Ski Utah End of Season Report 2014-2015

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MFA END OF SEASON REPORT FOR SKI UTAH JUNE 9, 2015

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GOAL

To maximize Utah’s presence as a top-tier ski destination in the domestic market.

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STRATEGIES •

Garner media coverage through proactive, in-depth pitching

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Secure top-tier media for FAM trips and coordinate individual media visits to Utah

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Facilitate deskside appointments in four key markets

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Host two large NYC media events

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Revamp Ski Utah’s target media list

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ESSENTIAL TACTICS •

DATABASE CREATION Comprehensive media lists to correspond with Ski Utah’s many facets, including regional and national outlets in print, broadcast and internet, as well as bloggers and social media influencers

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ARSENAL DEVELOPMENT Photo and video asset management, fact sheets, online media room, pitching letters, etc.

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PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION SCHEDULE Distributing monthly themed releases, written by Mfa, would showcase the breadth of Ski Utah’s offerings, while simultaneously ensuring that media are not bombarded with too many press releases.

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FEATURE-DRIVEN MEDIA RELATIONS Proactive, aggressive and strategic communications with media to generate positive feedback that yields results

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CAPITALIZING ON MEDIA TRAVELING TO UTAH Taking advantage of media trips to Utah for events, conferences, trade shows, to arrange for them to experience Ski Utah’s distinctive assets

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MEDIA TOURS In Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas and Houston, various teams of resort representatives met with approximately 30 journalists covering travel, culinary, lifestyle, and hospitality to discuss updates to the resorts in the 2014 winter season, highlight special offers and winter events, reinforce Utah’s all-around accessibility and perfect snow conditions, and explain the One Wasatch concept.

Los Angeles

The teams met with journalists representing the Los Angeles Times, Robb Report, USA Today, The Ski Channel, Johnny Jet, LA Parent Magazine, TravelingMom, MiniTime, Men’s Fitness, Peter Greenberg, Gayot and Wandermelon.

San Francisco

The teams met with journalists representing Women’s Health, San Francisco Chronicle, Men’s Health, Fitness, VIA Magazine, AAA Magazine, UrbanDaddy SF, 7x7 Magazine, AFAR, and Thrillist.

Texas: Dallas and Houston

The teams met with journalists representing KDFW-TV Fox Dallas, TravelLady.com, Dallas/Fort Worth Lifestyles, About.com, Dallas Morning News, Modern Luxury Dallas, EscapeHatchDallas, Yellow Magazine, Fox Sports Dallas, Inside Entertainment, the Houston Chronicle, Sierra, Outside Magazine, Garden & Gun, US Airways Magazine, Vacations Magazine, and WHERE Dallas.

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MEDIA EVENTS In an effort to maximize Ski Utah’s face time with media, Mfa organized three events in two key target markets: New York City and Boston. The team invited media to a cocktail party at the NoMad Hotel in NYC on October 7, where more than 50 top-tier editors mingled with representatives from the resorts and learned about the bevy of properties with perfect snow conditions in Utah. The following day, 16 journalists attended a more intimate lunch at NYC’s Costata to get more one-on-one time with Ski Utah.

Mfa then facilitated a second media reception on October 9, at Tico in downtown Boston, where resort representatives had the opportunity to speak with local editors and meteorologists about updates to their properties, the One Wasatch concept, and more.

The New York events featured specialty cocktails made with Park City’s very own High West Distillery whiskey while the Boston event allowed guests to sample Squatters’ line of craft brews. Guests left all three events engaged with the latest information about the upcoming ski season and a complete media kit with this year’s Ski Utah magazine and everyone’s contact details.

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GROUP MEDIA TRIPS Mfa facilitated four media group trips for a total of 17 editors representing a wide array of print and online publications in key markets. The themed trips represented the key tenets of Ski Utah’s offerings including travel, culinary, luxury and more, highlighting the accessibility of each resort and the Greatest Snow on Earth.

Girlfriend Getaway (3/9-3/13)

Indulge (2/23-2/27)

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Mimi Slawoff - LA Parent Magazine Kelly O'Reilly - Cool Hunting Dawn Paul - Houston Style Magazine Mackenzie Lobby - Outside Online, Runner's World and Men's Health

Ben Davidson – Diablo, Marin Jill Fergus - Car & Travel Magazine Alessandra Bulow - F&W, Epicurious, Maxim, Southwest: The Magazine Rebecca Rhoades - AAA Mid-Atlantic

Intro to Utah (1/12-1/16)

Long Weekend Getaway (1/28-2/1)

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Megan Barber - Curbed Ski Grant Marek - Thrillist Michael Woodsmall - The Inertia Esteban Martinez - Thrillist Aleisha Fetters - Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Fitness, Refinery29

Michael Easter - Men's Health Leta Shy - PopSugar Steve Mazzucchi - Made Man Katie O'Donnell - Westchester Magazine

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INDIVIDUAL MEDIA TRIPS In addition to securing media for the group media trips, Mfa also coordinated for top editors and freelance writers to experience Utah on an individual trip this past winter.

After carefully vetting the journalists and their assignment, Mfa liaised with Ski Utah to coordinate their itinerary, including lodging and on-site activities.

Journalists • Matt McCue, Delta Sky • Mary Ann Potts, National Geographic Traveler • Brandon Perlman, Departures/Town & Country • Terry Ward, Fort Lauderdale Magazine • Bill Fink, San Francisco Chronicle and Yahoo! Travel • Amanda Shapin, Shapin’ Up • Tom Samiljan, Travel + Leisure

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RESULTS •

Media coverage across key target markets with a circulation of more than 15 million

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Secured opportunities for resort representatives to meet with 100+ top tier media through media events and media tours

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Facilitated visits to Utah for more than 25 prolific travel, lifestyle, ski, health + wellness, and culinary writers

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More than 10 stories currently in the works and slated to come out just in time for Winter 2015-2016

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LOOKING AHEAD •

Summer media tours in key markets (Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Atlanta, Washington, DC, New York City and Chicago)

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New venue and format for NYC cocktail reception and luncheon, bringing Utah to the Big Apple

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Outreach efforts to focus on Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Parents, American Way, Delta Sky, AFAR, Details, Esquire, GQ, National Geographic Traveler, Departures, AP, Popular Mechanics

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New themes for group media trips including après ski experience, fitness + action, luxury/ food and drink, and a revamped Girlfriend Getaway

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TRAVEL TRENDS & RECOMMENDATIONS Trends: -Millennials are driving multigenerational travel. They’re not only traveling with their parents, but with their own children, who they are involving in the travel planning. According to HomeAway, 34% of Millennials let their kids pick the vacation destination -Millennials travel to volunteer overseas and embrace opportunities to give back while on the road.

-Millennials seek destinations that support tech- and wellness-driven lifestyles. Properties that provide free WiFi, easy access to plugs and USB ports, and amenities like Bluetooth-friendly speakers, healthy beverages, organic and/or local ingredients on the menu, and spa showers all rank high among Millennials.

Recommendations: -Dive into wellness, with an emphasis on local offerings -Embrace ‘bleisure’ – aka the fusion of business and leisure – making it easy for Millennials to make a vacation out of business travel.

-Capitalize on Millennial reliance on crowdsourcing. Leverage your existing fan base by developing an incentive program that turns them into brand ambassadors who are active on social media on your behalf.

-Develop campaigns targeting GenZ, since Millennials involve their own children when making travel decisions.

-Make it easy for Millennial travelers to give back on vacation.

-Explore unfamiliar digital territory and utilize emerging platforms before they become oversaturated.

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http://www.frommers.com/slideshows/847972-what-s-new-at-the-ski-resorts-of-utah-and-coloradowe-have-the-scoop#slide848738

http://www.frommers.com/slideshows/847972-what-s-new-at-the-ski-resorts-of-utah-and-coloradowe-have-the-scoop#slide848738

http://www.frommers.com/slideshows/847972-what-s-new-at-the-ski-resorts-of-utah-and-coloradowe-have-the-scoop#slide848738

http://www.frommers.com/slideshows/847972-what-s-new-at-the-ski-resorts-of-utah-and-coloradowe-have-the-scoop#slide848738

The Case for One Wasatch: A Ski Paradise for All (Locals Too) 10.23.14 The plan to connect all seven of the ski areas in the central Wasatch Mountain range, near Park City, could be a boon for local skiers and businesses, creating one of the most talked about ski experiences in North America. Detractors say that it will destroy the environment and character of the area. Here, Nathan Rafferty, the president of Ski Utah gives the industry's argument in favor of the plans.

One Wasatch in its current form started as a distant dream more than 30 years ago. The idea was simple: take the seven central Wasatch ski areas (Alta, Brighton, Canyons, Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbird, and Solitude) — all standouts in their own right — and connect them via a series of chairlifts and ski runs. The combined ski experience would be one of the best in the world, at 18,000 acres, all of which would be accessible through one lift ticket.

The proposal sounds complicated until you look at it on a map: the ski areas are already practically on top of each other.

But it's taken 30 years of starts and stops to see get where we are today, which is within easy reach. Already both Alta/Snowbird and Brighton/Solitude share lift tickets, allowing interconnected skiing between the resorts. After Vail Resort's recent purchase of Park City —and their previous purchase of Canyons —those two resorts will be joined by next year, creating the largest ski area in the United States, at over 7,000 acres. The remaining resorts could be joined with three, relatively simple connections, creating the single largest ski experience in North America.

Bigger isn't always better, especially when you're operating within the finite boundaries of Utah's Wasatch Mountain Range, where snowmobilers, snowshoers, and backcountry skiers all seek their fair share of The Greatest Snow on Earth.

But while One Wasatch is big — it would be twice as big as its nearest North American competitor, Whistler/Blackcomb (8,000 acres) — it's the diversity of the experience that makes this concept worth completing. Wasatch is focused entirely on the ski experience. No development other than ski lifts and runs are part of the concept. Not hotels, no condos – just skiing. Another key component of the concept is that it can all be built on private land.

Local residents understandably have their doubts. Fears about the region's natural beauty, homogenizing the different resort experiences, and continued ski area expansion are major areas of concern. As always, change and uncertainty bring reticence, especially when it concerns Utah locals' favorite pastime – powder skiing.

From Alta's laid-back attitude to Deer Valley's service-first mantra, resort experiences at Utah's seven central Wasatch resorts could hardly be more different. But having the ability to access these different resort cultures on one pass — whether it's the personality of its guests, the makeup of the terrain, the architecture of its buildings, or the culinary experience at their lodges — would culminate into an experience much greater than the sum of its parts.

For the Utah snow-sliding faithful, what once was a reluctance to change might soon become a healthy addiction.

Straying just one ridgeline away from their regular powder stash would offer an entirely new experience. One Wasatch offers visitors and locals alike new vistas, runs, culinary experiences, and, perhaps most importantly, new chairlift conversations. Everyone would see an entirely different perspective.

As locals, we're programmed to head straight to our favorite lift, yo-yo up and down on a singularly focused powderplundering mission for a couple hours and call it a day. One Wasatch offers a different style of skiing altogether, where the value is placed on option. If it's completed, we might wonder how we ever survived with just a single ski hill.

Of course, destination skiers would enjoy the same benefits. And it might just entice them to add an extra day or two to their vacation to Utah. After all, seven distinct resorts is more than just a weekend's worth of skiing.

On the cusp of this game-changing development, it's an exciting time to be a snow-lover.

http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/skiing-boarding/the-case-for-the-one-wasatch-a-ski-paradisefor-all-locals-too-20141022

What's new at American ski resorts this season Syd Kearney 10.24.14 When it comes to winter sports, there's definitely a bigger is better mentality.

In September, Vail Resorts announced its purchase of Park City Mountain Resort in Utah. The purchase means Vail Resorts now boasts 22 resorts and more than 32,000 acres of skiing. Among its additional properties: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Canyons in Park City, Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. (If you think you might like to hit a number of resorts this season, consider the bargain Epic Pass, which offers unlimited access to those properties; visit snow.com/epic-pass for details.)

That may make Vail the dominant downhill resort company, but Big Sky Resort in Montana takes the title for largest ski area with 5,800 acres. Still they don't like to play up their size.

"We like to say that we're roomy," said Sheila Chapman of Big Sky. "You may travel a little further but once you're here you'll never find a lift line."

New this year at Big Sky are four runs (three are beginner) and more skiable acres thanks to some extensive off-season glading. More importantly to Houstonians is the new seasonal nonstop flights between George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.

Here are some other improvements resorts are hoping will lure winter sports enthusiasts.

New Mexico Fans of Taos Ski Valley's spectacular Kachina Peak will be glad to hear that the resort is introducing a ski lift to the area. The Kachine Peak lift will summit will be at 12,450 feet, making it one of the high chairlifts in North America. It also increases the resort's lift-serviced terrain by nearly 50 percent. Those skiers who prefer to hike will want to tackle the Wild West Glades, 35 acres of premium tree skiing accessible for the first time; skitaos.org.

Angel Fire Resort will debut a new terrain park. The Railyard, located off the green trail Headin' Home, will include beginner-friendly boxes, rails and jumps; angelďŹ reresort.com.

This will mark the first season that the management team of Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort will oversee operations of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area At Sipapu, which is located about 20 miles south of Taos, snow sports enthusiasts will find improved tree skiing and a new Magic Carpet lift for its beginner's slope.

Named recently by National Geographic as one of the country's "best secret ski towns," Pajarito is investing in snowmaking equipment that eventually will extend the resort's ski season; sipapunm.com and skipajarito.com. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/travel/destinations/article/What-s-new-at-American-ski-resortsthis-season-5846099.php#/0

Colorado Winter Park celebrates its 75th anniversary this season. It will mark the occasion with the opening of Lunch Rock Restaurant, the largest on-mountain construction project in more than 25 years. Located atop Mary Jane Territory, 16,000-square-foot Lunch Rock will feature a 150-seat heated deck, a 250-seat indoor restaurant and a bar.

