You feel the electricity in the air. If you were in Park City you would be feeling it right now too. It’s that sense you get when a big storm is headed right for us and everyone is SUPER EXCITED for all the snow about to hit the mountains and make for those once in a lifetime powder skiing experiences!
Take a look at the weather radar and you’ll see it – the kind of storm that has you calling Abode Park City for a last minute Park City ski vacation rental – maybe even something ski-in / ski-out at Deer Valley or Park City. If you’re reading this on the day it’s published or soon after you are ahead of the curve. Get your flight booked and your rental reserved and head out to Park City now. The snow is expected to continue through early Saturday. You won’t regret it…and your friends will be jealous when they see the face shot pics you post on Facebook
We’re hearing that we can expect 12-24 inches by Friday above 7,700 feet.
But don’t take my word for it…here’s a list of resources from the professionals so you can see for yourself what they are expecting.
Looks like we will have to stop measuring in inches and start measuring this Deer Valley storm in feet! The skiing will be great this weekend…check out our total so far:
Snow is starting to stack up here in Park City as we all get ready for the Deer Valley Celebrity Ski Classic which marks the first true weekend of ski season! As usual, town is a buzz as the first major storm of the season crushes the Wasatch. We had a decent amount of Fall snow and temperatures were good enough for snow making. However, this current storm is getting us off to an unreal start!
We already have 12″ in the last day and we will probably get another 6″ to 9″ tonight with more snow in the forecast. By the weekend we should have 2 feet+ of new snow. So look for a better than average opening weekend at Deer Valley coupled with Park City and all the other resorts starting to open up more terrain.
Temperatures will remain very cold, so this light dry fluff will hold up into Christmas. The long range forecast looks like there are a few more disturbances backed up in the Pacific…so we hope to have storms rolling into the New Year.
If you have not booked your Park City vacation rental, you should start looking soon as the season is starting to book up and all this snow will make for a great trip! Vacation home and condos to rent in both Deer Valley and Park City are mostly sold out over New Year’s and Sundance and the rest of the season is filling in…so give us a ring at 435.565.1555
Not that it’s any surprise to Park City locals…but we’re all excited that Outside Magazine has officially named Park City, Utah as the “BEST TOWN IN AMERICA”!!!!
If you’ve ever visited Park City for a summer or a winter vacation you will likely agree with Outside Magazine’s recent declaration that Park City, Utah is the BEST TOWN IN AMERICA!!!!
The article says “Local love for Park City can feel a little over the top—it got two-thirds as many votes in our contest (5,179) as it has residents. To see if that affection was justified, I parachuted in for a 72-hour, Chamber of Commerce–led recon tour. What I found was a town that breeds the active lifestyle.
In winter, Parkites can access three world-class ski areas from town: Deer Valley, Park City, and the Canyons. Then there’s climbing, hiking, and camping in 500,000 acres of wilderness in the nearby Uinta Mountains, 370-plus miles of trails, a blue-ribbon trout stream (the Provo River), and an Olympic training center built for the 2002 Salt Lake Games. More than 100 Olympians still live here. There are also lax(er) liquor laws than elsewhere in the Beehive State—and Utah’s first distillery since Prohibition, High West.”
Well all this is true of course and there’s so much more to love. One little article could never do this amazing town justice but the writer does a good job highlighting the finer points of why we all love Park City!
So take a minute – read the Outside Magazine article and then get on the ball and book your ski vacation for this year! Now is the perfect time to book since many of our properties will still be available…but don’t take your time – if you want the ultimate selection you’ve got to BOOK NOW. abode Park City has tons of luxury vacation rental properties available and we are ready and willing to help you make the vacation memories you’re dreaming of!!!!
It’s time for the fat lady to sing us into the end of the 2013 Park City, Utah ski season…but she’s hitting a high note on her way out. The slopes at Deer Valley have been amazing the last couple of days with 20 new inches of snow this week and two absolutely blue bird days all before closing weekend.
Booking a ski vacation for closing week at the resorts can sometimes be risky. But our customers who booked vacation rentals in abode’s Park City and Deer Valley properties this week are patting themselves on the back for a good decision made. This week has been exemplary in great weather and sweet snow.
