It was a great trip and our only regret was the lack of new snow, everything else was great. I am sure we will do something similar in the future maybe the Southern Rockies, Canada or the Pacific Northwest. Here are a some observations, recommendations and tips.
Best of:
Best Large Hotel - St. Regis Deer Valley
Boutique Hotel - Knob Hill Inn Sun Valley, Honorable mention Rusty Parrot Jackson Hole
Best Bed - Rusty Parrot, it was so comfortable
Best Breakfast - Rusty Parrot
Best Hot Tub- Summit Hotel in Big Sky has a pool that is a hot tub located adjacent the ski slope
Best On Mountain Dinner - Everett's 8800 at Big Sky accessible by ski lift
Best Cabin Dinner - Trail Creek at Sun Valley
Best Mountain - Jackson Hole
Most Crowded - Steamboat Springs as we were there on President's Day
Least Crowded - Yellow Stone Club, averages 175 people per day
Best Geyser - Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park
Best Wildlife - At Grand Teton National Park
Best Cruiser Runs - Sun Valley Warm
Steepest Runs - Jackson Hole
Best Bar - Mangy Moose Jackson Hole
Most Upscale Vibe - Sun Valley
Best Thrift Shop - Gold Mine Thrift Shop in Ketchem
Best Tram - Snowbird
Most Iconic Ski Resort - Tie Sun Valley and Alta
Oldest Demographic Skiers - Sun Valley
Fastest Lifts - Deer Valley, all high speed except for 2
Most Comfortable - Yellowstone Club with bubbles
Best Gondola - Jackson Hole, longest
Best Chairlift - Challenger at Sun Valley 2,850 vertical
Most Amazing Resort - Yellowstone Club
Best Ski Day - Jackson Hole with Tommy Moe, Honorable Mention Yellowstone with Hank Kashiwa
Most Scenic Drive - tie for the a) 40 miles directly south of Big Sky and b) the 50 miles South of Jackson
Best Canyon Drive - Glenwood Canyon near Glenwood Springs Colorado, second Hoback River Canyon south of Jackson
Best Dinner - St. Regis J&G Grill Wine Vault with Caymus Vintner
Best Mountain View Dining - Summit at Snowbird
Best Lunch - Rainbow Lodge at Yellowstone Club
Best Photo Ops - Grand Teton Nat. Park with Brad Schwarm of Alpenglow
Favorite Adaptive Ski Programs Visited - National Ability Center, STARS, Eagle Mont
Best On Mountain Cabin - Yellowstone Sugar Shack
Best Runs - Beatlemania YC, Warm Springs SV, Paint Brush JH
Best Wine - Lail 2010 John Daniel Cabernet Sauvignon
Best Internet Service - Holiday Inn West Yellowstone
Most Common Response about our trip - "Can I go with you"
Best Charity Event - NAC Red White and Snow
Best Business Event - Cushman & Wakefield Capital Markets Summit
Takeways
2000 miles, 19.5 MPG, 5 states, no car issues, $1.79/g average gas
Hotels - $125-$325, not counting the St Regis
14 ski days, 9 ski resorts, 50+ friends, 100 new friends and many experiences
Mountain Collective pass averaged $50 per day, no lift discounts at Big Sky or Steamboat
Only bummers - my cousin's wife Jen broke her shoulder and we would have like more powder
Surprises - much warmer and less new snow than planned but plenty of base snow
The natural beauty of the Northern Rockies was spectacular, See the USA
Driving was easy if you have good weather, a good vehicle and keep it to 6 hours a day every few days
Learning to blog and video interview was not too hard but it does take time and planning
It was great to see friends but also our 2 sons, cousin and wife and former college roommate
We had time for skiing, sightseeing, as well as philanthropy and business
Our auto packing system worked great- skis inside car and clothing bar across the second row passenger seats
We enjoyed several hotel room with wood burning fireplaces
People were very friendly everywhere.
We noticed that previously the we flew to ski areas we missed much of the natural beauty that you can only see by driving
It was interesting to compare resorts one after the other under the same conditions rather that years apart.
Recommendations
Plan ahead, make hotel reservations in advance, otherwise you risk being in less quality lodging
We also made most of our dinner reservations in advance if you want to go to better places
Have a good SUV with good winter tires
Bring a wide variety of clothes and skis for all conditions, we brought 3 pairs of skis each
Every hotel has internet so you are not off the grid unless you want to be
Photo Tips
Taking ski videos on the iPhone worked well as long as it was sunny
For interviews we used a directional microphone that attaches to the iPhone
Use the mic windscreen if you are outdoors, we learned the hard way on this
Use a pocket camera also, it is much faster to use than an iPhone and better in low light and with flash
While driving have your DSLR camera with telephoto zoom lens ready for wildlife shots
We used 3 cameras, nikon DSLR, canon pocket camera and iPhone
Blog
We had never blogged before. It actually was pretty easy and fun. It gives you a record of your trip and friends seemed to like it. We used the "Blogger" online software. I suggest practicing in advance before you go on the trip. Transferring photos and videos took a little bit to figure our but then it is pretty easy. I uploaded all video to You tube then used a link in Blogger to show it. The photos generally can be uploaded direct from you phone or camera or connected with an SD card. to laptop or I pad. I would recommend having a laptop but an iPad or similar will do. Try to create the blog posts within 24 hours so you do not forget the details. We also used a journal/logbook to record mileage, weather conditions and other notes.
It was a great trip and we suggest other give it a try!
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