Mountain Town Living

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Feb 17, 2021

The Park City area real estate market not only survived but thrived in 2020, one of the few industries that did not suffer during the COVID-19 pandemic - according to The Park Record. In a press release summarizing real estate performance in the past year, the Park City Board of Realtors said it was expecting a severe depression in the market but that “expected housing slump … failed to materialize.” The market showed strong appreciation, with notable increases in average and median sale prices.

“Fears that the market might be facing a slow, sustained recovery period were short lived,” the release stated. “While the market dipped quickly in April, by mid-June the market had recovered fully and by year’s end 2020 had set records across the board for sales totals and median prices.”

Park City tops Travel+Leisure's America's Best Mountain Towns. Whether you're looking for outdoor adventure or a luxurious retreat, America's best mountain towns have something for every type of traveler. During the winter months, these towns offer world-class skiing and snowboarding, and come summer, visitors can enjoy hiking, rafting, mountain biking, and more — they're truly year-round destinations. From Aspen's pristine slopes and luxury hotels to Asheville's vibrant art scene and Leavenworth's European feel, these mountain towns offer unique experiences and stunning scenery.

Park City, Utah - Under an hour's drive from Salt Lake City, Park City is best known for skiing and Sundance. Of course, there's more to the city than that — in the winter, visitors can snowshoe, snow bike, snowmobile, and more, while summer travelers can enjoy fly fishing, golfing, horseback riding, and rafting, among other activities. There's a full range of accommodations, ranging from Airbnbs to five-star hotels, so there's something for every budget and travel style. Click here to see all ten mountain towns.

We wrap up this week's blog with 24 Decorating Ideas That’ll Make the Most of Your Mantel Year-Round from Apartment Therapy. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace mantel in your home, you know just how much fun it is to style that area, whether you want to decorate it for the holidays, to welcome a new season, or to use it as a spot to showcase your favorite art or collectibles. We will share the top ten, CLICK HERE to see all 24.

1. Opt for clean and modern - A few pieces of chic artwork and touches of gold make the mantel in this sleek West Hollywood abode look picture-perfect.

2. Rustic done right - Exposed brick and lots of charming old wood are part of what makes this stunning New Orleans home the gem that it is. A few small but intentional decorative touches added to the mantel only make it that much more jaw-dropping, letting the interesting architecture speak for itself.

3. Throw a plant party - It’s almost as if the space above fireplaces was made for housing your ferns and philodendrons.

4. Try a double decker - One mantel is great but two? Talk about dreamy! This artsy Australian home shows how you can make this concept work. Visitors will marvel at this interesting set up, which includes two rows of cute pictures, but it won’t feel too busy visually for you.

5. Be selective - All you really need on a minimalist mantel is a few thoughtfully placed trinkets—a small stack of books, a vase, a candle. If items echo the rest of the colors in your room, these pieces can help tie the whole space together while adding a touch of personality.

6. Create a Scandi vibe - A stack of books always makes for easy, affordable decor—just raid your shelves and pick out a few titles that speak to you. You can also grab branches and greenery from your backyard (if you have one), and create different levels in your design scheme by using books to prop different pieces up at different heights.

7. Add a letter board - Propping up a letter board with a fun quote is a great way to welcome guests into your home and show off your wit. We also like the addition of a small lamp and mirror, which can help throw light around a space.

8. Glam up your mirror - Hanging a wreath over a mirror atop the mantel adds a cheerful pop of green to the space that will look lovely year round. Decorating with florals here—either real or faux—is always a good choice. You can go the garland route, or display a bouquet or a single stem in a sculptural vase.

9. Display artwork front and center

While it’s often common practice to hang a TV above a relatively low mantel, that certainly isn’t a requirement! Instead place an oversized piece of abstract art.

10. Keep it utilitarian - In a small space, sometimes less is more. Try only placing a lamp and plant on top of it. The whole look is very mid-century modern and streamlined—but not sterile because of the soothing pops of green and blue these couple of pieces add.

Tags: Sales, Ski, Utah, Home, Mountain town
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Best Ski Resorts

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Feb 10, 2021

Conde Naste Traveler has released The Best Ski Resorts in the U.S. and Canada: 2020 Readers' Choice Awards. For the 33rd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey registered voters weighed in on their favorite places around the globe. They were hot to share their thoughts on the best hotels in the world and best cities in the world, and on the best skiing. While the landscape for the ski season looks a bit different this year—with resorts hard at work to ensure instructors, skiers, snowboarders, and everyone else can stay safe—our readers' love for the slopes still came through. From Montana to Massachusetts, Alberta to Aspen, these ski resorts were picked by our readers as the best in the world for their trails, lifts, and après-ski spots. Whether you’re a moguls expert, a terrain park shredder, or a novice still mastering blue runs, these ski resorts ticked all your boxes. Park City graces the list twice with Deer Valley coming in 1st and Park City Mountain Resort comes in 8th.

Park City Mountain Resort, Utah comes in 8th - Park City is part of the largest ski area in the country. In addition to size, there's location, location, location: Its 7,300 acres, eight terrain parks, and 64 acres of night skiing are only half an hour from newly reimagined Salt Lake City International Airport. Park City continues to be rated one of our readers' favorites, thanks to its varied terrain and a buzzy downtown that has top-notch après-ski. Serious overnight grooming efforts ensure over 120 trails are pure corduroy every morning. On especially cold days, visitors can warm up in the Orange Bubble Express, a bubbled and heated chairlift at Canyons.

Where to stay: Hands down, the Waldorf Astoria Park City is the place to be, although there are numerous other options in nearby Deer Valley. For something more intimate, the stylish 12-room Washington School House is less than a five-minute walk from the Town Lift and serves a heavenly breakfast.

Stats: 41 lifts for 348 trails. One-day lift tickets from $104; on the Epic Pass.

Deer Valley, Utah comes in 1st - Deer Valley is made for families who love to ski together (it's one of only three resorts in the country that still bans snowboarding) and are willing to spend top dollar for the experience. The resort’s “your wish is our command” customer service is worth the splurge. It's also conveniently located: under 40 miles from the Salt Lake City International Airport, and adjacent to Park City along the Wasatch Range.

Where to stay: Montage Deer Valley, The Lodges at Deer Valley, and the St. Regis Deer Valley.

Stats: 21 lifts for 103 trails. One-day lift tickets average $159–$209; on the Ikon Pass.

To read Conde Nast Traveler's whole article CLICK HERE.

According to the designers, here are the 7 Kitchen Trends That Will Takeover of 2021 by Apartment Therapy. From bold backsplashes to colored concrete countertops and more, here’s what interior designers say will set the bar in stylish cook spaces this year.

Colored stone countertops -Swap out that classic marble for a colored stone that speaks to you. You don’t have to go super bold either if you don’t want to. A creamy beige travertine or other type of stone can add extra warmth to a design scheme than, say, something that’s classic white and gray. Pink is another color that’s going to be popping in countertops, too. It’s up to you how colorful—or neutral—you want to go with your hue selections.

Timeless all-white kitchens - Traditional all-white kitchens will still remain popular.

Statement backsplashes - The walls of your kitchen are brimming with design potential; it just takes the right backsplash to set off your cookspace. There are a slew of artful backsplash ideas you can pick from to design a unique statement feature. If you don’t have the budget to go all out on a bold new backsplash, consider removable peel-and-stick tiles to score a similar effect without breaking your bank account.

Intimate kitchen with pops of personality - The belief that a home should double as a sanctuary was more important than ever in 2020, creating a welcoming kitchen that you truly enjoy spending time in will be key in 2021.

Mixed materials - get creative with colors, textures, and finishes in kitchens. To create an eclectic, layered kitchen without having to hire a contractor, look for sleek, space-savvy ways to show off your mixed metal kitchenwares in plain sight, such as hanging your pots from overhead hooks or installing a brass-plated wall sconce above your stove.

Black kitchens - Think Art Deco vibes, such as black-finished cabinets and floors, brass and gold accent hardware, and striking quartzite slab countertops.

Integrated appliances - 2020 taught many of us that space itself is a luxury. To create a uniform look in your kitchen sans the pricey integrated appliances, try painting all of your cabinets (and your island if you have one) the same color to create visual continuity and the illusion of more space.

The Park Record has released the Park City 2021 event calendar and shows the return of arts fest, Tour of Utah and others. The spread of the novel coronavirus and the subsequent health restrictions nearly erased Park City’s slate of special events in 2020.

The municipal government has crafted a tentative calendar running through the end of 2021 that details the return of special events. Although the Sundance Film Festival, which is Park City’s largest special event, will not be held as a live event in 2021, the calendar indicates many others plan to be staged in the city as of now.

The calendar will depend on the status of the sickness as the events approach, and City Hall acknowledges officials will closely monitor the state of the coronavirus as it readies for the events. The Summit County Health Department is also heavily involved in discussions about events. There is hope at City Hall of improvements in the coronavirus numbers as more people are vaccinated in the months leading into the summer.

A string of important events has secured dates in 2021, the calendar shows. They include the Independence Day celebration, the Triple Crown Sports Baseball World Series, the Tour of Utah bicycling race, the Park City Kimball Arts Festival and the Miners Day celebration. Each of the events was canceled in 2020.

Some of the other key dates on the tentative calendar for 2021, which begins in earnest in June, include:

• the weekly Park City Farmer’s Market starting June 2.

• a lacrosse tournament known as the Ski Town Shoot Out on June 4 and June 5.

• a Beethoven festival in July and early August

• Autumn Aloft from Sept. 17 until Sept. 19

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Events
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Park City Without Sundance

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Jan 20, 2021

This week we look at Park City without Sundance and things to do in our mountain town during the pandemic. Vogue's Sheila Marikar has written How America’s Most Star-Studded Ski Town Is Faring Sans Sundance and she sits with our friends Sara and Rob Sergent, the owners of Alpine Distilling.

From January 28th to February 3rd, attendees will be able to participate in panels and screenings from home; several cities around the country will also screen this year’s entrants at their own theaters. The new format is a boon to potential participants who may not have been able to travel to Park City in years past. For local business owners, though, it’s kind of a bummer.

But a recent visit suggests that for some out-of-towners (me, for one), the glare of Sundance obscured what’s truly special about this place: the snow, the sky, the abundance of fresh air, and a plethora of ways to reward yourself after you’ve availed yourself of that trifecta. Over the past 10 months, Park City’s bars, restaurants, and hotels have reinvented themselves to meet the needs of COVID-era patrons; sleek new homes are flying off the market faster than they can be built. And it helps that one of the region’s prime pastimes might as well have been made for social distancing.

Like the slopes, the restaurants at Park City Mountain require advance reservations, via a QR code plastered inside every gondola. It’s an innovation that ought to outlast the pandemic. Alpine Distilling’s Pie Bar have reformatted their interiors, spacing out tables and adding high-tech bells and whistles. “Sara has a sanitizer gun,” says Rob Sergent, referring to his wife and co-founder in Alpine Distilling, which makes award-winning, small-batch gin, whiskey, and vodka. “We take it very seriously,” says Sara. She points underneath a table on the other side of the lounge—cozy, clubby, with piping hot pecan pie and a bracingly good boulevardier—at a foot-tall mechanical fan emitting a bright, violet light. “We have a collection of these air purifying units,” Sara says. “One of those would do a space twice our size.”

One of the hottest tables in town is actually a yurt. In December, the St. Regis Deer Valley erected three insulated yurts that look like pop-up ski chalets, complete with chandeliers, framed art, personal heaters, and the sort of cross-hatched wood paneling you’d expect to find inside an Alsatian hut.

But to experience the best meal in Park City, you’ll have to book a room at the Washington School House. This 12-room boutique hotel, which occupies a 19th century schoolhouse and feels like a cross between a Parisian atelier and a Nancy Meyers movie, only serves guests. Sheila says "Park City’s got is well worth the trip".

