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Elevate your taste buds with Guest Chef Thursdays at St. Bernard’s. Over (at least) the next 4 weeks, a who’s who in the Salt Lake City gastronomic scene will be treating diners to five unforgettable course in Solitude’s quaint alpine village. Imagine your favorite dishes from restaurants you know and love…now, picture them fireside at 8,000 feet.  It’s true what they say, you know: Food does taste better when cooked at altitude!

Here’s the lineup:

2/11-Vienna Bistro’s Chef Froddy Volger is obsessed with freshness, and the European Alpine Cuisine he has brought to the heart of Salt Lake City is made from scratch daily.

2/18 Chris Durfee and Justin Shifflett lead the kitchen at Metropolitan Restaurant, and are the geniuses behind the restaurants handcrafted, fresh, and seasonal New American Cuisine.

2/25 Scott DeSeelhorst, former chef of the Yurt / Roundhouse & proprietor of Snake River Winery. A throwback Southwest fusion menu.

3/4 Lugano chef/owner Greg Neville, awarded Best Chef by Salt Lake Magazine, creates and recreates seasonal menus that thrive on locally grown organic produce and the freshest ingredients.

Reservations are strongly encouraged, as St. Bernard’s is a small, intimate restaurant.  801-517-7717

$65 prix-fixe. Wine pairings extra.

Posted by Nick under Dining
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Last weekends’ snowstorm brought over 90″ inches of snow to Solitude (yippe!), but it also brought a slew of skiers from Smallwood {you figure out the translation} as well (bummer). The “feel” of Solitude is laid-back, relaxed and unpretentious - and unwelcome change is certainly in the air once our quaint resort is inundated with U-turners from another canyon. Now we know how you Floridians feel when the “Snowbirds” from the Northeast (pun intended) overtake swimming pools, highways and bridge games every winter.

The Eagle will protect the innocent’s identity, but will keep her claws sharp with response.  A few “words of encouragement” we heard  from uninvited transplants:

“This place sucks - there’s not a lot of terrain open”

Well, Your WHOLE CANYON is closed. Don’t be ungrateful - you’ll develop unsightly frown lines.

“When will all this huntington canyon thing open”

As soon as you leave.

“I thought it wasn’t normally crowded at Solitude”

It isn’t. This isn’t a normal day. See all the skittle thugs out there. They’re not normal, nor are they normally here.

In addition to the dynamic shift felt on the hill, our inbox fills up with many short-sighted pseudo-guest comments.  We had most of the upper mountain shut down for an hour and a half while patrol painstakingly did avalanche control work.  This is the same day there was major slides in-bounds at other resorts, in the backcountry, plus several resorts and roads didn’t open until well after noon.   Here were a few of the Eagle’s favorite…

“Why was Eagle Express not open right at 9? It was not safety related. Please don’t use safety as an excuse when there was a communication breakdown. You can only use Mother Nature as an excuse for so long…Otherwise, how is Solitude learning from these experiences?”

Sorry Dad, we’ll learn next time. 92″ of snow in 7 days is NO BIG DEAL. We’ll just open up terrain without ensuring it is 100% safe, because, after all, who wants to wait in the name of safety?

*

“IT IS POSSIBLE to know that the slopes cannot be opened for 30 or 60 or “Z” minutes. It’s basic math. If there are “X” places that need to be re-inspected before an area can be re-opened, it then becomes “how many patrollers do we have working on those areas and how long will it take to just do the basics?”

Really? Avalanche professionals admit they cannot forecast when an avalanche will occur. They can get an idea, and do control work accordingly and recommend to close or open terrain. But this readers simple algebra equation has it figured out! Quick, someone nominate him for a medal!! For the record: We do alot more then just the basics. However, I think Mr. Basic math just nominated himself for guinea pig work.

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“I had to wait 90 minutes for a lift to open. This is not a way to treat loyal customers. Next time LCC is closed I will be going to Brighton.”

Hmmm.  This makes you our loyal customer? How? We’re obviously your plan-b resort. Your loss. Please do go to Brighton or Park City next time. However, I doubt they will want your attitude. I’m thinking Colorado is a safer bet.

Meanwhile, at the ‘tude, we’ll be doing this…

Important editor’s note: We do agree that communication could be improved concerning what lifts will open and when.  If and when we do have info available, we’ll post it to our twitter and facebook accounts. Follow us and become a fan - the girl who is getting first tracks in Milk Run is…

Posted by Eagle under People
[9] Comments

With the return of the snow. Wait, strike that. With the return of redonkulous dumpage only found in the Wasatch, Utah started looking alot like, Utah again.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video that is 43 seconds long, at 30 frames per second, would be made up of 1,290 pictures. The word equivalent would be 12,900 words. This day in age, with most conversations taking place within the 140 character confines of twitter, no one will read my 12,900 words. Even if Tolkein penned the elation of a powder run on Honeycomb, I still doubt you will feel even a single percent in comparison to what this vid will conjure.
Without further adieu:

Posted by Nick under Blog Entry, Mountain
[5] Comments

I think chocolate gets a bad rap. People spend so much time focusing on the negatives that they forget about the positives of this delectable treat. In a way, they’re taking a glass-half-empty approach to chocolate. But by focusing on the negative, they’re missing out on the fact that chocolate may elevate your mood, raise good cholesterol, promote blood flow and make you a better skier or snowboarder. Ok, I may have made up that last point, but the rest are completely true.

