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Camping/Hiking/Outdoors, Gift of Travel, Gifts for Travelers

Give the Gift of Travel Experience

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The ParisPass saves time, money and anxiety in visiting high-demand attractions like the “Mona Lisa” at Le Louvre © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, www.goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travel is inevitably a journey of discovery, of self-fulfillment, of personal enhancement and change. It is about doing, engagement, forging relationships, and yes, lifelong memories. Enhance your traveler’s upcoming trip by prearranging a dining experience; a spa visit; admission to a museum, attraction or cultural event; a cooking, baking or jewelry making class; a hot-air balloon ride; rock-climbing adventure; walking tour; bike rental. And what trip doesn’t require some special gear? (If you time it right, you might also be able to benefit from holiday savings.)

PragueCoolPass provides admissions to major sights like Prague Castle and sightseeing cruises © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You can pre-purchase a city-sightseeing pass that provides admissions to the most popular attractions and experiences in cities like Prague (PragueCoolPass.com); Paris (parispass.com); Amsterdam (iamamsterdam.com); Berlin (citypasses.eu); Dresden (getyourguide.com).  The added advantage is that the passes help organize the itinerary, provide info on hours, exhibits, save the time of waiting on line and the anxiety of being shut out and even save money over purchasing admissions individually.

Go City sells passes in 25 destinations from major metropolises like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Singapore, London and New York to oceanfront oases like Sydney and Oahu – 1,500 attractions, tours, and activities worldwide, saving money over purchasing individual tickets, connected on your smart phone (GoCity.com, 800 887 9103).

CityPass (https://www.citypass.com/) has pass programs in numerous US cities and Toronto.

Arrange for your travelers to drive an exotic car, learn to fly, rock climb, skydive, bungee jump, take a hot-air balloon ride. Virgin Experience lists some 5000 different experiences in 122 regions from 600 “best in class” partners that their gift card can be applied to: Go to Food & Wine Gifts, Adventures Experiences and other listings. Easy return, no expiration, free exchange (https://www.virginexperiencegifts.com/action-and-adventure, https://www.virginexperiencegifts.com/ https://www.virginexperiencegifts.com/attractions

Gift certificates from Broadway.com can be redeemed for tickets to any Broadway or Off-Broadway show currently playing in New York City (https://www.broadway.com/gift-certificates/).

You can also purchase “show-stopping holiday gift” theater tickets at discounts at todaytix.com.

Or for that Broadway theater fan, pre-purchase admission to The Museum of Broadway (145 West 45th St. 212-239-6200, or 800-447-7400, www.themuseumofbroadway.com)

Context Travel offers personal walking tours to such enormously popular destinations and sights as the Acropolis in Athens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Context Travel offers personal walking tours with experts in 60 cities across 6 continents. Skip the line and off-hours access to popular sites in the world’s cultural and historical capitals. Its gift cards can be used for all its travel experiences, including audio guides, walking tours, pre-trip talks, day trips, and shore excursions. Gift cards are redeemable for hundreds of tours and experiences in any city, can be e-delivered immediately or at a future date and can be personalized with your message https://www.contexttravel.com/gift-cards/new

Spafinder.com, a compendium of resorts, wellness centers and day spas, makes it easy to purchase giftcards. At this writing, Spafinder was offering 10% off orders of $100+ and free shipping.  Get $30% off purchases of $150+. (Promo code Flash30). https://myspafinder.spagiftcards.com/category/eGift-Cards

Theme parks can be a very, very pricey vacation for families. Gift cards can put the vacation in reach or enhance the experience.

Disney’s gift cards can be purchased in denominations of $25 to $500 and used for “practically” all things Disney – theme park tickets, resort stays, merchandise, dining and experiences at Disney destinations. Redeemable at shopDisney.com, Disney Store locations in the U.S., participating locations at Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, Disneyland® Resort in California, Disney Cruise Line®, and Adventures by Disney®.  https://www.disneygiftcard.com/.

Gift a family membership to such wondrous attractions as the American Museum of Natural History © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Also consider gifting some of the really special experiences, like Zookeeper for a Day at Busch Gardens (www.buschgardens.com), or sleepover “Night in the Museum” experiences at places like National Air and Space Museum, International Spy Museum, American Museum of Natural History, Cincinnati Museum Center, California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, or family memberships.

