One City, Three Ski Resorts in Utah
Mar 13, 2008
Heather Burke [Maine Sunday Telegram]
Get an early flight and you can ski free the first afternoon at one of three class areas in Park City
Imagine waking up in Maine, and making tracks in deep Utah powder by noon This is the real lty of a Park City ski trip Even better, your first ski day at Deer Valley, The Canyons or Park City Mountain is free with a Quick Start voucher from the Park City Chamber's Web site Greg and I hopped an early Delta flight out of Logan, and by 12 30 p m Utah time we had ndden two high speed lifts to 9,400 feet and were floating on a foot of fresh powder on Deer Valley's signature Stem's Run With a direct flight to Salt Lake City airport, Park City's three major ski resorts are just a 30 minute drive We had our ski boots and ski clothing handy for a quick change, and rented skis and poles from SkiButlers com m stead of lugging our own Ski Butlers met us at our Lodge at Deer Valley, and in five swift minutes, we were dialed in for six days of skiing We started our five nightsix ski day Utah odyssey at Deer Valley - "the fairest of them all" in any skier's storybook Deer Valley is rated the No 1 resort by Ski Magazine readers, four and five diamond lodging, award win ning on mountain cuisine, ski valets that carry your skis from your car Deer Valley is posh, almost like a private ski club Snowboarders are not allowed and lift ticket sales are limited to 6,500 a day to assure everyone has a seat m their lodges What's not limited is the terrain, with five sepa rate peaks spreading over 2,026 acres, 3,000 vertical served by 22 lifts including 11 high speed quads and a leather upholstered gondola
Our first afternoon, we found gorgeous groomed cruisers off Bald and Flagstaff Mountains and powder filled Aspen groves in Triangle Trees A typical travel day you get weary from jet lag, airport shuffles and check in lines We were fatigued from high altitude air, too many turns and too many temptations at the extravagant Seafood Buf fet dinner
Our condominium lodging was perfectly appointed, they call it rustic mountain living but I call it refined with leather furnish ings, tone fireplace, fluffy robes and our own private hot tub on our deck. At our whim, a shuttle would take us to the slopes, or to the fabulously funky Main Street of Park City Day two, we were on the Silver Lake Express by 8 45 a m (tip this base lift opens 15 minutes early to get you to the upper mountain in time for official 9 am opemng) Deer Valley lays out the white carpet each night I dare say Deer Valley's groomers are almost as good as Sunday River's, we decided as we crushed cord on long trails like Hidden Treasure and Legal Tender, named for the silver dis covered in these mountains in
1868 Deer Valley slopes coined
IF YOU 60 UTAH SKI TIPS SKf P8g rt yotsr arrival day && to www paffeftyinfo com to get yotir Quick Start voucher DB6R VALLEY limits ticke sales, so buy before you g at www cleervalley corn STAY SLOPESIDE at the premier Lodges at Deer Valley www Jrtdgesd**tvafteyeom PARK CITY MOUNTAIN Resort hosts exciting events att season, www par ke&ytnountate corn THE CANYONS has s iopa*tde tthrig ' nQ at the Grand, SKI SUNDAY Wormons are
church-goers, emptying 1 Utah $ slopes for atptne agnostics on the Sabbath UTAIfUWS You $an t get real bfeef until after noon but y^u ean bnns your own wine into restaurants
for a corkage fee more $400 million m silver, but today the gold rush is in real estate, as magnificent mountain mansions hug the hillsides of the buffed slopes
Empire Canyon is Deer Val ley at Its peaks, 9,570 feet This pampered paradise gets double black steep with chutes and tremendous tree stashes Now a confession about my love of skiing and Deer Valley The more you ski the more you can indulge in Deer Valley's fine food The best burger I have ever encountered is made with Chipotle at Royal Street Cafe Or you can ski to the delightful Austrian lodge, The Goldener Hirsch, for the finest cheese fondue lunch For apres ski tod dies and treats, Stem Enks.eris Lodge is the 5 star place to be seen You may even see the legendary Olympic Gold medal ist Stem himself He celebrated 80 this year, still serving as Deer Valley's director of skiing since the resort opened in 1981 For a long leisurely finale, we sked down to Deer Valley's Jordanelle Gondola, which we called a "real estate run" as you ski over and under expansive snow bndges built solely to ac cess enormous elegant ski cha lets, including the Ski Magazine Dream Home Second homes are booming in Utah, and luxurious hotels by St Regis and Montage are both under construction on these slopes
