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.)
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3 Comments
YetiMan \ 5.2 years ago
As a Utah native, altitude sickness is not something we think about, as we rush up to the resorts from the valley floor. I learned years ago, in a college class, the dangers of people skiing the same day as they arrive from sea-level. This might be something that people visiting might want to think about before trying go from sea-level to the slopes. Better safe than sorry. Here is an article about the issue.
http://www.onthesnow.com/news/a/106686/how-to-avoid-altitude-sickness-on-high-elevation-ski-trips
Erika \ 5.2 years ago
You make an excellent point and I encourage folks to read up on it. To name a couple of key points, hydrate (a lot) and keep alcohol to a minimum. Thank you for the tip and link! Erika
Scotty \ 5.2 years ago
Years ago, some resorts (or maybe it was only Park City) offered a lift ticket if you showed your same day airline boarding pass into SLC. Does anyone know if that deal is still offered?
Erika \ 5.2 years ago
Hi Scotty,
Last I checked that was no longer offered. (It was Alta and Snowbird last season.) These deals have a tendency to pop back up though, so watch out for it next season. I usually write a "deals" post early in the season that should help point you in the right direction.
Jill \ 5.2 years ago
So how much extra did it cost you to switch your flight? Sounds like you missed most of the freshies, would you do it again with the price involved? Sometimes these things are good to say that you did it once but you probably would not do it again. I drove to Jackson Hole early in the morning one year, skied all day, partied at the moose, then drove home and was in my own bed that night. I'd do it again but only after a two foot dump that was missing Utah. :-)
Erika \ 5.2 years ago
Hi Jill,
I didn't have to change my flight, that would have cost a minimum of $200 plus the fare difference on Delta. It just happened that the pow fell shortly before my return, so I could make a bee-line straight for the mountain and catch some remnants. I agree that it would have to be a pretty big dump to tempt me into spending several hundred extra. The direct flights are affordable between here and Florida at least (I spent $240 RT for my ticket this trip), especially the early departure:)