Each week we talk about important travel topics to help you decide when, where, and how to explore the world in style. This month we are talking about our favorite outdoor trips that are filled with space and fresh air! And this week we share our favorite ski destinations. Listen for some major skiing inspiration! 

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Transcript:

JQ: Keep calm and ski on ski season is officially here. Travel babes and the perfect winter trip to take these days.

Juliana: This is travel babies. We’re just two sisters trying to travel the world in style, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. Each week we talk about the important travel topics to help you decide when, where and how to explore the world in style. I’m Juliana from Travel with Juliana, and I’m JQ from jqlouise.com.

Juliana: This month we’re discussing our favorite outdoor trips with covid. It’s important to stay as safe as possible while traveling. Spending time outside is a great way to get away from screens and remote work and get some fresh air. So this week we want to talk about our favorite ski trips that you should take this winter.

JQ: First up is Deer Valley.

Best Ski Trips – Deer Valley & Park City Utah

Juliana: So I know you went to Deer Valley last year. So how did you guys get there? What’s your you know, what airline did you fly and how did you actually get to Deer Valley?

JQ: So from Boston, Deer Valley is really accessible via Delta. So Delta has direct flights from Boston to Salt Lake City and then from Salt Lake City. It’s only like a 40 minute drive to the Deer Valley Park City ski area.

Juliana: Do you just take an Uber from the airport or how do you get to the ski area?

JQ: So we rented a car, but they have ubers, they have taxis. It’s it’s a winter town. So they’re used to visitors coming in.

Juliana: OK, so is this snow in Utah really as good as everyone says it is?

JQ: So, I mean, Utah is known for having the greatest snow on earth and they’re seriously not kidding. I mean, the ski resorts in Utah are known for their powder days and they seriously have some of the best ski conditions in North America.

Juliana: Yeah, I know that sounds so great, because when I you know, I’ve been skiing a couple of times this year already and last year, and sometimes I just get really scared when it’s super icy. And because I’m still new, I feel like the more powdery the better.

JQ: Exactly. And in Deer Valley, I mean, one of the other great things is that is great for all abilities. I mean, basically from any lift, there’s beginner intermediate and advanced trails from every lift.

Juliana: Right. Do you think it gets as cold there as it does here?

JQ: I really don’t think it does. I mean, I wasn’t cold at all. Like, usually I get cold towards the, you know, the end of the day. But I didn’t get cold at all. Like, we skied until four o’clock most days.

Juliana: Oh, wow. Yeah, I know. I feel like here I get cold by like two and then I just need to go inside.

JQ: Me too.

Juliana: And then what about the dining there? I know that they have some really great cafes.

JQ: I mean the food especially I mean at both mountains, Deer Valley and Park City, they both have amazing food. I mean but at Deer Valley we loved Royal Street Cafe. They just have some great sandwiches and amazing things for lunch and for dinner. I mean, this is a classic. It’s Mariposa. It’s one of the most well-known restaurants in the mountain. You just have to treat yourselves to a nice dinner after a long day of skiing.

Juliana: Yeah, I know. I’m looking at your pictures on the blog here and it looks so good. Perfect for like after ski food, you just need carbs and meat and everything to replenish. So I also heard that they do ski butler. So what exactly is that?

JQ: So Ski Butler is available at a lot of mountains now, but in Deer Valley we this was the first time we got to try them and it was awesome because it’s a door to door service. So basically the team comes to your hotel room and brings some ski options and boot options that we you try everything on. Right. In the privacy of your own room.

Juliana: Oh, that’s so nice too. I know, because sometimes I’m like when I’m renting skis, I get stressed out about, like, putting on the boots, making sure they fit when you’re in the rental shop. So it’s really nice to have someone, you know, really cater to your needs.

JQ: Exactly. Yeah. No stress, no lines to wait in. It was such a treat.

Juliana: And then I mean in general Deer Valley just seems like so charming and so pretty like just the whole resort and everything. Obviously the mountains I’m sure there’s gorgeous views. But what’s kind of like your favorite part of Deer Valley?

JQ: Well, we got to state the Goldener Hirsch in and this was a super classic in. It looked just like, you know, something you find in the Alps. I mean, just really gave it that Alpine charm. So we loved it.

Juliana: Yeah, it sounds amazing.