Park City Mountain Resort was next on our three resort tour Deer Valley abuts Park City, which borders The Canyons - but ducking the rope is a no no
Park City's ski area emanates from downtown, making it a popular choice The US Ski and Snowboard teams train on the front side (this is where Shaun White flies like a tomato in the superpipe), but there is plenty more to explore among seven peaks Park City is the busiest area (no ticket sale limits or snow board restrictions here) but with four high speed, six pack lifts, Park City makes a case for spreading people out over the 3,300 acres and nmr bowls at ter rain We dispersed for the hard core terrain of Jupiter Bowl, and found steep and deep chutes off this remote double chair to 10,026 feet Then we tapped into McConkey's for more double black delights After a morning of high eleva tion excitement, we took it down a notch and discovered "The Motherlode," a pleasant pocket of well spaced aspens and per fectly pitched runs like Fool's Gold and Glory Hole Park City Mountain Resort goes back to 1963 when steers would nde the three mile underground mine shafts from town to access the slopes I preferred the fresh air and sunshine on the chairlifts Today Park City is owner by Powdr, the resort company that scooped up Kuhngton Pico last year from American Skiing Company, and also owns Bachelor m Oregon and Ski Las Ve gas Park City stays open till 7 30 for twilight skiing and nding, but with such a fantastic town at the base, I found apres ski took precedence
Strolling by western boutiques and saloon inspired eatenes in Park City's Old Town, it's easy to picture the 1868 Frontier town But I cannot imagine Mam Street during Sundance, when 60,000 Hollywood heroes and wannabes descend for the second largest film festival in the world. Tip the ski slopes are empty during ^Sundance Film Festival's parties and premieres in late January We had a fantastic dinner at Fin, a swank seafood restaurant in the new art-deco Sky Lodge Next door is Zoom, Robert Redford's place if you are into star memorabilia Non skiers could have serious fun in Park City, shopping, touring the his tone silver mining spots, and meeting their ski friends for a slopeside lunch Saving the biggest for last, our final two days we conquered the vast The Canyons, all 3,700 acres - the largest single ski resort in Utah Boarding the Flight of the Canyons gondola from the Grand Summit Hotel (a bit grander than ours at Sug arloaf and Sunday River) before 9 am gets you to mid mountain where you have eight peaks to explore We inscribed our skis on Tombstone's cruisers before heading up to experts only Peak 9990, named for the summit elevation Here you can hike to back-country bowls or point 'em down Magic Lines and Red Pine chutes No joke, this is ava lanche prone territory so heed signage and patrollers Peak 5 and Dream Peak to the East offer up gorgeous glades, gentle winding trails and more of those "real estate runs " As you ski through The Colony, the largest ski in, ski out lots for sale in North America, you see one magnificent mansion after another Clearly this once sleepy ski area called Park West is transforming into a mega mountain for millionaires
Talisker is buying The Can yons from folded ASC This To ronto based real estate firm has developments in Deer Valley, so the champagne and caviar crowd will follow Perhaps this new ownership will intercon nect with Park City, they could link by mfttalhng two lifts A CanyonsPark City ticket would give skiers and nders a 7,000acre network. A Canyon's must for lunch is Lookout Cabin, take the Short Cut lift from Red Pme This mountaintop chalet has pan oramic Wasatch Mountain views and table service dining Refu eled, you are ready to explore the Canyon's original ski ter rain, in Silverado, Rendezvous and Murdock Bowl The Super Condor quad accesses chutes like Yard Sale, groomed ndge runs with sweeping views, big bump runs or the tight twisty Cams Lupis - one of six "natural halfpipes" on the mountain that are banked, bumpy, loaded with turns and trees, offering an amusing alpine descent (fun for kids and adults on short skis) To conclude our three moun tarn 6 day ski tour, we spotted a moose and her baby in the middle of the ski trail - a sign it was tune to return to Maine Eastern skiers who want to ski waist deep Utah pow, trade* marked "the greatest snow earth," should make their way to Park City - one fun town, three world class resorts, all within a half hour of airplane touchdown By skiing on your arrival and departure day - you can hit all three Deer Valley, Park City and The Canyons The snowbanks are record high in Utah this season It snowed 9 feet in the last two weeks Heather Burke is a nationally accredited
ski journalist from Kennebunk .
