On Liftlines and Legacies with Mark Phillips

Spring Snow, Night Snow, and a Question of Rules

By Mark Phillips , 2-23-06

It's been several weeks since we visited Sol Vista, but Oscar and I are still talking about the trip.

Sol Vista had several family activities happening Saturday night, so we took it easy and avoided the early Saturday morning rush. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and a nice storm had passed through on Friday night. We crossed Berthoud Pass at about 11AM and found the pull-offs crowded with excited "back-country"* skiers thrilled by the conditions.

Mary Jane's parking lots were so full that attendants waved latecomers to distant overflow lots, and a large line of cars waited to turn into Winter Park's main lot. Oscar and I tried not to gloat as we sped past the crowds for the final 15 miles to Sol Vista.

Sol Vista is a modest resort which is perfectly suited for families or beginners. There are two primary lifts here, one of which serves the more advanced runs, and one of which, Quicksilver, serves the Blues and Greens. For its size, there are a surprisingly large number of options at Sol Vista. A quick scan of the trail map finds over 20 different from Quicksilver alone.

Oscar and I spent most of our time there taking the greens on skiers left. The grade of the hill was perfect; just enough pitch so that you could get some decent speed, but not so steep that you feel like you're resisting the whole time. I especially enjoyed all of the nooks in the trees I found. Most of the trails are fairly close to one another, so it's fairly easy to sneak back and forth through the trees. Lower Buckhorn and Deer Trail were particularly good for this. Deer Trail also has several small jumps which are fun to try.

If getting a feel for the air beneath your feet is worth some effort, check out the beginner's terrain park Prelude off of the Silver Creek Zephyr run! It's nice to be able to test the waters a little bit without risking your neck.

The conditions at Sol Vista were fantastic. We had one of those nice February spring snow days, with the temperature pushing 40 and the sun shining bright. As you may have noticed in my last column, I'm not a big fan of icy conditions, and they're particularly hard on new boarders. It's impossible to sink comfortably into a turn, and with everything riding on one edge, even a minor slip can leave a serious bruise. When it's warm, though, a learner can comfortably push the speed boundary and still remain confident that, when it's time to stop, the edge will hold.

At the bottom of Summit Glade, there is a roped-off hill just above the closest-in of Sol Vista's slope-side condo developments. On our first trip past it, I skirted under the rope and surfed the best 100 yards of powder I've ever seen. My son reprimanded me for breaking the rules, but happily suggested that we do it together the next time around.

To break rules or not break rules. To teach children to take measured risks or instill a respect for authority. These are questions I'm sure every parent asks. I certainly do. Whether because of fatherly carelessness or appropriate boundary-stretching, Oscar and I giggled and rode this hill several more times during the day, each time taking a fresh, untracked line. Granted, it was only 100 yards long (if that!), but we'll remember it for a long time.

I should point out here that avalanches are a serious risk when going out of bounds and, on a larger mountain, that's something I would never do myself, much less encourage my son to do. Rope-ducking at the bottom of Sol Vista, however, was nothing like that.

We rode in and out of bounds until 4 and headed to the condo for a break before night skiing began. We watched TV a bit, tried to figure out the fireplace, and then suited up for a night session. Our slop- side condo was served by a short, condo-only lift which closed at 4, so Oscar and I tested our lung-capacity and hiked the 100-or-so yards to the traverse.

Back at the base, Sol Vista had a number of games for children, some music, and, at one point, a comedian. The evening was pegged as a family night out, and, the activities seemed awfully fun for kids under eight. We decided to focus on the snow.

Three or four of the runs off of Quicksilver were lit and, since it had been so warm, the conditions were very good. (I grew up in Florida. Our youth group took ski trips to Boone, NC every winter, and we skied every minute possible, including the unbearably icy night runs.) My only complaint about the night skiing at Sol Vista is that the kitchen closed at 6:30...just before Oscar and I decided to break for dinner.

A few runs and stomach grumblings later, we decided to pack it in and get some food. Trouble is, the run which led back to our lodging was "closed". What to do? Oscar was thankfully worried (I don't want him to throw all caution to the wind...at least for a few more years!) I told him that we could skid down the run, take it slow, and since a bright moon lit the run, we would be fine. “Trust me.� He did, with a few minor complaints along the way, and we made our way home.

We rested a few times and took in the sounds of the nearby lift and of the in-bound teenagers calling down the hill to one another. The moon lit the valley and the peaks leading to Berthoud Pass and it reminded me of the times in my life when I pulled back off the path just enough to take it all in.

And there is a lesson worth teaching. If Oscar can learn that there are boundaries worth crossing, that there are safe ways to cross them, but that rule breaking only pays off when you can suck it all deep in to your lungs and file it away next to all of to all of the other enriching experiences that lie just beyond the rope, I'll be a happy dad.


*In the case of Berthoud Pass or Loveland Pass, "back country" simply means "without access to a lift"; skiers and riders often drive up to the highest point, ski or ride down between the switchbacks, and hitch a ride back up to their cars.

Trip Details
Where We Stayed:
Kicking Horse Lodges
2Bdrm Condos for $149 and up.
This unit was more than two of us needed, but would have been perfect for a family of 4-6. As I mentioned it is slope-side. Slope-sides are usually more expensive, but they're worth doing once or twice a season if you can swing it. Sol Vista has a number of different lodging options and the KH lodges look like brand new construction. They're beautiful, well appointed, and reasonably priced.

Where we ate:
We were mildly disappointed that the Sol Vista lodge kitchen closed before dinner time, and braced ourselves for a drive into Fraser. (We couldn't find pizza joints which would deliver!) Fortunately, there's a big Safeway across the hwy from Sol Vista, so we loaded up on frozen pizza and food for breakfast. If you stay at KH, make sure to pack your own food. The kitchen was gorgeous and it's nice to stay in after a day on the slopes.

Family Friendly High Points

Sol Vista is a part of the Granby Ranch development. They have a series of Nordic trails and will even arrange a snowshoe tour. Fraser, Grand Lake, and Winter Park are all close. All have plenty of dining, lodging, and activities.

Sol Vista has a number of kid-friendly programs and several more night ski events planned this season. There's even a fun sledding hill for families with non-skiers.

Good selection of ski-stay packages.
Solid beginner programs.
Reasonable Lift-Ticket Prices.
Close-in/free parking.
Nice drive from Denver.

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