There’s nothing like participating with the locals in all the end of season festivities. And there is no where anyone would rather be than on the beach at Deer Valley’s Silver Lake Village on a closing weekend afternoon…sipping on a cold beer while soaking in the warm sunshine after a perfect ending to a great ski season. The ski costumes of many last-day-of-the-season party people are in and of themselves a sight to behold. We locals call it “clown day” and if you’ve never checked it out – you just might want to consider putting this ski week on your calendar next year.
So slip into your spring ski gear and slap on a goofy hat and a tutu. Skip on over to Deer Valley this weekend and enjoy the last days of the ski season with some rays of sunshine and some awesome runs. Lift your plastic cup of beer and toast to another great year behind us and another great year ahead of us…and don’t worry if you’re not in town for the end of season fun this year – you’ve still got time to book your summer Park City vacation!
The hiking, fishing, biking, outdoor concerts and Park Silly Sunday Market fun is still a couple months away and will be as wonderful as the winter!!!
With no lift lines, plentiful powder and more snow in the forecast, it’s time to head to Deer Valley. Photo Courtesy of Deer Valley Resort.
WITH ALMOST FOUR FEET OF SNOW AT UTAH’S DEER VALLEY RESORT IN THE PAST WEEK AND MORE IN FORECAST, IT’S TIME TO GET OUT AND SKI! THANKS TO THE NEW SNOW, A STATE-OF-THE-ART SNOWMAKING SYSTEM AND METICULOUS SLOPE GROOMING, DEER VALLEY RESORT CONTINUES TO RECEIVE ACCOLADES FROM GUESTS THIS SEASON. PLUS, SINCE THE SALT LAKE CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS JUST 36 MILES FROM DEER VALLEY VIA INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS, YOU’LL SPEND YOUR SKI VACATION ON THE SLOPES, NOT ON THE ROADS.
Find solace in Utah’s “Greatest Snow on Earth” at Deer Valley. Photo Courtesy of Deer Valley Resort.
Deer Valley has set the standard for the entire ski industry with their philosophy that all guests should be offered the services and quality one would enjoy at a five-star hotel. With amenities such as ski valets to greet and assist you with your equipment, complimentary day and overnight ski storage and groomed-to-perfection slopes, it’ss no wonder why the readers of SKI Magazine have ranked Deer Valley the #1 ski resort in North America a remarkable five years in a row.
Whether in the trees, on the trails or in the bowls Deer Valley has plenty of snow to go around. Photo Courtesy of Deer Valley Resort.
With limited daily lift ticket sales punctuated by over 300 annual inches of Utah’s famed powder spread over 2,026 acres of terrain, there’s room for everyone on the hill to enjoy 100 runs and six bowls, serviced by 21 lifts. There’s a 500-plus-member Ski School, an entire staff dedicated to providing “guest services” and a state-licensed on-site Children’s Center for children ages two months to 12 years. Three elegant day lodges invite you indoors with massive timbers, polished wood floors, native stone fireplaces and plenty of oversized windows. Ten on-mountain restaurants serve award-winning fare from the trademark Deer Valley Turkey Chili to a traditional European Alps meal of raclette and stews at the elegant Fireside Dining to the vast array of fresh seafood at the famed Seafood Buffet.
Work up an appetite on Deer Valley’s slopes then head in for their famous turkey chili. Photo Courtesy of Deer Valley Resort.
The 2010-11 ski season was definitely one for the record books. Could a twin be in the making?
Last winter, record snow in Utah was a product of a climate condition known as La Nina, a flip-flop of the more well-known El Nino. It brought record snow depths to Utah Mountains - nearly 800 total inches at Snowbird and 4.2 million skiers to in Utah. (The national count was 60.54 million skier visits, an all-time high.)
Weather experts now tell us La Nina will hang around for another winter, and extended predictions call for above normal precipitation in northern Utah. The U.S. Weather Bureau’s long-range forecasts call for above normal precipitation in northern Utah December through March. But, if you choose to believe the Farmer’s Almanac, predictions are that the winter of 2012 will come with average temperatures and below normal precipitation.
Utah mountains have already received their initial covering. On Oct. 5 snow levels reached all the way down to the foothills of Salt Lake City, and yesterday snow blanketed the mountains and the valley. Snowbird has received more than two feet of snow at its top station, and temperatures have dipped low enough for resorts to make snow.
The more prudent skiers and snowboarders have already set tracks for the 2011-12 season. They’ve taken advantage of the locals ski packages at the various resorts and through Ski Utah, looked into the pre-season ski/snowboard sales, checked out the various ski swaps and have given ski/snowboard equipment a quick check.