Outside of Sundance, Park City Magazine shares How to Navigate Park City This Season On- and off-mountain tips to make the most of pandemic conditions. Utah is open for skiing and riding. Following is a rundown of what Park City’s skidom looks and feels like this winter. As of this publication’s print date, there were no Covid-19 travel restrictions in Utah, meaning out-of-state visitors were not required to quarantine upon arrival. In the event you think you may have contracted Covid-19 during your visit to Park City, call one of three testing centers in town for information and to make an appointment to get tested: Redstone Clinic, 435.658.9200; Snow Creek Medical Center, 435.655.0055; and Intermountain Healthcare Park City Hospital, 435.658.7000.

Face coverings are required everywhere on Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain property (and at all of Utah’s other 13 resorts). And while one of those thin neck gaiters is OK for when you’re actually skiing, it is not enough for riding chairlifts or spending any time indoors at the resorts. Have a mask on or with you at all times.

If you’ve got a Deer Valley Season, IKON, or IKON Base Pass, you can stroll directly to the lifts at Deer Valley as you have in the past. Advance reservations are required for Epic passholders to ski or ride Park City Mountain, but Epic passholders do have priority over day-ticket purchasers. Make those reservations through the EpicMix app, parkcitymountain.com, or by calling 435.649.8111.

Advance reservations are required for ski and snowboard rentals from Deer Valley and Park City Mountain. If you’re an adult and have rented from DV before, you may reserve and pick rental gear without being fitted at the rental shop. At PCM rental shops, gear delivery is available and rental shop hours have been expanded to allow for social distancing.

On-mountain dining and drinking is significantly different this season. Deer Valley’s cafeterias at Snow Park, Silver Lake, and Empire Canyon Lodges have all been converted to table-service restaurants with full bars where reservations are required (435.649.1000). Grab-and-go items are available outside the dining areas at Snow Park and Silver Lake lodges. While the service hours and frequency of Park City’s free bus system have been scaled back a bit due to the pandemic, its service imprint—which covers Park City proper, Kimball Junction, the resorts, Summit Park, and Kamas—remains the same. Passengers are required to wear nose-and-mouth-covering masks when both riding and waiting in line for buses.

As you might guess, lodging deals are in abundance for this winter season in Park City. Properties like Stein Eriksen Lodge and Montage Deer Valley are offering unheard-of wintertime booking incentives including flight vouchers, generous resort credits, and relaxed cancellation policies. There are plenty of services in Park City that will stock your condo or house’s fridge for you (including wine, liquor, and beer), many even before you arrive, minimizing the chance of exposure—and the hassle—of making a trip to the supermarket: Grocery Girls, 866.278.2254; Park City Grocery Express, 435.729.0090; Store 2 Door, 435.633.1650.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Sundance, Snow
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The Best US Ski Resort - Park City

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Dec 16, 2020

The US is home to an abundance of amazing ski resorts, but Park City, Utah is the best US ski resort according to Planet Ski in their Top Ten Ski Resorts of the USA. Research by Koala has examined the offerings of more than 450 ski resorts. It has taken into account factors such as annual snowfall, length of runs, the cost of an adult ski pass and review ratings to create a ranking of the best resorts in America. As America’s largest ski resort, it boasts 348 of trails and over 7,300 skiable acres, meaning you’ll never get bored. Not only home to world-class skiing and snowboarding, the village’s lively main street is renowned for its après-ski, with nightly live music and dancing.

Planet Ski also shares THE EVENING ACTIVITIES IN PARK CITY: Now one of the questions I am often asked is “Can you get a drink in the Mormon state of Utah?” You can not only get a drink, you can go one further and make you own gin in a distillery on Main Street at Alpine Distilling. So, how do you go about making your own gin? Step forward Rob Sergent from Alpine Distilling.

First you chose your ‘botanicals’ – these give it the flavour. Juniper is a must and with three different varieties I went for the strongest. Plenty of Coriander too. Then you simply make your selection from Orris Root, Angelica Root, Licorice Root, Ginger Root Lavender, Rose Hips and several more beside. I decided not to hold back and got a bit carried away. Then my choice went into the hands of Rob’s wife, Sara, and I walked in to have a look.

“Sorry James this is known as an ‘explosive area’ due to the flammable and explosive ingredients here and the public aren’t allowed in.” So, I watched her making my gin through protective glass. We were then asked to come up with a name for our gin. There was only one choice for me. “Explosion Gin”. And then the moment of truth.

Travel and Leisure shares Utah's Ski Resorts Have Finally Reopened — Here's Where to Stay, Eat, and Shred Safely, here is everything you need to know before you book your Utah ski trip this winter.

After the longest ski resort closure in Utah’s history, all of the state’s ski areas are now open for everyone to enjoy the "best snow on earth." On March 16 — when Utah resorts closed due to the coronavirus pandemic — ski areas began to carefully establish plans to make the 2020-2021 ski season as safe and socially distant as possible. All ski areas have established cleaning and disinfection strategies, physical distancing guidelines, and strict mask requirements.

Utah has always been a favorite ski destination — most resorts are within an hour of the airport, the terrain is accommodating to every skier, and each season there’s an average of 40 feet of light and powdery snow. Utah resorts have taken hints from New Zealand and South America’s summer ski season and banded together to create a streamlined safety plan that was presented and approved by state health officials to keep locals and tourists safe and distant this winter.

Deer Valley Resort is one of three ski-only resorts in the nation. This year, they stand out again by eliminating day-of ski tickets and limiting the number of ski reservations in order to keep the slope and ski village well below capacity. Plus, all dining is reservation only to keep everyone safely distant while enjoying lunch or dinner. Snowbasin has set up warming yurts where skiers can take breaks and warm up and brought in food trucks to allow for outdoor dining.

All the resorts in Utah have similar safety guidelines in place, along with après ski activities that follow CDC and NSAA guidelines and have been carefully designed to ensure the safest experience possible.

The Washington School House Hotel is a sophisticated and charming historical gem steps from Main Street in Park City. The artfully restored 1889 school house has gone above and beyond to establish COVID-19 protocols that make every guest feel safe. There's hand sanitizer and masks in each room, private room entrances, and upgraded amenities. Upon request, the hotel can set up in-room work stations with a printer, notepads, and even complimentary snack deliveries. There is even the option to have a private dinner prepared by executive chef Ryan Frye in-room or virtually anywhere on the property. But most hotels in Utah have adopted strict guidelines to ensure a clean, safe, and social distant stay — including popular options such as Goldener Hirsch Inn, St. Regis Deer Valley, and Montage Deer Valley.

One of the best places for a bite after a long day on the slopes has long been the High West Saloon — and it still is as they have implemented better-than-recommended guidelines to their indoor dining and will add an Alpenglobe later this month for isolated dining. Also, try Alpine Distilling and the Alpine Pie Bar - Park City's only locally owned distillery. Hearth and Hill quickly transitioned to an awarded curbside program and has a menu that will please the whole family. The Stein Eriksen Lodge is installing four Alpenglobe deck dining additions this winter that will be perfect for après ski. They will be available to reserve for a 90-minute dining experience.

Plan ahead. Most resorts are operating on a reservation system, so make sure you have reservations for both parking and for your ski ticket. It’s vital to do your part by always wearing a mask and following all marked protocols. Ski Utah has put together a comprehensive list of expectations for all resorts in Utah that will be helpful to review prior to any Utah ski vacation this winter.

Tags: Park City, Fun, Ski, Utah, Snow
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Dale says:

January 19, 2021 at 6:40:09 AM

I love to go skiing! Add a little bit of booze and some warm heating and we're in business.

Snow On The Horizon

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Dec 09, 2020

Snow is on the horizon and with a winter storm promising to bring snow starting Friday, Park City is ready to get back on the mountain. This winter — despite a spike in COVID-19 cases and the pile of restrictions ski resorts have put in place to prevent outbreaks — ski areas throughout Utah are bracing for an avalanche of interest. The Salt Lake Tribune shares that Utah ski areas expect surge in popularity due to COVID-19 this winter. After COVID-19 caused a near-industry-wide closure March 14 — in the middle of the spring-break blitz — resorts have sunk money and people power into reconfiguring lift lines, installing Plexiglass barriers in rental shops and creating outdoor order windows in restaurants. Even with such protocols in place, they run the risk of having local governments shut them down again if coronavirus case numbers climb too high whether at the resort or in the adjacent municipalities.

But people are growing weary of being cooped up. And as anyone looking for some solitude on a hike this summer can attest, they’re turning to The Great Outdoors for an escape. One in every three people expects to take a road trip of 500 or more miles this holiday season, according to a Bridgestone Americas survey. That follows a strong push for road trips this summer, when AAA estimated 97% of all Americans would drive to their vacation spots. And even in a non-COVID year, Utah’s resorts have visitors regularly make the haul from California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Idaho, among other states.

This winter, Park City again finds itself being compared to New York and L.A., but for an entirely different reason. This time, it’s where people most want to be. Park City has replaced New York as the No. 1 destination for Christmas travelers, according to analysis by TripIt. The company looked at both vacation rental and flight reservations with check-in dates between Nov. 27 and Dec. 25. Last winter, Park City ranked 20th among destinations. This year, it moved up 19 spots to unseat New York City, which plummeted to No. 11. Park City moved up to No. 1 as a winter holiday vacation destination from 20th in 2019. Click here to read the entire article.

Travel Curator calls Park City a skiers paradise. Significantly because it happens to be home to Utah Olympic Park where thrill-seekers can enjoy the rush of speeding down the same track of the 2002 Olympic bobsled, skeleton, and luge events. This charming city surrounded by staggering mountains also has incredible spas, restaurants, and a nightlife scene to elevate your apres ski experience. You’ll find most of the action along historic Main Street lined with local gems, mountain-inspired fashion retailers, and gallery spaces.

A stay in Park City gives you access to two of the Rocky Mountains headliner resorts, Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort. Deer Valley is a luxury ski only resort known for its 103 runs, 2,000 acres of skiable terrain first-class facilities, exceptional on the slopes dining, and five-star ski-in/ski-out accommodations. Spanning 7,300 acres Park City Mountain Resort has a whopping 341 runs and 8 terrain parks makes it the largest and one of the most coveted ski resorts in the US.

Travel Curator calls Main Street the culinary hub of Park City, luring guests from each of the surrounding resorts for elevated dining and plenty of great cocktail bar action. The Riverhorse on Mai is a culinary gem that features a seasonal menu along with tried and true favorites like the Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut. A casual alternative to this fine dining establishment is Riverhorse Provisions known for its exceptional smoked meats – we’re particularly fond of their breakfast. When it comes to spirits, Alpine Distilling is it. With the distillery is Silver Creek and their Alpine Pie Bar on Main Street you can make your own gin and take it home seeing real distillation at work.

Tags: Fun, Ski, Utah, Snow, Snowboard
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Park City Skiing

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Dec 02, 2020

The ski resorts are open! If this is your first time out to ski or snowboard we are sharing -10 Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Ski Trip from Travel and Leisure. Skiing may take a lifetime to master, but there are some easy mistakes you can avoid right now. To help, Travel + Leisure spoke to a ski instructor and a ski guide to share the best advice.

1. Picking a Resort That’s Above Your Skill Level - One good example of this is Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Twenty-seven percent of their on-mountain terrain is for beginners and first-timers can ski down five of the resort’s six mountains.

2. Forgetting to Book Lift Tickets and Ski Lessons in Advance - Many resorts are only selling lift tickets and ski lessons in advance this year, nixing day-of ticket window purchases. But even if that wasn’t the case, sorting out lift tickets and booking ski lessons before you arrive will typically save you money. If you’ll be in town for a long weekend, ask the resort if they have a multiday pass or a lesson and lift ticket package. Or, see if the resort you’re headed to is included in the Epic or Ikon pass, both of which provide access to multiple mountains over the season and can offer serious savings for multiday or multiresort skiers.

3. Not Taking Time to Read Up on the Rules of the Resort (or Understand the Trail Signs) - There are some general rules that every North American ski resort adheres to, like coding each ski run with a difficulty rating — green circles for beginner runs, blue squares for intermediate runs, and black diamonds for expert terrain. But there are also rules specific to each resort. This year, most resorts are requiring guests to wear face coverings — an easy ask, considering most skiers sport a buff anyway — and many are only seating people together on a chairlift or gondola if they’re in the same ski group.