For the skier/snowboarder, consider purchasing lift tickets, lessons, rentals, perhaps even a multi-day, regional or local pass (EpicPass.com, IKONPass.com, snow.com, ski.com). Get Ski Tickets is an online marketplace to purchase date-specific discounted lift tickets, lessons, rentals, group lift tickets and season passes (https://www.getskitickets.com/, 970-233-7040, [email protected]) and gift certificates (https://www.getskitickets.com/gift-certificates/).

The enchanted Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Canada, where one minute you are walking on the sea floor, 30 minutes later you are kayaking through the rocks as you experience the highest tides in the world, is one of the shore excursions available from Shore Excursions Group © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

And cruises may advertise as being “all-inclusive” but shore excursions are costly add-ons. Pre-purchase a shore excursion from Shore Excursions Group which offers 4,000 tours in 300+ ports worldwide, with something for every kind of cruiser, from first-timers to seasoned globetrotters, at 40 percent less than purchasing from the cruiseline.

Fantasy Camp!

There are any number of fantasy camps to satisfy, well, every fantasy. If you can fantasize it, there is likely a fantasy camp to realize it.

Want to play baseball like a major leaguer? There are baseball fantasy camps with teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Atlanta Braves (mlb.com). For basketball: 76ers Fantasy Camp is the inaugural NBA fantasy camp, www.76ersfantasycamps.com).

Join players from the gold medal winning 1980 USA Hockey Team for this annual Miracle On Ice Fantasy Camp, in magnificent Lake Placid, NY – host city of the historic 1980 Winter Olympic Games. Skate and compete in the 1980 Rink – Herb Brooks Arena where USA conquered the Russians and shocked the sports and political world (actual Miracle on Ice players usually participate!). (https://lakeplacidolympiccenter.com/todo/miracle-on-ice-fantasy-camp/)

Imagine playing hockey on the same rink as the Miracle of Ice 1980s defeat of the Soviet Union! That fantasy comes true during the annual Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp in Lake Placid © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Space Camp, an educational camp on the grounds of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center museum near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, provides residential and educational programs for children as well as adults on themes such as space exploration, aviation and robotics. There are camps for every age group, even adults! (www.rocketcenter.com/SpaceCamp, [email protected], 800-637-7223).

Also: Broadway theater  (Broadway Fantasy Camp, broadwayfancamp.com), Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, an interactive musical event that takes place in various locations worldwide involving various Rock Stars on various dates (rockcamp.com; gift cards available, https://gift-cards.rockcampevents.com/)

For many, being able to participate in important science research is also a fantasy. Earthwatch Expeditions makes it possible to support important research into global challenges from climate change to human-wildlife coexistence to sustainability, while engaging local communities. It offers more than 40 field research expeditions around the world, with opportunities for teens and adults; no prior experience needed (Earthwatch.org, [email protected]).

Also Ecology Project International (https://www.ecologyproject.org/travel-programs); GVIUSA (https://www.gviusa.com/blog/how-to-join-research-expeditions-around-the-world/); and Biosphere Expeditions,  a wildlife conservation non-profit driven by science and citizen scientist (biosphere-expeditions.org).

Getting There or Coming Here

Ease the coming and going: Southwest is one of the airlines with gift certificate programs. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You can purchase gift cards on many airlines: the Delta Gift Card is redeemable for any Delta Air Lines flight worldwide and for any Delta Vacations package that includes airfare, no expiration date (https://www.delta.com/us/en/gift-cards/overview). Also Southwest Airlines (no expiration date, fully transferrable, usable for passenger travel, https://www.southwest.com/gift-card/); American Airlines (https://giftcards.aa.com/), United Airlines, British Airways, Air France, KLM, SAS. 