Winter Park also has dubbed 2014-15 as the "Season of the Seven." It's a push to get skiers and snowboarders to explores its seven distinctive territories, which include Winter Park, Mary Jane, Vasquez Ridge, Parsenn Bowl, Terrain Park, Eagle Wind and the Cirque. The latter area will be made more accessible with the new Cirque Sled. Pulled by a snowcat, the 48-passenger Cirque Sled will deliver guests to more than 1,300 acres of off-piste terrain; winterparkresort.com At Steamboat, improvements were guided by a goal of improving "snow surface quality, culinary experiences and guest services." Two popular gathering spots - Thunderhead Lodge and Bear River Terrace - have seen improvements in the off season and the resort will add two additional evenings to its night skiing program; steamboat.com.

Several of Colorado resorts are looking out for the little ones this year. At Durango Mountain Resort, the Burton Riglet Park at Purgatory will offers riders ages 3-6 a spot to develop their snow sport skills. The Hideout is the name of the new learning center/gathering place for young skiers and boarders at Aspen/Snowmass Look for Arapahoe Basin's A-Basin Kids Center to open in the spring. At Loveland Valley, a new Magic Carpet surface lift will aid novice skiers and a similar lift has been installed at the tubing hill at Crested Butte Mountain ResortKeystone continues to offer its Kids Ski Free program, and has added a new slide to Camp Keystone as well as a new ski-through "mine" in the family adventure zone; arapahoebasin.com, aspensnowmass.com, durangomountainresort.com, skicb.com, skiloveland.com and keystoneresort.com.

Utah Northern Utah has a spanking new ski resort. Located near the Idaho border, Cherry Peak Resort features two terrain parks, two triple chair lifts, night skiing and ice skating; skicpr.com.

Located near Parowan, Brian Head marks its 50th anniversary with the launch of a new high speed detachable quad lift; brianhead.com.

Deer Valley Resort's Brass Tack restaurant in the Lodges at Deer Valley is now open, serving up brickoven comfort food, while Park City's Burgers and Bourbon at Montage Deer Valley dishes out artisan burgers made with ingredients from local farms and a selection of more than 100 whiskies.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/travel/destinations/article/What-s-new-at-American-ski-resortsthis-season-5846099.php#/0

This Year's Best Ski and Snow Family Vacations 11.4.14 With a snow-packed season ahead, it’s time to warm up to snowsports family vacations. You can introduce the kids to the great outdoors at North America’s finest ski and snowboard resorts, where even weekend getaways are filled with fun and learning. And we mean for every ability and fitness level. Review this guide to the top family destinations, lay out your school calendars next to some resort calendars, and you’ll see how easy it is to book a value winter mountain vacation. ...

The Whole Family Can Learn to Ski or Snowboard Free January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM), a nationwide program that encourages snowsports with reduced price and even free lessons, lift tickets, and rental gear.

Last year, we sampled beginner programs at three Utah resorts, had a great time, and even learned something as you can see in our video. LSSM Special Features offers a quick overview of all of the resorts that participate, and you can also follow their deals on Twitter and Facebook.

Don’t forget the Bring a Friend Challenge, open to all current skiers and snowboarders (including members of the industry) from December 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015. The Challenge offers incentives for snowsports lovers who introduce newcomers to lessons from professional instructors this winter; you can win prizes and even a free trip.

Several states have programs that introduce snowsports to grade school children free of charge to support that next generation of resident snowsports fans. See “Free Learn To Ski Passes And Statewide Programs” for more information about these and how to find one near you.

Don’t let a family member with special needs miss out on an unforgettable winter vacation. There are many adaptive programs around the country for those with physical and mental challenges including the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park and the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Colorado; the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports and White Mountain Adaptive Ski School at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire.

There are lots of opportunities for moms and grandmas to learn with friends or just hone their skills at women’s ski clinics around the country. ...

http://myfamilytravels.com/content/54757-years-best-ski-and-snow-family-vacations/page/0/1

Travel Deals Alison DaRosa 11.1.14 Hungry for a retro fix? Consider an escape to Yuma. Seriously.

There’s plenty happening in Yuma this month: The Medjool Date Festival is Nov. 15, yumadatefest.com, and the 24th annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival is Nov. 21-23; www.caballeros.org/balloon_main.htm. The best lodging deal in town is at the historic Coronado Motor Hotel. It was built by John and Marie Peach in 1938 — and is today run by their son, John, and his wife, Yvonne. The Peaches recently completed a major renovation of the entire property, which now includes 127 units, two swimming pools, a fitness center, business centers and electric car-charging stations. The deal: For just $129 you’ll get two nights’ accommodations, including cooked-to-order breakfasts each morning, plus a $25 gift certificate valid at the on-site Yuma Landing Bar & Grill. No resort fees or parking fees; Internet access is free. Check out the hotel at www.coronadomotorhotel.com, but book by phone at (877) 234-5567.

The Wharf Master’s Inn, a historic B&B overlooking the Pacific at Point Arena in Northern California, has a sweet deal for those seeking remote tranquillity. Stay two nights and get a third night free, Sundays through Thursdays through the end of the year (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve).

Rates start at $104 a night, with most rooms going for $149 or less. A continental breakfast is included.

No resort fees or parking charges. Check out the inn online at www.wharfmasters.com, but this deal must be booked by phone: (707) 882-3171.

Los Angeles’ first-ever Hotel Week will run two weeks, Nov. 29-Dec. 14. Pay a fixed rate of $100, $200 or $300 per night at hotels that might otherwise be collecting twice the price. For example, pay $200 a night for rooms at Le Meridien Delfina Santa Monica, the Hollywood Roosevelt, Hotel Palomar in Westwood or The Redbury at Hollywood & Vine. You won’t be dinged for resort fees, but check with the hotel about parking costs, which are likely to add $35 or so to your nightly tab. Check the list of participating hotels and book at www.hotelweekLA.com.

Hop a flight to Salt Lake City and you could be skiing for half price at Alta/Snowbird that same day. The deal is valid within 24 hours of air arrival, Mondays through Thursdays, through the 2014-15 ski season.

You’ll have to book your airline ticket, then preregister online for the deal at least 24 hours before departure. Upon arrival at any Alta or Snowbird ticket window, present your registration confirmation email, a copy of your printed boarding pass (electronic won’t work) and photo ID. Adults will ski for $54; kids pay $35.50. Half-price tickets will not be issued Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays — and snowboarders are prohibited at Alta Ski Area. Learn more at www.alta.com/boardingpass.

Fall and winter seasons showcase Europe in a different light. Crowds have thinned, and in many cases, costs are down. One example: Eurail knocks 20 percent off prices for passes purchased by Dec. 31 for travel through March 31. Get a first-class Select Pass, valid for eight days of train travel within two months, in four countries, for $557. In high season, you’d pay $695 for that pass. During the fall/winter promotional period, first-class Eurail Global Passes start at $613 for adults (for 15 days of travel over two months, a $766 value); these top-of-the-line passes allow rail travel in 24 European countries, including free or discounted travel on some major shipping lines. Learn more at www.eurail.com/eurailpasses/deals-and-discounts. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/nov/01/travel-deals-yuma-lodging-Eurail-passes/

The Itinerary: Utah’s ski areas get ready for season Sandy Guerra-Cline 11.8.14 Utah gears up for skiing It’s November, and that’s a cue for Utah’s many ski areas and resorts, from skis-only Alta Mountain to Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort, to put out the welcome mat. Alta Mountain is scheduled to open Nov. 21; Sundance, which offers skiing, snowboarding, night skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, is to open Dec. 6; kidfriendly Brighton Resort, near Salt Lake City, is set to open Nov. 22; and the luxurious Deer Valley Resort opens Dec. 6. For updates and details on all of the state’s many ski areas, go to www.skiutah.com.

— Sandy Guerra-Cline D.C. hotel readies for anniversary New portraits of President Abraham Lincoln and his family are being unveiled at the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, D.C., ahead of next year’s 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination. One of artist John Gable’s portraits depicts Mary Lincoln and eldest son Robert Lincoln, and the other portrait President Lincoln and sons Willie and Tad. The hotel, Ford’s Theatre and the Newseum are holding a contest to give away a weekend getaway in a room where Lincoln stayed. The Newseum is planning a 2015 exhibit chronicling Lincoln’s death.

— The Associated Press Disney park doffs its hat The sorcerer’s hat is coming down at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Central Florida. Disney officials say the giant blue sorcerer’s hat display will be replaced in 2015. Unveiled in 2001, the hat has greeted fans who entered the park ever since and was inspired by a story in the classic 1940 Disney film Fantasia, in which sorcerer’s apprentice Mickey Mouse steals the hat and disaster ensues. Disney has yet to say what will replace it.

— The Associated Press America’s King in London Tickets are already on sale for an exhibition of more than 300 artifacts associated with Elvis Presley in what organizers say is the largest retrospective of the late rock ’n’ roll icon ever mounted in Europe.

Elvis Presley Enterprises says “Elvis at The O2: The Exhibition of His Life” will open Dec. 12 in London and is scheduled to run through Aug. 31, 2015. Artifacts come from the Presley family’s Graceland Archives.

— The Associated Press

http://www.star-telegram.com/search_results?aff=1100&q=The+itinerary

Where to Ski, Stay and Apres in 2015 11.10.14 ...

Park City, Utah

This former mining town at the foot of the Utah’s Wasatch Range is the most accessible mountain playground in the West. Hollywood discovered the former mining town back in 1981 when Robert Redford first hosted Sundance, and the Olympics followed 21 years later. This winter, two of its top ski mountains—Canyons Resort and Park City Mountain Resort—are both skiable with Vail Resorts’ EpicPass. The two resorts combine to provide more than 7,300 skiable acres blanketed by more than 350 inches of powpow every winter. If you’re looking for the parks and terrain to help you go freestyle, check into Park City Mountain Resort’s Neff Land for a trippy terrain park where jumps and jibs are giant cupcakes, snowcones and candy canes. Click in to RAMP Sports’ Groundhog skis for all-mountain thrills.

They’re pressed in Park City with FSC-certified bamboo cores and have shoveled out tips perfect for the pow. After a day on the slopes, slide down Park City’s Quit ‘N Time run right into James Beard-award winning saloon High West Distillery. Get off the mountain early for a tour and get a peek at the 250pound copper pot that distills treats like Campfire Whiskey, blending Scotch, bourbon and rye whiskeys. ...

http://www.jetsetter.com/feature/winter-2015-ski-guide?nm=linkbin&cl=1

Sage Kotsenburg lives the shreddy pizza life in Park City, Utah Drew Amer 11.10.14 Which is the best life

When I was in college, snowboarding 2-3 days a week was just not enough. I needed more. So I took the winter semester off and moved to Park City, Utah. It was there that I was finally able to snowboard every single day. It was also where I experienced the best job I will ever have: delivering pizza for Davanza's.

I spent every day on-hill, and every night behind the wheel. Navigating my way through the treacherous streets in blizzard conditions, I delivered to world-class hotels and multi-million dollar ski homes—as well as muchie-crazed locals who would provide tips in green currency. Between deliveries I would hang out in the bastion of the shreddy pizza lifestyle that Davanza's embodies.

Olympic gold medalist Sage Kotsenburg knows the shreddy pizza lifestyle better than most, as exhibited in this day in the life video from Utah's latest Find Your Greatest campaign. Ride by day, pizza by night.

When you're 21-years-old, nothing else should matter.

http://www.networka.com/olympic-gold-medal-snowboarder-sage-kotsenburg-visit-utah

Family Travel: It’s time to find your winter wonderland Lynn O’Rourke Hayes 11.28.14 Plan a snowy escape with your family. Here are five wintry lodges to consider: 1) The National Park Inn; Mount Rainier National Park. Leave your technology behind and immerse yourselves in the beauty of this majestic setting in the park’s Longmire Historic District. Check in to one of 25 rooms in the two-story lodge.

Relax in the lounge and sip hot cocoa near the massive stone fireplace while enjoying stories of the day and making plans for the next. Stop by the general store, a circa 1911 log cabin, for access to cross-country and snowshoeing rentals and other goodies.

Contact: mtrainierguestservices.com/accommodations/national-park-inn 2) Shore Lodge; McCall, Idaho. Nature fans are quick to fall for this small, picturesque town 100 miles north of Boise.

While Payette Lake may serve as the recreational centerpiece, there is plenty to keep the family busy indoors or out.

Check in to a guest room or spacious cottage before setting out to explore via snowshoes, cross-country skis or snowmobiles. Hop on the shuttle to enjoy a day at the nearby Brundage Mountain Resort or relax in the spa and heated saltwater pool.

Contact: shorelodge.com 3) Sundance Mountain Resort; Sundance, Utah. You’ll find it difficult to leave the cozy lodge warmed by a roaring fire, or your cabin crafted from indigenous materials. But when you do, choose from cross-country and snowshoe trails that run deep into the woods, or sunlit downhill runs on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos.

The resort, founded by filmmaker and conservationist Robert Redford, offers family-friendly pottery, beading and printmaking classes in the Art Shack. There’s also winter fly-fishing and dining menus with an emphasis on organic and locally sourced ingredients.

Contact: sundanceresort.com 4) Bishop’s Lodge; Santa Fe, N.M. Just 3 miles from the heart of Santa Fe, this 111-room lodge oozes old-school charm amid modern amenities. Thick adobe walls, dark beams and kiva fireplaces wafting the sweet smell of piñon provide an authentic backdrop for your winter getaway.

Hike, ski or ride horseback on 450 acres out the back door, or make your way to the nearby Santa Fe Ski Basin for downhill thrills. Stop in town for internationally renowned art, restaurants and museums.

Contact: bishopslodge.com 5) Devil’s Thumb Ranch; Tabernash, Colo. Stay in a cozy cabin or opt to sleep in the new 50,000-square-foot High Lonesome Lodge, where ranch guests take in expansive views of the Continental Divide and the Ranch Creek Valley below.