4. Not Knowing What Gear Should Be Rented and What to Bring From Home - There are companies that rent out soft goods (jackets, gloves, pants), but in general, most ski tourists opt to rent their skis, boots, and poles from a rental shop and bring everything else from home. If you go that route, you’ll need to buy (or borrow) a ski helmet, goggles, jacket, ski pants, gloves, and a buff (for cold and on-mountain COVID-19 protection). In addition, make sure you have thin wool socks and plenty of lightweight layers.

5. Picking Ski Boots That Don’t Fit Well - You’re going to be in your ski boots for four to six hours, so don’t mess around when it comes to fit. Ski boots are notorious for being uncomfortable, but they don’t have to be.

6. Thinking You Can Throw a Bulky Jacket Over a T-shirt and Go - Skiing is all about layers. In general, your base layer should be something warm and lightweight that wicks sweat like it’s its job. Then comes a thick layer, and finally, a waterproof shell to keep you dry no matter how many wipeouts you have. Depending on your ski pants, you can probably get away with a thin base layer pant that resists odor and keeps your legs warm all day long.

7. Leaving the Lodge Without Food and Water - If you’re going to be out in the elements all day, you’re going to have to think ahead. There’s food and water at the resort, but it’s always smart (both from a financial and safety standpoint) to bring along a little something.

8. Not Being Prepared to Battle the Sun - When you’re out on the mountain, your UV exposure is multiplied. Snow reflects the sun’s rays, so you’ll have to go overboard in your efforts to protect yourself from the sun above as well as the rays bouncing off the snow.

9. Thinking You Can Bomb Down the Hill Without a Lesson First - To start, your ski instructor will take you to the beginner zone, often called the bunny hill, to teach you the basics.

10. Letting Your Ego Take Over - Once you’ve taken a few lessons and have your skier lingo down pat, you might think you’re practically a pro. But keep that ego in check. Call it quits as soon as you get tired, because most injuries occur when skiers are fatigued, but decide to head up for just one more run. To read Travel+Leisure's full article - CLICK HERE.

Good news - Most Utah ski areas expect to be open by the weekend according to Rick Egan at The Salt Lake Tribune. By next Monday, all but five are expected to be open for the season. Snowbird will set off a second spree of openings Monday. The resort will require parking reservations for the first time this year as its method of limiting crowds and maintaining social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. Sundance will start its lifts turning Friday and Deer Valley will join in on Saturday. Solitude plans to open Dec. 7 after delaying its start because of lack of snow. Eagle Valley, meanwhile, has set Dec. 18 as its opening date. Brighton kicked off the Utah ski season on Nov. 19 to passholders only. Park City Mountain Resort, Brian Head Resort, Alta Ski Area and Woodward Park City all quickly followed suit. Snowbasin opened Wednesday for its 80th season.

All Utah’s resorts require masks inside all buildings and in lift lines and are asking guests to stay with their groups on chairlifts. In addition, most are requiring lift tickets to be purchased online.

The living room is the every-room, so how do you design such a multifaceted space? Apartment Therapy answers that question in 5 Golden Rules for Designing a Great Living Room.

Don’t skimp on rug size - In a large room, like a living room, you can unify the space with a rug. And to do that, all of your furniture’s legs should sit on the rug. If your sofa is against the wall, the front legs of the furniture should sit on the rug.

Layer lighting - Overhead lighting is great, but it can be harsh. A soft glow creates a more intimate and sophisticated vibe. To achieve this look, add a variety of light sources—table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces, bookshelf accent lights, and candles—to the room.

Follow the rule of threes - An odd number of items not only looks more natural, it also forces your eyes to move around, creating more visual interest. For an even more attractive vignette, try varying the size, height, and finish of the objects as well.

Choose the right accent tables - Coffee tables should be the same height as your sofa’s seat cushions, or very close to it. And end tables should be within a few inches of your sofa or chair’s arm height.

Float your furniture - By floating sofas and chairs away from your walls—even by just a few inches—you instantly create a more intimate conversation space. If you have a very large living room, you can break up and group the furniture to create natural conversation spaces throughout the room.

Tags: Park City, Fun, Ski, Utah, Snow, snowbaord
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Skiing & Real Estate

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Nov 18, 2020

Park City Resorts Are Ready For A Season Unlike Any Other and with opening day of the Park City ski season just a week away, the executives at both Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resorts talked about what will be a ski season unlike any other. KPCW shares that in their annual update to members of the Park City Board of Realtors, Chief Operating Officers at Deer Valley Todd Shallan and at Park City Mountain Mike Goar reviewed their plans for a ski season in the midst of a pandemic with the goals remain the same – Get open and stay open.

“The bottom line is we are planning on opening on December 5th and our goal is to stay open and keep people as safe as we possibly can,” said Shallan. Mike Goar added, “ yeah it’s certainly a different year, to say the least. I would say kind of our operating motto if you will is, open to stay open.” The good news from both resorts is that despite not having any J1 visa workers – their staffing levels look better now than it did a year ago. While their pandemic operating plans have been released to the public more than a month ago, something new that was mentioned is that Park City Mountain – in addition to making a reservation to get on a chairlift, reservations will also be required at all of their on-mountain lodges and restaurants. The main goal is all about keeping guests and employees safe.

Park City is scheduled to open both its Park City and Canyons Village bases on Friday, November 20th and Deer Valley will open on Saturday Dec. 5th.

Urban development experts say Utah could be a hot destination for people who, even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, were already migrating out of the biggest U.S. cities. Deseret News shares - Is COVID-19 the ‘great accelerator’? Utah set to win big as big cities continue to lose residents. Even before the onset of COVID-19, big U.S. metro areas were losing the domestic migration war to smaller, midsize cities and suburbs in a trend reversal that dates back almost a decade. Now, restrictions brought on by the global pandemic have only highlighted the downsides of big cities and the relative upsides of locales with assets like low cost of living, growing economies and easy access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

Utah could be perfectly positioned to become one of the top destinations for those fleeing urban residential settings that have become, for some, considerably less desirable amid the current public health crisis. Data shows residents, on a net basis, have been moving out of U.S. metro areas with populations of 1 million or more and finding new homes in smaller cities going back to 2012. And in the past several months, restrictions in place across the country aiming to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have functioned as a “great accelerator” of that migration.

The Utah model is something that is worth studying. The state’s “welcoming atmosphere” and “greater family friendliness” as factors that make it an increasingly attractive destination for people looking to move. To read the entire article CLICK HERE.

With the market in Utah booming, the Park City real estate market continues to boom amid the pandemic according to The Park Record as the Park City real estate market continues to surge, with sales in the third quarter more than doubling the activity in the same period in 2019. In the spring, the coronavirus pandemic shook the Park City business community, forcing the closure of non-essential businesses and thrusting the economy into a sudden downturn. Amid the upheaval of that period and the months that have followed, however, one industry crucial to Park City’s economy has experienced a dramatic run of success. And third-quarter data from the Park City Board of Realtors indicates that the real estate market continues to boom.

“You’ve got an environment here where you’ve got hiking, biking trails, you’ve got a couple of lakes nearby that you can boat in — golf courses, fishing,” Winstead said. “I don’t think the world really realized there were so many opportunities in such a small area.”

The question now is whether the people who’ve bought homes here during the COVID crisis plan to live in Park City permanently or retreat back to urban areas when the pandemic is over. Winstead, for one, has heard from many Realtors whose clients say they want to make the Park City area their permanent home. “It’s hard to leave Park City once you’ve been here,” he said. “Every time I think about going on a vacation, I’m like, ‘Well, where’s a better place to go than Park City?’

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Snow, Moving
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Fall Updates

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Sep 23, 2020

Fall is here and Park City is full of amazing color. This week we look at the new SLC airport terminal, Utah's economy, and the end of walk up ticket sales at some of the local ski resorts.

Utah's economy is ranked the best in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to 24/7 Wall Street, a website that analyzes and reports on economic data according to Fox13 - Salt Lake City.

Fox13 reports that Utah's low unemployment rate when compared to the rest of the country as one of the reasons the state is in the first position. While the rest of the country has seen unemployment rates reach double digits, Utah had the lowest unemployment rate in the country for the month of July, and currently, 4.5 percent of workers filed for unemployment.The site also stated that Utah's economic growth is one of the strongest in any state in the country, even before the pandemic hit. Utah also has a low poverty rate, being one of only seven states with less than 10-percent of the population below the poverty line.

Salt Lake City International Airport is undergoing a $4.1 billion renovation project, according to USA Today. Concourse A is part of the first phase of the renovation project, while the second concourse is set to open in October, and the rest of the rest of the new airport is scheduled to be completed by 2024, added the report. The US carrier says the airport’s new Salt Lake City Airport includes convenient amenities designed to enhance the overall travel experience. Last week, Delta flew its first flight out of the new Salt Lake City International Airport, which underwent a billion-dollar renovation recently, on Tuesday. The debut flight departed for Atlanta from the airport’s new 900,000-square-foot Concourse A.“This day has been years in the making,” said Bill Wyatt, executive director of Salt Lake City Department of Airports. “To say we are excited to be here today is an understatement. After six years of construction and many more years of planning, we are proud to open the first new US hub airport in the 21st century.” Read more about the new Salt Lake City airport on Business Traveler's site.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Solitude Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort have become the latest Utah ski areas to take walk-up tickets off their menus. Both resorts are owned by the Alterra Mountain Co., which on Monday revealed some of the COVID-19 precautions it would implement across its 15 destinations throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to ending walk-up tickets, Alterra will put caps on daily lift tickets — sold online — and prioritize season-pass holders. Resorts are also creating more grab-and-go food options and more outdoor seating to encourage social distancing and will be limiting interactions on lifts and gondolas.

Deer Valley has long capped the number of skiers it allows daily. Solitude, on the other hand, has been seeing a noticeable influx of visitors since joining the Alterra family prior to the 2018-19 season. Solitude will not turn away season-pass holders but will limit sales of online, single-day lift tickets if large crowds are anticipated. The protocols apply only to resorts owned by Alterra and not those on its Ikon Pass, one of the two major multi-resort season passes on the market. Brighton, Snowbird and Alta — all of which allow limited days to Ikon Pass holders — are in the process of creating their own COVID-19 regulations.

Vail Resorts announced similar changes two weeks ago, including at Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort. In addition to ending walk-up lift tickets and prioritizing season pass holders, Vail will limit chairlifts to riders who are within the same ski party or to small groups of individuals. Perhaps most ground shaking is its plan to limit capacity by requiring all visitors, even season pass holders, to use an online reservation system to hold their spot on the mountain.

Solitude is slated to open the season Nov. 20, Alta plans to follow Nov. 21 and Deer Valley is scheduled for Dec. 5. Snowbird and Brighton have not announced their opening days.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Homes, updates, Construction
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Home Buying

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Jun 23, 2020

Homebuyers will ‘gobble up’ houses for sale this summer, according to Barbara Corcoran, host of ABC’s Shark Tank and founder of the Corcoran Group, an New York City-based residential brokerage firm as interviewed by Yahoo! Finance.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. did not have enough homes for sale to meet demand. But with sellers slow to re-enter the market because of the nationwide lockdowns and demand higher than ever, the U.S. has become an even more competitive market, said Corcoran.

For the week ending June 13, inventory was down 27% compared to last year, according to Realtor.com. Inventory hit a 25-year low in December 2019, with moderate improvement at the beginning of 2020. But it plunged when the pandemic hit the U.S. in mid-March and sellers pulled their homes off the market, according to an analysis by Odeta Kushi, deputy chief economist for First American Financial Corporation, a a Santa Ana, California-based provider of title insurance, settlement services and risk solutions for real estate transactions.