Prefer riding the rails to boarding flights? Amtrak gift cards are available in an amount up to $500 with no fees and never expire. Have it emailed or sent through the mail. Redeem for travel online, in the app, by phone or in staffed stations. (May not be used for onboard purchases) https://www.amtrak.com/giftcards

Memberships Have Benefits

Gifting a family membership into such marvelous attractions as the Long Island Children’s Museum promotes more frequent visits and access to special programs © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Gifting family memberships in a favorite museum, zoo, aquarium, preserve, historic site or attraction gives a sense of “ownership” and encourages multiple or multi-day visits as well as giving access to benefits – from special access to events and openings, discounts and promotions, magazines: American Museum of Natural History (members enjoy free admission, special access and previews of new exhibitions, and discounts on purchases with member ID; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chicago Museum of Art, any and every important museum, hall of fame, attraction, zoo such as the Wildlife Conservation Society which operates the Bronx Zoo and Brooklyn Aquarium among others (www.wcs.org).

Smithsonian Institution, not only has an excellent store and catalog of excellent expeditionary trips (Smithsonianstore.com), but I treasure the Smithsonian Magazine, which also provides membership benefits, access to gifts; subscribe to the magazine and get gift subscriptions to share with someone else, smithsonianmag.com). Similarly, National Geographic inspires to pursue your own expedition and also has links to great expeditionary gear; there is also a National Geo Kids edition, to sow the seeds for lifelong adventure. (https://ngmdomsubs.nationalgeographic.com/

Use your gift giving to support organizations like Parks & Trails NY, which each year organizes an eight-day, 400-mile Cycle the Erie supported camping/biking tour along the historic canalway which this year is marking its bicentennial, July 12 – 20 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Also check out the memberships and gift possibilities at: Sierra Club (produces an excellent catalog of trips, sierraclub.org); Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (also check out the trail shop for gear like jerseys, trail guides and such, railstotrails.org), Parks & Trails NY  (which hosts the annual Cycle the Erie 8-day, 400-mile camping/biking trip, ptny.org); Audubon Society; Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org); World Wildlife Federation (wwf.org) and Kennedy Space Center (www.kennedyspacecenter.com).

You can also gift membership in a favorite wine club. For example, a gift membership in Dry Creek Vineyard, in the charming Sonoma, California town of Healdsburg, provides insider access to limited-production wines, customizable shipments, VIP invitations to members-only events, Complimentary annual tour for member and guests, complimentary tasting for up to 6 guest,  and 20–25% savings on wine and 20% savings on merchandise (707-433-1000 ext. 123, email [email protected], drycreekvineyard.com)

A wine tasting at Dry Creek Vineyard, in the charming Sonoma, California town of Healdsburg. Consider gifting a wine membership or wine © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Another way to transport a travel experience is to arrange for wine from a winery or destination that the recipient visited or yearns to visit. Besides Dry Creek,  we have also really enjoyed the winery and the wine experience at Imagery Estate (imagerywinery.com), and  Gundlach Bundschu Winery (gunbun.com) in Sonoma, which also make it easy to gift their wine.

Travel Gear

A gift of some special gear or apparel will add to the enjoyment to an upcoming hiking, camping, biking, outdoors and adventure trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travelers also appreciate the gear, special clothing, photo equipment that a trip (expedition, voyage, journey) entails, but may feel guilty about purchasing or simply tapped out- like sunglasses, hiking poles (one of my favorite things!); hiking/skiing socks; safari hat; packing cubes; day pack; chargers; rain poncho. As they say: there is no bad weather, only bad clothes.

Our favorite go-to outfitters (especially when you catch holiday deals, sales and closeouts): REI (top trending gifts, gifts by activity or price, www.rei.com/s/gifts-for-travelers; sale items https://www.rei.com/c/travel-gear/f/scd-deals, 800-426-4840);  LL Bean, 888-610-2326, llbean.com; Sun & Ski, sunandski.com, 866-786-3869 (gift cards available); Eastern Mountain Sports, 888-463-6367, ems.com; Tennis Express (gift guide online, TennisExpress.com), Bass Pro Shops, www.basspro.com; Patagonia (Patagonia.com); Paragon Sports (paragonsports.com). And of course, luggage – one great site Luggageonline.com.