If you can’t tell, I’m more of a glass-half-full type of guy when it comes to chocolate. So it should come as no surprise that I’m stoked for the 20^th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Tour at Solitude Mountain Resort on January 23!

I’ve heard of chocolate parties, but the 20^th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Tour is more like a chocolate vacation. First, you get a Chocolate Lovers Passport, which is very similar to a normal passport in that it gets you into the event. The only difference – instead of security checkpoints and strip searches you get pampered with chocolaty goodness. Second, you get to explore Solitude Mountain Resort. Six different tents are set up around the mountain, each featuring a different type of chocolate and give away. Third, you’ll probably want to bring a bag to carry all the giveaways and prizes that you could win.

Still not convinced? Pardon me while I name drop. Cream O’ Weber, C. Kay Cummings, Sweet’s Candy and Bakers C & C will all be there. As will V Chocolates, Utah Truffles and Premium Ice Cream Creamies.

By now you’re probably having chocolate dreams and possibly even drooling. Don’t worry, this is normal. What’s not normal is missing out on the 20^th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Tour. So grab your friends and family, make sure your sweet tooth is fully functioning and make your way to Solitude Mountain Resort for the 20^th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Tour!

Posted by Joe under Events
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Do you consider yourself a fan of sushi?  If so, a mountain resort outside Salt Lake City might not be the first place you’d think to find good sushi.  The whole land-locked and high elevation thing probably plays a part in that.  But if you’re going to let some little things like that get in the way of trying Hungry Tuna Sushi at The Thirsty Squirrel, then you should take your fan-dom, roll it up and toss it, because you’re missing out on the best thing since chopsticks!

Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 3-8 PM, Solitude Mountain Resort’s resident sushi chef, Clayton Wall, rolls out a menu that is changing the Cottonwood Canyons après ski scene.  From rolls of all shapes and sizes, to the delicious miso soup and edamame, you’re sure to find something that will tickle the taste buds.

At this point you’re probably waiting for a recommendation on what roll to get, and possibly an in-depth review of the ingredients and flavors.  But I’m not a food critic, and even if I was I wouldn’t want to over inform you about something so simple and delicious.  Just take my word for it and go with the signature Solitude Roll . . . or the Honeycomb Roll . . . or the Voltaire Roll.  Actually, try one of each.  Missing out on any one of these rolls would be a shame!

Hungry for more reviews? Stay tuned to this blog for more installments of “A taste of Solitude.” That’s right, this was just the first blog of many to feature the wide array of dining options found only at Solitude Mountain Resort.

Posted by Joe under Dining
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If you’ve read my biography on the Meet The Crew you know that I’m the rookie. This is both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because all the old timers (I won’t name names) feel it necessary to show me the secret stashes, sweetest runs and the best apres ski watering holes. It’s bad because I have absolutely no idea what I’m getting myself into or the assumed risk that you take every time you click into your skis and head beyond resort boundaries.

Call me naive, but I’ve never worried about avalanches. Part of this may be due to growing up skiing in eastern Washington, which isn’t exactly a hotbed of avalanche activity. But I honestly think it’s because I was completely unaware of avalanches in general . . . until I moved to Utah.

People in Utah are serious about their avalanche safety. This fact is perfectly demonstrated by how quickly I got signed up for Back Tracks Avalanche Awareness Course. The conversation with my boss went something like this:

Boss - “Rookie, have you ever taken an avalanche course?”

Me – “Nope, do I need to?”

Boss – “Yes. And consider yourself signed up for the Avalanche Awareness Course tomorrow.”

And with that I was on my way to the Avalanche Awareness Course, not knowing what to expect and wondering how much there really is to learn about avalanches. Man, was I surprised. At no other time in my life have I gleaned more valuable information in a two-day span. Put on by Back Tracks, and taught by members of Solitude’s Professional Ski Patrol, the Avalanche Awareness Course was a great introduction to the identification of avalanche hazards and how to travel responsibly and safely outside resort boundaries.

Here are some of the more important and interesting factoids I took away from the course. Note: These may or may not be obvious to you, but I’m a rookie.

• 75% of avalanche victims are experienced backcountry recreationists.
• Most avalanches occur on slopes between 30 and 45 degrees.
• Cross avalanche terrain one at a time, not in groups.
• Snow pits and shear tests are the most reliable ways to analyze the safeness of the snowpack
• An avalanche is broken down into three parts: starting zone, track and run out zone
• There is more than one type of avalanche

Needless to say, I’m not naïve when it comes to avalanches anymore. And if I were to give one piece of advice to anyone thinking of venturing into the backcountry it would be to take the Avalanche Awareness Course.