The coronavirus forced Americans to work from home and redefined how Americans see their home. Some Americans are now looking for new homes with bigger yards, home offices and more square footage, after spending months in lockdown. Studies also show that more buyers are now looking to the suburbs for their next home, according to Redfin. Plus, mortgage rates hit an all-time low this week, incentivizing even more buyers into the market.

When more people want a product than the market can supply, the price goes up. Home prices already rose to an all-time high before the pandemic, as homes in the U.S. sold for an average $384,900 in the first quarter of 2020 — well above highs before the Great Recession, which reached an average of $322,100 in its peak, according to the Federal Reserve of St. Louis. With heightened demand, homes in the U.S. could get even more expensive this summer, according to economists.

Looking to shop outside - the Park City Farmers Market has opened at Park City Mountain Resort’s Silver King Lot. The market will follow COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of the patrons as well as vendors according to the Park Record's Scott Iwasaki. The Farmer's Market will be open Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-noon for senior citizens; noon - 5 p.m. for general public at the Silver King parking lot at Park City Mountain Resort. The market will start with 20 vendor tents that will be 10 feet apart and will have at least two workers each. Handwshing stations will be setup and all vendors will be wearing gloves. parkcityfarmersmarket.com

The Salt Lake Tribune has shared that Ski resorts are gearing up for summer season with new features — and new rules to deal with COVID-19. It’s been a quiet three months in the mountains since COVID-19 caused Utah’s ski resorts to shut down their lifts and cordon off their restaurants in mid-March. Now those wilderness areas are beginning to show signs of life. Woodward Park City, which opened for some indoor sports on May 22, now is also allowing indoor trampolines and parkour and will open its rental shop. Sundance broke out its zip lines, stable, spa and lodging. Utah Olympic Park, though technically not a resort, opened June 4 with tubing and an alpine slide.

Summer has become an increasingly important season for resorts across the country, even before COVID-19 hit. According to the publication Ski Resort Management, revenue for resorts in the summer of 2016 was nearly twice what it was in 2007. During that time, the number of summer visitors rose nearly 45% , even as the cost of a summer visit went up nearly 30%.

This year, however, a successful summer could be critical to a resort’s survival. Consider that most ski areas this year closed prior to spring break, one of their three most lucrative times in the winter season. Those concerns have kept some resorts from jumping into the pool this summer. Solitude Mountain Resort, for example, has made some lodging available but otherwise has announced no plans to reopen.

SUMMER IS IN SESSION

A rundown of what area ski resorts are offering — or not offering — this summer:

Alta • Access to more than 13 miles of hiking trails will open on June 27; lodging expected to open July 1; Albion Basin campground opens July 17.

Beaver Mountain • Hiking and OHV trails open; camping for RVs only.

Brian Head Resort • Activities (disc golf, the zip line, archery, bungee trampoline, climbing wall, avalanche tubing and mountain biking) open Friday through Sunday starting June 26.

Brighton • Hiking trails to open after snowpack melts; Brighton Store is open.

Cherry Peak • All summer operations and concerts postponed.

Deer Valley • Lift-served biking, hiking, scenic rides and some restaurants open daily starting June 26.

Eagle Point • Self-accessed hiking and biking trails open; Canyonside Lodge opened Friday; Mountain Archery Festival scheduled for June 26-28.

Nordic Valley • Summer operations postponed.

Park City Mountain Resort • Alpine slide, mountain coaster, scenic lift rides, hiking and bike haul, and some restaurants scheduled to open Thursday-Sunday starting July 2.

Powder Mountain • Wolf Barn Short Track trail is open; other trails will open as snowpack melts.

Snowbasin Resort • Lift-served mountain biking, hiking and scenic rides via Needles Gondola, mini golf (limited to groups of six or fewer), and dining and mountaintop yoga at the Needles Lodge scheduled to open Saturdays and Sundays starting June 27.

Snowbird • Open daily for summer activities (aerial tram, alpine slide, mountain coaster and Chickadee chairlift), with some restaurants and lodging. Mountain biking off the tram on the Big Mountain Trail remains closed.

Solitude • Summer operations postponed.

Sundance • Open daily for summer activities (chairlift rides, hiking, mountain biking, zip line and stables), with some restaurants, lodging and the spa also open. Reservations required Friday through Sunday.

Utah Olympic Park • Open daily for alpine slide, extreme tubing, zip lining and ropes course in two-hour increments. Alf Engen Ski Museum and Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum open and free, but masks are required.

Woodward Park City • Indoor and outdoor parks for wheeled sports, including scooter, skateboarding and BMX, and lift-served mountain biking open daily for a limited number of guests. Trampolines, parkour, gym floor and indoor airbags along with rental shop and food service also available.

Source: Ski Utah

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Homes, Buyers, Outside
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Spring Gruv Upgrade

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Mar 04, 2020

This week we are reviewing home upgrades that can increase the value of your home and Park City's Spring Gruv starting March 6th - see you on the mountain.

One of the main things to consider when choosing an improvement project is how much value it could potentially add to your residence as well as the overall cost of the project. This week RIS Media's Housecall shares 3 Inexpensive Upgrades That Can Increase the Value of Your Home:

Invest in Home Security Upgrades - More than 1 million home burglaries take place in the U.S. each year. Investing in a wireless security system is a great way to protect your home and your possessions. Some homeowners think that these systems are expensive, but, in reality, there are many different wireless systems on the market that are relatively inexpensive. Taking the time to research all of the systems at your disposal is crucial. Consult with home security professionals to avoid missteps. They can help you choose the right security system and get it installed quickly.

Upgrade Your Appliances - Over time, kitchen appliances become outdated and unappealing. Rather than letting old appliances impact the value and appeal of your home, take action. Today's market is filled with appliance options that are both affordable and energy-efficient. While an energy-efficient appliance may cost more initially, it will save you a lot of money on energy bills in the long term, which is why they're a great investment.

Give Your Kitchen Cabinets a New Look - Another great way to make your kitchen more appealing and modern is by giving the cabinets a facelift. Instead of completely replacing your cabinets, think about painting them and adorning them with new hardware to save money. Before you choose a color for both your paint and hardware, consider the type of decor you already have in the space.

Spring is upon us and Scott from the Park Record shares Park City Mountain Resort finds its Spring Grüv. Skiers and snowboarders may take flight during the pond skimming competition at Park City Mountain Resort’s annual Spring Grüv. This year’s celebration will run from March 6 through April 5, and the pond skimming will be held on April 4. parkcitymountain.com

Park City Mountain Resort will continue its annual love affair with warmer weather when it catches the Spring Grüv. This year’s celebration will run from March 6 through April 5, and, as it has in the past, will feature live music, outdoor activities, après events and, of course, pond skimming, said Sarah Stutman., Park City Mountain brand experience manager

“We’re really lucky to have such an incredible spring season in Park City and Spring Grüv is meant to celebrate that,” Stutman said. “The snow has been great this winter and there’s still a lot more of the season left to enjoy… (and we) hope everyone will join us for some spring fun on the mountain during that time.”

Some of the family-friendly activities will include outdoor movies, meeting the mountain safety team avalanche dogs, fireworks, cookie decorating and the offering of free donut s’mores, she said. Most of the activities are free and open to the public, according to Stutman.

“All of the events being hosted in our base areas are complimentary, (but) the annual pond skimming competition does require a registration fee for competitors, and spectators will need a lift ticket to get to the pond, located outside of Red Pine Lodge. At the top of the Red Pine Gondola.”

The annual pond skimming competition, which will feature 100 costumed contestants who will attempt to skim on skis or snowboards across a 100-foot pond, will take place Saturday, April 4, one week before the resort closes for the season, Stutman said.

“It’s hard to imagine a more entertaining event for both the spectators and participants,” she said. “Our prestigious team of judges will then award prizes for Best Costume, Best Splash and Crash and overall Best Male and Female contestants.”

The following set of rules will help keep people safe and grüving through the competition. No teams allowed, Minimum age is 10 years old, No nudity, thongs, or bare butts allowed, No full-face masks or costumes that inhibit full visibility, No fire allowed in costumes, No animals allowed, Must compete on skis or snowboards. No sleds, sit-skis or ski bikes allowed, Costume must be able to fit inside the Red Pine Gondola with the doors closed, Poles may be used but must be dropped before skis touch the pond, No pre-runs; each competitor gets one run to be judged.

“Every year the competitors come dressed to impress,” she said. “We’ve seen Mary Poppins, Aladdin on his magic carpet, flying squirrels, sharks, snowmen, Sesame Street characters and more. Every year, we award a prize for the best costume and can’t wait to see what people come up with this season.” Live music is another Spring Grüv draw in the days leading up to pond skimming, Stutman said.

This year’s musical guests include Changing Lanes, Fuse ‘N Rock and the Michelle Moonshine Trio, to name a few, she said. The full schedule can be found at ParkCityMountain.com. Park City Mountain worked with Mountain Town Music, a local nonprofit, to find the bands, according to Stutman.

“We have a great and longstanding partnership with Mountain Town Music to help bring the best of Park City’s music scene to the mountain and worked with them on our Spring Grüv programming,” she said. “Spring Grüv is all about celebrating the longer days and enjoying the mountain with family and friends, we look for music experiences that capture that excitement and energy.”

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Home, Events, Spring
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Traveling With Your Puppy

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Feb 26, 2020

This week we are sharing where to stay with your puppy in Park City and February's home sales.

Where do you stay in Park City if you want to bring fido on your vacation, Park City Magazine shares - 7 Dog Friendly Hotels in Park City. Rover isn’t just a dog, he’s part of the family. And you need a place to stay that doesn’t require sneaking your pup in the back door. Thankfully, these Park City hotels welcome your furry kid the way they would your bio kids, with a warm smile, treats, and the occasional pat on the head. When it’s time to paw it out of the hotel, introduce your pooch to “Bark” City’s dog-friendly trails. Basin Recreation grooms 25 kilometers, connecting Utah Olympic Park and Willow Creek Park. Round Valley has off-leash hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing trails, plus a dog park (there’s one at Willow Creek, too). And be sure to check out Rob’s or Daly Canyon trails.

Waldorf Astoria Park City -Wag-o-meter props: In-room bowls and dog beds, and homemade doggie treats (engraved with your pup’s name).

Montage Deer Valley - Wag-o-meter props: Two resident Bernese mountain dog ambassadors, plus a luxurious dog bed, food and water bowls, a toy gift, custom-baked treats, and an “In-Room Dining Canine Cuisine Menu.”

Washington School House Hotel - Wag-o-meter props: Owners are huge dog lovers with a couple of golden retrievers, so they understand a pet parent’s needs. Check in to find a cozy pet bed and bowls already in your room.

The St. Regis Deer Valley - Wag-o-meter props: Dog bed, dog bowls, and their own personal outdoor play area and trail. Butlers will walk dogs upon request.

The Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Best Western Plus Landmark Inn, and Hyatt Place Park City - Wag-o-meter props: Less expensive rooms and pet fees. BYOB(owls). Grab treats and poop bags at the front desk.

Looking for your new home or to sell yours, visit our website to see current listings and to see how we can help you. Here are February’s Closings:

1620 Downington Ave SLC Closed 2/18/20

3000 Canyons Resort #4912 PC Closed 2/10/20

2153 W Red Pine Court PC Closed 2/24/20

On the topic of moving, Realtor Magazine shares What to Do Before the Movers Show Up. Homeowners still need to prep the house for the moving company before they arrive to pack them up. Realtor.com® recently highlighted several of the items homeowners should do before the moving company arrives, including:

Protect your floors - To help avoid damage to the house, remove anything fragile that could be in the path as furniture and boxes get moved. Notify the movers about any hardwood flooring. “If you have hardwood floors or tile in any rooms, let your movers know ahead of time so they can prepare the right materials—and make sure your contract includes hardwood floor protection,” Miranda Benson, marketing coordinator at Dolly, a San Francisco–based moving company, told realtor.com®.

Make a clear path - Make the movers’ job easier and think ahead to a variety of potential obstacles on moving day. For example, consider the parking situation outside your home. Where can the movers leave their truck when packing up? You may even need the local city government to get involved to get appropriate signage and allowances. Also, ensure that access points of the home are clear of any debris.

