World Traveller 73 
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
Activity: Skiing at The Canyons, Park City, Utah, United States
MrsWT73 slept in and took a day off from the hill. I headed up early and headed straight over to the Canyons for a fast day of skiing. The weather was a little greyer today and speedster skiing was in order being a Monday with less weekender crowds on the hill.
Despite the greyer weather, it was still a gorgeous day and I got my exercise.
At the end of the day, I checked the run tracker through the Vail Resorts App. I managed 40,750 vertical and 28 lifts. A personal best!! I was exhausted at end of the day.
After the day, I met up with MrsWT73 who had spent the afternoon clearing work emails. We managed a drive into the historic town and went out to Tiklea Mexican Restaurant for some tacos and great house made guacamole. One of the great things about visiting the United States is the fact that you can get terrific Mexican restaurants unlike anywhere else in the world; except for maybe Mexico.
We went out afterward to the No Name Saloon, a famous Park City establishment with lots of junk on the walls like at Applebees. It was a great way to end the day.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
Activity: Skiing at Park City Resort, Park City, Utah, United States.
One of the advantages of large corporations is that they can leverage resources. Ever since Vail Resorts purchased our local home ski hill of Whistler Blackcomb, they have added the ability to use ski passes interchangeably throughout the world. This has worked out quite well for us, and Vail Resorts gets more dollars through their network of resorts.
We took the hotel shuttle over to Park City resort. Park City Resort was the home of the alpine downhill for the Winter Olympics in 2002 and the home ski hill of the US Ski Team. It was a beautiful day on the hill. Some snaps courtesy of the iPhone…
There were beautiful views from the top. The birch trees made for a different view than our usual coniferous fir trees back in the Pacific Northwest. We spent the day exploring the mountain. We also located some signs that are perfect for those in executive work positions (laughing).
Shortly after lunch, we ended up in at Mid Mountain Public House for lunch. For those not familiar with Utah’s eccentric liquor laws, there is a major challenge in finding anything other than weak beer. Today’s experience meant that we had to locate the correct side of the deck, that didn’t allow under 21’s, and find the correct gate to get in. The strange liquor laws didn’t seem to stop the fellow skiers on the deck.
We headed down for the day. I dropped MrsWT73 off at the bottom, where she hung out while I had a few more runs on PayDay. It was Power Hour as they say; one hour until lift closing.
Someone was beat!!
In summary, a great first day on the hill. We ended up at Wastach Brewing on Main Street in historic Park City for dinner. It was Saturday night and the town was packed. Wasatch Brewing was otherwise a great choice for an after skiing casual dinner, along with great brews.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
Review: Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, United States
Booking the Hotel:
Looking at hotel options for this particular stay, Marriott had a lot of Vacation Club properties in town. Although they were available for public paid rates, I couldn’t find any reward point opportunities. I saw the St Regis and skipped over it for what was supposed to be a father / son holiday. That left a rather bland and dated looking Marriott property, or the Hotel Park City. I ended up with the Hotel Park City. With paid rates at about $650 USD per night, spending 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points as a category 6 hotel (with the 5th night free) was a much better deal. A $20 a day resort fee was also added to the bill that was payable to the hotel directly.
Arriving to the Hotel:
On arrival at the hotel, we self parked the car and checked in. We were thanked for being a platinum member and we selected breakfast as welcome amenity. I am happy to report that despite past reports on Trip Advisor of breakfast being limited to a continental breakfast, it is now the full buffet breakfast on offer and not a short changed continental only version. The lobby is a grand space and was a nice place to arrive to after a day of skiing.
The Room: An Executive Suite
After getting our key, we self led to room #224 which was an Executive Suite. We didn’t get an upgrade but it was the middle of spring break and there are lots of people here, including full occupancy some nights.
Room had a bit of. Musty odor to it – solved by opening the large patio doors every day. The smell wasn’t so bad that we had to complain or change rooms.
The Executive Suite had a separate seating area in a sunken living room. It had a gas fireplace and the usual flat screen tv for comfortable viewing.