Back Track’s

Posted by Joe under Mountain
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What? It’s almost Christmas already? For once I’m not disappointed that time is flying. Why? First, the closer we are to Christmas, the closer we are to presents. Duh! Secondly, it means that we’re in the midst of Solitude’s 2^nd Annual Winterfest!

For those of you who don’t know, Winterfest is two weeks of pure awesomeness for the whole family. Yes, I just made up that word, but it seemed fitting.

What classifies as awesomeness? Allow me to inform you. A pedestrian only village that is bustling with people, activity, fun and games. Ice skating parties complete with s’mores made over an open fire (the way they should be). History lessons. Movies. Astronomy presentations and star gazing tours. Solitude Ski Patrol rescue dog demonstrations. Snowshoeing tours. Holiday singers.

Wow, that is quite the list! And believe me it could, and does, go on. But I won’t share all the secrets of Winterfest, because the best part is discovering it for yourself!

Check out more details at: http://www.skisolitude.com/summer/clubsolitude.php

Posted by Joe under Events
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Do you remember middle school dances? You know, the one’s where the guys were on one side and the girls on the other. Both wanted to dance with each other, but neither group knew how to make the first move . . . until the DJ played that special song that broke the ice.

Where am I going with this?Allow me to explain. Before this big storm, this winter had been like one of those dances. It was struggling. Skiers and boarders looked longingly at the mountains. Luckily, DJ Ullr spun that special song (aka the storm) bringing powder hounds together with the mountain for a memorable dance (aka powder turns). But this song wasn’t just one and done. It kept playing for 48 hours dumping 46” of snow on Solitude Mountain Resort!

Now, this may be just another dump of Utah’s finest for you, but this is EPIC to me (Note: if you see me frolicking about in the waist deep powder, just let me have a moment). You see, I’m not from around here. I grew up skiing the heavy-wet of the Pacific Northwest. Days like these past few are what set the Wasatch, and more specifically Solitude, apart from the rest of the field. Days like these past few have been the subject of my powder dreams for years. And days like these past few are what we can expect for the rest of the season.

So, I thank you DJ Ullr for breaking the ice and I look forward to making turns to your tunes for the rest of the season!

Posted by Joe under Blog Entry
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Join members of Solitude’s Professional Ski Patrol and Snow Safety team to learn how to travel responsibly and safely outside resort boundaries. This two-day course is a great introduction to the identification of avalanche hazard and the skills needed to safely travel in the backcountry.

The course will focus on identifying avalanche terrain, analyzing snow and weather factors, managing group dynamics, and avalanche rescue skills. The morning of day one will start with the guides giving a presentation on avalanches, followed by the rest of day one and two being spent in the backcountry putting these concepts into action.

All participants will have the option to use our brand new Black Diamond touring setups, consisting of the Justice skis with Fritschi Freeride bindings and Ascension skins.

Call BackTracks at 801 536-5705 or visit us at solitudebacktracks.com to reserve your spot.

Posted by solitude under Events
[2] Comments

So, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you probably know that The ‘Tude has added three new lifts in two years.  Sure, those other lifts are cool:  Apex gives you sweet access from the Village at Solitude, and Moonbeam has a sweet name, which makes me wonder, what is a moonbeam anyways?  Does the moon shoot beams?  I digress.

Now, I’m not trying to be brash, but those lifts don’t hold a candle to me.  Oh, sorry, where did my manners go?  Please allow myself to introduce . . . myself (cue music).  I’m Powderhorn II, or PH II or the new PH.  Really, you can call me anything you want, the name isn’t important.  The important thing to remember is that I’m going to change the way you visit Solitude.  Again, I’m not being smug, I’m just being confident.  Believe me, there’s a difference.

I’m a pretty big deal for a couple of reasons.  First, I’m a quad.  A fixed grip quad if you must know.  No more of this two-at-a-time, trying to figure out who rides with who stuff.  I’m all about getting you, plus your family and friends, up the hill.  Secondly, I start mid-mountain.  No more long and reflective rides, as nostalgic as they will remain.  This means two things:  Shorter laps for experienced skiers on the upper-mountain and lower Honeycomb Canyon (more of the good stuff!), and even less traffic on the intermediate and beginner runs of the lower-mountain.  Really, I’m a win-win kind of lift. Your welcome.

For the skeptics . . . well, I can’t change your mind.  True, different areas on the mountain will get skied more than they did in the past.  But remember, this is Solitude, there’s never a shortage of sweet stashes to blow through!  You just need to know where to look! And when you find those stashes of the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” and believe me you will, just remember who got your butt up there (Hint:  Me!).

But seriously, there’s no need to thank me.  The powder yelps and smiles will be thanks enough.

See you out there,

PH II

Posted by Eagle under Mountain
[4] Comments