Be available - don't hover, but be readily available to answer any questions. Alert the movers to anything special they should know that could impact how they move out your furniture and boxes. “There are little things about your house that you only learn from living there: The hallway closet door never stays closed, the third step down has a slight bend, a pack of hornets tends to congregate around the back door, so use the front—these are all valuable things that make your movers’ lives easier,” Benson told realtor.com®. “On top of that, being available to answer questions, whether that’s in person or via phone, can make your move much smoother.”

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Homes, Realtor, Food, Moving
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Activities In Park City

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Feb 19, 2020

Coming to Park City, but not a huge skier - here are 8 Great Things To Do In Park City, Utah Besides Skiing. There’s lots to do in Park City for those who prefer to hit the slopes, but not so hard.

Family sleigh ride at Deer Valley Resort. — **1. Enjoy The Greatest Snow On Earth -** Relive the 2002 Winter Olympics through memorabilia and interactive exhibits at Utah Olympic Park's free museums. In summer, watch aerial skiers hurtle through the air, landing with a splash in the Olympic pool. Or be a passenger in a bobsled if you dare. Take a sleigh ride to a remote Viking Yurt. After being tucked in with warm blankets, a snow-cat pulls you up 1,800 feet through fairy tale forests, past looming mountains and views of Park City’s twinkling lights.

Take a Saturday Morning Snow Shoe Tour of Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter. It’s cheap and snowshoes are provided. Or let a pack of huskies and their musher whizz you through the forest. Snowmobile along miles of groomed tracks, or, for a slower pace, enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides at Park City Mountain or Deer Valley.

A woman gets a spa treatment in Park City.

2. Luxuriate For The Day - For the luxury touches of herbal body products, fluffy robes, and soaking in hot water with mountain views, head to Stein Eriksen Lodge. Booking a spa treatment means access to other facilities, such as a steam room, sauna, whirlpool, and a heated indoor/outdoor infinity pool as well.

Or buy a day pass at Hotel Park City to use their heated pool, steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, meditation rooms, fitness equipment, and hydrotherapy tub. (Passes are available spring and fall, and sometimes summer. Call for availability.) At Montage Deer Valley, day passes include access to an indoor mosaic lap pool, a co-ed or separate women’s relaxation area, selected fitness classes, and locker rooms offering a steam room, sauna, whirlpools, and deluge showers.

End with Montage Deer Valley’s free daily s’mores (open to all). Graham crackers, dark and milk chocolate bars, and gourmet, house-made marshmallows including cinnamon, mocha, salted caramel, and peppermint flavors are roasted up around a patio fire pit from 4 to 6 p.m. and later in summer.

Looking up Historic Main Street on a summer night. — **3. Explore Main Street -** Main Street feels like a Western movie set, as Park City was once a silver mining town with 27 saloons. But boom and bust happen, and by 1951, Park City was listed in *Ghost Towns of the West*. The township pulled itself up by the bootstraps, becoming the world-famous ski resort it is today.

Learn more about this history at Park City Historical Museum. The museum also offers summer walking tours during which you can learn more about some of Main Street’s 64 heritage-listed buildings. You’ll definitely want to book ahead.

You can also join a Last Friday Gallery Stroll (Monthly, June to December) for complimentary refreshments, music, and the chance to visit 19 local studios. To find Franz the Bear, an iconic bronze sculpture and photo-op sitting on a park bench (and an elusive Banksy mural) download the city’s Free Self-Guided Art and Sculpture Tour Map. Stop by the Alpine Pie Bar for a slice of pie and a cocktail made from locally crafted spirits from Alpine Distilling.

4. Hit The Shops- Once a mining town, these days Park City seems paved with gold. Stunning homes dot the hillsides and Main Street has many high-end shops. Personal favorites include Burns Cowboy Shop with hundreds of crafted designer boots, Alpaca International for wrinkle-resistant travel garments, and Cade and Co's for handmade leather baby shoes.

Dolly’s Bookstore showcases regional authors and Dolly the cat sunning herself in the window. Atticus Coffee Books and Teahouse offers comfy reading spots and pots of tea chosen from 65 loose-leaf varieties.

The street is steep, so catch the free trolley back up. My grandson adored this trolley. He was too young for skiing, so I wasn’t the only one hitting the shops.

Or catch a bus to Outlets Park City. All public transport is free (plan your route using the myStop app). Arrive and grab a free coupon book from Customer Service. Then it’s full-throttle ahead, foraging through 65 outlets including Old Navy, Levi, Gap, Nike, Vans, and Sun and Ski Sports. There are no onsite cafes, so fortify yourself with lunch beforehand.

The Ice Castle in Herber, Utah. — **5. Head To Heber -** A 25-minute drive away in Heber, you can experience an Ice Castle -- a magical winter fairy-tale world of caverns, tunnels, and fountains carved by artists and lit by magical lights. I recommend dressing warmly and wearing snow boots. Utah is famous for its cheese, so stop at Heber Valley Artisan Cheese for tastings, tours, and cheese-making classes. Homestead Resort in nearby Midway has a geothermal hot spring in a 55-foot high beehive-shaped crater. Water bubbles up at 90 to 96 degrees. You can book dips (it’s deep) and even do paddleboard yoga in the crater.

The Egyptian Theater in Park City. — **6. Sundance All Year-** Film fans flock to Park City in January for the Sundance Film Festival. Some tickets are hard to score, but those on waitlists often get in. If this interests you, consider a Sundance membership to access special screenings and pre-sale tickets before the mad scramble begins.

You can also enjoy Sundance venues all year long. The Park City Film Series hosts films at “The Santy” (Jim Santy Auditorium). Film choices, projection, and sound quality are top-notch. Locals introduce films, popcorn comes with free refills and real butter, and local traders offer door prizes.

The Egyptian Theater has been associated with Sundance since the festival began in 1978. This 1926 Art Deco gem was built in the excitement surrounding the opening of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb in 1922. An Egyptologist supervised the theater’s decoration, which includes scarabs, lotus leaf motifs, and hieroglyphics. The venue offers famous musical acts and top stage shows throughout the year.

7. Explore The Local Food Scene - Park City has over 150 restaurants. Most have excellent ratings, making it hard to choose where to dine. For restaurant tips and deals, locals recommend the Park Record.

Queues indicate greatness. Five5eeds serves Australian-style coffee and avocado toast with whipped goats cheese. It’s easier to get seated here on weekdays. We also recommend Park City Food Tours for reasons as multi-pronged as a fork. You’ll experience a number of restaurants, a guide offers other local recommendations, and, as Julia Child said, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” So good company is assured. No two tours are identical, but the much-talked-about Riverhorse and Handle restaurants are often on the itinerary. Note that drink pairings are extra.

8. Enjoy Drinking (In Moderation)- Some tourists even fear not getting a drink in Park City. They shouldn’t worry.

Visit Alpine Distilling (located in Silver Creek) and the Alpine Pie Bar (lower level of 350 Main Street). Alpine Distilling is Utah's Distillery of the Year for the second year in a row and the Pie Bar was voted Best Casual Eatery be LuxLife. The Alpine Pie Bar is also home to the world famous Gin Experience.

Park City is home to High West Distillery and Saloon, Utah’s first legal distillery (opened in 1870!) and the world's only ski-in distillery. The food is excellent, but if you’ll be dining with under-21s, head out to their other distillery at Wanship, which is classed as a restaurant, not a bar.

Fox School of Wine has a Weekend Wine Series known locally as “the educational happy hour.” Their Saturday Mines and Wines Tours allow participants to take in six historic places with wines paired to each location. Mountain Town Olive Oil offers The Next Course -- an opportunity to cook gourmet recipes paired with wine. At Paint Mixer, you can create your next artwork in a social setting and enjoy an on-site wine service.

Even the local market, Park Silly Sunday Market (June to September) has a DIY Bloody Mary beer garden. The drink becomes breakfast once you top your glass with offerings including asparagus, olives, sausage, pickles, and crispy bacon.

Wasatch Brew Pub (established in 1986) is Park City’s first brewery since Prohibition. Check out the tongue-in-cheek beer labels, such as Polygamy Porter’s, which asks, “Why have just one?” Wasatch’s founder also convinced the Utah Legislature to allow brewpubs in the state, making it possible for you to enjoy good pub grub, including burgers, mac ’n’ cheese, and spicy buffalo wings. As it’s a brewpub rather than a bar, you can dine here with your skiing family.

Park City is more than just epic ski vacations — here’s why by the Points Guy. If you’re an ardent fan of winter sports, you’re no doubt already familiar with Park City, Utah. Many events during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games took place at this year-round tourist destination. From the beauty of the great outdoors to the glamour of the Sundance Film Festival, the city offers a wide range of activities all winter and summer long.

It’s a posh vacation spot for tourists seeking the beauty of the mountains no matter what the season. During the winter, Park City houses the U.S. Ski Team. In the summer, it hosts the training center for the Australian Freestyle Ski Team. The historic Egyptian Theatre, the home base of Sundance, brings films from across the globe to audiences. Celebrities are often spotted throughout the week-and-a-half-long festival that takes place in late January — so if you’re headed here then, be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Getting to Park City - Park City is one of the most accessible vacation destinations in the country. It’s just 25 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). Shuttles from the airport to Park City are frequent and can drop you off directly at your hotel.

Where to hit the slopes - As you can imagine, if Park City was host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, its slopes are world-class. Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort are the two major ski resorts in town — with more than 2,000 and 7,300 acres of terrain, respectively. The slopes are open from November to April and cater to thousands of visitors.

During the Olympics, the mountains were home to award-winning athletes. The Park City Mountain Resort held four Olympic events while Deer Valley Resort hosted two Olympic events. As a visitor, you get the privilege to use the same slopes where the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams both won medals. Don’t know how to ski or snowboard? Both resorts offer lessons for beginners. With hundreds of trails, the slopes at Park City offer a unique winter sports experience for all.

Where to stay near the slopes - While Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort are awesome for snowy-weather activities, you have other options — especially if you’re using Marriott Bonvoy points.

Visit Utah Olympic Park- Ever wanted to visit an Olympic village? You’re in luck: The Utah Olympic Park offers tours year-round. The village includes the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum. The facilities also offer an intimate look into the history of Utah’s winter sports.

During the summer, Olympic Park offers summer tubing and bobsled, zip-lining and ropes courses. The Nordic ski jump used by Olympic-level athletes gets converted into a summer tubing hill. With a custom plastic surface, the ride smoothly glides just as well, if not better, than on snow. The activity is perfect for thrill-seekers as speeds can get up to 50 miles per hour.

Olympic Park in Park City (Photo by PhotographyPerspectives/Getty Images)

From December to April, you can join the Winter Bobsledding Experience. Gear up to use the very same sliding track used for bobsled, skeleton and luge events during the Olympics. You can also enjoy tubing down the Soldier Hollow, the longest tubing lanes in the state. The skating rink at the Utah Olympic Park features a unique skating program that complies with the national and international standards of Learn to Skate USA. With world-class instruction in speedskating, hockey and curling.

Where to stay near Olympic Park - The Utah Olympic Park is about eight miles from downtown Park City. While there isn’t lodging within walking distance of the park, some of the closest hotels are just a short 10-minute car ride away. The Hyatt Centric Park City offers ski-in and ski-out access to the Park City Resort and the Wasatch Adventure Guides slopes. With 120 deluxe guest rooms, the hotel is a cozy home-away-from-home.

Experience the beauty of summer- Even if you don’t ski, Park City is the perfect destination to explore the great outdoors — especially in the summertime. If you’re interested in hiking, biking or camping, visit the nearby Uinta National Forest. Other trails include The Armstrong Trail or the Mid-Mountain Trail at Deer Valley Resort.

When you’re done touring the trails in Park City, join a hot air balloon ride. Soar above the scenic greenery of Utah’s national parks and mountain resorts. For fishing and river rafting lovers, the forest offers beautifully preserved lakes and rivers, such as the Logan, Weber, Ogden, and Provo rivers.