The suite sitting area and bed area was separated by a desk and television.
The suite was well equipped with dishwasher, mini fridge, hot plate, microwave, bose stereo, two flat screen televisions.
There was a large bathroom styled like every other resort Marriott in the USA, with a super strong rain shower. The toiletries weren’t anything to write home about, even though they were branded with the hotel spa.
The Views: Stellar Mountain Ranges
There was a small deck outside, with terrific west facing views into the sun overlooking the wintery golf course. There was also a peek – a – boo view of Payday on Park City Mountain.
Yeah – this will work for a winter view!!
Around the Resort: Swim Pools and Hot Tubs
The hotel also had lovely swim pools and a large hot tub. The hot tub was great after a day on the slopes.
The room had details on the ski resort shuttle busses. Unfortunately, the hotel is not ski in – ski out and the shuttle only runs a few times a day. You could always take the local city bus, but you might as well use the features of your “resort fee”.
Food and Beverage, including a Platinum Breakfast:
Breakfast was offered in the attached Ruth’s Chris’ Steak House. The breakfast buffet changed over every few days but got to be a bit repetitive after a 5 day stay. Otherwise, I was really happy that it was included and there were lots to eat on offer. Platinum Breakfast description and menu is shown below…
The Bottom Line:
The Hotel Park City was a comfortable place to stay in Park City. The rooms was comfortable, the views were terrific and the platinum breakfast was more than acceptable. The only minus of the property was that it was not a true – ski in – ski out property, meaning you had to rely on shuttles to get to and from the ski hill. Otherwise, I was more than satisfied with the stay here, and would easily return the next time I was in town.
Hotel Details:
Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection
2001 Park Ave, Park City, UT 84060
P.O. Box 683120 Park City, UT 84068
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
Review: Alaska Airlines Premium Class, Boeing 737-800, Seattle – Salt Lake City
I had splurged for Premium Class seating for this leg. It was the start to any wonderful holiday. Despite this, Premium Class isn’t all to premium. It’s still the same economy seat with slightly more leg room.
We wandered over to the recently expanded N gates where the new flagship Alaska Lounge is under construction. As usual at SeaTac, there was a bit of a crowd around Gate N16 while we waited to board.
Alaska Airlines
AS 710 Premium Class (L)
SEA – SLC (Seattle Tacoma International Airport – Salt Lake City International Airport)
March 16, 2019
9:35 AM – 12:35 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-8
Flown: Boeing 737-8
On board, a slightly larger seat, but nothing all too exciting.
As always, there were nice views leaving seattle with the waterways all throughout the city.
While we were underway, the crew offered the usual Premium Class snack. Alaska offers a free alcoholic beverage along with designer chocolate and mixed nuts.
There were beautiful mountains on the short approach into Salt Lake and I had forgotten how pleasant the scenery was in this particular corner of the United States.
We landed were out into the Salt Lake City airport quite quickly. The baggage claim was full of school groups in uniform headed various places.
It was a quick walk up to the Hertz Ultimate Choice Aisle where we were able to pick out a large Nissan Altima with a massive trunk that was able to accommodate over size bags.
One of the best parts of Park City is that it’s remarkably close to the airport. It was a short transfer up to park city. It was less than 40 minutes on the highway on great highway infrastructure left over from the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics of 2002.
We stopped in at Whole Foods and located the liquor store to stock up our hotel for the week, quickly finding the hotel afterwards.
The Bottom Line: Alaska Airlines Premium Class
In summary, a reasonable short flight but I’d probably skip the premium class next time for something so short in duration.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
Review: The Club at SEA Lounge, Concourse A, Sea-Tac Airport, United States
We had a 2 hour and 40 minute connection in Seattle. As it was breakfast hour, we headed over to Floret Vegetarian restaurant whom had the briefest introduction to Priority Pass, lasting only about two weeks. After they had joined they then decided to withdraw or pause from their participation in the program. They had a sign up indicating not accepting priority pass at the reception. After we had booked this ticket, American Express Centurion also decided to close their lounge for light renovations for a short while. We headed over there to see whether it had been re-opened 6 days after the closure but it was all locked up and dark with not much happening.