Haven’t started your ski season prep yet? Here’s a few tips to keep in mind before you hit the slopes.
– The time is right for tuning up and testing ski and snowboard equipment. Skis and boards, as with everything used, wear, especially around the edges. Well tuned equipment responds much better.
– Get physically prepared for the upcoming season. Even a little exercise done correctly can help skiers and snowboarders avoid injuries.
– Make sure equipment for the younger skiers and boarders is properly fitted. There is sometimes a tendency to pass down old equipment that is outdated, too large or too small. There are some great season rental packages available for children . . . and adults.
– Work with an expert when buying equipment. Buying skis, boards, bindings and boots either under or over an individual’s ability can make winter much harder than it need be.
FACTS & FIGURES
14 Utah resorts
138 Ski lifts
22 Terrain parks
3,677 Acres of snowmaking
28,926 Skiable acres 28,926
1,210+ Runs
$31 to $100 Ticket price range
NEW ON THE MOUNTAIN
Of course there was the usual grooming and manicuring of runs and upgrades in food and service fetters, but what else can skiers/snowboarders expect when they visit their favorite resorts this season?
-A new smartphone app will make it possible for skiers to go directly from their vehicle to the lifts at Alta by downloading the Alta Card.
-Beaver Mountain added a new Little Beaver lift.
-Brighton put in half a million dollars into its snowmaking.
-Canyons will offer heli-skiing.
-Deer Valley put in 41 new energy-efficient air-water snowmaking guns.
-Powder Mountain expanded its snowcat-access terrain by 50 percent.
-Snowbird put in a new version for its free IPhone app.
-Solitude will offer free Wi-Fi access throughout its lower village.
OPENING DAYS
Falling snow has made it possible for some resorts to predict opening dates. The likelihood of at least some of the resorts making their target dates is good. All runs and lifts may not be open, but there will be opportunities to ski and snowboard.
Here’s what we know so far:
Alta – Nov. 18
Brian Head – Nov. 19
Brighton – Nov. 10
Canyons – Nov. 25
Deer Valley – Dec. 3
Park City Mountain Resort – Nov. 19
Powder Mountain – Nov. 24
Snowbasin – Nov. 24
Snowbird – Nov. 19
Solitude – Nov. 11
Sundance – Dec. 9
2011-12 LIFT PASS PRICES
(Adult day passes)
Alta – $72
Beaver Mountain – $45
Brian Head – $49
Brighton – $62
Canyons – TBA
Deer Valley – $96/$100
Eagle Point – $45/$50
Park City Mountain Resort – TBA
Powder Mountain – $60
Snowbasin – $72
Snowbird – $78/$72
Solitude – $68
Sundance – $49
Wolf Mountain – $31
Before the buildup for the Olympics 10 years ago, Snowbasin in Utah was little more than a mom-and-pop operation, with aging lifts and amenities and offices in a single-wide trailer.
Now even its bathrooms are turning heads, with the Italian marble day lodge restrooms recently voted top five in the U.S.
Plenty has changed since the 2002 Winter Games put Utah’s ski industry on the map.
The state’s 14 resorts have undergone roughly a billion dollars in improvements, from high-speed lifts and bubble chairs to the construction of high-end global hotels such as the Montage Deer Valley and Waldorf Astoria Park City.
Overall skier visits have increased 42 percent to 4.2 million, skiable acres are up 26 percent, and a trend of late has been multi-generational vacations – grandparents on the slopes with their children and grandchildren.
The international clientele also is on the rise, particularly at Park City’s three resorts, which report international business has increased 200 percent in 10 years. Bilingual instructors and foreign accents on the slopes are now quite common, with Aussies outnumbering UK skiers in Park City for the first time but more and more groups coming from Mexico and Brazil.
There’s even a non-stop flight from Paris to Salt Lake City International Airport five to seven days a week.
“In many respects I don’t think we were even on the radar screen. The Olympics did a great job of exposing us,” said Bill Malone, president of the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau.
He said the Olympics also provided a giant “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,” reflected in places such as Deer Valley being voted North America’s No. 1 overall ski area for the fifth straight year by Ski Magazine readers. Before the Olympics, Park City had one five-star resort; now it has five.
“Even if you didn’t know a lot about us, being able to say we hosted the Games creates credibility,” he said.
