Almost everyone has heard of Robert Redford’s Sundance film festival, but mention the ski resort of the same name, and the response is often a quizzical one eye raised, huh? If you’re a skier or snowboarder, put this Utah gem on your must-visit list.
Sundance is the yin to Park City’s yang, the antidote to overdevelopment and mine’s-bigger luxury (Sundance does luxury in the rustic sense; it’s subtle, with a heavy dose of green).
With only three primary lifts (none high speed) it’s easy to overlook Sundance in favor of its bigger neighbors. Don’t. Sundance skis much larger than its mountain statistics indicate. Not that those stats aren’t impressive: 450 skiable acres on a 2,150-foot vertical drop from the 8,240-foot summit. Most of the skiing and snowboarding is on sustained verticle, too. Unless moving across the mountain on a cat-track, everyone will be making turns. Saturdays get a bit busy, but crowds aren’t a problem here.
Now here’s the sweetest part, Sundance is a bargain-hunter’s friend. Lift tickets are only $40, about half the price of those at other resorts. But wait, it gets even better: Become a Facebook friend, and ski Sunday through Thursday for $20 (subject to change, although plans were to continue it for a while).
Better yet, visit between March 23 and April 5, book three nights, and stay in one of the cozy — make that romantic — cabins (think wood-burning fireplace) for $189 per room, including a full breakfast in the Foundry Grill and daily lift tickets (fine print: based on double occupancy, tax extra, blackout dates may apply). Apply the savings to dinner in the Tree Room, one of Utah’s best restaurants, or to a massage in the spa, or to a class in the Art Shack, where you can make your own souvenir.
Read more about Nangle’s travels on her Web site.
Note: For anyone planning a ski or snowboard vacation, check out skisnowboard.com for indepth resort information covering the top destination resorts in North America. They have more information in one place than any other snowsports destination site. (Skisnowboard.com is run by Charlie Leocha one of our contributors.)
I have three passions in life: Maine, traveling and skiing. Okay, four: chocolate. Maybe five, spa-ing (is there such a word?). I guess writing would be my sixth passion. And cheese, oh yeah, artisan-crafted and farmstead cheeses. Did I mention lobster? What can I say, I’m a passionate kinda gal. You can find more of my tips for traveling through Maine at: Maine Travel Maven. My three Moon Maine guidebooks are — Maine, Coastal Maine, and Acadia National Park. They are available at bookstores and online.
