15 Favorite Utah Winter Date Ideas From Our Readers

Stuck in the dinner and a movie rut? Check out these winter dating ideas.

January 11, 2016

At first blush, or in this case, snowflake, winter can pose a challenge to the Utah dating scene. Dinner and the theater is a beloved classic staple, but Utahns like to go above and beyond when it comes to spending time with that special someone, particularly when it involves hot chocolate and a crackling fire to set the mood. Fortunately, Utah has plenty to offer both inside and out, all year long.

Our readers sound off on some of their favorite winter dating activities.

Snowboarding

“I have been snowboarding most of my adult life. Nothing excites me more than to know a girl I am dating is a snowboarder as well. There is something magical about letting a relationship flourish while doing something you love. When it is a bluebird day, right after a snowstorm, and the trees are all white, the snow is soft, and the girl sitting next to me on the chairlift has my heart. Something about that draws you together in a way that nothing else does. Strapping on the bindings, then letting the boards run.

“Laughing, charging down the mountain, and hitting every little bump and rise with more excitement than usual: other dates really can’t compete with that. That sort of connection lasts a lifetime; sharing those moments with someone you are dating makes the connection that much stronger. Then at the bottom, you get back on the chair lift, talk about how exciting the run is and laugh. Then she puts her head on your shoulder and snuggles up. You never want those moments to end. But they eventually do, then you have to go back to the mountain, and you always find that magic again. To me, that is a romantic winter date.” Charlie Owen

Sledding

“I like sledding. There’s an awesome hill right behind the school up the street from us. When I’m down in Provo I like to go to Rock Creek Park, which is just north of the Provo temple.” Chris Esseltine

Tubing

“Tubing at Soldier Hollow. You can learn from a person so quickly. Anyone can give a ‘good impression’ when doing something easy like dinner for an hour. However, put them in normal life situations and watch how they react or treat people. Can they be happy and fun doing simple things?” Lee Weech

Ice Skating

“My second date with my husband was ice skating at Peaks Ice Arena in Provo. Neither of us had been on skates for quite a while, like years. We ‘had to’ hold hands and we laughed so much. The atmosphere was romantic and we had hot chocolate afterward. It was pretty nearly perfect!” Holly King

Carriage Ride

“My favorite? Horse and carriage rides! A thermos of hot chocolate and you’re ready to go. They supply the blankets …. Snuggle ‘n enjoy! We went through a McDonald’s drive-thru on one of our rides. Fun! Ridiculous! But a blast!” Susan Delong

Indoor Shooting

“If it is winter, I am thinking something inside. I am NOOOOO fun when I’m cold. My ideal date would be an indoor shooting range, then sushi, then chocolate by a nice warm fire.” Krista McClure

Snowmobiling

“Snowmobiling then some hot chocolate by the fire. Daniels summit is an awesome place to snowmobile.” Brett Miller

Snowshoeing

“I would love to take a girl snowshoeing. It’s something that I’ve never done and it would be nice to go with someone, and be able to go hiking in that sense and chat. Afterwards, we could go and have a nice meal near some fire and just get to know each other.” Julio Camacho

Paint

“Paint Nite: 2hrs long, can be for beginners who know nothing about painting (like myself). You can usually order food there, and visit while doing a fun and different activity.” Tori Richins Boseman

Ice Fishing

“Ice fishing is not an easy date and takes some planning, but it allows you to be one with nature and go out to catch something and make it for dinner. As long as both are well dressed on a sunny day, even in 0 degree weather with the sunlight reflecting back, it can actually be t-shirt weather.” Mike Wong

Watch a Movie

“I love sitting by a cozy fire and watching a good movie. Since it’s is not in a noisy restaurant or with a lot of people around, it’s a great time to get to know each other.” Hilma Bellessa

Build an Igloo

“Building an igloo is a great idea for a date for many reasons: spending time outdoors in the fresh winter air, being able to work on something together while having conversation, and don’t forget about the spontaneous snowball fights. Later on warming up with hot cocoa and a bonfire beside the igloo that you and your date (or group date) built is a bonding experience. Even if it never gets finished. But that is why having a group date works so well for this activity.