The centerpiece of the lodge is a reconstructed Civil War-era barn. Choose from 31 guest rooms and four suites, each with private outdoor patios and Adirondack-style rockers. Grab the binoculars to catch a glimpse of wildlife roaming on this 6,000-acre expanse of Colorado beauty, or set out on the Nordic trails for an up-close view of winter scenes.

Contact: devilsthumbranch.com

http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/travel/columnists/lynn-o_rourke-hayes/20141128-family-travelits-time-to-find-your-winter-wonderland.ece

America’s Best Towns for the Holidays Katrina Brown Hunt November 2014 Twinkling lights, sumptuous meals, and maybe even Santa skiing down the slopes: T+L readers share their favorite towns for the holidays.

Johnny Johnston has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years, but when he goes home for the holidays, he finds himself enchanted all over again by the winter wonderland where he grew up: Vail, CO. “From the moment you drive into the valley, the streets and public spaces are all lit with Christmas lights, creating a Norman Rockwell moment,” says the broker for Sotheby’s International Realty. Even if his mom still hassles him about what shirt he wears to his aunt’s dinner party, “Vail is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen for the holiday season.”

Many Travel + Leisure readers agree, ranking the Colorado mountain town at No. 2 for seasonal cheer in the America’s Favorite Places survey. Readers evaluated hundreds of towns in dozens of features, from romance to thriving art scenes to irresistible bakeries. To determine the best towns for the holidays, we combined the scores in a few festive categories: department-store shopping, notable restaurants, and Christmas lights.

Plenty of the top 25 holiday towns offer creative spins on holiday traditions, too, whether they look like winter wonderlands or not. In a South Carolina town, you can have your turkey dinner in barbecue sauce. In one mountain town, the annual tree lighting involves a faux pine made of recycled skis. And in places from Healdsburg, CA, to Charlottesville, VA, you can pick up holiday gifts—local wines, French linens, or antique cookbooks—that you’d never find at the mall back home.

Another kind of holiday magic (low-season rates and fewer crowds) can create a blissful version of Silent Night. That’s why Far Hills, NJ, resident Gavin Macomber has spent a few Christmases by the beach in Nantucket, MA. “It’s fun to walk around town sipping hot chocolate and watching snow fall,” says the founder of Andegavia Cask Wines. “Nantucket is particularly peaceful this time of year—which makes it an ideal place to escape to during the holidays.” ...

No. 10 Park City, UT The holiday season ushers in serious wattage—star-powered and otherwise—in this Utah mountain town. In late November, Park City holds its annual Electric Parade, in which locals light up their trucks, cars, and bicycles and crank up the holiday tunes as they parade down Main Street. On Christmas Eve, Saint Nick spends the day skiing the slopes and then leads a torchlight parade down the PayDay trail. January’s Sundance Film Festival draws a Hollywood crowd, yet Park City also scored well with readers for feeling familyfriendly. During the holidays, kids and sweet tooths of all ages will love the life-size gingerbread house (nearly 13 feet tall, made with 11,000 cookies) at Montage Deer Valley. ... http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-towns-for-the-holidays/11

This Season's Top 3 Ski Passes Alex C. Pasquariello 12.3.14 Season passes aren’t just for local skiers anymore. But with a dizzying number of multimountain passes to choose from—and more resorts getting in on the action—picking the right one is harder than ever. We’ve decoded the fine print and done the math on this winter’s top three.

Epic Pass The Cost: Adults, $769; children, $399.

What it includes: Unlimited skiing with no blackout dates at Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Northstar, California; Arapahoe Basin, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Vail, Colorado; and Canyons and Park City, Utah.

The extras: Six “Ski with a Friend” tickets, plus up to five days at Verbier, Switzerland, and Les Trois Vallées, France—two of Europe’s finest slopes.

You'll break even by: Skiing seven days at any Epic Pass resort, or just five days during the holiday period.

Who it's ideal for: Dedicated skiers based in California, Colorado, and now Utah (thanks to Vail Resorts’ recent acquisition of Park City) and anyone who’ll take advantage of the European add-ons.

Who it works for: Chicago, Dallas, and L.A. locals: Nonstop flights to Park City, Reno-Tahoe, and Vail put some of the best resorts in the West within easy reach. And with direct flights into Vail and Utah from Atlanta, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, and Toronto, skiers in those cities might also consider the pass.

Who should skip it: Tahoe-dreaming East Coasters (the lack of nonstop flights makes getting to the lake a hassle), and Portland and Seattle skiers, who are better off at Jackson Hole or Whistler Blackcomb.

Insider Tip: Unlike many ski resorts, Canyons and Park City are just a 35-minute drive from the airport.

Mountain Collective The Cost: Adults, $399; children, $99.

What it includes: Two days each at seven resorts, with no blackout dates: Mammoth and Squaw Valley–Alpine Meadows, California; Aspen/ Snowmass, Colorado; Alta-Snowbird, Utah; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Ski Banff–Lake Louise–Sunshine, Alberta; and Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia.

The extras: An unlimited 50 percent discount on additional days and up to 25 percent off lodgings at the seven Mountain Collective resorts.

You'll break even by: Skiing two days at any two resorts.

Who it's ideal for: Stormchasers and weekenders. (The most powder-centric package out there, it’s less a season pass and more a bundle of lift tickets.)

Who it works for: Anyone willing to hop on a plane: You can fly nonstop into Aspen from Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, L.A., Minneapolis, and San Francisco, and nonstop into Jackson Hole from Chicago, L.A., New York, and now D.C. Who should skip it: Mountain monogamists who plan to ski more than 30 days at any of these resorts. Non-Canadians, take note: Banff and Whistler are two-hour drives from Calgary and Vancouver, respectively.

Insider tip: The key to maximizing this pass is the 50 percent discount on additional days—locals who ski fewer than 25 days are better off buying this than a single-mountain season pass.

Intrawest Passport The Cost: Adults, $589; additional adults, $449; teens, $249; children 12 and under, free.

What it includes: Six days of blackout-free skiing at six resorts: Steamboat and Winter Park, Colorado; Stratton, Vermont; Snowshoe, West Virginia; Blue Mountain, Ontario; and Tremblant, Quebec.

The extras: Once you’ve purchased a full-price adult pass, you can get as many as five child passes for free—and up to five discounted adult and teen passes. The best part? Those passes can be used by anyone, not just family members.

You'll break even by: Skiing six days at one resort—or fewer if anyone with you is under 12.

Who it's ideal for: Families on the East Coast who will spend a weekend at Stratton or Tremblant and are planning a week out west in Colorado.

Who it works for: Those in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, L.A., Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and, as of this winter, D.C. can fly nonstop to Steamboat Springs; Winter Park is a two-hour drive from Denver and has a nationally recognized ski school.

Who should skip it: Those who plan to ski only in the East this winter.

Insider tip: If you’re serious about skiing New England, check out the Nor’Easter Pass and the White Mountain Superpass, too.

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-12-03/this-seasons-top-3-ski-passes

What's new at Utah ski resorts Kara Williams 11.26.14 Celebrating new trails, restaurants, and experiences in Utah Here's the beauty of planning a ski vacation in Utah: World-class resorts are only a 40-minute drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport. That means travelers from the East Coast can hop on an early morning flight and—thanks to the favorable time change—hit the Utah slopes after lunch to fit in a couple of hours of skiing or boarding before lifts close in the late afternoon.

Of course, I also recommend easing into a ski vacation—acclimating to mountain elevation, checking out local restaurants, and soaking in the hotel's hot tub (there's no harm in soothing travel-weary muscles before your outdoor workout).

Plenty of mountain improvements welcome Utah's skiers and snowboarders this season. Here's a snapshot of what's new at some of state's most popular ski areas.

Deer Valley Resort: In August 2014, the Deer Valley Resort, a 5-minute drive from downtown Park City, opened The Brass Tag restaurant in the Lodges at Deer Valley. Serving dinner nightly year-round, the eatery specializes in brick-oven menu items, including house-cured duck and parma prosciutto flat bread, brick-oven shrimp skillet, and tandoori-rubbed quail. The name of the restaurant reflects the area's history: Local miners used brass tags hung on a board to check in and out of work in the mines.

The upscale resort also has invested heavily in on-mountain equipment, including new snow-making guns, snowcats, and snowmobiles; and has added four Cadillacs to the lodging transportation fleet. In related news, Deer Valley Resort has entered into an agreement to purchase Utah's Solitude Mountain Resort and is scheduled to begin operating that property in May 2015.

Canyons Resort: Park City's Canyons Resort (pictured at top) has revamped Cloud Dine atop Dream Peak, one of the ski area's most popular ski-in/ski-out dining locations. The resort replaced the restaurant's temporary building with a permanent space that nearly has doubled its seating capacity for those skiers and snowboarders who flock to the resort for its average 355 inches of snowfall. The menu continues to include made-to-order salads, homemade pizzas, and specialty sandwiches.

Park City Mountain Resort: Earlier this year Vail Resorts, which also owns Canyons Resort, acquired Park City Mountain Resort and its 3,300 acres of novice-to-expert terrain. Not all locals welcomed this news with open arms; some longtime PCMR fans feared too much "change" to their beloved mountain. But according to a PCMR spokesperson, no big changes are on the horizon—at least for the 2014-2015 season. The new ownership is a huge bonus for Vail Resorts season pass holders, as its "Epic Pass" now offers skiing at both Canyons and PCMR, as well as 20 additional resorts around the world. Access to PCMR also is included on the Epic 4-Day, Epic 7-Day and Epic Local Pass this season.

Alta Ski Area: Regular visitors to Alta Ski Area, about a 40-minute drive southeast of downtown Salt Lake City, will find a totally new Corkscrew run. While I'm not personally familiar with this trail, apparently it had been appropriately named: The trail had a too-steep top-end pitch, a blind corner, and a funnel where skiers all came together in a traffic jam. Now it has a relatively consistent pitch and width, with much better visibility.

Snow Basin: Snowbasin Resort, 35 miles north of downtown Salt Lake City, is known for its excellent groomed conditions. It has purchased three more snowcats to make grooming even more consistent. The resort also invested in new snow-making equipment with 30 energyefficient snow guns.

Nordic Valley Resort: First it was Nordic Valley Resort, then it became known as Wolf Mountain, and this year the ski resort an hour north of Salt Lake City, is reverting its roots, with a name change back to Nordic Valley Resort once again. New owners are upgrading the ski area by mapping and cutting brand-new trails, which will add nearly 800 vertical feet to the current 1,000foot ski hill.

Cherry Peak Resort: A bit further afield, Utah’s newest ski area, Cherry Peak Resort, is in Richmond, Utah, nearly two hours north of Salt Lake City. It's the first brand-new ski resort to be built in the state in decades. With three triple chairlifts and 20 runs, it's not huge by any means, but Cherry Peak does have a full snow-making system and a 500-foot magic carpet for beginner lessons. It also boasts tubing lanes, ice skating, and floodlights for night skiing.

http://viewfinder.expedia.com/salt-lake-city/what%27s-new-at-utah-ski-resorts

Skiing the World: Exploring the Diversity of Utah's Mountain Ranges Tim Newcomb 12.9.14 As the winter season descends upon us, we'll take you around the globe to explore some of the best mountains in the world for skiing and snowboarding. First, we'll break down the best slopes in the state of Utah.

You can hit the major resorts near Salt Lake City—we’ll get to those in a moment—or you can figure out which one of the 11 mountains less than an hour from the city most strikes your fancy. Here's a look at just some of the bounty that Utah skiing has to offer: SOLITUDE Distance from Salt Lake City: 37 minutes Vertical: 2,047 feet Snowfall: 500-plus inches Runs: 40 With more than 1,200 acres of terrain in one of the snowiest canyons in North America, Solitude offers terrain for all levels of skier. A European-style village aims to give ski-in/ski-out ease.

BRIGHTON Distance from Salt Lake City: 40 minutes Vertical: 1,745 feet Snowfall: 500 inches Runs: 62 The family-friendly mountain allows kids 7 and under to ride for free. This focus on affordability and Krista’s Park, a terrain park designed for female riders, makes this a family destination.

POWDER Distance from Salt Lake City: 60 minutes Vertical: 3,400 feet Snowfall: 500 inches Runs: 144 Over 7,000 acres of skiable terrain offers variety that includes glades, chutes and open bowls. Additional adventures include a snowcat backcountry tour that opens up 8,000 more acres of skiing or the Super Loops adventure challenge at Powder Mountain, a mix of terrain offering new challenges.

SNOWBASIN Distance from Salt Lake City: 35 minutes Vertical: 3,000 feet Snowfall: 300 inches Runs: 104 Wide-open bowls, glade runs, seven terrain parks and a high-end lift system to navigate the 3,000 vertical feet on 3,000 skiable acres has this resort getting attention from the snow-loving world.

SNOWBIRD Distance from Salt Lake City: 40 minutes http://www.si.com/edge/2014/12/05/skiing-the-world-utah

Vertical: 2,900 feet Snowfall: 500 inches Runs: 85 Expect an evenly split choice at Snowbird, with terrain divided in thirds for the beginner, the intermediate and the advanced.

PARK CITY Distance from Salt Lake City: 35 minutes Vertical: 3,100 feet Snowfall: 365 inches Runs: 116 Recently bought by Vail Resorts, Park City Mountain has up to 50 groomed runs a day. Highlighted by Park City mining relics viewable from the slopes, snow riders can slide directly onto Park City’s historic Main Street. Extras include Adventure Alleys for kids, McConkey’s Bowl and Eagle Superpipe.

DEER VALLEY Distance from Salt Lake City: 40 minutes Vertical: 3,000 feet Snowfall: 300 inches Runs: 101 With the high-end focus away from the slopes that prompted Deer Valley to become the first North American ski resort to receive a 5-star rating over 30 years ago, this remains a ski-only slope focused on luxury.