What hasn’t changed is the snow, still billed as The Greatest Snow on Earth because of its low moisture content and touch of salt.
It’s what drew Evan Unger to Utah nearly 40 years ago when he was a student at Cal-Berkeley. He had planned to ski Tahoe, only to encounter rain. He ended up heading to Snowbird instead and discovered the “magic” powder that has been bringing him back ever since. These days, Unger, who has skied just about everywhere in the world, is often accompanied on trips to the backcountry with his daughter.
In fact, multi-generational ski vacations are a growing trend. “Ten years ago we wouldn’t have seen that,” Malone said.
“People are living longer and are active later in life,” added Nathan Rafferty, president of the trade group Ski Utah.
To Dave Fields, such opportunities are priceless. He still remembers the tears streaming beneath goggles on his father’s face last winter when three generations skied the same green run at Powder Mountain.
It was a bluebird day, with warm sun on their backs and a good snowpack underfoot. His then-69-year-old father Chuck, a 50-year member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, pulled off to the side as his 8-year-old grandson and 5-year-old granddaughter went by.
“It was so important to him,” said Fields, who grew up skiing Alta and at 40 is now vice president of resort operations at Snowbird. “That was his legacy to his family, this love of recreating outdoors. It was a great day that I will never forget.”
While powder-hounds have been venturing to Utah for years, numerous Olympic athletes now call Park City home because of what the Games helped create.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is based in Park City and Olympic hopefuls now train at the 85,000-square-foot Center of Excellence, which opened in 2009 and offers programs in everything from cardio to sports physiology and nutrition.
Olympic bronze medalist Bryon Wilson has relocated there as have Shannon Bahrke (moguls silver and bronze) and Billy Demong (nordic combined gold and silver). Emily Cook (aerials), Heather McPhie (moguls), Jen Hudak (halfpipe skiing) and Liz Stephen (cross country) also moved to Utah for the convenience, with great snow just 35 minutes away from an international airport.
Malone calls the athletes a link to the Olympic legacy, past and future.
“We still have a real connection to that part of the business,” he said.
Since the closing ceremonies ended, there have been dozens of international competitions in Utah. World Cup events have been held in bobsledding, skeleton, luge and speedskating and world championships in freestyle skiing. The U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix is set for Canyons Resort again in February, and the 2012 Freestyle World Cup is headed to Deer Valley.
“Everyone’s training here, a lot of athletes live here,” Malone said. “It wasn’t like we had one shot, had the Games and never had competition again. It’s kind of in our DNA.”
Snowbasin for the second straight year will host the Winter Dew Tour Championships. In February, the event drew 44,000 people over a four-day period.
“The Olympics really showed we could handle a global-level event, with significant crowds,” said Jason Dyer, marketing manager at Snowbasin. “We used it as a platform.”
It’s a big jump up from the old days at Snowbasin, which now has the capability to move 14,650 people up the mountain in an hour.
Many of them no doubt have checked out those ultra-lux bathrooms.
“Hosting the big party has its advantages,” said Rafferty.
A look at what’s new in Utah this season:
– At Alta, skiers can skip the ticket window and head straight to the powder using the resort’s new Smartphone application that allows them to reload their card. The popular Corkscrew Run also is being modified to ease the pitch and fulfill a promise to provide a true blue run from top to bottom.
-Beaver Mountain has added a new triple chair to provide access to additional beginner terrain.
– Brian Head in more accessible now that a new United Express nonstop flight has been added between Los Angeles International Airport and the new St. George Airport.
-Brighton Resort is investing $500,000 in snowmaking upgrades and $20,000 in terrain park features.
– Canyons Resort will offer heli-skiing from the resort in conjunction with Wasatch Powderbird Guides.
– Deer Valley is redesigning its beginner/learning area on Wild West ski run and adding more Sunkid conveyor lifts.
-Eagle Point has added 200 more skiable acres in its second season as well as tree skiing and spa services.
– Park City Mountain Resort has two new conveyor lifts for beginners. Snowmamas – real moms from around the country – will be chosen to help create unforgettable winter family vacations now that it has been named top family destination in Ski Magazine. The resort also improved its terrain park and overhauled 3 Kings lift to double capacity.
-Powder Mountain expanded its single-ride snowcat terrain by 50 percent and added more gladed terrain.