We ended up taking breakfast at Wolfgang Puck at the cafeteria restaurant in the B gates area. A smoked Ham and cheese sandwich for me and an Mediterranean egg white omelette for mrswt73.
We ended up trekking the very long distance all the way to the N Concourse to the Club at Sea. My gosh – it’s quite the trek…
Just on arrival, there was a DYKWIA wearing a Netjets black sweater outside talking on his cell phone about how upset at American Express was that there were no lounge for Amex cardholders. I suspect he was a re-positioning pilot.
Accessing the Lounge:
At the reception to the Club at SEA, a friendly host checked our priority pass membership and we were admitted.
Inside The Club at SEA:
The lounge was quite busy for being in the middle of nowhere. The seating areas were split into 3 places:
The area by the main reception,
Area by the back windows with a view of the Seattle Tramway
Business area behind a wall (not pictured)
There were small snacks available but I was happy that I had gotten breakfast earlier. I would have starved if I had relied solely on what was offered.
My Thoughts on The Club at SEA:
All in all, an okay place to visit if you happen to have 3 hours to spare… although I wouldn’t make a trip all the way out to high society here just for a free pepsi. It’s probably quicker to take the terminal tram to visit the other Club at SEA in the South Terminal since this version is in the middle of nowhere.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
Review: Alaska Airlines, Boeing 737-700, Bellingham – Seattle
We woke up at 3 AM to button up the house. We were in the car by 4 AM to get through the Canada / USA Border at Peace Arch border and down to Bellingham on Interstate 5.
On arrival, I dropped the bags at the curb at an otherwise deserted Bellingham International Airport and left MsWT73 to attend to them while I parked the car. All the lots at Bellingham International are very close to the building and all are walkable from the terminal building without the need for a shuttle bus.
Alaska Airlines
AS 526 Economy Class (L)
BLI – SEA (Bellingham International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport)
March 16, 2019
6:00 AM – 6:50 AM
Booked: Boeing 737-7
Flown: Boeing 737-7
At the Alaska Airlines counter, we checked in 2 suitcases under MVP Gold, 1 under my Alaska Airlines Credit Card leaving only a $40 bag fee to pay for my second sports equipment bag containing the skis and boots.
Thankfully, Bellingham TSA now has pre-check. You use the same lane but don’t have to go through the nude-o-scope. The lines were differentiated with a special card. As we arrived onto the secure side, we were into a holding lounge where nothing was open and no lounges. I stocked up on the first coffee of the day at coffee from Tony’s Coffee’s
We were only in the lounge for about 5 minutes before boarding was announced. It’s outdoor boarding at Bellingham so as we boarded, we walked into the crisp morning air.
Today’s Alaska aircraft was one of the newly refurbished aircraft with the brand new first class. MrsWT73 used her MVP gold upgrade into First Class and took seat 3A where a pre-departure water was waiting for her. I headed back to 20F where I had the seat next to me empty thanks to MrsWT73’s upgrade which left the seat unsold and unoccupied. If MrsWT73 had booked the tickets, we would have both been eligible for the upgrades but thanks to the last minute name change, I was left in the back for this short flight.
It was a short 26 minute flight down to Seattle. Like the Vancouver – Seattle route, there was no service on board today’s short run in both front and the back.
We arrived into the D gates in Seattle with another 500 Alaska Mileage Plan miles in the account. It was short and sweet without much fuss or excitement.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Park City, Utah, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Trip Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, United States via Alaska Airlines
In efforts to keep WT73jr off spending too much time on his cell phone over Spring Break, I secured and planned a week on the ski hill in Park City Utah doing an activity we do every other weekend at the home ski hill at Whistler, BC. I booked an award booking in Park City in high season over spring break week using Marriott Bonvoy points; which came with a 60 day cancellation policy. Unfortunately, thanks to complex relations with the “previous administration”, the support for him to go on an international trip from Canada evaporated and I was stuck with this trip that couldn’t be cancelled. Ever the supportive wife, MrsWT73 opted to take a week off work and join me for a week in Utah. I used an Alaska 2 for 1 companion fare to get there, which was a great deal since it avoided the high spring break fares. Alaska was able to do a name change on this companion ticket for $150 shortly just a week before the travels. I certainly didn’t mind a week off of work in the sun and with that, away we went.
