Canyons Resort Host Celebrity Ski Challenge

Canyons Resort welcomes acclaimed stars from blockbuster shows including Glee, Modern Family and Gray’s Anatomy to the inaugural 2012 Smile Downhill to raise funds for Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity.  Events take place from Fri., March 30 – Sunday, April 1, with the highlight being the race starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 31.  The public is invited to watch the races along the Sunrise trail with the finish line near Canyons Resort Village.

WHAT:            Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity is hosting the 2012 Smile Downhill celebrity ski challenge. Teams of six racers consisting of one celebrity skier, one professional skier, and four amateur skiers/Operation Smile donors will compete against each other to raise funds for the organization in adult and junior competition. The Smile Event 2012 marks Operation Smile's arrival in Park City, Utah and recognizes the more than 200,000 lives it has changed thus far by giving life-altering surgery to children born with cleft lips and cleft palates around the world.

WHO:               Entertainment Celebrities: Katherine Heigl, Lucy Hale, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Kelley, Kate Walsh, Chris Case, Billy Bush, Naya Rivera, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Wolf, and Jennifer Salke.

Winter Olympians: Billy Demong, Fuzz Feddersen, Kaylin Richardson, Derek Parra, Erik Schlopy, Holly Flanders, Tracy Evans.

WHEN: Saturday, March 31, 2012

                        Media Check-In:                             9:00a.m.

Downhill Ski Challenge:                10:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.

Luncheon and Awards Ceremony   12:00p.m. – 2:00p.m.

 

WHERE:           Canyons Resort, 4000 Canyons Resort Dr., Park City, UT 84098

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About Canyons Resort

Canyons Resort, a Talisker mountain destination in Park City, Utah, is the fourth-largest ski resort in North America with 182 trails across nine mountains, also making it Utah’s largest and most dynamic ski and snowboard resort. Five world-class hotels at Canyons include the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Park City and the AAA Four-Diamond Grand Summit Hotel.  Canyons Resort offers more than a dozen dining venues that range from upscale food carts to The Farm, a fine dining restaurant with seasonal cuisine sourced within 200 miles of Park City. The resort is home to the Orange Bubble Express, which is North America’s most technologically advanced and first heated chair lift; a lively gathering area at the base of the mountain named Ski Beach; a fast-paced zip line circuit; and 300 acres of new terrain at Iron Mountain. Last year, Canyons proposed an 8-passenger gondola known as SkiLink that, subject to approvals, will connect Canyons and Solitude resorts in just 11 minutes and create the most unique ski network in North America. Salt Lake City International Airport is just 35 minutes away and provides convenient access from anywhere in the world. For a taste of the new and exciting Canyons, visit www.CanyonsResort.com.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)

Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is an international children’s medical charity with a presence in more than 60 countries, whose network of more than 5,000 medical volunteers from over 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 2 million healthcare evaluations and conducted over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities, as well as patients suffering from burns. To build long-term self-sufficiency in developing countries, Operation Smile donates medical equipment, provides year-round medical treatment through Comprehensive Care Centers, and trains local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their own local communities.

 

About Title Sponsor, Argyros Family Foundation
The Argyros Family Foundation is a California-based Foundation that supports a myriad of worthy causes including health care, education, neglected children and the arts. Foundation CEO George Argyros, a former U.S. ambassador to Spain, along with wife and Foundation President Julia Argyros, have a long history of public service, particularly within their home community of Orange County. They were introduced to Operation Smile in 2011 when their daughter and Foundation Trustee, Stephanie Argyros, attended an Operation Smile medical mission in Lima, Peru, to support the organization’s humanitarian efforts firsthand.