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BLUE BIRD DAY IN PARK CITY

Skiing conditions don’t get much better than this in Park City and Deer Valley! The town is a buzz and crawling with President’s Day vacationers whom could not be happier with the skiing conditions. This is what happens when it snows over 2 feet in 48 hours then clears right up for a Blue-Bird day. More snow is on the way so the next few weeks should be great.

On the lodging front, we are busting at the seams this week and 100% occupied. However  if you are looking to come after this week, check out our new Spring rates. Some properties are up to 35% off!

In other news around town, a new restaurant, Silver, has opened on Main St. Check out a great review from local Lisa Dang.

BLUE BIRD POWDER SKIING IN PARK CITY

 

We received what seemed to be over a foot of snow last night, and today turned out to be an epic blue bird powder day at Deer Valley! The slopes were not too crowded, but everyone out seemed to be getting their powder fix. It looks like things will warm up for this weekend, then a bunch of new snow on the way before President’s Day weekend here in Park City.

On the Park City and Deer Valley lodging front, there are still some availabilities leading up to President’s week, but everyone is pretty much sold out for President’s week. The following week, the first week of March, is getting booked up as well. People are jumping all over our Spring skiing specials. Even in the typical “down/non-peak” weeks, occupancy has been pretty solid this year.

We have some great local events going on in March, so check out our calendar. If you will be around over March 10 – 12, 2011 here is one can’t miss event: Red and White Snow. This three-day event celebrates some of the nation’s top chefs and finest vintners. The event offers a unique opportunity for culinary and wine connoisseurs, vintners and skiers from across the country to mingle in an extraordinary setting. All proceeds go to the National Ability Center.

NEWEST ABODE AT RED CLOUD

 

I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start. If you are visiting Deer Valley soon check out this great article on Deer Valley and the St Regis.

We received about 6 inches of snow this weekend and should be getting an additional 6 inches by Tuesday evening. The new snow is keeping the skiing conditions nice! It looks like we will enjoy some blue-bird Utah ski days after the storm on Tuesday. So get ready to rip up those groomers at Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort. Looking a little down the road, some big storms are brewing in the Pacific, so get ready for powder alerts in about 10 days!

We would also like to give you a sneak preview at one of our newest properties we are offering for rental use, abode at Red Cloud.Check out the home. Please contact us if you are interested in enjoying this exclusive ski in/ski out Deer Valley abode. There is not another home in the state of Utah that offers such lavish quarters coupled with condusive ski access.

On the travel news front, check out Delta’s new offering

We will touch base tomorrow and let you know how this storm pans out. In the meantime, take a look at our properties, as we are running some great spring skiing rates!

 

DEER VALLEY WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIP

 

2011 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships

Wednesday Feb 2 – Saturday Feb 5

Deer Valley Resort will host the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships. Competitors from around the world will challenge each other and themselves on Deer Valley’s 2002 Olympic runs.

The event begins with the Mogul competition on Deer Valley’s Champion ski run Wednesday afternoon, February 2, beginning at 1:45 p.m.

On Wednesday night, February 2, at 7 p.m. there will also be an Opening Ceremonies celebration on Main Street including live entertainment near the Town Lift Plaza, followed by fireworks.

The Ski Cross competition will take place Friday afternoon on Deer Valley’s Solid Muldoon ski run, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Followed by the Aerial competition under the lights on Deer Valley’s WhiteOwl ski run beginning at 7:45 p.m.

On Saturday, the Halfipipe competition will take place at 10 a.m. at Park City Mountain Resort.

The event will end with the Dual Moguls competition at 7:30 p.m. on Deer Valley’s Champion ski run.

All events are free to the public.

For those guests looking for an enhanced spectator experience at Deer Valley, Freestyle Feast event tickets are available for either dinner on Friday or Saturday for $100 or lunch on Wednesday or Friday for $75 in the VIP Tent and include a commemorative gift.

Tickets can be purchased beginning Monday, November 22 by calling 435-645-6510, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The competitions will air on NBC Saturday, February 5 at 4:30 p.m. EST and Sunday, Feb 6 at 2:30 p.m.

PARK CITY NAMED #9 OF TOP 41 PLACES TO VISIT IN 2011

 

In a recent article by the New York TimesPark City was named the #9 place to visit in the world in 2011. You can take a look at the article here

The opening of Park City’s new hotels, the Montage Deer Valley, St Regis Deer Valley and Waldorf Park City played a nice role in the top ten ranking. Oddly enough, the article does not even mention that Deer Valley is the #1 ski resort in North America….regardless it is a great distinction!

