Florida to Powder Before Lunch

My morning ritual; drink coffee, meditate, and read the Wasatch Snow Forecast. “Alta/Snowbird reporting 7-8″ over the past 24 hours,” he said. Powder! Only one problem, I was in Florida helping my parents move and wouldn’t be home until the next morning.

Maybe, just maybe, I could get off the plane, grab my skis, and head straight for the mountain to catch what remained of the snow. Hmmm… Could I really wake up in Florida and be on slopes before lunch?

Yes. I knew I could, because I’d managed it once before, but my gear was in the car that day.

Tuesday morning we boarded a 6:00am flight to Salt Lake City. The flight was filled with the usual collection of theme park fatigued parents and their overtired munchkins. That wasn’t enough to keep me from falling asleep however. After a nice nap I read a little before we landed at 9:05am in Salt Lake City.

A brief shuttle ride delivered us to our car in the Economy Lot, where we realized the battery was dead. “Crud!” I thought, “my powder quest is doomed.”  On a whim I thought to call the airport parking office to ask for assistance rather than wait for AAA. In minutes they sent Leandra Garcia out to help. She jumped my car and we were on our way before 10:00am. Whew! My powder lunch was still on.

At home, I opted to make breakfast then head to the mountain. I say this only to point out that there was no rushing involved in this quest, my tummy was running the show.

Full and caffeinated, I loaded up my gear and headed up the canyon to Alta Ski Area arriving before noon. If I hadn’t dallied for breakfast, or had a dead battery, I could have been on slope shortly after 10:00am.

It was a pretty day, something I don’t experience often because I aim for storm days. The views were spectacular! Even a day late, the snow was fresh and soft off of Supreme Lift. Yes, this is Life Elevated.

Being  a quirky media hag, I thought it would be fun to document my journey in 30 seconds. Enjoy!

With 87 cities offering non-stop flights to Salt Lake City, and 10 resorts located less than an hour away, it’s reasonable to arrive and ski on the same day. For more trip planning inspiration check out this collection of posts.

So…are you up for lunchtime turns in Utah? Book a flight, and maybe I’ll see you on the slopes! (Insider tip, spring snow is some of our best.)