NOMATIC 20L Travel Pack is designed for shorter 1-3 day trips! It’s made with durable, water-resistant materials and YKK zippers. Starting at 20L and expanding 50% to 30L, this bag is slim but expands when you need to pack more. The patent-pending strap system allows you to go from backpack to briefcase carry for those times when you need to look more professional. The full perimeter zipper, magnetic water bottle pockets, RFID safe storage, and hidden pockets are just a few of the 20+ noteworthy features that make the Travel Pack such a functional travel pack. Retails for $299.99. Available on Amazon & ShareASale/Skimlinks

Limitless Innovations – JumpSmart – 10-In-1 Portable Vehicle Jump Starter, Flashlight, Power Bank & More  For more peace of mind when driving in winter weather, going wild camping in the desert, or going adventuring or traveling long distance at night, one item that I received that I really appreciate is the JumpSmart 10-in-1. It’s powerful enough to jump start most cars, trucks, SUV’s, boats, motorcycles, lawn mowers, and ATV’s. The flashlight/power bank has a compass and thermometer. The kit comes with smart jumper cables with mini flashlight, a carrying strap, USB wall charging adapter, USB car charging adapter, micro-USB cable, a carrying pouch and printed instructions. You can instantly jump a drained vehicle battery by clamping the Smart Jumper Cables with the mini flashlight directly onto the vehicle battery terminals. Its powerful 29600mWh (8000mAh) 4-cell, high-grade Lithium-Polymer battery is more powerful than ever before with DC 12V 200A (start) – 800A (peak). It retails for $159.99 (one year limited warranty). Available on Amazon

Some trips really benefit from a camera, long lens, or waterproof camera, like this once-in-a-lifetime bucketlist trip snorkeling in the Galapagos © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

What trip doesn’t involve photos! Go beyond the cell phone! B&H Photo consistently has best inventory, prices and holiday specials, efficient delivery, excellent customer service, delivery and return policies – think about memory cards, a point-and-shoot camera for hiking/biking; a mirrorless that packs easily but gives great quality; a long lens for that safari; a waterproof camera for that snorkeling/scuba diving trip (www.bhphotovideo.com), 800.606.6969, 212.444.6615).

Great stocking stuffers so appreciated by travelers are socks for hiking, running, endurance, skiing, biking, hunting, work and lifestyle: Bombas (get 20% off, https://bombas.com/) and Darn Tough (www.darntough.com).

A subscription to a travel magazine like Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler (holiday sale, digital for $10, print for $20 plus tote, https://www.cntraveler.com/v2/offers/cnt313, cntraveler.com), National Geographic Traveler and National Geographic are a great gift to inspire and inform; there is also a National Geo Kids edition. (https://ngmdomsubs.nationalgeographic.com/

Here’s a unique stocking stuffer: Through Dec. 23, golf clubs delivery service Ship Sticks and ski equipment delivery service ShipSkis are offering a $10 bonus for every $50 spent on gift cards, which are available in $50, $100, $250 and $500 increments. Parent company Ship&Play is offering $10, $20, $40 and $60 bonuses on $50, $100, $200 and $300 gift cards.

See also:

GIVE THE GIFT OF TRAVEL TO SPARK THAT WANDERLUST, CHECK OFF THAT BUCKET LIST, GIVES A LIFE-ENHANCING EXPERIENCE AND LIFE-LONG MEMORIES

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© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Adventure Travel, around-the-world travel, Global Scavenger Hunt, Mystery Travel

Day 1 global scavenger hunt: practice run in vancouver bc

Selfie of the Margo Polos (Karen and Margo) to prove we found the Hotel Europe, in historic Gastown, Vancouver BC. The first day of the Global Scavenger Hunt was a practice round for our 23-day around-the-world adventure (c) Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

by Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

We gather at 9 am on the first day of our 23-day Global Scavenger Hunt, a “Blind Date with the World,” where 10 teams of two people each don’t know where we are going until Bill Chalmers, the Global Scavenger Hunt Ringmaster and Chief Experience Officer, tells us. We have come to the meeting prepared for anything – a 4 hour notice to pack up to our next destination, perhaps? – and learn that we will spend the day doing a practice scavenger hunt, to level the playing field between newbies (me) and troopers/vets (one of the teams has done it 12 times). He has prepared the same kind of booklet and score sheet as we will get on arrival at every mystery destination.