Where to stay- Sunrise Lodge by Hilton Grand Vacations is a beautiful mountain resort nestled in the Canyons Resort and next to the Sunrise Lift. The resort offers free shuttles to restaurants and shops on the main street. With guest rooms and full suites with kitchen amenities, the Sunrise Lodge is perfect for families on vacation.

Head to Sundance and Slamdance- In late January, Park City is home to the largest independent film event in the country: Sundance Film Festival. Thousands of movie-lovers, industry executives and celebrities from around the world come for the 10-day festival. The entire town transforms into a film mecca with The Egyptian Theatre is the crown jewel. The festival has a total of nine venues scattered throughout town. Transportation around Park City is easy year-round with a free public transit system.

The Egyptian theater for the Sundance film festival. (Photo by Pureadiancephoto/Getty Images)

Even if you can’t afford Sundance credentials or are unable to buy tickets, there are tons of free events happening in the city. Stop by the Festival Headquarters at the Sheraton Park City, the New Frontier Lab or any sponsored event venues for fun on a budget. You might even spot celebs at local coffee shops and restaurants.

Another option is to visit Slamdance Film Festival during the last week of January. The artist-led festival focuses on low-budget and emerging talent as an alternative to Sundance. Though smaller than Sundance, Slamdance’s tight-knit community offers a more accessible and intimate experience.

Where to stay for the festivals - When finding a hotel during Sundance, it’s important to stick close to the festival’s bus route. There are three Marriott hotels directly on the route: Marriott’s MountainSide, Marriott’s Summit Watch and Sheraton Park City. The Sheraton is also Sundance’s festival headquarters and the location where industry members can pick up their credentials. Staying at the Sheraton means that celebrities come to your front door. The lobby is often known for celeb spottings and hosting industry meetings.

Bottom line - Park City can be your home base for many different types of vacations, from a traditional ski vacation to active adventures in the summertime to exhilarating film festivals. Choose the face of Park City that you want to see and use your airline miles and hotel loyalty points to help you plan an affordable trip. Just plan for those peak ski dates or trips that coincide with Sundance.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Snow, Food, activities, Drinks
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Holiday Activities

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Dec 18, 2019

This week we are sharing about the opening of the Woodward, Utah's holiday cheer and visiting Park City for Christmas. The Woodward Park City is Utah’s newest and most unique resort and it is now open. Deseret News shares that even after a short time to process it, Jeremy Jones can’t express how it felt to see athletes exploring the state’s newest, and likely its most unique ski resort, a day before it opened for the public on Saturday. “It’s indescribable. I just don’t have the words for it.”

That’s because what he witnessed happening at Woodward Park City — a resort and action sports training facility — was more of an energy than it was something he could touch or articulate. “The emotions,” said Jones, who is one of the resort’s athlete ambassadors. “It was unreal.” On Saturday, when hundreds of locals joined competitive athletes, including current and former Olympians, the energy was a mix of joy, wonder and adventure seeking. Parents joined their children hand-in-hand on trampolines that sent them flipping and flopping into foam pits.

Elementary age children chattered with each other as they took turns navigating the BMX ramp and terrain park, which also offered a foam pit for the learning — and creation — of new tricks. It was a wall-to-wall, elbow-to-elbow giddy crowd that didn’t seem the least bit bothered by long lines, unintended bumps or the vicious snowstorm and windstorm that limited traffic up Parley’s Canyon to four-wheel drive or chains.

“It’s seriously one of a kind,” said Olympic gold medalist Sage Kotzenburg, who left the snowy slopes to sign autographs for aspiring action sport enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. “You have the Woodward in Tahoe, the Woodward in Copper, and obviously the east and west ones, but this one is a full resort. There are beginning stages of where you can take your snowboarding and skiing outside, and you can also take your practice stuff indoors, too. It’s definitely one of a kind.”

The Park City native won the first-ever Olympic gold in snowboarding slopestyle in the Sochi Winter Games in 2014. He did so landing a trick he said he’d never even tried before, and then told the Deseret News back then, “That’s what’s cool about snowboarding. You can go out there and try your own trick, put your own flair on it. ... This sport is based on what you want to do. There is no blueprint.”

Which is why Woodward Park City is so unique and valuable to the community it aims to serve — those who’ve embraced action and nontraditional sports and those who think they might want to give something in that universe a try. It offers what Woodward Park City general manager Shaydar Edelmann calls “safe progression” in what program development director Phoebe Mills calls “a community of passionate people ... in an inclusive environment.” The bottom line is, whatever you’re looking for, you can find it or create it, and you’ll likely find some friends or companions with whom to share that exploration.

“You really feel like you belong, right away, without much effort,” Mills said, acknowledging that after she left gymnastics for snowboarding 20 years ago, she didn’t see a lot of women in the action sports universe. That has changed, and places like Woodward Park City promise to change that reality even more.

“There is a community and a place to go that will make you feel welcome,” Mills said. “We have programs specifically for girls, like camps and clinics, but even without that, it’s just a really welcoming environment. ... And wherever you’re at, we’ll help you with your progression.” Kotzenburg said it will only help the evolution of the sports he loves because it makes what some see as fringe activities so accessible.

“I like this a lot because it’s in my backyard,” he said. “So when I heard rumors about this starting, I was definitely pushing for it a lot. And for me, just basing out of here, and training here, and being able to ride with the younger kids here is really special.” Edlemann said the draw for the native New Zealander was that this incarnation of Woodward resort isn’t attached to something that already exists.

“We sort of see us as the leader in action sports going on 50 years,” Edelmann said. “The biggest deal is that we get to do things right from the start.” Every aspect of the design — from guest services to affordable housing to the lifts and terrain parks — are designed for the athletes that will use and be served by the resort, which was all created in 15 months.

Jones, who created his first snowboard in the 1980s with an old skateboard, said having a facility like this would have certainly meant more success in the sport for him.

“I see the difference that it would have made for me now in these kids,” Jones said. “And I just think it is amazing. This is literally dreams that I would sketch on notepads in junior high and high school — facilities like this, one stop shop where you could go thrash things to pieces on the snowboard, then skateboard, then BMX, or whatever, skis. Whatever your thing was. And everything being real intuitive to the mountain, like there are transitions everywhere, rollers everywhere, and it’s not just this linear thing.”

Take for instance the courtyards. At Woodward Park City, they are also terrain parks. Instead of adapting what they do to architecture that had some other use in mind, everything is tailored to the needs, imagination and development of action sport athletes of all genders, abilities and aspirations. “I mean, it’s just dreamland, Disneyland, from my perspective,” Jones said. “It’s a complete action sport facility. It’s totally complete, and it’s on an urban mountain.”

Holiday News - (KUTV) has shared that Utah has the third-most Christmas spirit out of the 50 states, according to a recent report from CenturyLink. Based on an analysis of Americans' online activity and area culture when it comes to the holidays, the telecommunications company's research team determined which U.S. states have the most and least Christmas spirit, finding that Utah has topped their list at No. 3. Additionally, Utah received the top accolade for being the most giving state as well. According to data from the IRS, Utahns have donated 4.8% of their adjusted income in 2018.

These were the top 10 states with most Christmas spirit:

Tennessee
North Carolina
Utah
Ohio
Alabama
South Carolina
Pennsylvania
Oregon
Rhode Island
Kansas

These were the states that bottomed CenturyLink's list with the least Christmas spirit:

Nevada
Hawaii
California
Florida
Arizona

According to the report, all the bottom five states share a low chance of having a white Christmas, which may be why it's harder for them to tap into the holiday cheer. There are at least 25 to 30 million Christmas trees sold in the U.S. annually. To put that into perspective, that's more trees than the entire population of Switzerland (8,591,365)The most expensive Christmas ornament goes for $130,000. According to CenturyLink, it's composed of 1,578 diamonds, 18-carat white gold and 188 rubies. The pricing may be absurd but all the proceeds go to charity.

Conde Nast Traveler has share that Europe might get most of the hype during the holiday season (those Christmas markets are pretty great), but there are plenty of festive cities right here in the U.S. While we'd recommend visiting any time of the year, these cities seem to shine just a little bit brighter—in many cases, quite literally—during the Christmas season. Whether they're New England towns with major storybook vibes or some of the country's biggest and brightest metropolises, celebrating in these cities is worth the price of a domestic plane ticket. And let's face it: You haven't really experienced Christmas cheer until you see it through the shiny lens of Las Vegas. From Austin to Washington, D.C. there are 19 best places to spend Christmas in the U.S. and Park City makes the list. Click here to see them all.

Park City, Utah: As if the world-class skiing and Sundance Film Festival weren't reason enough to visit Park City this winter, the town also happens to be a wonderful place to spend Christmas. The former Olympic city has ample opportunities for skiing, fly fishing, snowmobiling, and dog sledding—with no shortage of resorts to warm up in between runs, too.

The one thing to get you in the spirit: Snowfest (December 22 through January 6), a festival at Park City Mountain, includes live music, ugly sweater parties, fireworks, and Santa skiing down the slopes.

Stay here: The 12-room Washington School House is just a hop away from Park City's lit-up Main Street, and we must say its Christmas decorations put a lot of other hotels' to shame.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Snow, woodward
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Hiking, Stretching and House Hunting

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Nov 13, 2019

This week we are looking at a few great autumn hikes in the Salt Lake area, the importance of exercise & stretching coming into ski and snowboarding season and what to look for when buying a home during the colder months.

Here are Three Fall Hikes Near Salt Lake City - Take a gander at the mountainsides around Salt Lake City and you’ll see the reds and yellows starting to pop, which means only one thing: leaf peeping season is officially here! As any seasoned leaf peeper will tell you, the vibrant hues are fleeting, so get out there while the getting’s good. These three fall hikes near Salt Lake City are perfect for getting up into the mountains and soaking in the fall colors before shoulder season’s mud and cold come to call.

Silver Lake to Bowhunter Loop at Deer Valley - Difficulty: Medium, Dogs: Permitted on-leash, Highlights: High-elevation meadow and views from Bowhunter Loop

Just a short drive up Interstate 80 is Park City, where you’ll be able to enjoy resort town access to trails and amenities without the typical crowds this time of year. This hike to the top of Deer Valley’s Bald Mountain starts at the resort’s mid-mountain Silver Lake Lodge, easing your trek to the high-altitude aspen trees a bit.

Drive past downtown Park City on Deer Valley Drive before heading up Marsac Ave. to the parking garage at Silver Lake Lodge. From there, access the Silver Lake trailhead just past the Homestake Express chairlift. Now for the hard part. Ascend nearly 1,300 feet through twisting, root-covered singletrack towards the top of Bald Mountain. You’ll pass through massive, golden aspen groves with periodic scenic overlooks over the Jordanelle Reservoir before reaching the the summit. From there, descend on the snaking Ontario Canyon trail through a field of crimson scrub oak into a high-mountain meadow will fall wildflowers. A short way further, take a left on the Bowhunter Loop. Complete a clockwise loop on the undulating trail before returning the way you came, up Ontario Canyon and down Silver Lake until you reach the lodge.

Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon - Difficulty: Hard, Dogs: Not permitted, Highlights: 270-degree views of Dromedary, O’Sullivan and Twin Peaks

Upper Broads Fork is home to some serious alpine terrain, and along on the way, you’ll be treated to some gorgeous high-elevation forests, meadows and waterfalls. Start by driving up Big Cottonwood Canyon on UT 190 for four and a half miles and park just below the s-curve. The trailhead is just past the picnic area, where you’ll begin an ascent of more than 2,100 feet in just over two and a half miles. It’s common to see moose on the trail this time of year. Everyone loves posting moose pictures on social media, but be sure to give them ample distance.

While climbing the steep, heavily-forested trail, you’ll pass by a couple small falls before ultimately reaching your turnaround point in a rocky meadow with breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks. Some of the Wasatch’s most imposing mountains, including Dromedary, O’Sullivan and the Salt Lake Twins form an awe-inspiring natural cathedral. After you’ve had your fill of views, return the way you came back to the trailhead.

