You might be wondering what a restaurant review is doing in the Sports Guide, but it turns out many of the Beehive state’s best dining experiences can’t be reached by any road. Call it adventure dining, where just getting to the dinner table puts you in touch with nature. You can hear the wind, feel the winter, and be part of the outdoor, and get a great meal as well. It’s not for everyone, but if you love good food, a unique environment, and are willing to work for (and off) your calories, read on.

The subzero snow crunched under the glide of our tandem cross-country skis (two sets of bindings on one pair of skis), and once my date-learned that if he stopped short I went sailing over the tips of our skis, I was on my face in an instant. He thought it was funny. And so did I. I laughed so hard my nose dripped in the cool mountain air. Something about the outdoors does that to a person. It generates enthusiasm the way ADD stimulates a kid. Even falling down and runny noses are fun. It makes perfect sense, then, to combine dining with outdoor activity. snowcat drawn sleigh brings you up to the red pine lodge at mid mountain where you (only then) put on the tandem x-ctry skis.

Once fitted with our cross-country gear, our guide/waiter'sheadlamp escorted us along an easy, groomed trail through the wintry woods. A small hut of wood and canvas glowed in the darkness ahead. Inside the Aspen trees, was a glowing, domed, teepee-like structure awaiting our arrival. We were on a "ski date" with the Viking Yurt at The Canyons ( $90/pp. Guests can bring their own beverages. Call for reservations. (435) 615-YURT (9878), gvik@parkcitynet.com)

More elegant than nomadic, the ambiance inside this yurt is set by linen tablecloths, crystal, china and silver, and a baby grand piano playing classical and cocktail lounge music. We laughed over a meal of corn chowder, beet salad, and halibut and beef tenderloin. Wine turned to coffee as we nibbled on almond pound cake with raspberry reduction. Eventually we rolled out the door and into the sleigh. Perhaps liability issues prevented us from remounting onto the tandem skis. After two bottles of wine, the trail might have felt more rolling than flat.

The Yurt at Solitude, however, had no trouble sending its guests back onto the trail after dinner so we could work off their gourmet feast. ($80 pp, reservations required. Guests may bring their own corked wine and other drinks. No children younger than 8 are allowed. Call 801-536-5709 or 1-800-748-4SKI.)

A girlfriend and I chose snowshoes over skis for variety’s sake and clomped through snow-covered evergreens to their secluded Mongolian hut. The groomed, one-kilometer trip is easy enough for even non-athletes although faintly more strenuous than the Viking Yurt. Our guide, Bruce, gave us a quick lesson on donning snowshoes (or using cross-country skis if that’s your poison) before we ventured onto the snow-packed Nordic track and into the woods. Led only by our headlamps, the stars and Tikki torches at the intersections, we made three turns while filling the night air with gossip and fun. Sparkles of snow from the trees glistened in our light beams.

Inside Tibetan prayer flags hung from the insulated roof, black-and-white photos adorned the walls, and two chefs stood for a warm welcome twenty guests into the heated yurt. Large pots simmered on the free-standing stove and a line of uncorked wine bottles edged the serving table. Menu choices like lobster crepes, cassoulet of duck and rabbit sausage left me stuffed, especially after the white chocolate mousse with homemade ginger cookies. Dining at a yurt feels like you’re getting a home cooked meal after you’ve just finished the chores. You’ve earned your supper and it was worth the sweat.

If you’re hoping for a more family-oriented experience, try a sleighride dinner. Two Belgian horses pull your steel or wooden sleigh around the Rocking “R” Ranch ($55/pp and $30 for kids. Call (800) 303-7256 for details/reservations. http://www.rockymtnrec.com/RMSleigh.htm) before you join the crowd for an evening of cowboy grub and Gene Autrey tunes.

We huddled under thick wool blankets as the horsebells chinged like dinner bells along the secluded, 2,000+ acre spread in Weber Canyon, not far from Park City. We could see the jagged outline of the Uinta Mountain Range against the deepening blue of the night sky as our breath smoked in the cold, and the 20-minute ride through the Uinta pines prepped us for warm hearty pot roast, barbeque chicken and mashed potatoes waiting in the dining hall.

Other area destination restaurants to consider:
Snowed-Inn Sleigh Company. Old-fashioned horse drawn sleigh ride and Western gourmet dinner, through the pristine slopes of the Park City Mountain Resort. Meets at Park City Mountain Resort for a 20 min. ride with cowboy singer serenade to a cabin for five-course dinner and. www.snowedinnsleigh.com $54(adults), $29 (kids). (435) 647-3310.

Hardware Ranch Moonlight Sleigh Ride & Dinner, 18 miles from Hyrum into Blacksmith Fork Canyon. On Saturday evenings during the winter, guests are given a sleigh ride through the elk herd where they can see the elk with the aid of lights. After the ride, a BBQ chicken and rib dinner is served. Entertainment is provided. $20/person for the sleigh ride and dinner. Kids 10 and under are $10. Reservations are required. (801) 245-3329.

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