On another note, Sundance is in full effect here in Park City and the town is slammed. However, the ski slopes are empty…making for a great weekend, as you can hit a few movies and parties at night then have the slopes to yourself the following day. We have a few last minute specials for your lodging needs…just give us a call. It looks like next week will give us some gorgeous Utah blue-bird ski days.

PARK CITY HOTELS,UTAH


Abode Park City has access to the hottest Park City Hotels in Utah. Our properties are varied, all luxury and fully furnished. We have hotels all over Park City in the Deer Valley region. We have cozy suites on the mountainside, we have ski-in ski-out condos, we have homes right in town. No matter what you want from your vacation trust us to find you what you need. Look no further for your Park City hotelUtah is waiting for you.

DEER VALLEY RESORT 30TH ANNIVERSARY



Deer Valley Resort Opens for it’s 30th Anniversary Ski Season ~ Saturday, December 4, 2010

Due to significant November snowfall and amazing early season conditions, Deer Valley Resort will open for the season on Saturday, December 4, 2010, with 20 of 21 chairlifts!

Kicking off the Ski Season with the Celebrity SkiFest!

Deer Valley will be hosting the Deer Valley Celebrity SkiFest on Birdseye run on Saturday, December 4 and Sunday, December 5, at noon, benefiting the Waterkeeper Alliance. Come cheer on your favorite stars and Olympic athletes. The competition will be televised by CBS on Sunday, December 5, at 5 p.m. (EST).

Some of the best-known legends of U. S. skiing are scheduled to compete in this year’s event, including Steve MahrePhil MahreTommy Moe and Deer Valley’s own Ambassador of Skiing Heidi Voelker.

Celebrities scheduled to attend at this time include: Susie EssmanVirginia MadsenBobby KennedyMax KennedyBob WoodruffPatrick WarburtonOliver HudsonRob Morrow, Ian ZieringJoey PantolianoHill HarperDylan BrunoLarry David and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

RESORTS FOCUS ON YEAR-ROUND FAMILY FUN

Mountain resorts focus on attracting families year-round By: Jeri Clausing August 04, 2010 BRECKENRIDGE, Colo.

— At the base of this ski mountain’s popular Peak 8, RockResorts has just opened its newest luxury ski resort, One Ski Hill Place. The condo-hotel is next to a gondola that provides free rides to town. Out front is everything a family needs for winter or summer fun: ski lifts, bungee jumping, miniature golf, even an alpine slide.

Next year, there will also be an alpine coaster, a low-to-the-ground roller coaster of sorts. The resort, one of only three in town offering room service and the only one that will offer it around the clock, also features a pool, a bowling alley, movie-viewing rooms and a game room. On its face, the new One Ski Hill Place might sound like just another in a long list of luxury resorts that have opened in recent years at Western ski destinations. For Breckenridge, however, it marks the opening of this mountain town’s first five-star property. And for the Western ski industry as a whole, it symbolizes several levels of a multitiered strategy for attracting new generations as the core group of big spenders that fueled the industry’s growth over the past 30 years starts thinking about hanging up its skis. “The industry’s economic well-being is based on a transition of skiing passion from the baby boomers across the bridge to the millennials,” said Ralf Garrison, whose Mountain Travel Research Program tracks lodging trends for ski resorts in western North America.

 

Fortunately for the ski industry, baby boomers, who wield the bulk of the country’s discretionary income, don’t act like their parents. With 60 being the new 40 (and with the aid of technology ranging from easy-to-maneuver parabolic skis to knee replacements), many will ski well into their 70s. So resorts like Breckenridge and its parent, Vail Resorts, are working aggressively to make sure they offer everything aging baby boomers (and their children and grandchildren) might want, even if sore knees start to limit the amount of time they can spend on the slopes. “The most important thing to keep baby boomers coming back is to make sure their kids want to come back — and their grandkids,” said Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, which owns the Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail and Beaver Creek resorts in Colorado and Heavenly at Lake Tahoe. The company also has a lodging arm, which includes RockResorts. “If you can take the kids and the grandkids on vacation, you know it’s probably going to be a huge success. “Properties like One Ski Hill Place are really an interesting place, where people and families can congregate and come together,” Katz said. “It really is providing a comprehensive experience. You have luxury opportunities, but you also have family opportunities, things for everyone to do on the mountain. That allows the baby boomers to come back, because everyone in their family wants to come back.”

