inside (hey, we were child-free — no need to go seek out the local kids). But if we ever return with our families to Park City, we’ll surely bring them to this popular pizza joint.

Thanks to Park City Mountain Resort for hosting The Vacation Gals on our incredibly fun girlfriend getaway!

There are some things in life that you experience once and have such an awful encounter you promise to never try it again. For me, that was skiing. Fifteen years ago my family (parents and siblings) moved to a Colorado ski town. Raised in the South (Louisiana and Texas), the cold was new to me and so were winter sports. A friend of mine energetically offered to take me up the mountain and give me ski lessons. The day was cold, my boots were too tight and, in hindsight, I wasn’t dressed properly. After a 2 mile run down a top-to-bottom trail, sore legs and many exasperated sighs, the day was considered a bust and I lost all interest in skiing.

My family (husband, two tots and I) moved to a cold region this past fall and since arriving my interest in winter sports has surprisingly begun to pique. The four of us have spent the winter ice skating and sledding, but when The Vacation Gals were invited to experience Park City for a girls’ weekend I nixed the idea of  “skiing” down the mountain. However, when ski lessons were offered, courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort, I reconsidered and began to feel excited about the opportunity. It occurred to me that maybe ski lessons were just what I needed.

Jen Miner (SoCalGal) joined me in a private lesson with long-time instructor Rob Newey. Step by step Rob taught us the simple beginner instructions such as how to put the skis on and how to stop, a very important lesson, and as we mastered each challenge we moved along to the next step. Rob was extremely intuitive of our personal needs and coached us accordingly. Before long we were riding up the ski lift to First Time trail. Our first couple of rides down we practiced the “snow plow” stop then transitioned to learning to make turns. Rob kept reminding us to let gravity do its job. Then it happened.

It “clicked” and I could feel the which leg needed weight during the turns and I understood the concept of edges. Rob gave me tips as I progressed and on the last run he told me to ski as fast as I could and I did. As I cruised along I couldn’t believe I was skiing. Apparentl all I needed were some ski lessons and encouragement.

And if you’re wondering, I did fall – once.  But I insist it was a good thing because Rob was able to show me the proper way to get back up (turn the skis horizontal to the slope).

What now? I can’t wait to get back on skis again. During the lessons I discovered I really do love skiing and look forward to practicing and getting better. Is there something in your past that you wrote off due to a bad experience? If so, I urge you to give it another shot, maybe this time with a private or group lesson – you might find you really do love it.

Thank you Rob and Park City Mountain Resort for the ski lessons and this life-changing experience. My outlook on skiing will  never be the same. See you next season!