Ski Utah Press Release

DEER VALLEY RESORT: PARK CITY, UTAH (November 2016) – Deer Valley Resort is pleased to announce the 25th annual Deer Valley® Celebrity Skifest that serves as the resort's launch of ski season. Held Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4, 2016, the invitational ski event pairs former Olympic ski legends with television and film celebrities for an exciting weekend of skiing, live music and fundraising for Waterkeeper® Alliance; the largest and fastest growing non-profit solely focused on clean water. With over 300 Waterkeeper Organizations and affiliates around the world, Waterkeeper Alliance helps to defend communities against anyone who threatens their right to clean water—from law-breaking polluters to unresponsive government agencies.

“We look forward to celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest and Deer Valley’s opening weekend for the 2016-17 season,” said Bob Wheaton, Deer Valley Resort president and general manager. “Our long-standing partnership gives Deer Valley the opportunity to support a valuable global cause. We are proud of our connection with Waterkeeper Alliance.”

The Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest event kicks-off on Friday, December 2 with a Celebrity Poker Tournament where players can up the ante in support of clean water to win incredible prizes. The event continues on Saturday, December 3 at noon with a Pro-Am giant slalom race on Birdseye ski run with sponsors, celebrities and Olympians followed by a Pro-Am awards ceremony. Saturday evening will feature a Waterkeeper Alliance gala dinner and benefit auction at the DeJoria Center in Kamas, Utah followed by a concert with Multi-Platinum Entertainer, Dierks Bentley. The Celebrity Skifest race will take place at noon on Sunday, December 4 also located on the Birdseye ski run. The races are complimentary to the public and can be viewed from the Silver Lake area at mid-mountain (please note if skiing to the races a Deer Valley lift ticket will need to be purchased). All proceeds from the evening events throughout the weekend benefit Waterkeeper Alliance. Skifest has helped raise more than $6 million for Waterkeeper Alliance since the partnership began in 2006. The weekend's races will be broadcast the following Sunday, December 11 on CBS at 5 pm EST (please check local listings).

Some of the best-known legends of U.S. skiing are scheduled to compete in this year's event, including Steve Mahre, Jonny Moseley, Tommy Moe and Deer Valley’s own Ambassador of Skiing, Heidi Voelker. This year's group of celebrity Skifest supporters include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Cheryl Hines, Pierce Brosnan, “Papa John” Schnatter, Marcia Gay Harden, Mark Fuerstein, Dylan Bruno, Amy Brenneman, Larry David and JB Smoove. Previous celebrity guests have included Academy Award-winning actor Glenn Close, Emmy Award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris, Paul Mitchell Systems President John Paul DeJoria, Grammy Award-winning artists Miranda Lambert, Mary J. Blige, Lady Antebellum, Train, Melissa Etheridge, and musical stars Natasha Bedingfield, Gavin DeGraw, Gavin Rossdale and James Blunt.

The Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest is presented by JUMA Entertainment. For more information on the event and the opening of Deer Valley's 2016-2017 ski season, please call Emily Summers, Deer Valley Resort senior communications manager Emily Summers at 435-645-6522; or view the event website at dvskifest.com. To follow the event on social media, search #dvskifest.

To inquire about tickets for the special performance by Dierks Bentley at the DeJoria Center, please contact waterkeeper@cwandco.com.

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Deer Valley Resort revolutionized the ski industry by providing the first-class service one would receive at a five-star hotel. The resort offers 21 chairlifts, 101 ski runs, six bowls, 12 restaurants, 300 annual inches of powder, three elegant day lodges, 2,026 acres of alpine skiing, hundreds of luxury accommodations and a renowned Ski School and Children’s Center.

Waterkeeper Alliance is a global movement uniting more than 300 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates around the world and focusing citizen advocacy on issues that affect our waterways, from pollution to climate change. Waterkeepers patrol and protect nearly 2.5 million square miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. For more information please visit: www.waterkeeper.org.