Ferguson Canyon to Overlook - Difficulty: Medium/Hard, Dogs: Permitted on-leash, Highlights: Overlook views of Salt Lake Valley

The trail up Ferguson Canyon rewards hikers with incredible views of the Salt Lake Valley and mountain cirques similar to those in the Cottonwood Canyons, but since it’s not part of the Salt Lake City Watershed you’re allowed to bring your four-legged companions along. The trailhead is located just past Big Cottonwood Canyon Road off of Wasatch Blvd. Take a left on Prospector Drive just past the 7-11, then an immediate right to continue on Prospector and finally a left on Timberline drive where the trailhead is. Start by heading up the gravel road past the water tank before heading straight up the canyon.

The trail rises some 1,500 vertical feet into the Twin Peaks Wilderness, and is lined with rock buttresses that are popular among rock climbing climbers. Thirsty pooches will appreciate several natural springs along the way. In about two miles, you’ll reach a rocky outcropping with expansive views back over the Salt Lake Valley. Most people will turn around here and head back down the way they came, though truly hearty hikers can continue up the increasingly steep trail for another mile and a half to reach the ridge and climb to the top of Storm Mountain.

The ski resorts will be opening soon and we wanted to share some Tips for Preventing Common Ski and Snowboard Injuries. Stacy McCooey of MountainTop Physical Therapy offers insight into winter’s on-mountain injuries and how to best avoid them. By doing just a few targeted exercises ahead of your time on the mountain can greatly reduce your likelihood of sustaining ski and snowboard injuries.

Of course, avoiding injury altogether is preferable. The good news is most injuries can be prevented with simple exercises or minimizing the amount of time you spend walking in ski boots. Knee problems, for instance, can be mitigated by strengthening the hamstrings and hips while shoulder injuries can be offset by working on the rotator cuffs. “I think dry-land training is so important in injury prevention and now is the perfect time to do it,” says McCooey. “It depends on your sport and body type, but often we develop muscle imbalances from our activities and daily habits. The general theme is to lengthen what is too short and strengthen what is too long. It is all about creating a balance that allows your joints, muscles, tendons and nerves to function optimally. Balance is crucial within the demands of your sport/desired activity.” While it usually takes around six weeks to see meaningful muscle growth from exercise programs, people can begin to gain strength and improve neuro-muscular connections within the first couple of weeks. Although there are dozens of individual exercises, from lunges and squats to hip lifts and everything in between.

So what about stretching? Apparently, the jury is still out on the benefits of static position stretching. Instead, McCooey recommends warming the muscles up with some dynamic movement, taking it easy on the first couple of runs, and tuning into what’s happening with your body. After a day on the slopes, many of us head straight to the hot tub for a long soak, but it may not be for everyone. “For cooling down, you can try some gentle stretches or other forms of recovery,” says McCooey. “A hot tub can feel great and loosen up stiff joints, but it may also increase inflammation.

Anyone who’s wished they too could tumble sans pain into the ridiculous shapes young children do while skiing and snowboarding, also knows injury can become more prevalent as we get older. “Nutrition, genetics, and body type all come into play, but in general, as we age, our bodies become less pliable and we lose muscle mass,” says McCooey. “This increases the demand on a maintenance or ‘TLC’ routine we likely could get by without in years past. The good news is that the effects of aging can largely be mitigated by catching things early, before they turn in to an actual injury.” Adding variety to your routine is one of the best ways to do this. Since most of us spend a lot of time sitting, with our legs bent at 90 degrees, and facing forward, any movement that switches up these day-to-day patterns can be helpful, whether it’s moving from side to side or getting down into the “third-world squat”. McCooey also suggests getting over the ‘one final run’ syndrome. “Injuries usually happen when we’re not feeling one hundred percent and decide to take that last run we’re not mentally or physically prepared for,” says McCooey. “The most important advice to avoid injury is to always listen to and respect your pain.” Need some more ideas for training? Check out these simple, but effective exercises.

Are you looking to move, here are 4 Tips for Home-Buying During the Colder Months:

Attend cozy open houses - Use the time you're looking for a home to mingle and fight the winter blues. Go see what's open in your area, check out a new location or inspect a home you really want. Open houses provide many opportunities including the chance to mingle and network. Even if you don't like the house you visit, you may hear of others nearby. You'll find many houses for sale in the winter that have open houses, and checking them out in person can show you exactly what the house will be like during the colder months.

Read the home inspection reports - While it's chilly outside, pull up a comfy chair and a mug of hot chocolate or coffee and do some research. With the bad weather and cold air that come with the season in some areas of the country, it's easier to sit inside and get the monotonous part of moving out of the way first. Plus, getting some of the boring stuff done early gives you more time to spend on the fun things like getting open house gifts.

Look for drafts and other leaks - There's no better time than winter to check out houses for sale. With the home working at the highest level, potential buyers can easily check out windows and doors for air leaks. Gaps are easier to find because drafts are often present when the winter wind is blowing hard outside. Plus, going to showings in the winter lets you see the property during the drab months of the year, allowing you to envision it in the nicer weather.

Check out the parking in bad weather - When you need a parking spot close to home in the winter, it's best to go for showings during this season. Looking at houses when there's snow on the ground lets you see where the problems occur in the area. You can avoid houses that have access problems, drainage issues or are last on the list for the snowplow.

Many people think winter is a bad time to look for a new home; however, several advantages make this season better than most. For example, if you don't want to go out in the cold weather, then chances are neither will your neighbors. Second, a home will show all its problems in the winter because the systems have to work extremely hard to keep up with frigid temperatures.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Homes, Hiking, Snowboard
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The Woodward

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Sep 18, 2019

The nation’s first all-in-one action sports & ski resort is set to open in Park City for the 2019-20 winter season with their grand opening party on December 14th. The Woodward Park City, will feature a fully integrated and state-of-the-art campus, complete with indoor and outdoor action sports venues for year-round adventure. Part of the POWDR portfolio of adventure lifestyle businesses and conveniently located just 27 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport, Woodward Park City will be open 365 days and nights a year starting this 2019-20 winter season.

The first of its kind and located in one of North America’s premier adventure destinations, Woodward Park City is imagined from the ground up to encourage intuitive growth and progression in 10 different sports and activities including: snowboarding, skiing, tubing, mountain biking, skateboarding, BMX, scooter, parkour, cheer and digital media.

“Woodward Park City is for all athletes from families and never-evers to pros,” says Shaydar Edelmann, Woodward Park City general manager. “Our progression-based facilities enable visitors of all skill levels to learn and achieve their goals in a dedicated environment.” Woodward Park City will offer a variety of ways for passionate action sports athletes of all ages and abilities to play. From lift-accessed snowboarding, skiing and tubing in the winter to biking and skating in the summer Woodward Park City will

be on every Utah visitor’s must-do bucket list. Access will be available through all-access passes, day sessions, lift tickets, drop-in sessions, day camps, lessons, monthly memberships, and special events. Monthly memberships are available now for the introductory rate of $100/month. Source: Woodward Park City

We still have a week until summer bids us farewell, but with major retailers already rolling out new Halloween items and the buzz about the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes spreading by the day, it’s clear that quite a few people are prepared to embrace the upcoming season.

Here’s When Fall Foliage Will Look Its Best Near You, So You Can Plan Your Leaf Peeping - Fall lovers are undoubtedly looking forward to the usual changes (and an excuse to break those cozy sweaters out of storage), namely when the first huge cool snap will occur and when to expect the fall foliage to transform from lush green into beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow.

In anticipation of the leaf-changing watch, SmokyMountains.com has updated its annual fall foliage predictive map, an interactive, algorithm-based tool that forecasts the exact moment when “peak fall” will arrive at any location in the continental U.S. So, precisely how accurate is this leaf color-changing predictor? According to data scientist Wes Melton, the factors vary but the map—which is produced from scratch every year—becomes more accurate as time passes.

“Although the scientific concept of how leaves change colors is fairly simple, predicting the precise moment the event will occur is extremely challenging. The major factors impacting peak fall are sunlight, precipitation, soil moisture and temperature. Although we cannot control Mother Nature and ensure 100% accuracy, our data sources are top-tier and each year we refine our algorithmic model achieving higher accuracy over time.”

For anyone interested in finding out when autumn will arrive in all its brilliant colorful glory this year, simply use the date selector at the bottom of the map to see precisely how fall will progress over a particular region in the US. As one of the only fall leaf prediction tools available, the map “will enable travelers to take more meaningful fall vacations, capture beautiful fall photos and enjoy the natural beauty of autumn,” SmokyMountains says. In other words, this map will help fall lovers create lasting vacation memories, snap Instagram-worthy photos and enjoy the season to the fullest.

Here are the Current Mortgage Rates for Utah from Fairway Mortgage - enjoy.

Tags: Stats, Ski, Utah, Fall, woodward, updates
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Ski Resorts and The Tour of Utah

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Aug 13, 2019

The Deseret News shares that a developer plans to make Utah site the first new full-service ski resort in country since 1980 - By Amy Donaldson. For nearly 40 years, no developer has managed to build and open a new, full-service ski resort, but it’s not because there wasn’t demand for one or a desire to do so.

"I know that the mountains are littered with developers who thought they were going to do something and nothing happened,” said Gary Barnett, founder and chairman of Extell Development Company, who unveiled plans Monday for a ski resort and village that includes hotels, condominiums and residential housing. ”I mean, nothing has really been done in the country in the last 30 years, since Beaver Creek, really. … It’s so hard to do.”

So what makes a guy who doesn’t even ski think he can do what no one else has managed since 1980? A unique set of circumstances and colleagues with a vision.”I think once again, one of the important things for us was the ability to tap into tax increment financing,” he said, referring to the fact that Wasatch County had designated the Mayflower Resort area as a place where Utah’s Military Industrial Development Agency could build a recreation hotel, which returns some of the property tax generated from development to developers in exchange for reduced fees for military personnel.

”The fact that MIDA is there, supporting it and helping speed up the process, was a very necessary component for me to get involved. I would not have gotten involved otherwise,” Barnett said. The project — Mayflower Mountain Resort — is ambitious in its scope, with plans for 5,600 acres that are just west of U.S. 40 and Jordanelle Reservoir (near Exit 8) and adjacent to Deer Valley that includes 1,520 residential units, 825 hotel rooms and commercial units and 600 skier parking spaces.

It will be the first recreation project created to work with the military for the state, said Kurt Krieg, vice president of development. The Military Industrial Development Agency is a state-run economic development entity with a military focus, which in this case, offers ski resort vacation opportunities to military personnel at a fraction of the cost.

Among the advantages the new resort will have is its proximity to one of the state’s top rated resorts — Deer Valley. ”We have the ability to connect to Deer Valley,” Barnett said, noting that Extell just renegotiated a lease of land to Deer Valley that makes the future more predictable for both entities. ”Obviously, they’d have to purchase a Deer Valley ticket, but there is that ability to provide skiing. We feel like the access from our side of the mountain is exceptional.”

The location of Mayflower may offer it some unique advantages that other start-ups don’t enjoy, including 35 minutes and no stop lights from the Salt Lake City International Airport to the freeway exit.

”There is no other resort of this scale, maybe around the world, that I know of that is 35 minutes from a major, international airport,” he said. “It’s going to have access to everywhere. … That’s the No. 1 thing Utah has going for it is this access. And we have straight highway, no traffic lights. … So we’ve got everything in our favor to get this thing done.” The goal is to have the village and some ski runs open within five years.

Extell has discussed climate change challenges, as they planned the development and acquired land, Barnett said. It also hopes to be supportive, if not involved in, Utah’s bid for another Winter Olympics in 2030 or 2034. “We love the idea, and we’d love to be involved in it,” he said. “Anything we do would have to be coordinated with Deer Valley and the state of Utah, but we certainly love the idea of playing a very active role. We hope we get it in 2030.”