We can choose the scavengers out of the selections – they each have different points . Among them are a choice of “mandatory” including at least one “experience”.  During the course of this day, we will have to complete 10 scavengers by 8 pm when we get together again. We are told this is a Par 1 in terms of difficulty, which can go as high as Par 6.

We start in search of “Affluent Alley” – after all, we are staying in Vancouver’s famous Hotel Vancouver in a toney boulevard off Robson Street where we were told you had to drive a Rolls or BMW in order to park on the street. We look at a couple of streets which are called Vancouver’s Fifth Avenue and Los Angeles’ Rodeo Drive. We are only allowed to ask locals – not the hotel concierge or any actual guide – but no one has heard of Affluent Alley – possibly because everyone we ask is either too young or a transplant. One woman at a bus stop is extremely helpful when we ask where a certain shoe store is located, and about how the bus system works. As for Affluent Alley, I suspect that it actually refers to the opposite (maybe East Hastings), or is the red-herring (and doesn’t exist at all).

But we are in search of the high-end shoe store, John Fluevog – go into several stores, finally Coach, and the salesperson directs us… We walk the several blocks to the store – unbelievably wacky, creative, magnificent (better art than the modern art I had seen at the Vancouver Art Gallery). We learn we are the 6th team to ask

Walk to Olympic cauldron, take our selfies, record the time. Pouring rain now when we walk to the bike rental shop on the list to rent bikes to ride around Stanley Park’s seawall, find the Totem Poles, stop at the Teahouse (fantastic carrot soup to restore our energy). Go to Gastown to find more scavenges (Hotel Europe, Angelo Calori built 1908-9, no longer a hotel, is “social housing,” ad haunted, looks remarkably like a smaller version of the Flat Iron Building in NYC), see the statue of Gassy Jack, the garrulous bartender that  gave Gastown its name, and, of course, the steam clock.

Scavengers give purpose to your wandering – more than that, they become a platform for a completely different perspective on a place and people. The Global Scavenger Hunt is designed to have us interact as much as possible with local people, to trust strangers, which we have been doing all day long, and finding how incredibly friendly and kind the Canadians are (even the many who have come here from all points of the globe and made Vancouver their home.

One of the scavengers is to write a haiku, and with time running out to our 8 pm deadline, I write:

What a way to see

Vancouver’s many treasures.

By bike, bus, on foot.

We gather at 8 pm, and Bill,the Ringmaster of the Global Scavenger Hunt (he also refers to as a traveling circus) tells us we are off tonight on a 2 am flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, hands us our airline info and visas, and we are off.

Skiing/Riding/Snow Destinations

Alta, Utah: If You Can See It, You Can Ski It!

We come from east and west coasts to meet up at Alta, Utah, for world-class skiing © Dave E Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

by Dave E Leiberman, Laini Miranda, Eric Leiberman, Andrew Kessel, Maya Fayfman

Travel Features Syndicate,  goingplacesfarandnear.com

Everywhere on Alta’s 2,600 skiable acres feels like we’re in a snow globe. What used to be a treeless mining town is now home to what we found to be one of the country’s most fairytale-esque, European-feeling, lovable ski mountains in the US. This weekend, our annual adventure takes our bicoastal group of millennials to the glacier-carved Colli known as “Little Cottonwood”, roughly an hour from Salt Lake City and home to Alta and Snowbird, two adjacent and amazingly complementary ski mountains. We are excited to experience Alta, a mountain that we expect will be both challenging and accessible to our group of varied skier levels.

Skiing Alta, Utah © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We are lucky to be taken around the slopes our first morning by Alta’s Andria Huskinson and Sarah McMath. Andria, who is also a veteran racer, has been skiing Alta for over 20 years and is still discovering new lines down the mountain. She and Sarah are the perfect duo to show us the ropes and give us a taste of that #AltaMagic that we heard about — a combination of Goldilocks snow (not too hard, not too soft, just the right density and feel!), sun-beamed vistas of encircling mountain faces, enchanting runs with tons of skiable chutes and side areas, and general good energy vibes from Alta’s loyal skier community (and Alta is one of the few mountains left that are skiers-only).