ALTA Distance from Salt Lake City: 37 minutes Vertical: 2,020 feet Snowfall: 551 inches Runs: 116 Another ski-only destination, Alta is known for the quality and quantity of snow across a wide variety of terrain and scenery.

CANYONS Distance from Salt Lake City: 35 minutes Vertical: 3,190 feet Snowfall: 355 inches Runs: 183 Utah’s largest resort has 4,000 acres and 182 trails across nine peaks. With nine hotels, the only heatedseat, enclosed chair lifts in North America and proximity five minutes from Park City’s historical Main Street, Canyons certainly aims for diversity of experience.

CHERRY PEAK Distance from Salt Lake City: 2 hours Vertical: 1,265 feet Snowfall: 322 inches Runs: 25 The first new Utah resort to open in over 30 years, the first year of Cherry Peak includes ice skating, tubing, night skiing and even a comprehensive snowmaking infrastructure http://www.si.com/edge/2014/12/05/skiing-the-world-utah

Best Places to Travel in 2015 Nathan Storey 12.11.14 Presenting 50 incredible destinations for 2015. Where will you go this year?

“Fez is multilayered, multifaceted,” says resident Tara Stevens. “Every time I go out the front door, I discover something. This is a city on the cusp of change—and it’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Stevens, a British food writer, and American Stephen Di Renza are behind Fez’s stylish Restaurant No. 7, which hosts a rotating series of guest chefs. They’re part of a group of expats restoring riads and encouraging experimentation—along with enterprising locals like Anis Sefrioui, who recently unveiled Hotel Sahrai, with 50 contemporary rooms overlooking an infinity pool and a light-filled spa with elaborate latticework.

The world is getting smaller, but the chances of having an extraordinary new experience are only increasing. We’ve identified 50 standout destinations, based on industry news and trends, with input from contributing writers, A-List travel agents, and our new local experts. These are the places changing the travel map, whether it’s an emerging arts hub in Germany or a quiet stretch of sand in the Caribbean.

So where else can 2015 take you? The panda capital of Chengdu, China, is appealing to a broader range of travelers with a new 72-hour no-visa policy and a packed lineup of hotel openings: Six Senses, Fairmont, and Swire’s Temple House. In Japan, meanwhile, the dollar has hit new highs—good timing for powder buffs who can also now use Vail’s Epic Pass at Hokkaido’s Niseko United resort.

And you may be surprised by what’s brewing close to home. We selected a dozen destinations in the U.S., including Houston, for its ambitious food scene, and Miami, where the spotlight has turned to the Mid-Beach neighborhood. The latest art-centric 21c Museum Hotel will open its doors in Durham, NC, a once-sleepy college town that now thrums with fair-trade coffee shops, micro-distilleries, and some of the best barbecue around.

What inspires a trip varies from person to person, of course. But as a head start, we’ve mapped out 12 months' worth of places with the kind of "it" factor that Fez's Tara Stevens describes.

Read on for our picks, and join the conversation with hashtag #bestplaces2015. ...

Wasatch Mountains, Utah You can craft a linear story arc from the first edition of Robert Redford’s film festival in 1984 to the summer 2014 purchase of Park City Mountain Resort by Vail Resorts—the behemoth operator’s second recent foray into Park City (it bought the Canyons in 2013). Along the way a small mining town became a cauldron of Olympic athletes, Hollywood’s A-list, and luxury hotel brands like St. Regis and Waldorf Astoria. But a ski region blessed to have won the geographical lottery—seven world-class resorts span three parallel canyons in the rugged Wasatch Mountains, all within an hour’s drive—remained second fiddle to neighboring Colorado, whose star has shined brighter. That’s about to change. Where Vail’s vaunted Epic Pass goes, a legion of loyal snow junkies follows. The new year brings new restaurants, high-speed chairs, and lifts, including one that connects Canyons to PCMR, making it the largest ski resort in the U.S. And the industry is buzzing over a proposal that seems headed for approval called One Wasatch, which would link all seven ski areas in a European-style mega-network spanning 18,000 acres and 100 lifts. The project will have major tourism implications, introducing a new flock of riders to what locals proudly declare on their car license plates: the greatest snow on earth. ...

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-places-to-travel-in-2015/6

Could Utah Achieve a Euro-Ski Experience?

Heather Burke 12.11.14 It’s an amazing alpine experience, skiing from town to town and valley to valley in Europe’s Alps, and there is nothing like it in the US… yet. I have my eye on Utah as the chess pieces are moving into place and ski mountain mergers and acquisitions make way.

This fall, Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort was bought by Vail Resorts for $182.5 million, following a long heated court battle over PCMR’s inadvertent unpaid land lease. So Vail Resorts now owns Park City and neighboring Canyons in Utah, and just announced $50 million in improvements including a gondola to connect Park City to The Canyons next season. Also, Deer Valley Resort announced it will purchase Solitude Mountain Resort and begin operating that ski resort in May of 2015.

What makes these mergers more interesting is that for decades Ski Utah and seven Utah ski resorts have been working to interconnect for a One Wasatch ski experience between Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons, Brighton, Solitude, Alta, and Snowbird. With the addition of two or three lifts, Utah could offer skiers the largest lift-served ski experience in North America, with 18,000 acres, 100 lifts and 750 trails. Compare that to Vail Colorado at 5,300, Big Sky Montana at 5,750, and Whistler/Blackcomb British Columbia at 8,000 acres.

Two of six new connector lifts currently being proposed are from Park City Mountain Resort to Brighton, and Solitude to Alta. Already Snowbird and Alta are interconnected, Solitude and Brighton are as well. Deer Valley abuts Park City which borders The Canyons, these two newly-joined sister resorts will be connected next season.

What complicates the One Wasatch proposed interconnect is that environmentalists are concerned for the impact to the natural habitat of any proposed lifts or increased skier traffic. Backcountry skiers already ski this terrain, and surely some want it to remain as is.

Another complication, two of the seven ski resorts, Deer Valley and Alta, do not allow snowboarders. Also each of these ski resorts has its own unique feel, and some fear connecting could homogenize the ski experience. I have skied them all and each warrants at least a week (more like a month) to explore. Skiing them all in a day would garner you a few runs at each, hardly doing them justice -- but a cool alpine ski experience all the same.

Ski Utah surveyed 35,000 people, and 73 percent responded that One Wasatch was “a somewhat or very good idea.” Ski Utah also revealed in September this conceptual plan of lifts and trails connecting the seven ski resorts in One Wasatch.

It currently takes 41.5 miles to drive from Snowbird to Park City. The skiing distance would be 9 miles. That’s not to imply that the ski connect is designed to reduce ski commuter traffic, just an interesting factoid on the proximity of these ski mountains. More trivia: The Wasatch National Forest comprises over 2.4 million acres, with just 6,743 acres currently leased for commercial skiing - that’s .27 percent, for perspective. The proposed lifts would be entirely privately funded, and would involve another 1,040 acres be developed. It has already taken three decades of discussion, committees, and debate to get to this point.

I will keep dreaming of a European ski experience coming to Utah.

http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/specials/ski/blog/2014/12/utahs_euro-ski.html

No Game: Skipping the Super Bowl

By Christina Vercelletto January 8, 2015

It’s an All-American scene: A neighbor’s living room. A Super Bowl pool. Wings. Beer. Chips. Dip. We all know the drill. But what if a person decided to skip the Super Bowl? To forego the overblown halftime show and the overwrought commercials; to have nothing to contribute at the water cooler on Monday, but instead to use Feb 1, 2015 to travel, secure a table at a normally exclusive restaurant or just go shopping?

It turns out the Super Bowl’s popularity makes it a wonderful time to fly under the radar, said Phil Tufano, COO of hotel management company Kokua Hospitality. “Super Bowl Sunday has become akin to national holidays,” said Tufano. “Families are gathered together with friends at home; airports and hotels are quiet. Flights and hotels are usually more affordable.”

Skipping the Super Bowl can be a savvy traveler’s ticket to no lift lines, short waits at Disney and prime tee times. There are, of course, a few caveats. “Anywhere tropical is probably not the best idea,”

http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

cautioned Janene Mascarella, a veteran travel journalist from Miller Place. She said such places tend to attract a large number of international tourists “who don’t care about the big game.”

Between that and the fact they’re usually swamped in the winter, tropical destinations tend not to show much of a “Super Bowl Effect.”

All bets are also off on Las Vegas, where football gambling dominates on Super Bowl weekend.

Whatever city hosts the game (Phoenix this year) is also a no fly zone, but once these exceptions are subtracted, the law of supply and demand can be exploited on game day.

Hit the Slopes “Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days of the year to get out on the hill. Travelers find wide open trails, no lift lines and plenty of room to spread out in the bars and restaurants,” said Evan Reece, cofounder of discount ski service Liftopia. (Reece added that an under-occupied ski resort just happens to be a great place to watch the Super Bowl.) Traffic around ski areas will also be light, said Jennifer Rudolph, communications director for Colorado Ski Country USA. Depending on who makes it into the Super Bowl, Colorado ski resorts may offer special deals that weekend. Rudolph recommends friending or following a few resorts to stay current with last-minute specials.

The Sundance Film Festival, at Sundance Resort in Utah, is offering package deals to combine skiing with http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

a visit to the famous film event from Jan 22 to Feb 1. The Epic Package includes two festival credentials and access to eight screenings, while the Epic Premier Package piles on meals and massages.

Swedish or Hot Stone?

Speaking of massages, a local spa may be an ideal place to spend a few tranquil hours while everyone else is mobbing Costco. Spa appointments tend to fall off by about 12 percent on Super Bowl weekend when compared to other weekends in January and February, said Deborah Szajngarten of SpaBooker.com. This means Super Bowl Skippers will have the saltwater pool all to themselves.

“Super Bowl Sunday weekend is the absolute best time to score a spa weekend. You’re likely to get a little extra special attention,” said Mascarella. “Some of the swankiest spa destinations run special packages and promotions.” If you want to stay local, head to the French-inspired oasis Guerlain Spa at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. Mascarella is a fan of the “Football Widows” promotion they offered

http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

last year on Super Bowl Sunday: facials, massages and hydrotherapy at reduced rates. (The spa had not announced this year’s Bowl bargains as of this writing.)

Photo: J. Chensiyuan Play Tourist Super Bowl Sunday is the day to do what crowds usually take the fun out of, said Kyle McCarthy, editor of Family Travel Forum. “Think Mall of America, Universal Studios and Times Square.”

“My family loves Super Bowl weekend even though we’re not football fans,” said Amy Graff, Best Western’s family travel expert. “We go to popular tourist spots knowing we’ll have them to ourselves.”

The statistics back up the perception. Nielsen reports 111.5 million Americans watched the game last year. That means a full third of the population won’t be standing on line at Harry Potter’s castle in Universal Studios, for instance. Graff’s family likes to browse the near-empty museums in Washington, DC. “We actually got a close-up look at the ruby slippers in the National Museum of American History,” she said.

http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

Finding rooms in the biggest tourist cities shouldn’t be a problem, either. “With the NFL being as popular as it is, we frequently hear from groups that we must avoid Super Bowl weekend when quoting our availability,” said Gordon Taylor, of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago.

“Without that group base—over the past five years in particular—we are able to offer substantial discounts that are not normally available.

See a Hot Show Super Bowl weekend is a great time to head into the city to see The Book of Mormon or Aladdin. Ticket prices are cheaper than on surrounding Sundays, particularly for the newer, more popular shows. Seat selection is also better. For example: The best orchestra seats for The Lion King on Jan 18 are $254. The same seats on Feb 1 are $230. The best mezzanine seats on Jan 25 are $144, but they’re $134 only a week later during the game.

Snag the Best Table Remember that restaurant that seems incredible, but is so hard to get into on a weekend? Not a problem on Feb 1. OpenTable.com, the restaurant reservation site, has reported that there’s more availability on Super Bowl weekend. It also doesn’t hurt that Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30pm— dinnertime. Still, while reservations may be easier to get, they still need to be made for the most exclusive establishments. Big game or no, don’t expect to stroll into Per Se unannounced and sit down.

Another tip: Even if an elite venue is booked solid, it doesn’t hurt to make an extra phone call.

Restaurants often experience cancellations a week or so before the Super Bowl as diners gradually discover the scheduling conflict.

http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

Photo: © 2014 Universal Orlando Resort. All rights reserved.

Ride Space Mountain All the conquering heroes of Super Bowl XLIX will be “going to Disney World” after the game, but Pulse readers will beat them to it. The folks at Disney don’t release attendance numbers, but online chatter definitely suggests the lines shrink on Super Bowl Sunday. That may be partially because Feb 1 through President’s Day weekend are slow days anyway, but some diehard Mickey fans note eased waits on that Sunday. “We were at Epcot last year on Super Bowl Sunday and walked right on to everything all day,” said one poster on disboards.com. Another said, “We were at Downtown Disney that eve and found it on all the TVs, but no crowds watching.”

http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

Go South for Golf It’s hardly golf weather here, but in Arizona, California and Florida, the first week of February is the unofficial start to swing season. This usually means the links are crowded… save for one Sunday afternoon. Phoenix has a double whammy this year: It’s the host city for the Super Bowl, which coincides with the final round of the PGA’s Tour’s Phoenix Open.