-Snowbasin added two more snowcats for grooming and new outdoor gas fireplaces on Earl’s Patio.
-Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort remodeled its flagship hotel and is introducing three new programs, including an adult adventure camp and Expedition Team for expert young skiers/boarders.
-Solitude unveiled free Wi-Fi throughout Solitude Village.
-Sundance is expanding and moving its terrain park so it can remain open during night operations.
-Wolf Mountain has better uphill transportation, added a handful of new runs and more pricing options.
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Online:
http://www.skiutah.com/winter/index.html
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/olympics/wires/11/14/2080.ap.us.travel.utah.skiing.post.olympics.1st.ld.writethru.1623/index.html#ixzz1dnWsEyLD
A limited number of specially priced $25 lift tickets are on sale at Park City Mountain Resort with proceeds benefiting the Summit Land Conservancy. The discounted lift tickets are valid from opening day to Dec. 16. Additionally, the Utah ski resort will sell extra tickets to raise money for its newly created Park City Mountain Resort Legacy Fund, which will be used to continue the Resort’s support of local non-profit organizations and will be managed by the Park City Foundation.
“Benefit Day was established to give back to this community and has become a pillar for the not-for-profit community, raising more than $400,000 since 2003,” said Jenni Smith, president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. “With so many deserving not-for-profit organizations in town it is becoming exceedingly more difficult to select recipients for the Benefit Days, which is one of the reasons we are creating the Legacy fund.”
The Summit Land Conservancy was selected because of the things they are doing to preserve and protect, as well as educate on, the natural and agricultural resources of our community.
The Summit Land Conservancy works with landowners to permanently protect the agricultural lands, view-sheds, animal habitats, waterways and rangelands of Summit County, Utah.
“The Summit Land Conservancy is honored to be the nonprofit recipient of PCMR’s Benefit Days this year, said Cheryl Fox, Executive Director of the Summit Land Conservancy. “Every ticket sold will help protect local open spaces and benefit the entire Park City community through the new Park City Mountain Resort Legacy Fund.”
Specially priced tickets for Park City Mountain Resort’s Benefit Days can be purchased now for $25 at Park City Mountain Resort’s Resort Services Office; Jans, Cole Sports and Zions Bank locations in Park City and Sports Den in Salt Lake City. Tickets must be purchased in-person, and are limited to a maximum of four per person.
PARK CITY, Utah Deer Valley Resort has been named the #1 ski resort in North America by the readers of SKI Magazine for the fifth year in a row. No other ski resort has earned this ranking more than three times in a row in the past.
In the past eleven years, Deer Valley’s rating hasn’t dipped lower than third, with a #2 ranking in 2001/2002; a #1 ranking in 2002/2003; a #3 rating in 2003/2004; a #2 rating in 2004/2005; another #1 ranking in 2005/2006, a #2 rating in 2006/2007, and #1 rankings in the 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011 and now 2011/2012 seasons.
“No other ski resort has accomplished anything close to this,” says Bob Wheaton, Deer Valley Resort president and general manager. “And I think the reason is that no other ski resort comes close to matching Deer Valley’s amazing vacation experience. It’s all because of our staff. The culture here is to put the guest first at all times, and our employees not only accomplish this every day, but enjoy it, whether working our chairlifts, in our Children’s Center, our Ski School, our Deer Valley Resort Lodging and Reservations department, in our restaurants, offices, maintenance facilities, anywhere in our organization. My hat is off to our incredibly dedicated crew. This honor goes to them and I thank and congratulate the entire Deer Valley Resort team.”
Aside from being named the #1 Resort overall out of 60 North American resorts, Deer Valley ranked in the Top 3 in many individual categories. Highlights included the Resort being given #1 rankings for grooming, service, weather, on-mountain food, lodging and dining. The Resort also received #2 rankings for lifts and access, and #3 rankings for digital presence and overall satisfaction.
More than 20,000 SKI readers are surveyed for its “Top 60 Resort Guide” by an independent research firm. SKI readers ski an average of 23 days a year. The ski resort survey is the most comprehensive and longest-running in the winter sports industry. Some of the individual comments that were made by skiers about Deer Valley this year were, “Service is top notch, grooming impeccable, food outstanding; “Excellent customer service for the same prices as other resorts with no customer service; They do everything right!; “On-mountain food is insane! Service is exceptional; and “These guys get what it means to manage the details. Consistent first-class experience.”