Although adding luxury was key for a resort like Breckenridge, the economic realities of the past few years have largely put any new development on hold. Still, the new resort here, and this mountain town as a whole, offer a glimpse into what ski resorts, particularly in the West, are doing to prepare for the generational shift that some predict could create a 10-year trough in demand. It’s summer up there One of Colorado’s best-kept secrets, many residents will agree, is that its famed ski mountains are even more fun in the summer. When it’s 90 degrees-plus in Denver, locals can hop in the car and, just an hour later, find temperatures that are often 20 degrees cooler. The resort areas like Breckenridge that are lined up off Interstate 70 offer everything from hiking, biking, rafting and golf to horseback riding and hot-air-balloon rides. There is also a variety of music, arts and family festivals throughout the summer, and lodging rates are often a fraction of what one would expect to pay during ski season. On a recent Thursday in Breckenridge, tents offering bicycles repairs were set up in the town square for Breck Bike Week. Families milled around the streets, hanging out by the stream that runs through town, shopping, dining and generally enjoying the cool summer weather. The crowds were respectably thick, considering it was the off-season amid what many consider to be a lingering recession.

Although Vail is North America’s largest resort, Breckenridge has a few things in its favor. For one thing, it is a 100-year-old mountain town with the character and attractions that come with that kind of history. Vail was developed around the ski resort, with a center that, in terms of both lodging and shops, focuses on a higher-end consumer. Breckenridge is a half-hour to an hour closer to Denver, depending on traffic, and it offers a wide variety of more affordable lodging right in the heart of town. It boasts an old-fashioned, Main Street feel, and its dining options have grown increasingly diverse over the years. Just a few miles outside of town is the Breckenridge Golf Club, the only Jack Nicklaus-designed public course in the country. Those attributes seem to be paying off for Breckenridge in both summer and winter.

Although Vail Resorts doesn’t like to publicize the fact, Breckenridge for three of the past four years has drawn more skiers than the company’s flagship property. Last year, Breckenridge was the most visited ski area in North America, hosting 1.6 million guests. And in the summer, Donna Horii of the Breckenridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said, lodging occupancy averages 60%, a respectable showing that the locals attribute to the historical, hometown feel. Developing a real luxury resort at the base of the mountain, locals agree, is key to helping Breckenridge evolve, as it is clear that even in the winter, families are looking for more than skiing when they choose a resort. “No one buys those six-day passes anymore,” Horii said of skiers, noting they opt for fewer days on the slopes in favor of activities such as dogsledding, shopping and spa treatments. Because of that, Garrison said, increasing summer business at ski resorts is absolutely crucial to the larger goal of keeping boomers and their offspring coming back. Garrison said a strong shoulder season is crucial to maintaining the labor force, restaurants and attractions required to attract guests who are interested in more than skiing. Those businesses “have to be able to keep their doors open during the summer,” he said. “These collateral services are more and more important as baby boomers grow older, because boomers use more and more of those.”

Although Western resorts have been growing summer business for most of the past decade, it is more challenging out West than for places like Stowe Mountain in Vermont, where the manager of the Stoweflake Resort & Spa said the destination gets 60% of its business in non-skiing months. “We have always been a big summer attraction,” said Stoweflake General Manager Chuck Baraw. “Stowe itself has been a summer tourist town for a couple hundred years. People used to come by stagecoach.” It has remained a summer and fall destination because of its cool temperatures, green mountains and fall foliage, he said. “Why do you need to go to a ski area in the West in the summertime?” he asked rhetorically. “I love where I am in the summer. It’s one thing to travel that far for the best powder in the world. … But they will never fill in the summer. They are way overbuilt for that.”

Recovering from a down cycle but the long-term strategy for Western resorts goes beyond drawing summer crowds. With real estate sales way down, new development is largely on hold for the foreseeable future. And while spring break visitor numbers made an impressive comeback this year, ski resorts, like much of the travel industry, are coming off two pretty tough years. So, while Breckenridge needed to add a little bit of luxury to keep its momentum, some Vail resorts are toning theirs down a bit. For example, at the Arrabelle, a luxury hotel that was developed at the height of the ultraluxury boom and which opened just before the global economy collapsed, Paul Toner, senior vice president and COO of RockResorts and Vail Resorts Hospitality, says the company has made some changes. There is less emphasis on amenities such as 24-hour butler service, he said. And the fine-dining restaurant was scaled down to make way for an upscale tavern. “That really hit a home run,” he said, explaining that RockResorts is focusing more on “smart, savvy” luxury.