The routing ended up looking like this
BLI-SEA-SLC (Alaska 2 for 1 companion paid fare)
SLC-SEA-BLI (Alaska 2 for 1 companion paid fare)
- Introduction: Skiing in Park City, Utah, USA via Alaska Airlines
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Bellingham – Seattle
- The Club at Seattle – A Concourse – Seattle Tacoma Airport
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Seattle – Salt Lake City
- Hotel Park City by Autograph Collection, Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at Park City, Utah, USA
- Skiing at The Canyons Mountain Resort, Park City, USA
- Skiing at Brighton Mountain Resort, Cottonwood Canyon, USA
- Lunch at the St Regis, Deer Valley, USA
- Alaska Airlines Premium Class: Salt Lake City – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Bellingham
I hope you will join us on another athletic adventure!!
This post is one chapter on our trip to Colorado, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip
- Introduction: Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA, via Alaska Airlines
- Westin Wall Center Vancouver Airport
- Alaska Airlines: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Denver
- Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa, Vail, Colorado, USA
- City Visit: Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA
- Glenwood Hot Springs, Colorado, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Denver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Alaska Airlines Q400, Seattle – Vancouver
Since our connecting flight was in the middle of the day, we had to settle for Alaska’s propeller service up to Vancouver. We boarded at C2 and were outside onto the apron before we knew it.
Alaska Airlines
AS 2314 – Economy Class (H)
SEA-YVR (Seattle Tacoma International Airport- Vancouver International Airport)
March 24, 2018
5:45 PM – 6:35 PM
Booked: Q400
Flown: Q400
We got to settle in on the Milton G Kuolt II plane, which I never knew existed. This plane was dedicated to the founder of Alaska Airlines and had a giant plaque on the bulkhead.
That was where the glitz ended as it had the same usual rawhide leather seats. =)
It was a quick 30 minutes up to Vancouver, where we landed at E96. I had to wait for the “a la carte” (trolley) as we left our carry on’s for a gate check.
It was a partly cloudy day at Vancouver and we were through processing at the Canada Border Services Agency with our Nexus cards in no time.
Conclusion:
It’s sometimes challenging to get away on a family trip. I was really happy to get the opportunity to get to Vail with WT73jr. I think he enjoyed it too. I can’t imagine what the next family trip will bring. Hopefully something involving points and miles!! Till next time, happy contrails.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Colorado, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip
- Introduction: Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA, via Alaska Airlines
- Westin Wall Center Vancouver Airport
- Alaska Airlines: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Denver
- Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa, Vail, Colorado, USA
- City Visit: Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA
- Glenwood Hot Springs, Colorado, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Denver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900, Denver – Seattle
Departure day arrived before we knew it. Like all holidays, it comes up all to quick. We drove down from Vail towards Denver which was a 2 hour drive down. The highway was pretty full and we were at 60 mph almost all the way. It dumped snow again and it was beautiful. It’s too bad we weren’t skiing.
We stopped for some last photographs at the view point just outside of Silverthorne.
After that stop, it was a leisurely drive down out to the middle of nowhere Denver International Airport.
We gassed up at the massive CONOCO gas bar by the rental car center. I snapped a last photo of our snowy hertz rental.
We were going to drop all bags at the airport then return the car, but we ended up just returning car and taking the Hertz bus over. The Hertz rapid return was handled promptly and friendly. It was better than my last Avis experience in Fort Lauderdale where I couldn’t find the attendant.
Friendly bus attendant dropped us at the Terminal West for the Alaska check in counters. Somehow we managed our way in with 3 pairs of skis and no rolling cart.