One of the most enjoyable parts of the morning is meandering through the trees and around the occasional mountain home (grandfathered on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest land) as we wrap down Cabin Hill, a run that we will attempt to revisit several times today and tomorrow, though we occasionally miss the entrance points. This run entails a relaxing, yet fun video-game like experience of skiing with wide spaces between trees and fast terrain that is not too steep.

While most of our group is busy exploring with Andria and Sarah, the most “rusty intermediate” in our group, Maya,  breaks away and has the chance to take a 2-hour private lesson. They start off on some easy greens so the instructor has the opportunity to see what she’s working with, while offering some simple pointers as they ski. They continue to harder and more challenging trails. While some lessons can be bagged down with frequent stops and wordy instruction, Maya really appreciates that they spend the bulk of their time skiing with occasional pointers as she goes. It isn’t until they ride the chairlift that more detailed instruction is offered, as well as some other pleasant and enjoyable “get-to-know-you” conversation. As the half-day lesson comes to a close, Maya rejoins the rest of the gang with a renewed confidence and comfort for tackling all that Alta has to offer.

Skiing Alta, Utah © Dave E Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

True to the congenial Alta way, there is also a new “Lady Shred,” a supportive lady-based ski group begun by Sarah and Andria in an effort to bring more woman power to the mountain in a sport that’s typically 11:1 male to female. The group is open to anyone who wants to join Saturdays at 1 pm and is promoted on their instagram @altahighgirls and #altaladyshred.

From there, we generally stay together while a few of us veer off into the various “choose-your-own-adventure” virgin-snow-covered side paths through the trees here and there. It’s a perfect Bluebird Day with about a foot of fresh new snow just this week, taking the mountain to a cumulative 397.5 inches already this season. As Ski Utah’s Adam Fehr points out, “high elevation, dry air, the primarily north-facing aspect, and lake-effect snowfall makes for the perfect combination”.

Skiing Alta, Utah © Laini Miranda/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We venture to Catherine’s Area along the perimeter of Supreme, the part of the mountain with views that Sarah mentioned earlier in the day made her fall in love with Alta. The hike up to Catherine’s is flanked by panoramic vistas. (Riding the Alta lifts is similarly picturesque.) There is a real backcountry feel to the mountain, though you don’t have to spend an entire morning trekking (just a bit here and there, if you want to). “If you see it, you can ski it!” Andria says.  

Gourmet sit-down lunch at Rustler Lodge affords sensational view of Alta

Our gourmet sit-down lunch at Rustler Lodge introduces us to such mouth-watering dishes as the Rustler Game Burger (half-pound blend of elk, bison and waygu), the Halibut Fish Tacos, the Thai Chicken Salad, and an incredible cup of white bean chili (making us wish we ordered a bowl). Our gloves and hats are warming by the wood fire in the middle of the restaurant, and the ambiance is somewhere between that of a rustic ski lodge, a modern New American restaurant, and an Ivy League dining hall (particularly if you get the large table that commands its own little alcove along the windows, for a more private party feel). We can see Eagle’s Nest from our window-side table, which gives us mixed feelings about indulging in such a relaxed lunch. We of course skip dessert, briefly take in the beautiful lodge, and head back out to the slopes.

More snow begins to fall in the afternoon and we lose some of the blue skies, but the strategy of gradually moving across the mountain, starting the day at Supreme and making our way East to Collins by the end of the day, seems to give us the best conditions at every point in the day. A three-minute cut across the High Traverse, with a few sidesteps “up and over” to the other side, takes us to the sheltered and snow-swamped Gunsight. This turns out to be the perfect last run of the day, the sun gleaming through and the afternoon light glittering on the very steep entrance slot. There is an intense initial drop, and then the run eases slightly and empties into “the gulley” toward the bottom. Finally, we can either take a green run home to the Transfer Tow, or cut through the trees to the left for a final bout of mogul-ey glades. The latter enables us to truly earn the après at The “Sitz” (the iconic Sitzmark Club).