JQ: So, I mean, just to sum up, I mean, Deer Valley, it’s great for families. It’s great for people with, you know, of any ski ability. And it’s just a lot of fun because they actually have plenty of snow, which is sometimes a challenge for resorts here in the Northeast. OK, so let’s move on to a New England mountain. So, Juliana, I know you went to Sunday River last year and you actually just got back from a trip there. Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

Best New England Ski Trips – Sunday River

Juliana: Yeah, I love Sunday River. I would say Sunday Rivers. The first place I really started to think that skiing is fun because, you know, I’m still a pretty nervous skier. But I think after taking lessons there and just skiing, there are a couple of times, you know, I really feel like the whole family environment and just the fact that everybody there really loves skiing and they just want everyone else to love it as much as them, especially the instructors. So I you know, I definitely want to try and go back again this season.

JQ: So how far is it from Boston?

Juliana: So it’s about a three and a half hour drive from. Boston, it’s in new remain, so it definitely makes for a great weekend trip, if you can leave, you know, like on a Friday night ski Saturday and Sunday and come back Sunday night, it’s a pretty easy drive. It’s beautiful. You know, you can stop in Portland on the way up or the way down, and you really get that Maine feeling when you when you’re going there. Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

JQ: I love that. I mean, it’s such a nice drive. And that’s kind of that’s half the fun, because in New England, you always have to drive to get to a ski mountain. So, you know, it’s even better when the drive is beautiful.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. And I mean, we love Maine. We love stopping in Portland. There’s so many great restaurants now with covid, you know, definitely check to make sure what all of the precautions are that you need to take what restaurants are open and what restaurants are doing, you know, curbside pickup only. So those are just some of the things to keep in mind now with covid.

JQ: Exactly. So now you are a newer skier. So I know you’ve been taking a lot of lessons. So what did you think of the ski school at Sun River?

Juliana: It was great. I mean, so Sunny River, they’re offering group lessons still and they’re doing private. And I took a couple of group lessons when I was there and they were just great. I mean, the groups aren’t too big because they do have a capacity. So you’re never going to be like in a huge group of people with covid, you know, they’re trying to stay safe, but it’s really affordable. And you it’s an hour and a half lesson. And I feel like each instructor has been teaching there for like 30 years. Every time I’ve had an instructor there, they’re like, oh, this is my 30th anniversary here. And, you know, they’re just like amazing pro skiers. So they really cater to each person. Even when you’re doing group lesson, they really focus on all of the kind of like anatomy of skiing and what makes it easy so that when you’re skiing and when you’re actually on the slope, you just think about all of the way the body works. And so you’re not scared because you’re like, OK, if I do this, my body is going to do this. So I think that they really take a great approach to skiing.

JQ: That’s great. So where did you guys stay when you visited this past this past month?

Juliana: So we see it at the Grand Summit Hotel, which is gorgeous. It’s right. You know, right on the mountain. You can if you’re a good skier, which I wasn’t able to do at this time, you can actually ski down from grand summit in the morning and then take the lift back up all the way up the mountain. So the grand summit is kind of like midway through the mountain. So you park there, you just grab your skis, you can ski down and take the lift all the way back up and ski down again and be in the main part of the lift.

JQ: oh so it is ski in ski out?

Juliana: Exactly. Yeah, I didn’t do it because I was too scared, but I think it’s like a blue slope that you ski down and then you would take a look back up.

JQ: Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do it next time. Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

Juliana: I hope so. You know, the Grand Canyon Hotel is great. I mean, they have a huge pool. Actually, this is probably one of my favorite parts. They have a huge pool that you just swim into it and then there’s a you know, it’s cold, it’s a heated pool, but it still feels cold even when you’re outside because it’s not covered. But then you go and sit in the hot tub for a little bit. And it was just amazing to sit in there after a long day of skiing. And then you swim back into the pool and then you go right up back into the hotel from the pool. So they have like little drapes over the pool.

JQ: Oh, it’s like an indoor outdoor pool.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. Oh. So that was definitely like a really cool. And I was worried they wouldn’t have it open during covid, but they do. So they just have you just have to reserve and put your name down to make sure they have space for you when you want to go.

JQ: That’s great. Yeah. You know, what are there covid procedures like. Is everything contactless? What’s the process there.

