The first time I walked into the Sitzmark, the attic-like bar in the upper level of Utah’s Alta Lodge, it was after one of those I-can’t-believe-this-is-real powder days. The windows inside the bar that overlook Mount Superior steamed with the moisture of a couple-dozen snow-drenched skiers getting off the hill.
The air smelled of cinnamon and cloves, thanks to the house-made hot cider piping from the bar. The fireplace crackled. I remember thinking, this is the coziest damn ski bar I’ve ever been to.