Bobsled run is a true thrill ride
By HEATHER BURKE
Far the Maine Sunday Telegram
Utah hosted the Winter Olym pics in 2002 You can ski by Deer Valley's mogul and aenal ski venues, and see where the Sla lorn and Giant Slalom races and snowboari"tg events were held at Park City Then visit Olympic Park free of charge, tour the museum, see the huge Nordic jumps and have you picture taken with the torch You can even nde the official bobsled track, the only full track open to the public in tike world I have done some "sick sports" (heh skiing, para sailing, swim mmg with stingrays) but the Olympic Bobsled is the craziest, wildest, fastest (and longest) minute of my life Our bobsled orientation was loaded with warnings that this is a "severe, intense and violent nde where you will experience 5Gs" Several times we were told, "full refunds are available, no questions asked, up until the time your sled starts down the track, but don't ask for you money back after that" These clues, and the iron clad waiver, are all indications that you are about to be thrashed and compressed, akin to slid ing down a frozen waterfall in a metal trash can
Our Olympic pilot Stephan took the driver's seat (and the brake control - I later wished he had given it to me), and I sat behind nun in the four man bobsled We accelerated quickly down the glassy track and by Turn 6 my helmeted head was thrust into my chest with irreversible force (this was the 5Gs and 80 mphs we had been warned about) The next nine aturns I cannot account for (just a lot of praying -which I rarely do) I heard a lot of banging - which turned out to be my head against the side of the sled Finally I felt the sweet sensation of braking and our 51 seconds of fame (just 6 seconds off Olympic gold time) was over The neck pain and bruising on my arms however lasted several days as a memento I also got a keepsake pan, all for $200 Amusement park nde junkies be warned - this is Universal Studio's Hulk or Disney's Tower of Terror multiplied by a fac for of 12 For the only full track bobsled open to untramed (read clueless) nders m the world, visit wwwolyparks com - Heather Burke
One city, three ski resorts in Utah
Get an early flight and you can ski free the first afternoon at one of three class areas in Park City
By HEATHER BURKE For the Maine Sunday Telegram
Imagine waking up in Maine, and making tracks in deep Utah powder by noon This is the real lty of a Park City ski trip Even better, your first ski day at Deer Valley, The Canyons or Park City Mountain is free with a Quick Start voucher from the Park City Chamber's Web site Greg and I hopped an early Delta flight out of Logan, and by 12 30 p m Utah time we had ndden two high speed lifts to 9,400 feet and were floating on a foot of fresh powder on Deer Valley's signature Stem's Run With a direct flight to Salt Lake City airport, Park City's three major ski resorts are just a 30 minute drive We had our ski boots and ski clothing handy for a quick change, and rented skis and poles from SkiButlers com m stead of lugging our own Ski Butlers met us at our Lodge at Deer Valley, and in five swift minutes, we were dialed in for six days of skiing We started our five nightsix ski day Utah odyssey at Deer Valley - "the fairest of them all" in any skier's storybook Deer Valley is rated th
Get an early flight and you can ski free the first afternoon at one of three class areas in Park City
Imagine waking up in Maine, and making tracks in deep Utah powder by noon This is the real lty of a Park City ski trip Even better, your first ski day at Deer Valley, The Canyons or Park City Mountain is free with a Quick Start voucher from the Park City Chamber's Web site Greg and I hopped an early Delta flight out of Logan, and by 12 30 p m Utah time we had ndden two high speed lifts to 9,400 feet and were floating on a foot of fresh powder on Deer Valley's signature Stem's Run With a direct flight to Salt Lake City airport, Park City's three major ski resorts are just a 30 minute drive We had our ski boots and ski clothing handy for a quick change, and rented skis and poles from SkiButlers com m stead of lugging our own Ski Butlers met us at our Lodge at Deer Valley, and in five swift