But even with all the fans in town, there will be plenty of tee times available that day, reported Visit Phoenix’s Douglas MacKenzie. “Visitors will also have plenty of room on our hiking and mountain biking trails,” MacKenzie said.

http://www.lipulse.com/trends/article/no-game-skipping-the-super-bowl

In Salt Lake City, a Proposal to Link Ski Trails

By The New York Times January 14, 2015

A snowboarder at Solitude Mountain Resort, one of seven resorts in the Wasatch Mountains above Salt Lake City, Utah, that would be included in the OneWasatch megaresort. Credit Brian Thurber/Associated Press Perhaps the biggest news lately in North American skiing has been the announcement in 2014 that seven ski resorts perched high above Salt Lake City hope to join hands to create the largest megaresort in North America. OneWasatch, as it’s being billed, would be a colossus, with one ski pass linking more than 100 lifts across Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, more than double the acreage of Whistler-Blackcomb in Canada, currently the continent’s largest ski resort. Its backers say OneWasatch would offer an experience akin to Europe’s linked valley-to-valley ski systems like Arlberg in Switzerland or Trois Vallées in France.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/travel/in-salt-lake-city-a-proposal-to-link-skitrails.html?_r=1#story-continues-1

The idea is ambitious. It’s sexy. It’s also hugely controversial. Opponents say linking the resorts isn’t right for the mountains, or for the people who play in them or who rely on them.

Most of the ski resorts that operate in the meringue of mountains above Salt Lake City are so tightly clustered that only a ridgeline separates some of them; others are already joined. Adding as few as five more chairlifts could create a vast, interconnected ski world. (Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort already sit shoulder-to-shoulder, so they would simply need to drop a boundary rope.)

The vision of weaving together the resorts has been kicked around for half a century. But the idea now has more momentum than ever: In the last few months, Deer Valley’s owner bought Solitude Mountain Resort, across the mountains, and Colorado’s Vail Resorts bought Park City Mountain Resort after a long and nasty legal dispute. (Vail Resorts already runs Park City’s neighbor, Canyons Resort, for another owner, and has announced it will install a gondola lift between the two for next winter.) Supporters of OneWasatch say all seven resorts could be linked for roughly $30 million in private money.

Why do it? “It’s a huge marketing draw,” said Nathan Rafferty, president and chief executive of Ski Utah, which markets the state’s ski resorts. “It would simply create a ski experience in Utah that no one else in North American has, or could have.”

Utah’s resorts are ready for their next boost. The state’s ski industry got a lift in the years after the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Last year the state saw 4.2 million skier-visits, up from about 3 million at the time of the Olympics. That growth has started to plateau, however. The resorts, and nearby Salt Lake City, frequently have empty beds in winter, Mr. Rafferty pointed out. And the ski areas want something that sets them apart from competition like Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Vail, Colo. An interconnect “is the next big bump” that could propel business to 5 million skier-visits per winter, Mr. Rafferty said.

But opponents say the idea, though beguiling, falls apart upon closer inspection, for several reasons.

Among them is water. The high central Wasatch are this region’s water tower. Nearly 500,000 people in the Salt Lake Valley rely to some extent on melting snow that drains from the mountains. As a result, the Wasatch, though intensely used, are also intensely regulated. Dogs aren’t even allowed in some popular canyons.

A fine balance has been struck, which has protected water quality while continuing to permit recreational use, said Laura Briefer, water resources manager for the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities. But that balance is increasingly precarious, especially with the double threat of climate change and population growth, which is expected to increase by 46 percent in Salt Lake County by 2040.

The problem with OneWasatch is that a ski lift is never just a ski lift, Ms. Briefer said. Ski lifts mean new outbuildings, new access roads and felled trees. Such changes erode the water quality, and quantity, for people downstream who basically live in a desert.

While OneWasatch’s backers say their plan has no development attached to it, water officials and others argue that construction will inevitably follow the chairlifts. Ski lifts “are the camel’s nose under the http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/travel/in-salt-lake-city-a-proposal-to-link-skitrails.html?_r=1#story-continues-1

tent,” Jeff Niermeyer, the director of the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, told this reporter two years ago when speaking about SkiLink, another controversial ski-connection proposal that has been shelved. Similar concerns apply to OneWasatch, Mr. Niermeyer said this month: “It still has the potential to draw a bunch of development into these canyons,” adding, “I am not willing to trade watershed protection for ‘wow’ factor.”

Other opponents worry about elbow room. Nearly 80 percent of Utah’s population lives at the feet of the Wasatch. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, which includes much of this high country, is one of the five most-visited national forests in the country. Millions play in the same postage stamp of mountains above Salt Lake City, a roughly 10-square-mile patch of crimped topography that includes those seven ski resorts. Backcountry skiers long ago named their beloved, crowded playground “WasAngeles.”

Jamie Kent, a real estate broker and president of the volunteer Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, said, “We’ve got it all: world-class lift-skiing, world-class backcountry skiing, world-class heli-skiing — and it’s all happening in this very small area, above 7,000 feet.” A tentative, hard-won detente has been struck among the user groups, Mr. Kent said. Now the ski areas want a larger piece of a pie that’s already completely spoken for, he said.

Residents have repeatedly said they love their ski resorts but don’t want them to grow. In a study conducted in 2009 and 2010 as part of work on the future of the most popular mountain canyons, nearly all Utah residents interviewed said they did not want resorts to expand beyond their existing boundaries. The long-range plan for the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest calls for no such expansion.

While the new lifts would mostly be built on private land, the repercussions of these lifts would ripple far beyond that, Mr. Kent said. The biggest trend in skiing right now is “sidecountry” skiing — riding the chairlifts but then heading out beyond the groomed runs for a more adventurous experience. One proposed lift in the Grizzly Gulch area at Alta Ski Resort that would likely require some public land is particularly controversial. It would “wipe out many hundreds of acres of prime backcountry terrain, plus turn much of the central Wasatch into resort sidecountry,” a well-known local skier, Andrew McLean, wrote in an email.

Mr. Kent said his group understands that many of these lifts are being proposed for ski resorts’ private property. “But we also recognize that they operate largely on public land,” he added, explaining that these mountains are a patchwork of public and private ownership. “To quote the group Save our Canyons,” which focuses on protecting the Wasatch canyons, “ 'It’s a public-private partnership. And partnerships balance out.' ” There’s also disagreement about whether linking the ski resorts will make for, well, fun skiing. Mr. Rafferty of Ski Utah said that many visitors would use the interconnected resorts to move across the landscape in “more of an adventure style of skiing.” It will take a skier six chairlift rides, and two hours’ travel time, to ski between Snowbird, to the west, and Park City on the range’s east side. On blogs and in conversations, however, skiers have questioned whether anyone other than tourists would want to do http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/travel/in-salt-lake-city-a-proposal-to-link-skitrails.html?_r=1#story-continues-1

that. After all, skiing from Park City to Snowbird is hardly the same as, say, skiing from a cup of coffee in Swiss Zermatt to a grappa in Italy’s Cervinia, with the Matterhorn always over your shoulder.

Why is Utah so interested in becoming someplace else, anyway? said Peter Metcalf, founder and chief executive of the outdoor gear maker Black Diamond Equipment, which is based in Salt Lake City. Mr. Metcalf noted that when he had asked Europeans why they come here, they looked at the wild peaks still untinseled by ski lifts and replied, “Because we don’t have this.”

No final decision has been made on linking the ski resorts. The proposal recently has been folded into the Mountain Accord, an effort involving many stakeholders including Mr. Metcalf, to hammer out a guiding plan for these mountains, including recreation and transportation.

In the meantime, the debate continues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/travel/in-salt-lake-city-a-proposal-to-link-skitrails.html?_r=1#story-continues-1

What's Under Construction on Top of Snowbird?

By Megan Barber (Curbed Ski) January 16,2015

New Snowbird facility, via Ski Utah If you've skied Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon recently, you've probably wondered about the building under construction on top of Hidden Peak at Snowbird. Located next to Snowbird's infamous tram at 11,000 feet, a metal skeleton went up over the summer. Construction is on pause over the winter, but skiers can expect the new facility to be up and running for winter 2015-2016. Ski Utah scoped out the details, so let's take a look.

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/whats-under-construction-on-top-of-utahs-snowbird.php

The new building will be two stories with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Salt Lake valley and Wasatch Mountains. It will replace the ski patrol and warming hut that stood on the same spot for more than 40 years.

Inside, visitors to Snowbird will find restrooms, a coffee/pastry shop, Ski Patrol, and a cafeteria. There will also be more than 10,000 square feet of outdoor deck space, which just might earn a spot on next year's list of the best places to dine and drink on the hill. The basement level will house the kitchen and storage.

Just the facts: · The building will be 23,196 square feet · The outdoor deck will be 10,080 square feet · 360 degree views · The cafeteria will seat 192 people · Private dining rooms will seat 180 people So there you have it Curbediverse. We'll make sure to stay on top of construction when it resumes this spring.

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/whats-under-construction-on-top-of-utahs-snowbird.php

Surprise Snowstorm Just Dumped Nearly Two Feet on Utah

By Megan Barber (Curbed Ski) January 13, 2015,

Photo taken on 1/12/2015 by Matt Baydala, Iskideeppow, Ski Utah Powderhound. Athlete: Adam Fehr January 13th might be Utah's "snowiest day of the year," but no one predicted that today would be an epic powder day. A few inches, a foot at most was in the forecast, but the snow kept falling and now, ladies and gentleman, we are in for a full-on powder day. Curbed Ski just happens to be in Park City at the moment (how about that?), so we'll make sure to enjoy all those soft, powdery turns in honor of our friends who can't call in sick. Take a look at the storm totals and a sweet video from Ski Utah of Monday's snow.

Storm Totals: Sundance: 22 inches Solitude: 20 inches Alta: 19 inches Snowbird: 19 inches Brighton: 18 inches Park City: 17 inches

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/surprise-snowstorm-just-dumped-two-feet-on-utah.php

Deer Valley: 16 inches Canyons: 15 inches Brian Head: 11 inches Powder Mountain: 8 inches Snowbasin: 6 inches

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/01/surprise-snowstorm-just-dumped-two-feet-on-utah.php

10 Places to Eat in Park City, Utah

By Calder Quinn January 1, 2015

Chef Briar Handly knows a thing or two about the elusive concept of 'Utah' cuisine (his Caramel Budino with Chex Topping was chosen as the state representative for the NYTimes' 50 thanksgiving recipes). His new restaurant, Handle, utilizes his culinary know-how to offer a menu of local and regional ingredients with standout dishes like buffalo cauliflower and smoked trout sausage.

http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-01-14/10-places-to-eat-in-park-city-utah-squatters-highwest/1

High West Distillery & Saloon

This ski-in distillery and gastro-saloon celebrates the American West's long history of brewing ardent spirits. A Western-inspired menu serves up dishes like High Country Pot Pie and a Caribou Sausage Roll as a well as whiskeys, bourbons, and other spirits to pair with your meal.

Burgers & Bourbon

Burgers & Bourbon, at the Montage Deer Valley, lives up to its titular inspiration. The menu has over 100 bourbons and American whiskeys, plus a range of signature burgers--with options like the Tatanka, simple and lean bison burger, and the Big Eye, made with peppercorn-spiced tuna seared rare. Finish off with a milkshake, like this banana-and-Nutella one. http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-01-14/10-places-to-eat-in-park-city-utah-squatters-highwest/1

Grappa

Grappa is Park City's Italian go-to. Named after the strong spirit made from the leftovers of the winemaking process (an alcohol that has such a fiery taste it can 'pistol-whip the palate of a neophyte'), Grappa's terrazo tile and rough sewn wooden beams are reminiscent of a rustic Italian farmhouse.

Butcher’s Chop House & Bar

Butcher's Chop House & Bar lives up to its tagline "Elegance Without Arrogance" with upscale takes on classic meals like shrimp and grits, crab cakes, and beef short ribs. And its location at the base of Park City Mountain Resort's town lift makes it a great option for an aprĂŠs drink or meal.

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El Chubasco

El Chubasco is one of Park City's Mexican favorites. There's way more going on here than just tacos and burritos, though. Highlights at this festive cantina include a make-your-own-salsa bar and a killer chile relleno.

The Brass Tag

Located in the Lodges at Deer Valley, The Brass Tag serves up elevated comfort food, much of which is prepared in their brick oven. Menu favorites include the tandoori rubbed quail and oven-fired chimichurri chips.

Squatters Roadhouse Grill and Pub

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The Park City outpost of this Utah microbrew chain has all the pub grub you could desire including favorites like roadhouse nachos, fried pickles, and an eclectic array of locally brewed beers, most of which have cute Utah-inspired names.

Windy Ridge Café

Windy Ridge Café is a family-friendly joint that keeps the vibes loose. It's far enough from Main Street that you can usually get a table and have a quiet conversation. The food is heavy on comfort staples like meatloaf, chili, and sandwiches, and make you sure you order dessert—the café uses their sister bakery across the street for fresh bread and pastries.

Fletcher’s Park City

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Fletcher's opened in December 2014 and is a welcome addition to the Park City dining scene. Kick back in the lounge and sip on cocktails like the melon vodka mule or nosh on delicious snacks like the bacon jam and cheddar chive biscuits.

http://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-01-14/10-places-to-eat-in-park-city-utah-squatters-highwest/1

Why the U.S. Ski Team Calls Park City, Utah, Home

By Kelley McMillan (Outside Online) February 1, 2015

Park City is home to 3,300 acres of great skiing, but check out nearby mountains while you're there.

Photo:Adam Barker/Deer Valley Ski Resort There’s a reason—several, actually—that the U.S. Ski Team calls Park City home. First off, Park City Mountain Resort delivers 3,300 acres of some of the best cruisers, bowls, and parks in the country. Then there’s the charming main drag lined with bars, restaurants, and shops. Plus, a couple mountains, including Deer Valley, are less than a 10-minute drive away. That’s the beauty of Park City: There’s something for everyone.

Alpine purists might turn their noses up at Deer Valley, but they shouldn’t. Sure, ski valets are a staple, but while the furry-collared types lap Deer Valley’s 2,026 acres of meticulously groomed cruisers, powder stashes last for days. The perfectly spaced trees on Lady Morgan Peak and the chutes off the

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/36-Hours-in-Park-City-Utah.html

Empire lift will scratch most hardcore skiers’ extreme itch. With so much to choose from, you really can’t go wrong at either resort, so go to both.

