The Blanch Herd: Snowbasin Gondola and Ridge

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Snowbasin Gondola and Ridge

Snowbasin has had a gondola/burger deal every year since we've moved here and we've taken them up on it as many times as we can. The details vary each year (how long the deal runs, price, what kind of burger is included) but it's become one of our favorite little family traditions. We snuck up the mountain on Saturday, August 3rd for this year's excursion. The kids love the gondola ride and they loved naming all the countries that corresponded to the flags painted on each gondola cabin as it passed by us. (Each car is dedicated to an Olympic alpine ski champion and has their name and flag painted on the outside.) We warmed up on a little hike around the easy/practice loop near Needles Lodge. And then the kids surprised us by saying they wanted to hike to the top of the ridge. And they did it! All by themselves! They had fun playing in the snow (and trying to eat it! EW!) on our way back down. And by then we were hungry for our burgers and fries - good thing the kitchen was ready for us! We found a spot by the windows with and excellent view of the mountain and Pineview below while we chowed on that yummy lunch. And then it was time to head back down. We played at the park for a few minutes and discovered, thanks to the summer trail maps the kids picked up, that there was a close, easy, short hike right across the street. So we checked out the half-mile Inner Moose Loop and called it a day. What a day!