minutes, we were dialed in for six days of skiing We started our five nightsix ski day Utah odyssey at Deer Valley - "the fairest of them all" in any skier's storybook Deer Valley is rated the No 1 resort by Ski Magazine readers, four and five diamond lodging, award win ning on mountain cuisine, ski valets that carry your skis from your car Deer Valley is posh, almost like a private ski club Snowboarders are not allowed and lift ticket sales are limited to 6,500 a day to assure everyone has a seat m their lodges What's not limited is the terrain, with five sepa rate peaks spreading over 2,026 acres, 3,000 vertical served by 22 lifts including 11 high speed quads and a leather upholstered gondola
Our first afternoon, we found gorgeous groomed cruisers off Bald and Flagstaff Mountains and powder filled Aspen groves in Triangle Trees A typical travel day you get weary from jet lag, airport shuffles and check in lines We were fatigued from high altitude air, too many turns and too many temptations at the extravagant Seafood Buf fet dinner
Our condominium lodging was perfectly appointed, they call it rustic mountain living but I call it refined with leather furnish ings, tone fireplace, fluffy robes and our own private hot tub on our deck. At our whim, a shuttle would take us to the slopes, or to the fabulously funky Main Street of Park City Day two, we were on the Silver Lake Express by 8 45 a m (tip this base lift opens 15 minutes early to get you to the upper mountain in time for official 9 am opemng) Deer Valley lays out the white carpet each night I dare say Deer Valley's groomers are almost as good as Sunday River's, we decided as we crushed cord on long trails like Hidden Treasure and Legal Tender, named for the silver dis covered in these mountains in
1868 Deer Valley slopes coined
IF YOU 60 UTAH SKI TIPS SKf P8g rt yotsr arrival day && to www paffeftyinfo com to get yotir Quick Start voucher DB6R VALLEY limits ticke sales, so buy before you g at www cleervalley corn STAY SLOPESIDE at the premier Lodges at Deer Valley www Jrtdgesd**tvafteyeom PARK CITY MOUNTAIN Resort hosts exciting events att season, www par ke&ytnountate corn THE CANYONS has s iopa*tde tthrig ' nQ at the Grand, SKI SUNDAY Wormons are
church-goers, emptying 1 Utah $ slopes for atptne agnostics on the Sabbath UTAIfUWS You $an t get real bfeef until after noon but y^u ean bnns your own wine into restaurants
for a corkage fee more $400 million m silver, but today the gold rush is in real estate, as magnificent mountain mansions hug the hillsides of the buffed slopes
Empire Canyon is Deer Val ley at Its peaks, 9,570 feet This pampered paradise gets double black steep with chutes and tremendous tree stashes Now a confession about my love of skiing and Deer Valley The more you ski the more you can indulge in Deer Valley's fine food The best burger I have ever encountered is made with Chipotle at Royal Street Cafe Or you can ski to the delightful Austrian lodge, The Goldener Hirsch, for the finest cheese fondue lunch For apres ski tod dies and treats, Stem Enks.eris Lodge is the 5 star place to be seen You may even see the legendary Olympic Gold medal ist Stem himself He celebrated 80 this year, still serving as Deer Valley's director of skiing since the resort opened in 1981 For a long leisurely finale, we sked down to Deer Valley's Jordanelle Gondola, which we called a "real estate run" as you ski over and under expansive snow bndges built solely to ac cess enormous elegant ski cha lets, including the Ski Magazine Dream Home Second homes are booming in Utah, and luxurious hotels by St Regis and Montage are both under construction on these slopes
Park City Mountain Resort was next on our three resort tour Deer Valley abuts Park City, which borders The Canyons - but ducking the rope is a no no
