Things to Know
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Après-Ski Beyond the Bar: Utah's mountain towns embrace a European-style après-ski experience that brings premium dining and entertainment directly to your condo or rental home—from fresh oyster bars and personal wine tastings to interactive teppanyaki chefs and authentic fondue experiences, all delivered to your doorstep after a day on the slopes.
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Luxury Comes to You: Skip the crowded restaurants and enjoy resort-level amenities at your vacation rental, including mobile Finnish saunas, professional oyster shucking demonstrations, and certified wine specialists curating personalized tastings—transforming any accommodation into a five-star après-ski destination.
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Accessible Quality: Despite Utah's landlocked location, world-class seafood is accessible. Extensive wine selections and chef-prepared multi-course fondues and dinners are also available, catering to ski vacation groups along the Wasatch Front and Back mountains.
Imagine the perfect day. You hit post-storm sunny slopes and ski or snowboard from first chair to last, leaving just enough in the tank to get your boots off and slip them into comfy slippers next to the fire, where you and your partner or mates debate who had the best line or face shot of the day.
As everyone sinks further into the sofas, someone’s stomach growls…loudly, and then another. A chorus of hunger pangs erupts, reminding the crew that après ski – food, drink and relaxation – is as much a part of skiing as wax: you could go without, but the day won’t be as much fun. Right on cue, the fatigue and lactic acid set in, and bodies become immobile next to the warm fire with those fleece-lined slippers tucked snugly underneath.
Food delivery services have transformed the way we eat, drink and transport sustenance, but in mountain towns, needs are different, and services are…elevated. Forget fast food dropped in your hotel lobby. In Utah, après ski is as much a part of the culture as the activity itself. So, if an array of performance skis and boots can be delivered to your condo’s door before you set out, just imagine what can arrive after the perfect day.
The Oyster Guy
When Matt Lefler was growing up on the East Coast, shucking oysters for his mom was just another chore and kept the teen busy and his stomach full. This acquired skill (arguably hazardous, even for professionals) stayed with him, making him popular with friends from the Delaware Shore and, eventually, the Wasatch Mountains. Seeing a need and an intense desire for quality shellfish in this landlocked locale, The Oyster Guy was hatched.
This whimsical nom de plume sets the tone perfectly for Utah’s après-ski culture, which extends beyond the boisterous bar scene to a more European style that focuses on quality food, friends and conviviality. From pop-ups to parties to popping in to your home or rental, The Oyster Guy brings the oysters, shuckers, sauces and everything your family or large group needs to enjoy fresh mollusks and, now, caviar. From weddings to tailgates, his goal is to make sumptuous seafood spreads available and accessible to all along the Wasatch Front and Back.
On site, The Oyster Guy will share his techniques for prying the meaty mantle from the shell, the tastes and textures of the bounty (harvested from all parts of U.S. and Canadian waters) and what foods and drinks pair best. Just don’t ask how he sources them, the trade equivalent of asking a Utah powderhound to divulge his secret stash.
The Oyster Guy works directly with local and visiting clients and provides customizable end-to-end service from drop-off to clean-up. Contact The Oyster Guy directly for prices and availability, which vary depending on quantity and source.
Summit Sips Wine School
Hold a glass in front of the firelight and watch the flames dance in the reflection of the sparkling wine, cava or Champagne, a perfect pairing with oysters, by the way. Before you ask, yes, all of those varietals and many more are available in Utah! Even better, Laura Wheatley of the Summit Sips Wine School will bring them or any other blend or appellation to your home or condo for a personal wine tasting for you and your crew.
A Certified Specialist in Wine and a Spanish and Italian Wine Scholar, Laura is also WSET Level 3 certified (she knows wine) and an outdoor enthusiast (she knows Utah). This perfect pairing makes her uniquely qualified to introduce you to memorable terroir and a local trail or two.
From novices to oenophiles, Laura works with clients to introduce them to and expand their wine experience in a fun and engaging way. Even abstainers have options and a good time. Laura works with her clients to select varietals they know or want to know more about, as well as highlight lesser-known (and often less expensive) blends they should know about. Like terrain on Utah’s expansive mountains, Laura knows hidden gems along the wine route.
Contact Laura to schedule a private tasting along the Wasatch Front or Back. Prices vary mainly depending on the varietals selected and the number of glasses poured.
Alta Provisions
Feeding your hungry crew for the day, weekend or week can be as exhausting as being knee-deep in powder. So, let Alta Provisions (motto: "Eat Pasta. Ski Fasta") take care of any shopping, cooking or even cleaning up. It can deliever delicious and affordable chef-prepared meals or fully-stock your condo's kitchen with your favorite foods and drinks, even before you arrive. If that seems too much (you are on vacation, after all), then it can send over a private chef to prepare an intimate or large meal.
Alta Provisions serves the Salt Lake, Park City and Ogden ski areas. For grocery delivery, please allow 2-3 days notice. At $65 for the first stop and a 20% service charge, it's money well spent. After all, wouldn't you rather spend more time skiing and less time hunting down groceries?
Teppan Shifuku
Kids from nine to 99 giggle with delight as the teppanyaki chef slices and dices and tosses tasty morsels into mouths from the opposite side of the large flat iron griddle. Typically reserved for special occasions at fancy restaurants, Tappan Shifuku brings the party to your rental home or condo. Chef-Owners Pamela Rojas and Ezra Lopaz have brought their love of teppanyaki cuisine to locals and visitors throughout Utah “transforming their events into memorable stories.” You can also find its popular food truck for quick take-home treats.
Low Spark Fondue
There was a time when every wedding registry included a fondue pot. Many of them are now found in the back of your grandparents’ cupboard or on a second-hand shelf. But in Utah, fondue is cool. It’s where friends and families can gather and engage each other for hours over cheese, chocolate or prime cuts cooked in the sterno-fueled pot before them.
Low Spark Fondue brings all the food, fuel, and fixings for a fondue meal to your vacation abode. Traditional favorites, such as melted cheese accompanied by fruits, vegetables and bread, are followed by beef tenderloin and a chocolate-dipped dessert. Optional Swiss sausages and Viennese Schnitzel are also available. Prices start at $150 per person.
Plunj Mobile Sauna
Saunas have never been more popular. From wellness centers to day spas, sitting in a 180-degree box is precisely what the doctor ordered after any pursuit, but it is particularly enjoyed after skiing or snowshoeing in frigid temps all day. Most hotels with spas have saunas on-site. For those staying in a condo or home rental, Plunj, with a brick-and-mortar “Nordic Spa” in Salt Lake, Provo and Park City, will put a mobile sauna in your driveway.
Its smokeless Finnish sauna comfortably seats eight people and is available for an evening, a weekend, or the entire week. The mobile sauna can be delivered to locations throughout Salt Lake and Utah Counties. Check the website for scheduling and pricing options.
Keep the slippers on during your next ski and snowboard vacation, and enjoy apres ski at your visiting mountain home with all of the food, wine and entertainment options next to – or just steps from – the warm fire.