The company is also working to offer more value-oriented packages that make the whole vacation easier. Two years ago it bought Colorado Mountain Express, which offers van service from Denver Airport and regional airports. That makes it easier for the company to package transportation with its offerings. Vail has also had a lot of success with its Epic Pass, which offers unlimited skiing at all of its mountains for just under $600 a season, less than half the cost of season passes at most major ski resorts. “The goal was really to build loyalty,” Vail CEO Katz said. “It’s a way to expand our season-pass membership base, to really reach out to folks and say, ‘If you are ready to commit to ski at our resorts all season, we are willing to give you a good price.’ ” Some resorts are finding other creative ways to keep luring back baby boomers. In Aspen, for example, former Apple executive Joe Nevin and physical therapist Bill Fabrocini have developed a “Bumps for Boomers” program to teach older skiers who might be frustrated by the crowds on the groomed runs to ski less-crowded mogul runs, without the knee pain associated with those tougher runs.

Challenges ahead To stay relevant for the long term, however, ski areas also have to rethink their marketing, said Art Webb of BCF Marketing, who consults for several East Coast ski areas and works with the Aspen Bumps for Boomers program. While the ski areas need to focus on the younger generations to build a future, he said, boomers are their most crucial audience in the present. “I think the ski industry is struggling right now with a little bit of a paradox, which is that the boomers are definitely aging out of the category but there are still a lot of boomers spending a lot of money,” he said.

Coming out of the recession, Webb said, boomers have been the least affected in terms of real wealth. He said Generation Y is saddled with high credit card debt, while Gen X is feeling the pinch of unemployment. At the same time, he said, “Unemployment [among] boomers has decreased. There are fewer unemployed boomers now than before the recession, so what you have is a group of people who still have a lot of money.” One of the problems for the ski industry, he said, is that it tends to market itself through the lens of youth, “and as a result, it is missing a pretty substantial mark.” “Twenty and 30 years ago, when the 80 million boomers in North America were in their 20s and 30s, and when the number of people under the age of 50 was nearly double the number of people over 50, you could get away with the bias of youth, because there were way more people under the age of 30,” Webb said. “Now there are as many people over 50 as there are under 50, and the people over 50 have the money,” he said. “Seventy-two percent of our nation’s wealth is in the hands of people over 50.”

Because of that, he said, ski areas need a dual-pronged marketing program to keep the wealthy boomers coming back while building interest among their children, who have cheaper alternatives, such as urban skating parks, than baby boomers ever had when they were seeking an adrenaline rush in their 20s. “They need a two-barreled shotgun,” he said of the resorts. “You need programs like Bumps for Boomers for older-skier retention because if you can get another two or three years out of that skier, you’re talking $20,000 to $30,000 in revenue … and they need to be thinking about what they can do on an industrywide basis to launch a greater effort in attracting skiers to the sport.” The ski resort industry, he said, enjoyed perfect market conditions with baby boomers when demand was high and supply wasn’t. Peering into the future, he sees the industry entering the beginning of a 10-year trough as boomers drop off and smaller and poorer successive generations are unable to fill the gap. “Skiing is not a rational proposition,” he said. “It is emotional. The industry as a whole tends to focus very much on what they’ve got: how many blue runs, how many blacks, how many quads [chairlifts] as opposed to the emotional payload of the experience. They’ve lost sight of marketing the magic of ski.”

This report appeared in the Aug. 2 issue of Travel Weekly

PARK CITY FALL COLORS

Mountains majesty includes radiant trees Brian E. Clark September 5, 2010 Park City, Utah

— I prefer my mountains in winter, covered in deep snow. But coming in a close second is autumn, when the hills are ablaze with golden aspen. Many of the best places to see shimmering, translucent leaves are near ski and snowboard resorts, where visitors can take scenic chairlift rides to admire the foliage from on high.

RELATED STORIES: Leave summer behind with tour of autumn foliage. Colorado and Utah alone have 2 million acres covered with an estimated 1 billion aspen trees. Other mountain states, with their backdrops of rocky summits, dark pines, scrub oak and blue skies, have plenty to see starting mid-September.

