This is a fabulous time to come to Utah and Ski at Brighton and Solitude Ski Resort. Our Utah ski vacation home and cabin lodging prices have been slashed 35% over previous years. There are no lift lines here so what are you waiting for?

There is something magical about Autumn in Brighton, Utah. The light is clearer, things look crisper, and the colors are magnetic. I always feel more energetic with a fresh sense of change coming on. Last weekend the family spent a few days up at Big Cottonwood Canyon at Alpine Creek #3, a vacation rental condo that we manage at Solitude Ski resort. We got up there at about 10:00 am and after putting our belongings and groceries away, we hiked for a few hours – beginning right out of our door and up the ski hill. The leaves are turning fast and I suspect they’ll peak in the next few weeks. We walked right down the hill and had a lovely lunch at Kimi Mountain Bistro and then came back to the condo and took a family nap. This is a family ritual when we travel together. Why? Because we can. Since we had awakened at different times, our afternoon was turned into a lazy day of reading and knitting until Zoe could stand it no more and went back out to take photos of the surrounding village. She was reminded of the pool and hottub at Club Solitude and added that to her list of “must do’s”. That evening we enjoyed grilled salmon and quinoa salad and ate on the deck until it got too nippy. That was when we went inside to play games-another family ritual. I had packed Bananagrams and a deck of cards, and we were soon intensely engaged. Apples to Apples is another favorite and always brings out new insights into our kids’ unfolding personalities. Zoe is sixteen and Addison is eighteen and I am often amazed at what great people they are turning out to be-most of the time.
The next morning while the kids slept in, Jay and I got up and went for another hike and watched the sun warm the mountain. When we got back, the kids were gone but we found them sitting in the hot tub at Club Solitude. After a plate of gluten free pancakes (Jay has celiac disease) prepared by yours truly, we decided to attempt Frisbee golf. This seemed like a simple enough game. We got the necessary discs, bought our lift ticket and rode up to the first tee. The kids were relieved to be golfing down the hill rather than up. After many lost discs, we golfed our way back down to the village and had lunch at the Stone Haus. We lamented that it was almost time to pack up and get back to real life but vowed we would do this again soon. After a rejuvenating family nap we were ready to tackle a week of work, tests, and lacrosse games. None of us were terribly hungry so we hobbled together what was left in the fridge and had a simple dinner and a played a few more games. I am smiling as I recall that perfect weekend. I wonder now if it was the turn to Autumn that was so magical or that we have a pretty great family! Both, I think.

Oh, and if you’re looking for special Fall Deals for our Utah vacation home rentals, call me (Adrienne) at 801.824.4700 and mention the ad. In return, I’ll offer you 15% OFF a 3-night night stay at any available vacation rental home. Hurry, though. We can only offer this deal until October 31, 2011.

If you are in the process of planning a wedding in Utah, consider a mountain summer wedding. Utah’s Wasatch Mountain range in Big Cottonwood canyon provides the backdrop with great views and cool weather. Trey is the wedding planner at Brighton Ski and Summer Resort and can find the perfect setting for you. Receptions that follow are hosted at the newly built Millicent Chalet with its unique indoor/outdoor setting. Planning your Utah wedding is as simple as contacting Trey at trey@brightonresort.com. Here is a wedding I noticed this week in the early stages of set up. While in the wedding planning stage, consider renting one of beautiful Utah vacation homes. Please feel free to contact Mount Majestic Properties at 801.278.9571 and we’ll provide you with all of the assistance necessary to help you plan your guest list.

It was our last day at Creekside and we were all exhausted from 5 days of solid skiing when my good friend and chef extraordinaire, Adam Kreisel, offered to make us a tasty and healthy dinner. While we’re not awful cooks ourselves, he fixed us up a positively delicious and most healthy 4 course dinner starting with chips and a hummus that you’d buy in bulk if you could. We then moved onto a delightful pasta salad with Bay scallops and finished off dinner with a mouth watering steak salad. For dessert we had the best bread pudding I’ve tasted and an amazing custard with some reduction sauce that make my mouth water just thinking about it.

Next time we’re back, we’ll plan to employ Adam for more than just the grand finale meal. He’s a pro if there ever was one, not to mention a fantastic ski guide as he has a season pass to the Big Cottonwood slopes.

Thanks again for everything!