Alaska Airlines
AS 657 – Economy Class (H)
DEN-SEA (Denver International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport)
March 24, 2018
2:36 PM – 4:34 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-900
There was no line at the 3 kiosk Alaska counters. We headed up to the MVP line and were checked in promptly. A zealous check in agent undergoing training made WT73jr sign his passport; which somehow was blank on the picture page.
We were given boarding passes. MrsWT73 missed out on the MVP Gold First Class upgrade as there were only two seats left and she wasn’t high up enough on the priority list.
As we went to the gate, we headed through the massive security terminal. First airport I flew through after 9/11 and I had a distinct memory of US national guard standing around with M16’s guarding the security check point. TSA Pre-Check and we were through with only 1-3 people in line (less than 7 minutes).
We took the train out to Concourse C, which is the low rent terminal of DEN airport. Southwest, Allegant and Alaska out here. There is still a good solid food fair and Evan stocked up on McDonalds while MrsWT73 and I had La Casita which was solid Mexican food for an airport. There were some interesting United ads.
We all boarded with MVP group. We were able to get our big ski signs into the bin no issues. WT73jr gave me the window for a change.
The door was closed and we had pushed back form the gate but then a cryptic announcement that we had to return to the case “to take care of some stuff” by the pilot which later turned out to be a sick passenger that had to be off loaded.
A snazzy Southwest jet as we departed…
We were out and over the mountains before we knew it. It was a beautiful ride up to Seattle.
We had another nice approach into Seattle, with great downtown views.
It was a quick descent and we touched down at SEATAC. We pulled up next to another Alaska jet in the C terminal where we disembarked and headed for our connection up to Vancouver.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Colorado, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip
- Introduction: Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA, via Alaska Airlines
- Westin Wall Center Vancouver Airport
- Alaska Airlines: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Denver
- Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa, Vail, Colorado, USA
- City Visit: Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA
- Glenwood Hot Springs, Colorado, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Denver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Activity: Last day of skiing at Vail, Colorado, United States
We had heavy snow in the valley again and woke up to white. All the drought in the earlier winter caused a lot of snow dump later in the season.
The snow was quite heavy today. It was much like the “Whistler West Coast Concrete” we were used to. We played around with the go pro to come up with some videos for the day.
It was a tiring day being the last of it for all of us. We had another lunch in the Two Elks Lodge along with a relaxing afternoon.
This was followed by a quiet evening at home; the last night chez Marriott for quite some time.
My Thoughts on Vail Resorts:
Vail was pretty good to us as a ski area. The Marriott Nights and Flights package was a great way to get to experience the resort at a lessor cost. Notwithstanding the high cost of everything, the Epic Pass also reduced a lot of the spend towards this family holiday. If you’re planning a family ski holidays, make sure you plan in advance to save some dollars as the potential for savings is there.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Colorado, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip
- Introduction: Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA, via Alaska Airlines
- Westin Wall Center Vancouver Airport
- Alaska Airlines: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Denver
- Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa, Vail, Colorado, USA
- City Visit: Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA
- Glenwood Hot Springs, Colorado, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Denver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Activity: Visiting Glenwood Hot Springs, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States
After three days in a row of hitting up the ski hill, we took a day off skiing to rest up the legs. This resulted in a great sleep in. WT73jr has hit his teenage years and won’t get up early anymore unless its for a good reason, LOL.
Eating at “The Little Diner”:
We hit up the local “The Little Diner” across the street from the Marriott Hotel in Vail. It was a typical all American styled diner with booths, stools at the bar and great breakfasts. I had a “Taxi Cab Special” which was pork chili, hashbrowns and cheese over two fried eggs and coffee.
I had an excellent meal there and would easily recommend it as a breakfast place. It had everything you’d need for a breakfast diner; a large menu with great tasting food.
Stopping in at Silverthorne, Colorado:
We drove down to Silverthorne which is the first major town before you hit most of the ski areas for the Silverthorne Factory Outlet stores. Many of the factory outlet stores had closed up since the last time I had visited here about 16 years ago. I’d probably thank the reality of on line shopping for much of the demise of these stores. It was a very pretty drive and we stopped at the overlook outside of Silverthorne for some scenic photographs.
