I have a dream. It starts like this...I'm on a ski vacation and I wake up to a foot of fresh snow. I ease out of the condo early as the family still sleeps. As I wait for the lifts to start, I'm practically first on the line, just a family ahead of me. The lift finally opens and up we go. Untouched powder everywhere. I scoot off the lower lift and arrive at the base of the next lift that takes me to the good stuff...except it's closed! It must be, there's no one anywhere. I finally spy a lone lift operator and ask "are you open?" and he looks at the clock and replies "yes".
Riding up the lift there's still no one around in my dream. It's just me and wide open bowls and foot of fresh snow. As I finally ski down under the lift, I hear another soul, whooping and hollering for me and my bliss...And then I wake up. Except I don't wake up, I'm not actually dreaming. I get back on the lift and take another run, just as amazing as the first. And then another and by the 4th I'm getting bit tired and ready to meet up with my family to enjoy the rest of the day. This was my first ever experience at Solitude Mountain Resort. 
I'd heard of Solitude Mountain Resort for years, but always passed it up in favor of its "grander" neighbors like Snowbird and Park City. And you know what? So does just about everyone else. How else would I have hundreds of acres all to myself? The resort was purchased by the owners of Deer Valley Resort a year or so ago, and we were invited to visit. Some locals feared the aura would be lost, but from our experience, they can relax.
The resort sits just 30 miles from Salt Lake City Airport and is easily accessible. Yet still maintains a small town family appeal. The base village is a collection of convenient condos and lodges and an Inn, it doesn't sprawl, it nestles, and invites you to settle in. We stayed in one of the resorts comfortable condos and enjoyed the homey experience. As family travelers, I love bunkbeds for the kids. There's something about them that screams togetherness to me, so I was pleased to see them in our unit and the kids enjoyed them as always.
After my dreamy powder runs I met up with family at the Stone Haus Pizzeria and Ice Cream shop. They have a great breakfast as well. Skiing as a family is what it's all about and Solitude offered a great day, we enjoyed the many blue runs off the Eagle and Moonbeam Express lifts. The mountain is just the right size that it feels totally comfortable to let the kids off on their own and know you'll be able to meet up easily later.
After a day on the slopes, we recommend the Honeycomb Grill. We were treated to some delicious appetizers, including the flatbread! For entries, the choices range from trout to elk loin and more. Another option is St. Bernards at the Inn at Solitude, it's buffet style is a nice change pace.
The beauty of Solitude isn't in being alone. It's sharing the solitude with your family and with other families and "laid-back" skiers who don't buy into the whole "bigger is better" thing. If your dream is a fresh powder day, or a family trip that everyone enjoys, you can have it all at Solitude.