Must Stay

Photo: Courtesy of Stein Eriksen Lodge With its lively downtown, Park City makes the perfect home base for a weekend exploring Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley. Located just 150 feet from Park City’s lifts and a 10-minute walk from the main drag, Chateau Apres offers an old-school vibe, complete with board games, complimentary breakfast, hot tub, and even a dormitory for those who are really holding onto their purse strings.

If it’s creature comforts you’re after, there’s no place better than the slopeside Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley. With its 23,000-square-foot spa, four-star restaurant, and army of ski valets who will warm your boots and then help you into them each day, the 180-room lodge will deliver you straight into the lap of luxury.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/36-Hours-in-Park-City-Utah.html

Must Ski

Photo: Joseph De Palma/Flickr Deer Valley is known for its impeccable grooming, but guarantee fresh corduroy by signing up for First Tracks, a program that offers private, early access skiing with a guide from 8 to 9 a.m., before the lifts open to the masses.

Warm up on Stein’s Way, a 4,500-foot thigh burner of a cruiser named after legendary Norwegian ski racer Stein Eriksen, before heading to the Empire Express. From the top of Empire, take Orion at skier’s right, then duck into Anchor Trees toward the Daly Bowl. Drop into the bowl, or keep traversing to access a series of chutes.

Next up? Lady Morgan Express for some of the best tree skiing in Utah. From the top of the lift, go skier’s left into Centennial Trees, where you’ll find perfectly spaced trees at just the right pitch and stashes of fresh powder. Or go right from the top of Lady Morgan and into the trees between Argus and Magnet for wide-open aspen glades. For more epic tree skiing, check out Triangle Trees, accessed from the top of the Wasatch or Sultan Express lifts via Tycoon. End the day with cruisey GS turns down Star Gazer, which drops you into Silver Lake Lodge, one of Deer Valley’s hubs.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/36-Hours-in-Park-City-Utah.html

Must Eat

Photo: lakefire15/Flickr Do breakfast in Park City. For a classic cozy coffee shop, stop into Atticus Coffee and grab one of its famous red velvet lattes and a breakfast bagel sandwich to go. For a sit-down, full-menu breakfast, the Eating Establishment (or Double E in local-speak) serves up huge portions of yummy seasoned potatoes and eggs, Belgian waffles, and biscuits and gravy.

Deer Valley is known for its world-class dining. Any meal there is a treat, though probably an expensive one. The St. Regis doesn’t mess around when it comes to spoiling guests, and lunch at the J&G Grill is no exception. With acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the helm, J&G dishes up sophisticated city cuisine in a luxurious mountain setting. The black truffle pizza and steamed shrimp salad are standouts, as is the J&G cheeseburger.

Do yourself a favor and check out Burgers and Bourbon, one of the newest dining options in Deer Valley. Located in the Montage Deer Valley, Burgers and Bourbon serves the state’s largest selection of whiskeys as well as spiked milkshakes and an unmatched menu of signature burgers made with farmraised beef, artisan cheeses, and vegetables from Utah farmers and dairies.

Another new addition to Deer Valley’s culinary scene is the Brass Tag in the Lodges at Deer Valley.

Blending a fun, casual atmosphere with DV’s signature service, the Brass Tag serves an unusual and delicious menu. The fresh-baked pretzels and tandoori rubbed quail are not to be missed.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/36-Hours-in-Park-City-Utah.html

Must Drink

Photo: Stephanie Rogers/Flickr Word is that you should ski in Deer Valley but drink in Park City. We tend to agree, but start après in Deer Valley with the 7452 bloody mary at the St. Regis Bar. From there, head to Park City and its all-star roster of bars.

Located at the bottom of the Quittin’ Time run, next to PCMR’s Town lift, the High West Distillery is Park City’s crowning drinking establishment. Equal parts distillery, tasting room, and rowdy saloon, High West serves up top-notch pub food, some of the finest whiskeys in the West, and a rockin’ après ski party.

Top off any ski day or night out at the No Name Saloon. With its festive, down-and-dirty dive bar feel, No Name is the kind of place where locals play shuffleboard, eat nachos, and put back cold ones—lots of ’em.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/36-Hours-in-Park-City-Utah.html

Must Do

Photo: Franco Pecchio/Flickr Perfect for adventurous advanced to expert skiers, the guided Interconnect Adventure Tour is a ski tour that links six of Utah’s premiere resorts—Alta, Brighton, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, Solitude, and Snowbird—while also exploring some of the Wasatch’s most spectacular backcountry. Be prepared to skin and ski about 25 miles—and have the time of your life.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/36-Hours-in-Park-City-Utah.html

Ski Some of the Best Terrain in Utah at Snowbird

By Kelley McMillan (Outside Online) February 1, 2015

Snowbird's tram allows access to over 90 percent of the resort's terrain.

Photo: Craig Stanfill/Flickr

Just 29 miles from Salt Lake City, Snowbird has everything a skier might want: 2,500 acres of steep bowls, chutes, and trees, all covered in 500 inches of snow annually. What Snowbird lacks in rustic charm (it’s a purpose-built concrete village), it makes up for in terrain—arguably the best in Utah. Thirtyfoot cliffs and 50-degree chutes beckon rippers while mellow cruisers satiate the adrenaline averse. At day’s end, four lodges at the bottom of the mountain welcome weary skiers into their high-thread-count arms.

It’s easy to understand why some of the best skiers on the planet—Todd Ligare, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Angel Collinson—call Snowbird home. And if you don’t already get it, read on to learn why.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/A-Weekend-in-Snowbird-Utah.html

Must Stay

Photo: Snowbird With a world-class spa and spectacular views of the Wasatch, and within stumbling distance of the lifts and bars, the Cliff Lodge has been a Snowbird staple for more than 40 years. Check in and then head to the Lodge Bistro Lounge on the pool level for drinks and a nibble. Start off with a High West Double Rye Manhattan, a blend of two of the best whiskeys in Utah, produced at Park City’s High West Distillery. For dinner, try the winter greens Caesar followed by the roasted salmon. Finish your meal with bittersweet chocolate cake.

If that’s not enough hedonism for one day, slip on your robe and head for the outdoor hot tub on Cliff’s roof deck, one of the best in ski country. Get those legs nice and loose—you’re going to hammer them over the days to come.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/A-Weekend-in-Snowbird-Utah.html

Must Ski

Photo: Ethan Bloch/Flickr With access to over 90 percent of the resort’s terrain and some of the best inbounds skiing in the Lower 48, laps off the Snowbird tram are a must. Line up by 8 a.m. to ensure first cabin once the tram starts spinning at 9:00. (Be forewarned: It gets packed, especially on powder days.)

From the top of the tram, at about 11,000 feet, follow the Cirque Traverse, which serves up an almost endless supply of steep lines. Take the Traverse to the end to hit Dalton’s Draw, a hidden favorite. The hike-to terrain on Mount Baldy, where some of the Freeride World Tour comp takes place, is insane. Pro skier Todd Ligare, a TGR staple and Snowbird devotee, suggests the Keyhole, a vast area on Baldy that requires little exploring and holds soft pockets days after a storm, or the Wilbere Chute, which serves up long, clean, consistent shots that will make your legs burn.

You could easily spend half a day exploring Mineral Basin, a steep, wide-open bowl that dishes up some of Utah’s most sought-after terrain on a powder day. Ride the Peruvian Express to the top, then take the tunnel through Hidden Peak to access Mineral Basin. Traverse far skier’s right and tip into the Bookends.

The traverse weeds out the crowds, and the northeast aspect keeps the snow nice and cold.

By midday, most of the powder stashes are gone, so hit Chip’s Run, a fun late-afternoon choice for great groomers, wall hits, and rollers. It’s a playground stretching almost three miles that delivers you right to the base of Snowbird, putting you within striking distance of the tram, or Tram Bar, a favorite après joint.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/A-Weekend-in-Snowbird-Utah.html

Must Eat

Photo: Maurice King/Flickr Grab breakfast or brunch at the Forklift, a Snowbird institution across from the tram on the Plaza Deck.

Its Sunday brunch is not to be missed. Fill up on homemade granola, whole-wheat pancakes, or chorizo hash, and finish off with a Bloody Mary.

Come lunchtime, head to the Mid-Gad Restaurant, at the top of the Mid-Gad lift. Fuel up on a gooey Gad Melty, a sharp cheddar and havarti grilled cheese combo served on fresh sourdough bread. With one of those in your belly, you’ll be ready to charge.

You don’t even have to leave the confines of the Cliff Lodge for one of the best meals in Snowbird. Jump in the elevator and head to the sushi bar at the Aerie Lounge on the 10th floor for live music and some of the best sushi in the Rockies. There’s no better way to top off a day at the ’Bird.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/A-Weekend-in-Snowbird-Utah.html

Must Drink

Photo: Snowbird At day’s end, make your way to the Tram Club for the $5 shot-and-beer combo. The Tram Club is nothing fancy—a subterranean lair with a few widescreen TVs, a laid-back vibe, and live music on weekends—but it’s the best place in Snowbird to get your drink on. After a few shot-beer combos, make your way back to the Cliff Lodge hot tub and rest up for another day in powder paradise.

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/A-Weekend-in-Snowbird-Utah.html

Must Do

Photo: Powderbird If you’d like to sample the finest skiing the Wasatch has to offer, splurge on a day of heli-skiing with Wasatch Powderbird Guides. At $1,195 a day, it’s not cheap, but can you really put a price on pure bliss?

http://www.outsideonline.com/snow/8-perfect-ski-weekends/A-Weekend-in-Snowbird-Utah.html

The 5 Best Travel Guides

By Stephanie Pearson (Outside) March 11, 2015

Legendary river guide Lars Haarr walks a careful line: prepping his clients for a wild ride without scaring the bejesus out of them. Photo: Image_Source_ A good guide is a jack-of-all trades—so personable they could be your best friend, an expert on the terrain's gear and safety, and able to elevate an adventure destination beyond the usual tourist fare.

Whether you're looking go on a safari, river rafting, cycling, skiing, or backcountry trekking—these pros in our 2015 Best of Travel package have it nailed down.

Best Cycling Guide: Arien Torsius

http://www.outsideonline.com/1959966/5-best-travel-guides

Photo: Danilo Agutoli DuVine Cycling and adventure co.

Turf: Holland, Spain, Italy Cred: Torsius, 27, grew up in “middle of nowhere” South Africa but still managed to develop a passion for cycling. At 18, she turned pro, competing in France’s Grand Boucle Féminine Internationale (the women’s Tour de France), Italy’s Giro Donne, and “every race that’s horrid and tough,” she says. She retired from racing five years ago and has been guiding ever since. These days, Torsius understands that not every ride has to be a hammerfest. She’s trained as a masseuse and counts her wine opener as one of her most important tools. “In the Piedmont region, my co-guide is a winemaker,” she says.

Best known for: Trips that follow iconic cycling routes like the Giro d’Italia.

Never leaves home without: “A South African herbal gel calledIceman. It’s a product for horses, but it’s really good for muscle aches.”

Book her: duvine.com

Best River Guide: Lars Haarr

Photo: Danilo Agutoli OARS Turf: Colorado, Utah, South America Cred: A legend among Colorado River legends, Haarr, who also guides on the Yampa, the Green, the San Juan, and rivers in South America, can be found steering a wooden dory through Cataract Canyon’s Class IV Big Drops rapid at water levels as high as 83,000 cubic feet per second—while keeping his guests calm. “You don’t want to overemphasize the rapids and make people so nervous they can’t sleep,” says 40-year-old Haarr, “but you have to explain that this is a wild roller-coaster ride that may come off the tracks.” His favorite trip? “It’s difficult to compare,” he says, “but when you take a 16-to-18-day trip down the Colorado, it changes you.”

http://www.outsideonline.com/1959966/5-best-travel-guides

Best known for: His knowledge of the night sky, which is so extensive that OARS launched a series of Stars with Lars departures, on which he brings along a high-powered telescope and laser pointer to highlight constellations.

Never leaves home without: “Nail polish. I’ve painted football players’ and kids’ toes. It’s unadulterated fun.”

Book him: oars.com

Best Skiing Guide: Deb Lovci

Photo: Danilo Agutoli Ski Utah Interconnect Tour Turf: Utah Cred: Fellow guides joke that Lovci’s pack is bigger than she is. (She’s five foot five and 115 pounds.) But the 53-year-old competitive Nordic skier, ski-mountaineering racer, mountain biker, and angler is no pushover when it comes to the 26-mile daylong backcountry Wasatch tour linking Deer Valley to Snowbird via four to six other resorts. “If someone will be a safety risk, I have no problem telling them this isn’t the tour for them,” she says. “As much as I want to make every day a holiday, safety is my number-one concern. But I have the greatest job on earth. I love standing on top of a peak and saying, ‘Welcome to my office.’ ” Best known for: Twenty-five years of skiing the Wasatch backcountry and finding powder stashes; unstoppable energy.

Never leaves home without: Snickers, an Ortovox shovel and probe, a multitool, and duct tape.

Book her: skiutah.com

http://www.outsideonline.com/1959966/5-best-travel-guides

Best Wilderness Guide: Carl Dixon

Photo: Danilo Agutoli Within the Wild Adventure Company Turf: Alaska Range Cred: Safety first is not a platitude when dogsledding in subzero temperatures or rafting an unexplored river in the Alaskan wilderness. You’ll have no reason to worry with company co-owner Dixon who started guiding in 1976. He has extensive knowledge of the backcountry, advanced training in crevasse and whitewater rescue, a fixed-wing pilot license, and a Coast Guard 6-PK license. He can fly a helicopter in a pinch and gets by in German, Russian, and Spanish. The 64-year-old doesn’t mind pushing guests’ boundaries. “It’s surprising to me that people are a little freaked out by our remoteness,” he says, referring to his lodges on Tutka Bay and the Iditarod Trail, “but they have a strong need to feel a connection to the natural world, because they’re farther away from it than ever.”

Best known for: River trips.