We then drove about 90 minutes in the opposite direction eastward on I-70 to Glenwood Springs. The Glenwood Springs Hot Springs has been around for almost forever; well since 1888. It features the largest hot springs pool in the world at 1,000,700 gallons (3,788,061 liters). The next four photographs are courtesy of their website at Glenwood Hot Springs .
It was really nice and warm and a great way to soak up the legs after 3 days of skiing. WT73jr, a modern kid that has grown up in newer aquatic facilities, thought that the whole historic idea was pretty ridiculous but later admitted that it was pretty cool. It is totally worth an apres ski visit if you are through the neighbourhood.
After the swim, we went across the bridge over to the The Italian Underground. The restaurant has been going for the last 20 years or more. It was simple but tasty food. I had Italian Rotisserie chicken with a salad starter with blue cheese dressing and raspberry sorbet for dessert. Awesome at $16.99 and a glass of wine.
We drove back in the dark fully refreshed and relaxed. We made it back to the room for a ight pre-pack before departure.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Colorado, United States on Alaska Airlines. This trip was booked and credited to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan using a two for one Companion Fare courtesy of the Alaska Airlines credit card. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
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Read more from this trip
- Introduction: Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA, via Alaska Airlines
- Westin Wall Center Vancouver Airport
- Alaska Airlines: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Denver
- Vail Marriott Mountain Resort and Spa, Vail, Colorado, USA
- City Visit: Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Vail, Colorado, USA
- Skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA
- Glenwood Hot Springs, Colorado, USA
- Alaska Airlines: Denver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines: Seattle – Vancouver
Activity: Skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado, United States
It was time for a change of scenery today. Instead of a third day on Vail, we ended up going up the road for my second favorite mountain in all of the Colorado front range.
We got the rental car out of the valet and loaded it up for the 25 minute down I-70 to Copper Mountain.
Ski Day #4
Copper Mountain, Colorado
Most of the free parking lots at Copper involve a short bus ride. It was a bit gloomy when we arrived in the lot but it cleared up after we took the bus to the village.
I plunked WT73jr down at the base restaurant at Jacks and went to go locate lift tickets. Copper operated much like airline carriers and offers a set amount of lift tickets each day through an online purchase portal. The cheapest tickets 3 months out sell for the least, and then the prices climb from there.
We headed straight up American Eagle and raced down some of the fast wide open runs that Colorado is known for. Zippee!!
We started off ripping down Oh No and Andy’s choice over to Rosi’s run. I later learned from some ski patrollers that it was a US Ski Team training ground in early season. It was in great shape.
We then headed up Revolution and over to the back side. The views from the back bowls were spectacular and nicer than Vail.
As we explored the area, WT73jr learned and got wholly fascinated with a ski run in this zone called “Taco”, which led to a run called “Nacho”. The only problem with this ski run was that it was a 20-minute hike up at 12,000 feet elevation. He really wanted to do this. I ended up giving in and doing something he was wanting to do. I was huffing and buffing and we skied down Iron Creek which had a lot of sun exposure so the turns were not as great. A reverse view halfway up the climb.
The snow was pretty soft skiing down but at least we had bragging rights.
We raced down to the bottom. A Mac and Cheese and a burger and a Gatorade was $26.90 USD. It was a much cheaper than Vail down the highway. It was also a much younger crowd at Copper Mountain than the seniors at Vail.
We ended up skiing a little more until last chair. My gosh- we were getting our money’s worth today.
I got an email on the way home that we had skied 67 runs and lifts and over 27,000 feet of vertical! Yep – we’d be tired. That’s among my top 5 days ever!!
We drove back to the hotel then a hot hub before Moose Pizza Parlour in the valley.
Copper Mountain is still one of the best front range mountains. I’d visit back here anyday. I fell asleep pretty quickly after this workout.
World Traveller 73 
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