 

Here are four winning drives, ranging from southwestern Colorado to the Badlands of South Dakota:

The 50-mile stretch of the San Juan Skyway from Telluride to Ouray in Colorado offers some of the planet’s most stunning fall scenery. For starters — and this part is on foot — take Telluride’s free gondola from town up 1,750 feet to Station St. Sophia, elevation 10,500 feet, for awe-inspiring views of leaves, ski runs and mountains. Then head west out of Telluride along the San Miguel River to Placerville. Go over the rugged Dallas Divide around Mount Sneffels, which tops out at 14,500 feet and is one of the most photographed peaks in Colorado. At Ridgway, head south through a broad valley bordered by red cliffs and mesas. Soon you’ll be in a constricted canyon with soaring peaks all around. This is the mining town of Ouray, which calls itself the Switzerland of America.

For those who like a little adventure, jeep tours head up to the 13,114-foot Imogene Pass from either Telluride or Ouray. If you want you can rent a four-wheeler to do this scary drive on your own. For Telluride info: (888) 605-2578, visittelluride.com. Ouray: (800) 228-1876, ouraycolorado.com.

Utah’s 9,700-foot Guardsman Pass connects the laid-back mountain town of Park City and the Brighton ski resort in neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon. Along the way, you’ll see panoramic majestic vistas and abundant aspen. (You also get great views from the chairlifts at nearby Deer Valley, Park City and Canyons resorts.) To get on the road from Park City, follow Prospect Street south into the mountains, climbing past chairlifts to Guardsman Pass Road towards Brighton. You’ll be on a dirt road that’s a ski trail in winter. But don’t worry: unless your car has very low clearance, you can make it. More info  :(800) 453-1360, parkcityinfo.com.

The loop drive from Jackson, Wyo., to Teton National Park offers views of the Grand Teton — elevation 13,770 feet — framed by golden aspen trees. Head north from Jackson to Teton Village, where you can ride the Jackson Hole tram to Corbet’s Cabin at 10,400 feet. Then carry on via the Inner Loop Road through the park to Moose Junction. Continue north to Jackson Lake Lodge and return to Jackson via Highway 89. You’ll probably see elk and moose. This drive is one of the top loop drives in a national park because of the craggy peaks that rise more than 7,000 feet above the valley. Another sure bet is the 17-mile route over 9,000-foot Teton Pass to Victor, Idaho, from Jackson. Be sure to stop in the Victor Emporium, famed for its huckleberry shakes. More info:(888) 333-7766, jacksonhole.com.

In the rugged Badlands of South Dakota, one of the best autumn drives — complete with shining oranges, brilliant reds, subtle browns and purples of burr oak, paper birch, dogwood and quaking aspen trees — is a 70-mile loop with hairpin curves, spiraling “pigtail” bridges and slender granite pinnacles. It’s part of the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway, which runs through Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Custer State Park. Don’t be surprised if you come upon the park’s 1,500-strong herd of buffalo. Be patient, they’ll pass in time.

MONTAGE TEAMS UP WITH SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

New Montage Deer Valley resort teaming with Sundance Film Festival

Montage Deer Valley, North America’s newest mountain resort, opening December 2010 atop Empire Pass in Park City, Utah, has been named an official provider for the “2011 Sundance Film Festival: An Artist at the Table” fundraising event, benefitting the nonprofit Sundance Institute. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival: An Artist at the Table will kickoff the first day of the annual Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 20, 2011, by gathering an intimate crowd of guests and artists at the lodge-style Montage Deer Valley for a festive pre-film cocktail reception. The group will then transfer to reserved seats for a film screening at the Eccles Theatre, just one of several competition films playing that night throughout Park City. After the film, guests and artists will return to the resort for a convivial three-course dinner.

 

Each table of nine guests and an artist will enjoy an inventive farm-to-table menu created by Montage Deer Valley Executive Chef Matt Leonard. The evening will also include entertainment by Sundance Institute Composer Fellows. This fundraiser to benefit Sundance Institute, the presenting organization of the Sundance Film Festival, is a special evening to celebrate the importance of independent artists and their stories.

Founded by movie icon Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, An Inconvenient Truth and Angels in America.

When it opens, Montage Deer Valley will be one of North America’s finest mountain resort destination. Reminiscent of great mountain lodges, the resort is less than five minutes from Park City’s celebrated Main Street, and a 40-minute drive from Salt Lake City International Airport. Montage Deer Valley will feature 154 guestrooms, and more than 66 suites and private residences ranging from one to four bedrooms, all with fireplaces and expansive views of the majestic Wasatch Front. The resort will also offer extensive 24-hour services; several dining options; a gourmet gastro-pub with bowling lanes, billiards, darts and nostalgic arcade games; a 35,000-square-foot alpine-inspired spa; outdoor pool and whirlpools; outdoor terrace with fire pits; retail shops and 55,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor event space for executive meetings and special events.