Juliana: Yeah. So everything is pretty much contactless. I mean, from even just reserving, you know, the hotel to getting your lift ticket. Everything is pretty safe. I mean and mean, you know, they do require you to get a covered test so definitely get tested. I think it’s 72 hours before. But check online to make sure that you’re, you know, the exact precautions. So, you know, you get your lift ticket. It’s one of those card that you just beep through when you go in the lifts, you don’t have to touch anything. And on the lift, you do either go by yourself or you go with your party if you’re there. You know, I was skiing part of it partially by myself because Pierre-Luc was skiing the harder slopes. But so I would just go on the live by myself and, you know, you have to wear a mask at all times and it’s pretty cold there. So you’re going to want to wear a ski mask anyway. And then they do have an indoor seating area, which you just need to keep your mask on unless you’re seated and you’re eating or drinking. So I think they’re taking all the precautions they can just help keep everybody safe. That’s great.

JQ: All right. Well, everyone, we definitely recommend checking out Sunday River.

Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

Best Switzerland Ski Trips – St. Moritz

Juliana: Yeah, absolutely. So now let’s move on to St. Moritz.

JQ: So St. Moritz is probably my all time favorite skiing location that I’ve been to so far. We loved it. I mean, I can’t wait to go back. We were supposed to go to St. Moritz last year is one of the first trips that got canceled due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to go this season, but I’m hoping next season we’ll finally get to go back. So. I mean, it’s just a breath of fresh air if you’re an East Coast skier, I mean, let’s just look at all the reasons why. So number one is just the amazing weather.

Juliana: Yeah. I mean, how do you think it differs from, like, New England weather? Like, is it just a lot warmer or what’s the main difference?

JQ: Well, St. Moritz sees over 300 days of sunshine per year. So even though they have a cold winter, just like we have in New England, they have a very sunny winter.

Juliana: Right. And that’s just the best when you’re skiing because you have like the most gorgeous view when you’re skiing, but you’re still like, you know, it’s still cool and wintery. It just seems like the perfect, you know, winter wonderland setting.

JQ: Yeah. And also just the fact that they’re such a high alpine resort like their elevation is over 10000 feet. So they received so much snow, like they received over a hundred and thirty eight inches of snow on average per year.

Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

Juliana: I know that’s insane. So do you think it’s like really that powdery fluffy snow or because it’s so warm so it’s not going to ever really freeze and get, like, icy?

JQ: No, I mean, I didn’t see any ice when we were there. We loved it. Like, it was just perfect for me. I mean, you know, also for me, like I would say, I’m an advanced skier, but I’m not an expert. I don’t do double black diamond like I do just up to single blacks. And for me, everything was so easy, like it felt, , so nice because the conditions were so good. I was never worried about ice. I was just having fun the whole time.

Juliana: Yeah, that sounds so amazing. And then I know that they have like a really luxurious setting to ski in. So what was the one of your favorite places that you stayed?

JQ: So I mean, St. Moritz definitely has like a certain cachet. I mean, it’s kind of like the wintertime Riviera.

Juliana: Yeah. Like French version of the Riviera.

Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

JQ: Yeah. I mean, it’s like the Swiss version of the Riviera. Right. So, I mean, everything is super high end. I mean, there’s so many glamorous palace hotels that you can stay in. And we stayed in Subrata House and Padgett’s Palace and both of them I would go back to in a heartbeat.

Juliana: Yeah. And I feel like this is one of the things I just love about Europe is the fact that, I mean, I’ve never been skiing in Europe yet, but I think anywhere you go, you can have these, like, amazing castles that you’re basically staying in and they’re just like on top of a ski resort. It’s like just the most amazing setting, I feel like in the Northeast, you know, for skiing in the U.S. in general, you have more of a cabin feel, which is just a different type of ski feeling. So I think that’s one really special thing about skiing in St. Moritz.

JQ: I totally agree. I mean, this is just like, you know, this is the birthplace of skiing. I mean, this is where, you know, the word alpine comes from. So I think for anyone who loves skiing, you have to head to the Swiss Alps. I mean, it’s just you’ll have a blast. It’s definitely a treat yourself vacation. But surprisingly, it’s actually not that expensive. I mean, lift tickets are only about thirty dollars per day.

Juliana: Oh, wow. That’s so cheap.

