Salt Lake Safari Trip Report
By: Jim Smithberger

In early February, twelve hardy adventurers set out from distant locations around the country and met in Salt Lake City to undertake a Snowshark Adventure----A Ski Safari.

We got together that evening over pizza and refreshments to plan our strategy and it was agreed that we would travel to four different resorts and ski each day till our legs wouldn’t hold us any more!!

The first morning we set out from our luxurious accommodations in our somewhat cramped but worthy SUV’s for our first day’s adventure—Alta Ski Area. Then we faced our first obstacle-----the road to Alta was closed!!! Seems they had so much snow a day earlier that they needed to do some avalanche avoidance work on the road.

But that was only a temporary setback as the road was opened by 9:00am and we were on our way up the mountain to meet our guides (who it turned out were stuck in the same traffic jam we were!!).

But once we got to Alta, got our passes and met our guides, the day was terrific. Alta had over 470 inches of snow and approximately 14 inches had fallen the day before. So our first day on the mountain we were treated to some fine powder skiing!

Our guides, Kathy and Julia, showed us around the mountain all morning. Then left us to fend for ourselves just before lunch. We spent the rest of the day skiing on our own and had a great time!

Back at the hotel it was the hot tub for most, then a trip to a nearby restaurant, the Midvale Mining Co. for their prime rib special (I can’t believe Terry ate the whole thing!).

The next morning we were up early and on our way to Brighton Ski Resort for another fine day of skiing. There we were met by Steve and Udo, our guides for the morning. These two gentlemen were not only terrific guides, they were also funny and charming. Udo, who was older than the mountain, was a great skier and one of Brighton’s original employees (he’s been there over 40 years)!! So, we not only saw the mountain from their perspective, but got some great stories about its history as well.

After a full day of skiing we piled back into our SUV’s and set off for a cross country trip to the Homestead Crater. The Crater is an underground hot spring which maintains a constant 96 degrees. After checking in and changing (that’s a whole story in itself), we had a nice hot soak in the spring while the scuba divers beneath us (it’s 65 ft. deep) tickled us with their bubbles.

Once we were all dressed it was off to the Homestead Restaurant for a delightful dinner (thanks to Mason for arranging this excursion for us— when you see him, ask him about his bathing suit!!).

Our third day of skiing was spent at Solitude Resort. Here again we were shown the mountain by a delightful guide named Gaylis. Solitude is known for it’s steep blue runs and it’s groomed blacks, and we took full advantage of all their runs, ending the day with rubber legs in need of the hot tub.

Our fourth day of skiing started with a mutiny in the ranks!! We were supposed to go to Snowbird, but after looking at the Trail Map and seeing all the black runs and green “cat tracks” most of the group declined to make the trek to Snowbird and opted to head for Brighton again. So in a spirit of unity, we all agreed to head back to Brighton, where we again ran into Steve and his fellow guide Mike, who showed most of the group around the mountain again. Only this time they took the group to the Millicent lift, whose blue and black runs proved a little difficult for Jeff (his ski made it down the mountain, but he wasn’t with it!!).

All in all, it was a great day of skiing for our final outing of the trip.

That evening we all departed on the light rail (TRAX) for downtown Salt Lake and a delightful Mexican

Utah Ski Safari
by Pat Sciarappa

On February 7 the group departed for Salt Lake,
Several different routes people did take.
A slight delay for cars from Avis,
But drivers Jim and Mason to Best Western did take us.

Day one of our safari was skiing at Alta,
We had some wind, but we did not falter.
Everyone developed ski legs as needed
To keep us going, but caution was heeded.

Next we moved on to Brighton day two,
Udo and Steve our guides were quite a duo.
From the beginning of time Udo worked there,
So there were no areas he did not share.

We finished skiing, but we were not through,
At Homestead Crater we were quite a view.
The dressing rooms were cold and not what we expected,
But two at a time were readily accepted.

We did have one glitch in the plan,
As Mason for a bathing suit took off and ran.
We soaked the crater and went to eat,
Arriving home safely, but somewhat beat.

Solitude was our third day to ski,
Jeff was improving as we all could see.
Debra stayed back to rest for the day,
While the rest of us continued to play.

Ed, Hal, and Mel are our ski idols you know,
Skiing hard and well, keeping in the flow.
We youngsters hope our future beholds,
The same ability to go, go, go!

We realized we had no whiners about,
Thought we should appoint one, on account.
Terry, maybe, could give us humor in the role,
But on the last day we may have given him reason to moan.

Snowbird was the last stop on the tour,
But trail maps showed black runs galore.
A consensus meeting was held for changing destinations,
We decided on Brighton to complete our vacation.

Brighton was the right choice for the day,
I do think the whole group would say.
Bert and Terry found Millicent slopes early morn,
That satisfied their need to barrel on.

Steve and Michael, guides, joined us again,
For Bill and Julie, the perfect end.
Jeff, however, gave us the final laugh,
Sending his ski ahead with no body attached.

So here we are at another big dinner,
Sharing our stories, but not getting thinner.
Whoa! What’s that I see?
The crash of a painting, where Terry used to be.

It’s been a great trip, enjoyed all of you,
But let’s take time to thank the critical few.
Our fearless leaders and drivers all week,
Jim and Mason, no better we seek.

Keeping us on time and equipped each day,
So join me in giving them a Hip, Hip, Hooray!