“To build the igloo map out a circle in the snow. Decide where the entrance will be and start packing snow into the bread pans to build bricks. Lay the first row on the outside of the line and then another along side. For each additional layer lay two more rows slightly offset as real bricks, but also inch then towards the center to create a dome shape. And remember to take picture because once you get the fire going the igloo may either melt or ice over…have fun!” Bella Ballard

Essential Oils

“Talk and listen. Some of us unwind by talking: give them the gift of your undivided listening. Some of us unwind with quiet, just holding each other and listening to the tranquil silence of the star filled sky. I like to bring essential oils:

Chamomile: relaxing, meditation. Use for insomnia, arthritis, and stress.

Eucalyptus: stimulating. Use for arthritis, bronchitis, and sinusitis.

Grapefruit: energizing, uplifting.

Lavender: balancing, relaxing. Use for anxiety, stress, insomnia, and burns.

Lemon: balancing, relaxing.

Orange: balancing, relaxing. Use for stress.

Rosemary: balancing, relaxing. Use for aching muscles.

Rose: balancing, relaxing. Use for depression, mature skin, and eczema.

To spark off more of a physical touch, I enjoy giving back massages as well.” David Hansen

Bowling

“Bowling on a date lets you know pretty quickly how athletic, coordinated and competitive someone is. The bowling alley itself is a fairly public venue that adds to the safety of the outing, especially if you add another couple. You can go on a whim without reservations. And even if you add some food and drink, the cost of bowling makes for fairly inexpensive date.” Reed Scharman

Mineral Crater Soaking

“Dip, dive, snorkel, swim, talk or cuddle in crystal blue mineral water at the Midway Homestead Crater. The experience gives a unique opportunity for to soak up each other in a natural setting at 96 degrees. Reservations are required.” Paul Conover

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Snow Sports, Wasatch Mountains, Winter dating in Utah

Caroline Kingsley

Utah Stories

The $7 Million Recruit: How NIL Changed College Athletics Forever

In 2012, Jabari Parker, a top high school prospect and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was facing his biggest decision to that point in his life: where to play college basketball.

Fans of BYU athletics hoped and perhaps prayed that Parker would pick the school owned by the church he was raised in. BYU was listed as one of his final choices. But he ultimately chose to spend his college years at Duke before attempting a career in the NBA. BYU fans were disappointed, but no one was truly surprised. Duke over BYU was the best choice for a young prospect in 2012.

A.J. Dybantsa.

What changed between 2012 and 2024 when A.J. Dybantsa, the number one high school prospect, chose BYU over every other school? The answer is roughly $7 million dollars. That is what Dybantsa is reportedly making to play basketball at BYU.

The deal was supported by Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who met multiple times with the Dybantsa family in multiple attempts to bring the young player to Provo.

According to Smith, he had no financial role in bringing Dybantsa to BYU, but the influence of Utah’s most famous billionaire acting as a “booster” or unofficial recruiter certainly swayed the decision.

Prior to 2021, boosters acting as recruiters was taboo to the NCAA governing body. It was called improper recruiting. But in 2021, California began the modern era of NIL, or the ability of a college athlete to benefit from their name, image, or likeness, when they passed the “Fair Pay to Play Act.”

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The NCAA knew they needed to do something quickly, so they rushed through a policy that opened up NIL to all college athletes in the country, and it has been expanding and evolving over the last four years.

Grant Duff, who has coached at the University of Utah, Weber State University, and is now the defensive coordinator for Idaho State University, says, “The best part of NIL is that athletes have an opportunity to make good money. The downside comes with the free-for-all that money causes.”

Dybantsa confers with BYU Head coach, Kevin Young.

One of the biggest current examples of what a school can do when the boosters are willing to pay for success is Texas Tech University. From 2020-2024, Texas Tech had 34 wins, which works out to 6.8 wins per year with a low of 4 wins and high of 8. Then Texas Tech’s boosters got involved, led by Cody Campbell, an oil industry businessman and Chairman of the Texas Tech board. The football program was given 28 million dollars for NIL with a simple message attached to the large pile of money: Win. And win now. And win they did.

By signing NIL deals with athletes in the transfer portal, Texas Tech went from a middle-of-the-pack school in their conference to one of the top 12 teams in the country. They didn’t just win games in 2025, they made many of their opponents look like they didn’t belong on the same field, including the University of Utah and BYU twice. That is what money can buy.

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