Skiing into the trees at Alta © Dave E Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The vibe at Alta just feels different. People come to Alta, fall in love with it, and then don’t go anywhere else. There is a staggeringly high rate of return among guests. One place you’ll most certainly feel the warm community is at Alta’s après-ski bars, especially the cozy Sitzmark Club at Alta Lodge, where we walk in and, consumed by the aroma, instantly crave a hot whiskey cider, along with their complementary homemade hummus with chips. The place is filled with skier friends who seem like they’ve known each other since childhood, and some of them do. As we sit talking to Andria and the team, she points out some of the Alta all-stars. “That’s the guy who was basically the grandfather of ski photography.”

Apres ski at Alta © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We hang for the après ski and then the après après ski, enjoying the atmosphere, good conversation, and additional mountain trivia (e.g. Alta is one of the oldest ski mountains in the country!). Nearby, the Alta Peruvian Lodge is slightly bigger, and similarly packed to the brim with warm people. If The Peruvian’s free-reign tapas run out by the time you arrive, be sure to ask for a basket of popcorn or nuts with your cold beer. Both bars are intimate rooms with that old lodge feel and Alta memorabilia adorning the walls. There are no C-list garage bands or brand sponsorships—the sound and energy comes from old and new friends enjoying each other after their awesome day of skiing.

Despite being a world-renowned ski destination (sorry, no snowboarders or “other snow-sliding equipment” allowed), Alta feels very accessible. The lines really only pick up on weekends, but even then, move surprisingly fast. We spend much of our second day going down moderate to intense trails. Alta marks all expert terrain with a single black diamond, despite the varying levels of steepness and intensity of their diamond runs. Although Alta has a reputation as a challenging mountain, we meet many families with kids just trying on skis for their first time. The ski school at Alta is world-renowned for training all levels of skiers.

Alta Panorama © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Like the mountain, which can be graded with varying levels of challenge and adventure, the cuisine and lodging options on the mountain are similarly varied.

Our second day, we enjoy a cozy lunch at the Collins Grill, a European-style bistro grill right by the Collins and Wildcat lifts and nestled within Watson Shelter. We feast on decadent delights like bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, crab cakes, rabbit stew and lamb skewers. This hearty mountain-fare tastes all the more satisfying for two reasons. First, we’re wearing the restaurant-supplied slippers instead of our ski boots. And second, we learn that all of the ingredients in the beautifully prepared food we’re eating is sourced locally and sustainably whenever possible.

We learn from Maura Olivos, Alta’s Sustainability Coordinator, Ecologist and founder of the mountain’s Environmental Center, that locally sourced food isn’t the only environmentally conscious action Alta takes. Whether it’s planting trees, conducting research, educating the community or reporting their environmental impact, Alta has been at the forefront of conservation and sustainability for over 80 years (though the Environmental Center was officially formed in 2008). It’s the antithesis of a man-made ski resort with premeditated and manicured trails. Instead, Alta celebrates and even improves the national forest that it leases and calls home. “You ski it as the mountain was meant to be skied,” says instructor Bob who’s been teaching there for 13 years.

While the fire, espresso shots and discussion of all the ways we can be better stewards of our planet is delightfully pleasant, the clouds clear and the mountain calls.

Riding the chairlift at Alta © Dave E Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We make our way to Sunnyside to say hello to the resident porcupine, and then head up the Sugarloaf lift to hit one of the longest blue runs at Alta – The Devil’s Elbow. From there, we follow the sun and head east to Ballroom and Mambo. Ballroom is a huge highlight, offering expansive and high-up intermediate powder bowl skiing, while Mambo is a fun and fast groomer at the top of Collins that funnels into the Wildcat base area.

We enjoy every second at Alta and pack in every last run until the lifts close.

As an instructor who’s been teaching at Alta for over 13 years explains to us as we head up the lift for our last run, “At Alta, you ski as the mountain was meant to be skied”.

Indeed, we felt a certain sort-of spiritual connection to Alta. We will most certainly be back soon.

Friends come together at Alta , Utah, one of most accessible world-class ski areas in North America, just 40 minutes drive from Salt Lake International Airport..

Located just 40 minutes from the Salt Lake International Airport, Alta is one of the most accessible ski areas in North America.

Alta has a partner pass offering with the new IKON Pass and is a Mountain Collective Pass resort.

Alta Ski Area, Alta, UT 84092, 801-359-1078, www.alta.com, [email protected].

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