Park City's ski area emanates from downtown, making it a popular choice The US Ski and Snowboard teams train on the front side (this is where Shaun White flies like a tomato in the superpipe), but there is plenty more to explore among seven peaks Park City is the busiest area (no ticket sale limits or snow board restrictions here) but with four high speed, six pack lifts, Park City makes a case for spreading people out over the 3,300 acres and nmr bowls at ter rain We dispersed for the hard core terrain of Jupiter Bowl, and found steep and deep chutes off this remote double chair to 10,026 feet Then we tapped into McConkey's for more double black delights After a morning of high eleva tion excitement, we took it down a notch and discovered "The Motherlode," a pleasant pocket of well spaced aspens and per fectly pitched runs like Fool's Gold and Glory Hole Park City Mountain Resort goes back to 1963 when steers would nde the three mile underground mine shafts from town to access the slopes I preferred the fresh air and sunshine on the chairlifts Today Park City is owner by Powdr, the resort company that scooped up Kuhngton Pico last year from American Skiing Company, and also owns Bachelor m Oregon and Ski Las Ve gas Park City stays open till 7 30 for twilight skiing and nding, but with such a fantastic town at the base, I found apres ski took precedence
Strolling by western boutiques and saloon inspired eatenes in Park City's Old Town, it's easy to picture the 1868 Frontier town But I cannot imagine Mam Street during Sundance, when 60,000 Hollywood heroes and wannabes descend for the second largest film festival in the world. Tip the ski slopes are empty during ^Sundance Film Festival's parties and premieres in late January We had a fantastic dinner at Fin, a swank seafood restaurant in the new art-deco Sky Lodge Next door is Zoom, Robert Redford's place if you are into star memorabilia Non skiers could have serious fun in Park City, shopping, touring the his tone silver mining spots, and meeting their ski friends for a slopeside lunch Saving the biggest for last, our final two days we conquered the vast The Canyons, all 3,700 acres - the largest single ski resort in Utah Boarding the Flight of the Canyons gondola from the Grand Summit Hotel (a bit grander than ours at Sug arloaf and Sunday River) before 9 am gets you to mid mountain where you have eight peaks to explore We inscribed our skis on Tombstone's cruisers before heading up to experts only Peak 9990, named for the summit elevation Here you can hike to back-country bowls or point 'em down Magic Lines and Red Pine chutes No joke, this is ava lanche prone territory so heed signage and patrollers Peak 5 and Dream Peak to the East offer up gorgeous glades, gentle winding trails and more of those "real estate runs " As you ski through The Colony, the largest ski in, ski out lots for sale in North America, you see one magnificent mansion after another Clearly this once sleepy ski area called Park West is transforming into a mega mountain for millionaires
Talisker is buying The Can yons from folded ASC This To ronto based real estate firm has developments in Deer Valley, so the champagne and caviar crowd will follow Perhaps this new ownership will intercon nect with Park City, they could link by mfttalhng two lifts A CanyonsPark City ticket would give skiers and nders a 7,000acre network. A Canyon's must for lunch is Lookout Cabin, take the Short Cut lift from Red Pme This mountaintop chalet has pan oramic Wasatch Mountain views and table service dining Refu eled, you are ready to explore the Canyon's original ski ter rain, in Silverado, Rendezvous and Murdock Bowl The Super Condor quad accesses chutes like Yard Sale, groomed ndge runs with sweeping views, big bump runs or the tight twisty Cams Lupis - one of six "natural halfpipes" on the mountain that are banked, bumpy, loaded with turns and trees, offering an amusing alpine descent (fun for kids and adults on short skis) To conclude our three moun tarn 6 day ski tour, we spotted a moose and her baby in the middle of the ski trail - a sign it was tune to return to Maine Eastern skiers who want to ski waist deep Utah pow, trade* marked "the greatest snow earth," should make their way to Park City - one fun town, three world class resorts, all within a half hour of airplane touchdown By skiing on your arrival and departure day - you can hit all three Deer Valley, Park City and The Canyons The snowbanks are record high in Utah this season It snowed 9 feet in the last two weeks Heather Burke is a nationally accredited
ski journalist from Kennebunk .