Never leaves home without: An InReach satellite device.

Book him: withinthewild.com

Best Safari Guide: Philip Rono

http://www.outsideonline.com/1959966/5-best-travel-guides

Photo: Danilo Agutoli Micato Safaris Turf: East Africa Cred: Rono’s clients have included President George W. Bush. That’s because the 49-year-old’s résumé includes the Kenya Professional Guide Association’s Gold Level accreditation, the equivalent of earning a Ph.D. in wildlife. After 26 years leading trips, Rono has the uncanny ability to track every predator or bird. He was born in the Kenyan village of Eldoret, home to the fastest runners in the world, and gives guests access to marathoning superstars and sacred tribal ceremonies. But being a standout guide requires a lot more than finding the Big Five on demand: “I need to be a storyteller, a jester, a musician, a first-aid expert, a negotiator, a cross-cultural connector, and, above all, the best companion.”

Best known for: Bird-watching safaris.

Never leaves home without: His Swarovski EL 10x42 binoculars, a Canon EOS 5D camera, and a pile of his favorite field guides.

Book him: micato.com

http://www.outsideonline.com/1959966/5-best-travel-guides

For a Perfect Girlfriend Getaway Try Ski Utah and the Greatest Snow on Earth

By Dawn Paul March 26, 2015

Born and raised in the South, I usually opt for a vacation spot for a girlfriend getaway that has the warmer climate I’m used to. When I received an invitation from Ski Utah to experience their Girlfriend Getaway, I decided to break out of my warm comfort zone and see what Utah had to offer. I’ll admit I never knew much about Utah and have never been skiing, but Paul Marshall and the great people at Ski Utah gave me an amazing Utah getaway that exceeded my expectations and made me put Utah on my list of regular travel spots. When you think Utah, you may think the Mormon population, but don’t believe that Utah is a dry state. Utah has breathtaking surroundings and is a beautiful place where the libations are flowing. Skiing on the Utah snow and the friendly Utah community are just a couple of Utah’s perks for a getaway with the girls. Ski Utah gave us some of the best of Utah’s first class accommodations and activities. After my Utah trip, I now know why Ski Utah has the well-deserved tagline, The Greatest Snow on Earth.

Our first stop on the Ski Utah girlfriend excursion was the Deer Valley Resort. Deer Valley offers varied terrain and fast lifts, which makes for a skier’s paradise. The spacious and grand lodging equipped with a home theater made me feel like I was at home. The daily housekeeping and complimentary Cadillac

http://stylemagazine.com/news/2015/mar/26/perfect-girlfriend-getaway-try-ski-utah-and-greate/

shuttle service are just some of the conveniences to help make your Deer Valley stay an amazing experience. If you think you have to make an extra drive to get your ski gear, think again. Convenience is the name of the game and being a first time skier, I was pleasantly surprised to be met at the property

by Ski Butlers, an award-winning ski rental delivery service. Being that it would be my first time ever on the slopes, Ski Utah set me up with a Deer Valley private lesson for beginners. Rex Frasier was my PSIA level 3 certified instructor that gave me my first taste of the skier’s experience. Rex started me off slow with the basics on the beginner slopes and before the lesson was over, I felt very comfortable on my skis. Rex didn’t pressure me to the higher slopes and he didn’t care that I was gliding at 25 mph, as long as I was having fun. There was nothing better than inhaling that fresh Utah air and being on the slopes.

Deer Valley also has great options for dining, including the Brass Tag and Royal Street Café. The blueberry mojito at the Royal Street Café is their signature spirit and a must do after skiing those Deer Valley slopes. Deer Valley’s staff pulls out all the stops to give their guests the best ski experience possible.

The Park City Mountain Resort was the second stop on the Ski Utah getaway for the gal pals. The Flying Eagle Zip Line, historic mining landmarks, ice skating and complimentary guided mountain tours are only a few activities a ski aficionado can take advantage of at Park City Mountain Resort. For the foodies, after the Park City Mountain slopes, you’ll be impressed at the variety of eateries at this resort. There is plenty to nosh and sip on at their Legends Bar & Grill. My second day of skiing was a group lesson at Park City Mountain led by PSIA level 3 certified instructor Rob Newey. I gained more confidence on the slopes after day 2 with Rob and I’m glad Ski Utah allowed me to experience private and group lessons for a beginner. Park City Mountain Resort is home to the National Ability Center and this partnership allows people with disabilities to fully enjoy the Park City Mountain ski experience. I met quite a few Southerners at Park City Mountain Resort and meeting Southerners on this trip proves that Utah has an increasing growing popularity in the Southern states. SKI Magazine raves about Park City Mountain Resort and after experiencing it, it’s not hard to see why. With an already impressive resort, Park City Mountain Resort is heightening the guest experience with a historic ski resort improvement worth $50 million. New chairlifts, a gondola and a restaurant are just a few of the enhancements guests can experience next season.

http://stylemagazine.com/news/2015/mar/26/perfect-girlfriend-getaway-try-ski-utah-and-greate/

12 Places to Squeeze the Last Few Ski Days Out of this Season

By Sam Dangremond (Town & Country) March 31, 2015

A recent weekend visiting Vail and Beaver Creek in Colorado convinced me that spring skiing is a pretty great thing. Sure, its detractors point out that the snow isn't always great, but I found the snow at both resorts to be delightful above mid-mountain. And as someone who grew up skiing during frigid Vermont winters, a sunny 55-degree ski day felt like a gift from the gods.

Here are a few resorts open for April skiing along with some deals you can nab to get the most out of it.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

COLORADO Vail/Beaver Creek:

Closing Date: Sunday, April 12 (Beaver Creek); Sunday, April 19 (Vail) Don't Miss: The freshly-baked, free chocolate cookies distributed daily at the base of Beaver Creek at 3pm.

Where to Stay: Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (which, if the cookies aren't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, has a daily s'mores happy hour). If you stay beyond the mountain's closing date, consider taking advantage of the hotel's 25th Anniversary Offer, which includes a daily $125 food and beverage credit, discount on select spa services, and rates starting at $250 per night. In Vail, the village location of the Arrabelle at Vail Square can't be beat.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

Aspen Mountain: Closing Date: April 19 Where to Stay: The St. Regis Aspen, which is offering a free 4th night.

UTAH

Brian Head: Closes April 12 (weekday lift tickets are only $35)Snowbird: Stays open until the snow is gone. In past years, that's been through the weekend of July 4th (above). A spring season pass http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

costs $329 starting April 1 and guests can show a 2014/2015 season pass from any mountain in the world to ski & stay at Snowbird from $115 under the mountain's Flash Your Pass special.

Alta: Closes April 19.Park City Mountain Resort: Closes 4/19. A Spring Fling package offers a free 5th night with a four-night stay.

Deer Valley: Closes April 12 Canyons Resort: Closes April 12 Where to stay in Park City: The Washington School House, located in the middle of town in Park City and built in 1889 as a school, is a boutique hotel we love. Another great option in town is the all-suite Main & Sky, which is offering a special spring package that includes a complimentary room upgrade, spa treatment, airport shuttle, cold-pressed juices, and use of the hotel's Acura MDXs (rates start at $350; the package is valid through May 3 but you must book by April 12).Resorts West also offers specials including a free 4th night with a three-night stay.

MONTANA

Big Sky Resort: Closes April 19. The mountain received two feet of snow last week, and more is expected this week. Consider the mountain's Ski and Stay package or Lone Mountain Ranch, which is offering T&C readers a free 3rd night through April 15.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

WYOMING

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort: Closes April 5.

CANADA

Lake Louise Ski Resort: Closes May 10. Shake the Lake, on April 25, bills itself as the most colossal endof-season party in the Rockies.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

JAPAN

"Spring skiing in Japan offers a unique advantage in that the five + meter snow base takes a really long time to melt," says Brent Potter, founder of Japan Ski Adventures. "While spring skiing at other areas may only last only a month, in Japan this period usually spans for two to three months at least." Check out Niseko on the island of Hokkaido until 5/6, and book your 7- or 13-day "Powder Hunting" tour for the 2015/16 season.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

If summer skiing is what you're after, Valle Nevado Chile opens on June 28. And for destination skiing, we can't recommend GetOutfitted, the Rent the Runway of ski apparel, highly enough.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

What It's Really Like Learning to Ski as an Adult

By Leta Shy (PopSugar) March 18, 2015

I'll confess, I'm a runner because I love to run, but also for another reason: I'm pretty terrible at other types of fitness. Anything that requires hand-eye coordination, a better-than-average sense of balance, or a thirst for adrenaline-pumping thrill has always required more of me than my personality wanted to give. You'll never find me playing soccer in the park on the weekend, balancing on a surfboard, or careening down a single-track mountain biking trail (tried it once; never again), and that's always been fine with me.

While my lack of sports talent doesn't discriminate between land or sea, it's never more apparent than during Winter. Over the years I've made the hourslong drive to the snow with friends to try my hand at snowboarding, only to finally give up once I realized I'd never conquer the sport enough to actually have fun. I resigned myself to being more of a cabin-bound snow bunny than mountain adventurer — until last year, when I tried skiing for the first time. After one lesson, I already felt happier and more in control on the mountain than I'd ever been on a snowboard, starting with the fact that instead of slipping and falling off every chairlift, I actually wobbled my way off my seat, triumphantly upright every time. Turns out, skiing was the sport I'd been waiting for.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

After a couple short lessons, I thought I had skiing covered. It was so easy and intuitive to glide down the bunny slopes and very reassuring to realize that I didn't have to spend my day covered in freezing snow and nursing sore wrists as I had during my entire short career as a budding snowboarder. I was so sure of my abilities that I quickly determined I was ready to graduate to higher runs, so on my next trip to Tahoe, I skipped the bunny slopes and chose a beginner trail that my friend assured me was beyond easy. The problem: even though I'd mastered the almost-flat groomed bunny slope, once I made my way up to the top of the mountain for the first time I realized that my fear of heights (and speed, and falling) were going to get the better of me. My instincts to freak out are never more apparent than when I'm careening down a steep slope with what seems like no way to control myself, so every time I found myself approaching a "steep" section of the run, I'd get nervous, forget everything I learned, and make foolish mistakes. Instead of the leisurely run I'd envisioned my graceful skiing self making, I spent most of my time anticipating falling, losing control because I was nervous about falling, and then, of course, doing exactly what I thought I'd do. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy: the less control I thought I had, the less I did. Needless to say, it took a lot of time and all my pride to finally make it down to base camp. I finished sweaty, tired, and cold, and way less sure about my newfound hobby than I had been just a few hours earlier.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

After that embarrassing day on the mountain, I almost hung up my (rental) skis for good. But there's so much to love about the sport that I was determined to master it enough to enjoy the occasional ski weekend with friends. So during a recent trip to Utah (as a guest of Ski Utah), I spent three days at three different ski resorts, ready to make myself a competent beginner skier. I trekked up and down the bunny slopes, reminding myself to breathe, be aware of my instincts, and trust that I could make informed, sure moves that would help me glide down the slopes, not tumble over them. I also was lucky enough to have help from each resort's instructors; having someone there to spot my shortcomings helped pull me out of my nervousness and wipe away doubt. Every time I felt like I was zoning out or reverting to a lazy ski stance, someone was there to point out how just small changes, both mentally and physically, can mean all the difference in how in control I felt. Soon, learning how to not fall turned into learning how to make confident decisions that made my body do exactly what I wanted it to, and I was able to finally make my way down multiple beginner runs without falling once.

While I'll say that I never was the picture of grace that I'd imagined myself to be, by the end of the trip I was a competent skier and, just as importantly, more confident about my body's abilities and my instincts overall. It may sound cheesy, but the same skills that make you a better skier are those that you can apply to life — on the mountain, you're taught to lean forward, not back; look ahead, not down at the ground; and remember to breathe and relax. While you could say almost any sport has the ability to teach you how to be more aware of your body and your mind, skiing helps me instantaneously correct myself when I'm feeling uncertain or anxious, and reminds me to take a deep breath, make sure movements, and know my body's capabilities. I won't say learning to ski as an adult has been incredibly easy to pick up; I may still never be the one who flies into the face of curves and dips or ventures off groomed runs like pretty much every kid (or adult who learned as a kid) I see on the mountain, but tackling my fear of heights, speed, and falling — all while gaining a new sporty skill — has made me feel more confident and aware about both my body and my mind.

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a2952/spring-skiing-destinations/

Last-Minute Spring Skiing: Where to Go Now

By Brandon Perlman (Departures) April 9, 2015

Winter may be thawing, but there’s still excellent powder to be had on pistes around the world, from Utah to Switzerland, Japan and more.

UNITED STATES MONTANA Big Sky: Closes April 19 With over 90 percent of the mountain still open and six inches of new snowfall in the last week, Big Sky is crushing April skiing season. Nonexistent lift lines and seemingly endless terrain for all abilities make a last-minute trip to Montana (complete with a three-night lodging and two-day ski pass package) a must.

UTAH Park City Mountain Resort: Closes April 19 Spring skiing is in full effect at PCMR. Warm breezes from the valley sweep over midday skiers and create a consistent slushiness that makes for one of the most fun (and underrated) times of the year to shred. Be sure to come back next year when a $50 million dollar resort improvement project will

http://www.departures.com/lifestyle/sports/last-minute-spring-skiing-at-ski-resorts-around-the-world

connect PCMR to the Canyons, creating the largest ski resort in the United Stated with over 7,300 of skiable terrain.

INTERNATIONAL CANADA Lake Louise: Closes May 10 Albert’s Lake Louise Ski Area (winner of the 2014 World Ski Award for the Best Canadian Ski Resort) received two feet of fresh Canadian powder in the last week, adding to the 12 feet that fell this year to date. Don’t miss the Shake the Lake party on April 25th for the largest season ending event in the Rockies.

