MIDVALE IS THE SKI/SNOWBOARD BASECAMP NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT
Out-of-staters probably haven’t heard of Midvale. Heck, even most Utahns couldn’t tell you exactly where it is. But Midvale, the city a little south of South Salt Lake and a little north of Sandy, doesn’t care. You don’t need national name-recognition to be perfectly located between four major ski resorts, hundreds of restaurants and bars, a metropolitan downtown area and a major airport.
Here are five ways Midvale is quietly helping you have the perfect ski vacation in Utah.
1. AFFORDABLE SKI & STAY PACKAGES
Ski trips mean logistics. It would take some kind of type-A maniac to book transportation, hotels, meals, lift tickets and ski rentals without losing their minds. And type-A maniacs are no fun to ski with. You want to hit the slopes with your ski bum friends, and our buddies at UtahState.com make that possible with their Ski Bum packages that take care of all the details. Prices start at $435 for a 3-day ski pass good at all four Salt Lake resorts, four hotel nights, most of your meals included and optional airport shuttle. Leave the planning to the pros so you can focus on what matters: Not working.
2. EASY ACCESS TO FOUR MAJOR RESORTS
There are some great resorts outside of Utah — some even on this continent! — but nowhere else has this caliber of skiing this close to a big city and an international airport. Midvale is 20 minutes from the Salt Lake City International Airport and 25–30 minutes from four major ski resorts: Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton. You’ll drive so little you won’t even have time to finish your audiobook novelization of Better Off Dead.
3. NEARBY RESTAURANTS & MICROBREWERIES
If you want to maximize your time on the slopes and minimize cost, stick with the meals at Crystal Inn or Hilton Homewood Suites that are included in the Ski Bum packages. But if you still have enough left in the tank to get out on the town, Midvale has dozens of après options for dinner or drinks. Epic Casual Dining, Landmark Grill, GR Kitchen, Hoppers Brew Pub and Red Rock Brewing Company are a few of our favorites.
4. NEARBY ACTIVITIES AND SHOPPING
Or, if it’s your first time skiing this year and your quads need a rest day, Midvale puts you in the middle of all kinds of recuperative recreation. Visit the animals at Wheeler Farm, engage in some capitalism at Fashion Place Mall or get stuck to the floor at the 16-screen Megaplex. (Just kidding. Their floors are no stickier than any other theater.) Or, if you want to venture 20 minutes into downtown Salt Lake, just hop on a TRAX train. (Your ski pass gets you free UTA transit.) Historic Temple Square lights up historically from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, with a free Tabernacle Choir concert most Thursday nights and Sunday mornings. The Utah Jazz play just down the street from the Clark Planetarium and a couple of blocks from a concert or a show at Eccles Theater. Or maybe you want to check a few Park City resorts and restaurants off your list? The home of the Sundance Film Festival is only 40 minutes from Midvale.
Downtown Salt Lake City
5. DISCOUNT LIFT TICKETS
Unless your uncle owns a resort, skiing ain’t cheap, but there are ways to make it a little more affordable. You can knock a few bucks off if you ask at the ski rental shops in town, but the best value is the Ski City Super Pass. It gives you access to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude and you save more per day the more days you ski — and if you’re utterly indefatigable, the Ski City Super Pass even lets you ski all day at Brighton and then add night skiing for no extra cost. The folks at utahstate.com can help you find the right package and the right price.
Locking down a Ski Bum package and staying smart and comfy in Midvale is a double black diamond–level ski trip planning. Even if it’s your first time on the slopes and you don’t know which end of the skis goes first, your trip can go as smoothly as your dismount from the chair lift… by the end of day two, at least.