Bobsled run is a true thrill ride
By HEATHER BURKE
Far the Maine Sunday Telegram
Utah hosted the Winter Olym pics in 2002 You can ski by Deer Valley's mogul and aenal ski venues, and see where the Sla lorn and Giant Slalom races and snowboari"tg events were held at Park City Then visit Olympic Park free of charge, tour the museum, see the huge Nordic jumps and have you picture taken with the torch You can even nde the official bobsled track, the only full track open to the public in tike world I have done some "sick sports" (heh skiing, para sailing, swim mmg with stingrays) but the Olympic Bobsled is the craziest, wildest, fastest (and longest) minute of my life Our bobsled orientation was loaded with warnings that this is a "severe, intense and violent nde where you will experience 5Gs" Several times we were told, "full refunds are available, no questions asked, up until the time your sled starts down the track, but don't ask for you money back after that" These clues, and the iron clad waiver, are all indications that you are about to be thrashed and compressed, akin to slid ing down a frozen waterfall in a metal trash can
Our Olympic pilot Stephan took the driver's seat (and the brake control - I later wished he had given it to me), and I sat behind nun in the four man bobsled We accelerated quickly down the glassy track and by Turn 6 my helmeted head was thrust into my chest with irreversible force (this was the 5Gs and 80 mphs we had been warned about) The next nine aturns I cannot account for (just a lot of praying -which I rarely do) I heard a lot of banging - which turned out to be my head against the side of the sled Finally I felt the sweet sensation of braking and our 51 seconds of fame (just 6 seconds off Olympic gold time) was over The neck pain and bruising on my arms however lasted several days as a memento I also got a keepsake pan, all for $200 Amusement park nde junkies be warned - this is Universal Studio's Hulk or Disney's Tower of Terror multiplied by a fac for of 12 For the only full track bobsled open to untramed (read clueless) nders m the world, visit wwwolyparks com - Heather Burke
One city, three ski resorts in Utah
Get an early flight and you can ski free the first afternoon at one of three class areas in Park City
By HEATHER BURKE For the Maine Sunday Telegram
Imagine waking up in Maine, and making tracks in deep Utah powder by noon This is the real lty of a Park City ski trip Even better, your first ski day at Deer Valley, The Canyons or Park City Mountain is free with a Quick Start voucher from the Park City Chamber's Web site Greg and I hopped an early Delta flight out of Logan, and by 12 30 p m Utah time we had ndden two high speed lifts to 9,400 feet and were floating on a foot of fresh powder on Deer Valley's signature Stem's Run With a direct flight to Salt Lake City airport, Park City's three major ski resorts are just a 30 minute drive We had our ski boots and ski clothing handy for a quick change, and rented skis and poles from SkiButlers com m stead of lugging our own Ski Butlers met us at our Lodge at Deer Valley, and in five swift minutes, we were dialed in for six days of skiing We started our five nightsix ski day Utah odyssey at Deer Valley - "the fairest of them all" in any skier's storybook Deer Valley is rated th
