John and Lizvette Prieto’s daughter, 9-year-old Everly, told her parents she wanted to go sledding. But where? The options close to home were slim in San Antonio, Texas. So Mom and Dad took to googling.
Lizvette hoped for winter with a European flair — it would take a while before their young family could make it out to Europe, she said.
The Goldener Hirsch Inn, a hotel tucked in Deer Valley Resort with Austrian influence, popped up. Park City? Why not?
After their recent week at the inn, they were beyond pleased with the trip, they said, quickly becoming regulars at 5seeds, John added with a laugh. They definitely wanted to come back, and this might become their go-to mountain spot, he said.
Last Wednesday was their last full day, and the family decided to sign up for a glass-blowing ornament class offered by the hotel during the holiday season.
The family of four rode a Goldener Hirsch van down from the inn’s lobby to Red Flower Studios in town. Equipped with baskets of treats — peppermint bark, jelly-filled cookies and trail mix — Israel Avalos and Sarah Uribe introduced themselves as the instructors.
“The glass blowing experience is really exciting to us because it allows guests to travel into Park City and give them a taste of the local area and meet with some local artists,” Molly Wichelt, the experience manager for the Goldener Hirsch Inn.
Before adding it for the first time to the hotel’s holiday schedule, staff attended the studio as students first, she said.
“It’s a fun experience that most people have never done before. At least, I’d never done it before,” said Wichelt. “It’s something where (guests) can create a keepsake from their time here and be able to take that home with them.”
In addition to the hotel’s on-site activities and the close-by Deer Valley skiing, hotel staff aim for these off-site excursions to be memorable and accessible for any guest, said Wichelt. This class also supports a Park City-artist business.
Red Flower Studios’ glass blowers guide crafting sessions for any skill level. For the holidays, visitors can choose to create two ornaments or choose from a variety of pieces, like cups, vases, double-walled bowls and what they call a “splash,” a one-of-a-kind glass vessel pulled into a wavey shape.
At this class, 7-year-old Ezra made two ornaments. Everly, the same. Lizvette tried out a bowl. And John picked the splash.
Ezra went first, a red ornament: Gather the molten glass, keep the rod spinning, dip in colored glass chips, called frit — the steps came fast. Back to the furnace, keep spinning, blow a bubble, keep spinning.
Avalos, their instructor, kept the glass from dripping or shattering during the fast-moving stages of the process.
In the end, he held up Ezra’s perfect red-colored sphere, which earned applause. The artist then rushed the finished ornament into an incubator, where it would slowly cool over the next 24 hours to prevent the glass from breaking.
Three more ornaments came to life as Ezra and Everly each took their turn alongside the teacher — green then turquoise then blue.
For Lizbette’s bowl, new steps were introduced. Blow, a sphere bloomed, now suck, and the tip of the sphere caved inward to form the concave of the bowl.
For John’s splash, bubbles in the glass were created by dunking the piece in baking soda before covering it with another layer of glass. The orange-glowing mass was brought to a metal table and smushed in a ring of rainbow-colored glass chips, then back into the furnace. The next step, a team effort — the edges were tugged outward with tongs and the glass stretched like putty.
Somehow, the two hours were gone in a flash and one-of-a-kind masterpieces completed. The group chatted excitedly about their experience while munching on cookies and trail mix provided by the hotel.
“I would absolutely do that again,” said Lizvette.
The van returned, and it was back to the inn for s’mores, said the Prietos. The next day, a flight home, but with a suitcase full of ornaments — some bought and some made.
There are two more glass-blowing classes scheduled for Goldener Hirsch hotel guests this year: Wednesday, Dec. 20, and Thursday, Dec. 21, both from 3-5 p.m. The cost is $95 per person, with space for up to 10 hotel guests per class, said Wichelt.
The introduction of events like the ornament making is somewhat new for the Goldener Hirsch, an element brought about by the recent collaboration with Auberge Resorts Collection.
“We want people to have memorable experiences when they travel,” said Wichelt. “Auberge is really trying to provide that for people traveling to our properties.”
Aside from ornament making, the experience team has put together other festive options for guests of the Goldener Hirsch, like gingerbread house making, visits from a reindeer, Letters to Santa and Austrian cookie making.
“We try to really tie traditional experiences with modern experiences. We try to play into some of the Austrian, European aspects of things, like with bavarian pretzel making and gingerbread house making. I know it’s Americanized, but (the gingerbread house) actually originated in Europe. So we try to put those aspects at the heart of what we do,” said Wichelt.
If you’re not a Goldener Hirsch guest, the hotel is offering a new apres experience called Après Chalet on their restaurant patio from 2-4:30 p.m. and anyone is welcome.
“We have a pretzel cart coming in next week, it’s going to be a really iconic piece that will speak to the soul of our place with the bavarian pretzel offering. We have fire pits and a beautiful menu … I think it will be a super fun experience for people this winter,” said Wichelt. Other menu highlights include their signature fondue and a gourmet hot chocolate.
Anyone is also invited to experience a happy hour in the hotel’s Antler Lounge, daily from 4-9 p.m., said Wichelt, where drinks will be available for purchase. Live music will also be held there from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays beginning Dec. 21.
To see the full list of holiday and seasonal activities at the Goldener Hirsch, visit aubergeresorts.com/goldenerhirsch/experiences/making-spirits-bright/. To reserve a spot in some of the upcoming classes, like ornament making, call 877-648-0051 or inquire at the hotel’s front desk.