Adam Kreisel's Gourmet Meal Created in the Extraordinary Creekside Kitchen

AJ Motion Sports specializes in winter sports rentals and accessories. Their rental shop is located at the base of the Cottonwood Canyons and provides easy access to some of Utah’s best ski resorts including Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, and the Solitude Nordic Center. They also rent back country skis, back country snowboards, cross country skis, and snowshoes for the non-resort winter sports enthusiast. Best of all, they will deliver your ski gear right to your ski vacation home.

AJ Motion Sports has a Rapid Rental process which makes renting skis for multiple days as effortless as possible and all online reservations confirmed 48 hours in advance are guaranteed to be available upon arrival.

AJ Motion Sports is offering a special deal for Mount Majestic Properties guests.  Make sure you mention us.  They have the most flexible ski delivery program in Salt Lake City and their rental rates offer the best value in the area.  Give Michelle a call at 801-450-1602 or e-mail her at michelle@ajmotionsports.com.

There are three factors that have influenced our growth in ski vacation home rentals this year:

• Our ski vacation home rental prices have remained unchanged for the past 3 years. And the homes are beautifully appointed and close, if not on, the ski slopes.

• The “best snow on earth” in Brighton and Solitude, Utah

• Location, location, location: Brighton and Solitude not only offer the “best snow on earth” but are also ski resort areas that are preferred by families, friends and couples. Skiers don’t have to wait an hour to ski a run and the conditions are as good if not better than those at Alta and Snowbird.

Book your ski vacation home now before we are full. Just a few houses remain for Christmas and New Year’s.

2010 Utah Ski Vacation Home Rentals Surging, in General

The Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP) recently issued some welcome and encouraging news for Utah ski and snowboard resorts in Utah: the winter season of 2010 is showing strong signs of growth and improvement.

There are a few factors that are influencing the strong trend upward in bookings and room rates:

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average has increased 9.6% since May, 2010

• The Index of Leading Economic Indicators has shown growth in 4 of the last 5 months

• Travel prices have increased 4.4% since the summer of 2009

• National occupancy rates are up 8.8%

• The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), while showing signs of growth at 3.6% (since the summer of 2009), has fallen a bit behind the growth of the Dow Jones, Leading Economic Indicators and travel prices.

All of this adds up to growth in bookings in the months of October, November (21%) and December (14%) for Utah ski and snowboard resorts.

52 inch Snow Base and Growing

Learn More About our Utah Ski Lodging and Vacation Deals and Holiday Specials

WOW! Winter is here! And with a big bang. With over 20 inches of snowfall at Brighton Ski Resort in the last 48 hours, the skiing conditions are like January and coverage is excellent. Brighton is operating five lifts already and plans to have all seven open for Thanksgiving. Of the 66 runs offered by Brighton’s terrain, 52 of them are already open with a solid 52″ base – its positively heaven and it’s still snowing. The weather forecast is predicting another 12-20 inches of fresh powder in the next 24 hours. It’s not too late to book your holiday ski vacation home.

To learn more about our Utah ski lodging and vacation deals and holiday specials, call Mount Majestic Properties today at (888) 236-0667 or complete our form and we’ll be back in touch with you same day.

Happy Thanksgiving and happy skiing!

Demo – $39 – The latest and greatest skis on the market

Performance – $29 – Skis for every level of skier

Sport – $19 – For first-timers to strong beginners

Snowboard – $24 – All-Mountain boards

Jr. Demo – $15

Elite Jr. skis

Jr. Skis – $10 – All-purpose skis for the kids

Jr. Snowboard – $10 – All-purpose boards

Visit Wasatch Ski Valet.

Email them @ info@wasatchskivalet.com.

Or call 800-581-9731

“Value,” another vital component of Utah’s wintersports product, had five Utah resorts in the top ten (#1 Powder Mountain, #3 Alta, #4 Brighton, #6 Solitude, #9 Snowbasin).

New this season, SKI magazine added a section of Lifestyle awards where Alta was awarded best “Skier’s Mountain” followed by Snowbird in second place. Snowbird also received the title of best “Weekend Escape” followed by Deer Valley in second place. Brighton Resort was awarded as the number one “Value Trip” with Alta and Snowbird listed as second and third.

Next weekend, in anticipation of snow falling again in Utah and guests booking vacation home rentals, we will put away the gardening supplies, dust off the shovels, and dig out the snowboards, boots and parkas. How about a Thanksgiving family retreat to get your winter off to a grand start? Contact Mount Majestic Properties for information on our Thanksgiving Utah vacation rental deals.