JQ: So, you know, even though you may spend a little extra on your hotel, I mean, you’ll save money compared to what you spend to lift tickets.

Juliana: Exactly. I know it’s so expensive here sometimes. So let’s talk about the food. I know you said before it, like in Europe, the food is just so good at skiing. Talk about some of that.

JQ: So we loved the food while we were skiing in St. Moritz. I mean, the food on the mountain was amazing. I mean, it was a lot of traditional Swiss mountain food, you know, potatoes and cheese and things like that. But also St. Moritz is definitely a fine dining destination. So there’s so many, you know, top notch restaurants that you can visit in. A lot of those are within these amazing hotels. So, you know, there’s Michelin starred restaurants right inside your hotels in in most of these.

Juliana: So that’s crazy.

JQ: There’s tons of great dining. And at all levels, too. I mean, there’s tons of casual dining. That’s amazing. I mean, just everything is top notch. They take it really seriously. Yeah.

Juliana: And what about I know this Lawrence is also known for curling. So did you guys do that when you were there?

JQ: We did. So this was a little surprise. Like, I didn’t really think about this before we went, but when we got to the hotel, we saw a sign that said free curling lessons. So we signed up.

Juliana: Oh, wow, that’s so cool. I know. I’m looking at pictures of your blog here, and it looks just so much fun. Like what exactly is it like? I know I did one non ice curling lesson here in the seaport at one point, but is it really hard on the ice?

Keep listening for more of the best ski trips to take this winter.

JQ: It’s super technical, but if you have a great instructor where they show you, you know, they show you the ropes, it’s easy to kind of get up to speed. Obviously, it would take a long time to become an expert at it. But St. Moritz was home to the Winter Olympics twice. So that’s why they’re known for some of these other winter sports besides skiing.

Juliana: Oh, gotcha, so it’s. Really, just like a Swiss thing,

JQ: You know, they have an amazing outdoor rink and they have this amazing curling pro who’s there to teach you, and you can take either private or semi private lessons. And it’s just something else to kind of add to your trip.

Juliana: Yeah, that sounds so much fun, especially if you need a break from skiing.

JQ: Exactly. Yeah, I know. It’s good to do on your off day like in the middle of your trip.

Juliana: Yeah, exactly. And then I know that the ski culture there must just be so, you know, so original and like do you think it’s different from here?

JQ: So I mean I think like any good ski mountain, I mean everyone is just super positive, really loving their time on the mountain. Everyone’s really friendly. I think it’s a you know, it’s a nice environment because, again, there are slopes for any level of skier. I mean, St. Moritz has crazy off piste skiing where you can get all these, you know, very advanced areas. Yeah. And you can even take a helicopter to the top of the mountain to try the most difficult.

Juliana: Oh, my gosh.

JQ: Yeah. So we didn’t do that. But even, you know, if you’re a resort skier, there’s so many amazing fun, long runs and we just loved it. Yeah, that sounds amazing. I definitely want to go there.

Keep listening for more ideas on ski trips to take this winter!

Skiing at Loon Mountain

Juliana: OK, so let’s move on to another resort around here in New Hampshire. Is Loon Mountain.

JQ: OK, great. Yeah. I can’t wait to talk about Loon because I know you actually just got back from there too.

Juliana: Yeah, I’ve loved it. I mean, honestly, from Boston, it’s just about a two hour drive, so it’s great if you just want to even go for a day. You know, it’s not that much driving in one day. And so it’s really accessible also to all different types of skiers like me. They had some really, really easy Green slopes, which made me feel confident and more comfortable.

And then they had, you know, double black diamonds, which, you know, for any advanced skier. So they definitely cater to all types of skiers. And I think they’re also taking a lot of necessary, you know, covid procedures. So there’s no indoor seating. So definitely be prepared to eat outside and like get you know, if you’re cold, bring hand warmers. And they’re just definitely taking all the necessary precautions.

JQ: That’s great. I know all of these resorts are doing all that they can to keep everyone safe and happy so that we can all have a great time as well as being considerate of the situation. So we hope you enjoyed our recommendations for ski trips you should take this winter, but catch us next week for some warm weather trip ideas. Thanks, Juliana.

Juliana: Thanks, JQ.

Hope you enjoyed listening to the best ski trips to take this winter.