Solitude Ski Village, Utah

The origins of Solitude Ski Resort can be found in an amusing anecdote. The fabulously wealthy Mr Robert M Barrett made his fortune uranium mining. He had a passion for one sport, skiing, which the millionaire pursued at nearby Alta. One day Bob Barrett was refused access to the restroom. The enraged millionaire decided to buy up every spare plot of land in the canyon, to create his own resort. Building at Solitude started in 1956, and the resort first opened for business in 1957, with two lifts serving a small area of mountain.

Now Solitude has developed into a substantial ski area and village with a reputation for uncrowded slopes, a great snow record, and plenty of terrain to suit all levels.

The main ski area for newbies is directly above the ski village. The ‘Snowsports Academy’ is well run offering a great variety of ski lessons. What’s more the school has an ethos that learning should be fun. An instructor will not bark things like ‘You’re on a course, not a vacation’, unlike at some less-patient schools.

If you’re into your second or third season of skiing, you are spoilt for choice. You can pick some challenging lines to improve your skills, such as Dynamite which drops off from the very summit. Alternatively relax on a long cruising run, such as North Star off the top of Sunrise chair.

The spectacular Honeycomb Canyon is very popular with Advanced skiers. A long traverse reached from the top of the Summit lift leads to some brilliant bowl and chute skiing.

The terrain park is iron-free, built entirely from snow. So the grinding must be pretty quiet!

Solitude is definitely family-friendly. Importantly the ski village is traffic free, with a happy, relaxed vibe. The resort’s ‘Club Solitude’ has 2 outdoor heated swimming pools, and a movie theater. An alternative ‘thing-to-do’ is skating at the pretty rink in the center of the village. Also of interest is the fact that the resort offers Passes ‘by the Ride’, with 10 rides costing about the same as a day. This can be very useful if you’re planning to spend afternoons off the slopes with your kids.

Accommodation wise, it’s easiest to lodge in the ski village itself, where there’s plenty of hotels and condos available. Nightlife is a little on the quiet side; there’s a good selection of restaurants, but the village is almost dead by midnight.