FRANCE Les Trois Vallees: Closes April 24 (Val Thorens open until May 12) Billed as the “world’s largest ski area” the three valleys encompass such legendary resorts as Courchevel, Meribel, and Val Thorens, all linked together with 180 lifts and 600 kilometers of slopes.

With more than 300 open trails and a foot of fresh snow in the last week, this is the perfect place to extend that last minute meeting in Paris or Geneva. Don’t miss the Chalet Brames built 25 years ago, but recently refurbished to include a brand new hammam and in-house masseuse.

SWITZERLAND Zermatt: Rothorn and Gornergrat Closes April 19, Theodul Glacier open all year round Cool temperatures, new powder, and more than eight feet of base snow make the idyllic Alpine town of Zermatt a perfect place to spend April—or even May, June, or July. This skier’s paradise is one of the few places on the planet that features year round skiing courtesy of the Theodul glacier.

JAPAN Hirafu, Niseko, Hokkadio: Closes May 6 Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido might as well be the late season skiing capital. This mecca of Japanese powder benefits from close proximity to the ocean and icy winds coming off of Siberia, which create a snow consistency unmatched anywhere else on the planet. For last minute (or early 2015/16) powder hunting, call Brent Potter at Japan Ski Adventures who has been leading expeditions for almost a decade.

http://www.departures.com/lifestyle/sports/last-minute-spring-skiing-at-ski-resorts-around-the-world

SUMMER SKIING CHILE Valle Nevado: Opens June 28 Winter is quickly approaching the Southern Hemisphere and Valle Nevado—located in the Andes Mountains, less than two hours from Santiago—is one of the most exciting skiing destinations south of the equator. Don’t miss the chance for epic heli-skiing, with 5,500 vertical feet of pristine powder in a single run.

NEW ZEALAND Treble Cone: Opens June 25 Winner of the World Ski Awards best resort in New Zealand for two years running, Treble Cone boasts some of the most unique terrain down under. Situated on Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, they received almost three feet of snow in August 2014 alone. This is a must-hit for an endless winter odyssey.

http://www.departures.com/lifestyle/sports/last-minute-spring-skiing-at-ski-resorts-around-the-world

The Rise of the Mega-Resort: Is This the Future of Skiing?

By Megan Barber (Curbed Ski) April 21, 2015

Big Sky Resort The winter of 2014-2015 was big: huge snow for the East Coast, big moves by veteran industry player Vail Resorts, and an historic drought on the West Coast. With the latest announcement out of California that Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC plans to connect Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows with a gondola, it looks like skiing is going to get even bigger. A combined Squaw Alpine resort would clock in at a whopping 6,000 skiable acres, making it one of the largest ski areas in North America. Squaw's announcement comes on the heels of another blockbuster plan released earlier this year by Vail Resorts tocombine Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort into a single, 7,300-acre ski resort. Indeed, since the late 1990s the ski industry has lived and died by a single maxim: bigger is better. A single season pass now provides skiing at more mountains than ever, skiers and snowboarders can access more terrain in a single day than ever imagined, and the long-proposed idea for a Europeaninspired, 18,000-acre ski resort in Utah doesn't seem that far-fetched. Welcome to the era of the megaresort.

Historically, America's biggest ski areas were no slouches; with thousands of acres and an ever-growing number of lifts, the industry's biggest players knew that skiers loved the idea of wide-open runs and fewer lift lines. Vail Mountainwas long known as the biggest ski area in America and the resort further

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/the-rise-of-the-megaresort-is-this-the-future-of-skiing-1.php

cemented the title by adding additional areas like Blue Sky Basin in 1999. Today, Vail Mountain remains one of the largest single ski areas in the world with more than 5,200 skiable acres available.

Whistler Blackcomb In March 1997, Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation (which owned Whistler) and Intrawest (which owned Blackcomb), merged to create the biggest ski area in North America at 8,171 acres. In 2008, the resort built the world record-breaking PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, linking the two mountains with a 4.4-kilometre engineering marvel.

The race to combine individual ski areas into giant mega-resorts continued in 2013, when Boyne USA and CrossHarbor Financial acquired Moonlight Basin. Together with Spanish Peaks, Moonlight Basin and Big Sky Resort merged to create the largest ski area in the United States at the time. Operating under the Big Sky brand, the unified ski area now boasts 5,750 skiable acres and a 4,350 vertical drop.

Vail Resorts aims to reclaim the title of "Biggest Skiing in America" with their$50 million investment to combine Utah's Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort. With construction starting soon on an eight-passenger, high-speed gondola to connect the two ski areas, the new Park City Mountain Resort and "Canyons at Park City" will debut in fall 2015 and clock in at more than7,300 acres.

To be sure, there are huge obstacles before the Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows plan comes to fruition.

And while a combined Squaw Alpine ski area may not be able to rival Park City in terms of acreage, it shows how much weight ski industry competitors place on size. No matter the snow conditions, more skiable acres can be a boon to marketers.

No one understands this better than the ski industry veterans at Ski Utah, promoters of the ONE Wasatch plan to combine 7 Utah ski areas into a connected resort encompassing 18,000 acres and 100 chairlifts. The individual resorts within ONE Wasatch will still retain their own identities and personalities, but there's no doubt attracting visitors is a key element of ONE Wasatch. Just ask Les 3 VallĂŠes in France, the biggest ski area in the world, how important size is to their marketing campaigns.

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/the-rise-of-the-megaresort-is-this-the-future-of-skiing-1.php

But does a bigger ski area always result in better skiing? The jury's still out. While more acreage does spread people around the hill and offer an infinite array of potential powder stashes, these mega-resorts aren't immune to massive lift lines, bottlenecks, or poor snow conditions. Curbed Ski has had epic days at Vail, Big Sky, or Whistler, to be sure. Endless powder turns, tree runs that no one knows about, and an insane amount of vertical make the mega-resort a pleasure to ski. But we've also had all-time ski days at resorts like Jackson Hole, Telluride, Crested Butte or Solitude, where the terrain is top notch but the skiable acreage measures but a fraction of 2015's new class of mega-resorts.

So tell us Curbediverse, who's next on the mega-resort watch list? Do you think the trend to combine ski areas into 6,000, 8,000, or even 18,000-acrebehemoths will continue? Let us know in the comments.

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/the-rise-of-the-megaresort-is-this-the-future-of-skiing-1.php

Mapping Where You Can Still Ski in North America, April '15

By Michael Shrantz (Curbed Ski) April 17, 2015

Winter isn't over yet. Overall, it's been a tough year for snow, but there have been some late welcome late surprises in a number of Western states, and the East is still skiing well. So to make sure you're packing in all the turns you can possibly get, Curbed Ski has put together a map of where you can still ski in North America. This weekend will be the last hurrah for a lot of resorts, but there are a number that have the goods to last through May. Find out where the lifts are still spinning below.

The resorts are listed from West to East. Did we miss one that's still open? Let us know in the comments.

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

Ski Resorts Still Open, April 2015

MARMOT BASIN Closing day is May 3.

1 MARMOT ROAD, JASPER NATIONAL PARK, JASPER, AB T0E 1E0, CANADA +1 780-852-3816 WEBSITE

LAKE LOUISE SKI AREA & MOUNTAIN RESORT Closing day is May 10.

1 WHITEHORN ROAD, LAKE LOUISE, AB T0L 1E0, CANADA (403) 522-3555 WEBSITE

SUNSHINE VILLAGE SKI & SNOWBOARD RESORT Closing day is May 18.

1 SUNSHINE ACCESS RD, BANFF, AB T1L 1J5, CANADA (403) 762-6500 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

WHISTLER BLACKCOMB Whistler Mountain closing day is May 18.

4545 BLACKCOMB WAY, WHISTLER, BC VON 1B4, CANADA (800) 766-0449 WEBSITE

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN SKI AREA Closing day is April 19.

33914 CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN BLVD, CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, WA 98022 (360) 663-2265 WEBSITE

MT. BAKER SKI AREA Open for the weekend ending April 19.

420 IOWA STREET, BELLINGHAM, WA 98225 (360) 734-6771 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

MT. HOOD MEADOWS SKI RESORT The resort will open for a bonus weekend of April 17 to 19.

MT HOOD MEADOWS, MOUNT HOOD, OR 97041 (360) 571-3919 WEBSITE

MT. BACHELOR SKI RESORT Starting April 20 hours will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the hope to stay open into May. JIM EGAN RD., BEND, OR 97701 (800) 829-2442 WEBSITE

SQUAW VALLEY SKI RESORT Closing day is April 26.

TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, 1960 SQUAW VALLEY ROAD, OLYMPIC VALLEY, CA 96146 (800) 403-0206 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT Open through April and longer if snow allows.

1 MINARET RD, MAMMOTH LAKES, CA 93546 (760) 934-2571 WEBSITE

BIG SKY RESORT Closing day is April 19.

GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST, 50 BIG SKY RESORT ROAD, BIG SKY, MT 59720 (800) 548-4486 WEBSITE

ALTA SKI AREA It is open through April 19 and will reopen April 24 to 26.

HWY 210, ALTA, UT 84092 (801) 359-1078 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

BRIGHTON RESORT Closing date April 19.

UINTA-WASATCH-CACHE NATIONAL FOREST, 8302 SOUTH BRIGHTON LOOP ROAD, BRIGHTON, UT 84121 (801) 532-4731 WEBSITE

SNOWBIRD SKI & SUMMER RESORT Closing day is May 17.

UTAH HIGHWAY 210, SNOWBIRD, UT 84092 (801) 933-2222 WEBSITE

ASPEN MOUNTAIN Closing April 19.

601 E DEAN ST, ASPEN, CO 80611 (970) 300-7014 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

VAIL MOUNTAIN Closing date is April 19.

VAIL MOUNTAIN, COLORADO 81657 800-503-8748 WEBSITE

COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT Open through April 19.

209 TEN MILE CIR, COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO 80443 (866) 841-2481 WEBSITE

BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT Closing date is April 19.

1599C SUMMIT COUNTY RD. #3, BRECKENRIDGE, CO 80424 (970) 453-5000 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

ARAPAHOE BASIN The closing date will be in June.

28196 US HIGHWAY 6, ARAPAHOE BASIN, CO 80435 (970) 513-5700 WEBSITE

LOVELAND SKI AREA Closing day is May 3.

INTERSTATE 70, GEORGETOWN, CO 80444 (800) 736-3754 WEBSITE

WINTER PARK RESORT Open through April 26.

85 PARSENN RD., WINTER PARK, CO 80482 (970) 726-1564 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

KILLINGTON SKI RESORT Killington plans to stay open until June at least.

4480 KILLINGTON RD, KILLINGTON, VT 05751 (802) 422-5001 WEBSITE

SUGARBUSH RESORT Sugarbush is still open as of April 17 with the closing date TBD. 1840 SUGARBUSH ACCESS ROAD, WARREN, VT 05674 (802) 583-6300 WEBSITE

JAY PEAK RESORT Open through April 26 with plans to reopen for May 2 to 3 and maybe the weekend of May 6.

830 JAY PEAK ROAD, JAY, VT 05859 (802) 988-2611 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

SUGARLOAF Closing date TBD. 5092 ACCESS RD, TOWN OF CARRABASSETT VALLEY, ME 04947 (800) 843-5689 WEBSITE

MONT SUTTON Closing day is April 19, but it might reopen for the following weekend.

671 CHEMIN MAPLE, SUTTON, QC J0E 2K0, CANADA +1 450-538-2545 WEBSITE

WILDCAT MOUNTAIN Closing day is April 26 with a bonus weekend May 2 and 3.

542 NEW HAMPSHIRE 16, GORHAM, NH 03581 (603) 466-3326 WEBSITE

http://ski.curbed.com/archives/2015/04/mapping-where-to-ski-right-now-april-15.php

Wednesday, May 20, 2015, by Megan Barber

Tahoe Compound Wants $34.5M For Sandy Beach & Putt-Putt

A Tough Winter Takes a Hit On Utah Skier Visits

Snowbird Closing Day 2015/photo by Matt Crawley

Although not as severe as the drought in California, Utah's lack of snow this winter resulted in fewer ski days on the mountain this season. Curbed Ski breaks down all the numbers and what it means.

Ski Utah officials reported that the state saw 3,946,762 skier visits this past winter, which was a 4.9% drop below the previous winter. But considering what iconic resorts like Deer Valley, Park City, and Alta were dealing with, things could have been much, much worse.

President of Ski Utah, Nathan Rafferty, told the Salt Lake Tribune, "Considering Mother Nature, we're pretty pleased." Rafferty cited a National Weather Service statistic that put the state's snowfall at only 41 percent of average. If you look at the snowpack maps from the season, it's easy to see just how dry it was from about January on. And for the most part, great snowmaking in Utah took

advantage of the early snow and kept guests happy. Resorts in California and Washington weren't so fortunate, as rain decimated base areas this spring and forced many to close early.

Kudus to the Utah resorts for making it work with Mother Nature's leftovers.

10 reasons to visit Park City this summer 11:00 p.m. Friday, June 5, 2015 | Filed in: Travel

Mauri Elbel Special to the American-Statesman

Defined by its three world-class resorts that combine more than 9,000 ski-able acres, 400 trails and 65 lifts into one hard-to-rival destination, Park City draws skiers and snowboarders during the powder-cloaked winter and spring months. But here’s the thing I discovered during a recent visit to this town of 7,500: Park City is a fabulous family getaway — on or off the slopes, any time of year.

Nestled in the Wasatch Mountains just a half-hour east of Salt Lake City International Airport, Park City is an amalgam of rich mining history, proud Olympic legacy, luxurious lodging, award-winning cuisine and year-round fun and adventure. Even when the ski season winds to an end and the snow melts off the mountaintops, Park City still buzzes and hums. Escape Texas’ soaring summer heat in cool and cozy Park City, where temperatures average 75 degrees and these 10 on- and off-the-slope experiences await.

http://www.austin360.com/news/travel/10-reasons-to-visit-park-city-this-summer/nmTDT/