Some of what Barnett and his team envision is similar to what’s out there. Some of it is unique. But before they can begin to build anything, they are conducting a voluntary cleanup of the mountain, because the last mining companies left in 1969 without the resources to clean up any contamination. The land has been vacant, even as development occurred around it, in part because of the contamination and in part because it was owned by a foreign trust with a trustee who sought a higher price than anyone was willing to pay.

As the trustees re-negotiated representation, the land became available and then it was a matter of cleaning up the contamination in order to develop it in the ways Extell envisions. On Monday, several members of the Extell team and the Military Industrial Development Agency representatives took media on a tour of the picturesque site, pointing out where ski lifts might be, where water tanks will be installed and how cleanup will work.

In some places, as much as 18 inches of soil is being removed and it will be taken to a central location and capped, as is standard in these types of cases, according to Krieg, who led the tour. While no other full service resort has opened in the U.S. since 1980, about a half dozen terrain parks or ski resorts without on-site lodging have opened, including Cherry Peak, which is 20 minutes outside Logan, and two hours north of Salt Lake City. But nothing like most of Utah’s resorts — and nothing like what Extell has planned for Mayflower Resort.

”We have the makings of a really beautiful resort town,” he said. “And that’s what we’re looking at doing.”

The Tour of Utah is once again scheduled to pedal two of its six legs through Summit County and finish on Main Street in Park City. This year’s race covers 477 miles around northern Utah as racers compete in 13 King of the Mountain climbs up an estimated 37,882 feet, and through another 15 sprint competitions. The main events for Summit County spectators are scheduled to take place on Saturday, Aug. 17, the fifth leg of the race, and Sunday, Aug. 18, the sixth and final stage.

The fifth stage of the race begins at 2:30 p.m. and will loop from the Canyons Village at Park City mountain around the Jordanelle and Rockport reservoirs before heading back to the resort. There will be sprint lines in Kamas and Hoytsville, bracketed by King of the Mountain challenges back up to the Jordanelle and through Browns Canyon.

In the day’s final miles, racers will ride through Kimball Junction up to the Utah Olympic Park and will cut down Bear Hollow drive before a final push along Canyons Resort Drive and High Mountain Road to the finish near the Umbrella Bar in Canyons Village. Frontrunners are expected to finish around 6 p.m. A free concert with Florida-based jazz trio Honey Hounds is set to take place after the awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m.

The route, first introduced in 2012, covers 78.2 miles with 10,000 feet of climbing. Racers will leave from Main Street at approximately 12:30 p.m. and head out of the city to Brown’s Canyon with another sprint line in Kamas before zig-zagging into a 2.1-mile KOM climb through Wolf Creek Ranch. The riders will descend into Wasatch County down to Heber, entering the race’s final sprint section in Midway before the grueling six-mile climb along Pine Canyon Road up to Empire Pass. After topping out, racers will ride the switchbacking descent down Marsac Avenue and race up Main Street to the finish line.

“We’re excited to have the Tour of Utah returning to Main Street,” said mayor Andy Beerman via email. “Main Street is an iconic finish to a race that not only highlights amazing athletes, but also Utah’s most spectacular landscapes.” For more information go to TourofUtah.com.

It’s official: Deer Valley is hosting another freestyle World Cup this winter. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard sent out a press release confirming the FIS winter schedule, including the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International, on Feb. 6-8. The Freestyle International will include moguls, aerials and dual moguls competitions, with a viewing area at the top of Deer Valley’s Burns and Snowflake lifts above Snow Park Lodge. This year will be the 20th that Deer Valley has hosted the event, which has become a favorite of athletes and spectators.

“Deer Valley is honored to have been selected as a venue for another freestyle skiing World Cup and to be able to continue our long tradition of hosting these international competitions,” said Emily Summers, a spokeswoman for Deer Valley in an email. “We are looking forward to welcoming the mogul and aerial teams back to Deer Valley in 2020.”

The resort was the host site for the 2019 World Championships and has a storied past in freestyle skiing. It was where Jonny Moseley performed the Dinner Roll during the 2002 Olympics, spurring a rules change to allow inversions, and where Mikael Kingsbury became the winningest moguls skier in history last year.

The event is particularly pertinent to the U.S. freestyle teams, which are based out of Park City and consider the venue their home turf. At the World Championships in February, Americans Brad Wilson and Jaelin Kauf both medaled in dual moguls.

The U.S. Alpine team will host the HomeLight Killington Cup on Nov. 30 through Dec. 1 in Vermont. That event is followed on the Alpine calendar by Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek in Colorado on Dec. 6 through 8.

In cross-country skiing, the Fastenal Parallel 45 Winter Festival in Minneapolis will be held over four days in March, including a music festival, panel discussions and the first cross-country World Cup to come to the U.S. in 19 years. The longstanding drought was broken thanks to the U.S. team’s performance at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, where Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall took home the nation’s first-ever gold.

The World Cup cross-country freestyle sprint event will be held on March 17, and will act as the second leg of a mini sprint tour that begins in Quebec City the weekend before.

The freeskiing and snowboarding World Cup halfpipe season is scheduled to begin at Copper Mountain on Dec. 11-14.

On Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, skiers and boarders will compete in slopestyle and halfpipe at Mammoth Mountain in California. One more major freeski and snowboarding event will be added to the U.S. calendar in the coming weeks, the press release stated.

“Fans of ski and snowboard sports have a lot to look forward to in the coming season, especially here in the U.S.,” said U.S. Ski and Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw in the press release. “We have the cross-country World Cup coming back to America for the first time in nearly 20 years with the event in Minneapolis in March. That is going to be an awesome event, giving Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell, Sadie Bjornsen and their teammates (including Park City’s Rosie Brennan) the opportunity to race at World Cup level on home soil for the first time in their careers, in front of thousands of people.”

Market Reports:

Tags: Real Estate, Park City, Ski, Utah, Bike
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Market Review

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Mar 26, 2019

This week we have the current market reports as well as some of the events going on in Park City.

What's HAPPENING in Park City:

SPRING GRÜV - Park City Mountain’s 16-day festival returns with live music, s’mores parties, Pink Park City (a fundraiser to benefit cancer research), Easter celebrations, and the 23rd Annual Pond Skimming Contest. A fun way to celebrate the beginning of spring, Spring Grüv is a fun event for the entire family. Spring Grüv kicks has started and runs through April 7th. For a detailed event calendar, visit Park City Mountain’s website.

WATCH MAMA MIA AT THE EGYPTIAN THEATER - The jukebox musical romantic comedy that has delighted audiences worldwide featuring the songs from the Swedish pop group, ABBA! Shows will be running from March 22nd through March 31st. For detailed event calendar, click here.

Get your last ski days in - representatives from Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort say the ski areas remain set on their closing date of April 7, just two weeks away. The closing of the resorts early in the month will likely have a significant impact on Park City businesses, as lodging numbers are expected to plummet after the first week of April.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Market, Review
Posted in Local Events, Real Estate Stats, Things To Do in Park City | 0 Responses to "Market Review"

A Record Season

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Mar 20, 2019

KPCW has shared that Park City May Be On Track For Record Ski Season - with a snowy winter unseen for several years in Park City – the 2018-19 ski season could be in position to set some records. Deer Valley Resort is reporting a 10-15% increase in visitation this winter and while this is the first year that the resort has been part of the nationwide IKON pass, Marketing Director Collen Reardon says some of that growth has to do with snowfall, which is expected to hit the 300 inch mark this week.

With the abundant snow Vail Resorts has announced a new Epic Day Pass. Eleven years ago, the Epic Pass transformed the ski industry by offering guests unlimited skiing at several resorts, making skiing and riding more accessible and affordable. Today, with the introduction of “Epic for Everyone,” Vail Resorts continues that history by offering the same flexibility and value to all skiers and riders, whether they want to ski or ride just one day – or every day – of the season. The new Epic Day Pass, a customizable pass for those skiers and riders who may not need the unlimited skiing offered by traditional season passes. Guests can create their own pass by selecting the number of days they plan to ski or ride – from one day to seven days – and whether or not to add holiday access. Those purchasing four or more days will also get access to Telluride, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.

For guests looking to ski more days in a season, the Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass continue to offer the best value and variety for unlimited skiing and riding. Launching at $939 for the 2019-20 winter season, the Epic Pass provides unlimited, unrestricted access to all of the company’s owned resorts and additional access to partner resorts around the world. For skiers and riders willing to navigate around a few peak dates, the Epic Local Pass offers access to many of the same destinations, starting at only $699. Those who purchase the Epic Pass or Epic Local Pass this spring will also get 10 Buddy Tickets (up from six last year) and six Ski With a Friend Tickets. Visit http://www.epicpass.com for more details on this offer and other incentives.

Outside Magazine has announced the 33 Best Trips of 2019 and Utah makes the top 5 with the #4 slot - The Lodge at Blue Sky, which will have its grand opening in May, offers a fresh take on the ranch escape. Forget rustic cabins—accommodations range from 600-square-foot rooms to two-story, two-bedroom suites, each with panoramic views of the 3,500-acre property. And while there’s a 7,400-square-foot spa and classic dude-ranch staples like horseback riding and sport shooting, it’s the year-round mountain adventures—including heli-biking, resort and nordic skiing, snowshoeing, and fly-fishing—and the lodge’s exclusive ski-in, ski-out lounge in the Park City Mountain Resort village that steal the show. Blue Sky also takes brag-worthy hotel bars to a new level with an on-site distillery from award-winning Utah whiskey maker High West. Before you sip grain-to-glass cocktails, you can learn about the mashing, milling, and aging process. From $850 —J.M.

Houselogic shares The 5 Best Things to Do When You Move into Your New Home - Yes, a more homey home starts with a new toilet seat. Moving into your dream home can be a daunting task. Between unpacking, cleaning, and trying to find that stray roll of toilet paper, it may feel like you’ve lost your mind in a sea of Bubble Wrap. Here are five simple things you should do during the first month in your new home:

#1 Lock It Up - Security is the No. 1 concern for most people in a new environment. You can easily switch out your locks and deadbolts to your new home to protect your valuables and your family - make sure you choose something that looks timeless and can be cleaned easily. A new security system is also a good idea.

#2 Remove Toilet Seats - Some folks may think it’s unnecessary to replace toilet seats, but my point here is to simply remove them. By removing your toilet seats, you can really deep clean under the bolts and hinges where the “yucks” like to hide. Your goal is to make sure your royal throne is YOU-worthy.

#3 Improve Your Home's Air - Changing an air filter is a three-minute task, and it should be done right after moving into a new home – even if the previous owners swear the chore was just done. Changing out a filter can help improve the performance of your air conditioning and furnace and help with any allergens in the home. Also, take the time to test and change out batteries in all your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

#4 Paint Your Front Door - Painting your front door (or freshening it up with a coat of oil if it’s wood) can show your new neighbors that you’ve arrived on the block and are investing in your home.

#5 Choose Your Signature Scent- Every house has a smell. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that “other people smell” that’s definitely not your own particular brand of aroma. Even if the smell isn’t bad, it just isn’t yours, and that makes you feel like an intruder in someone else’s space. Make your dream home even more dreamy by filling it with your signature scent.

Tags: Park City, Ski, Utah, Snow, record
Posted in Local Events, Things To Do in Park City, Food and Beverage | 0 Responses to "A Record Season"

Skiing, Biking and Music in Park City

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Mar 06, 2019

It is still snowing in Park City even with spring right around the corner. This week we wanted to share what is happening in the ski resort world, an upcoming bike challenge and the 2019 Deer Valley music festival lineup.

Bloomberg Businessweek has posted One Pass to Ski Them All Epic Vs. Ikon which shares the evolution of the ski industry - a must read. Alterra and Vail Resorts are going head to head snapping up resorts. Can they save skiing and make selling lift tickets a viable business?

Even among the world’s most polished ski resorts, Deer Valley—with its vast carpets of flawlessly groomed snow spread across four Utah peaks—was always conspicuously clubby. Skiers can pick up a free copy of the Wall Street Journal on their way to the fire, while instructors eat lunch in separate employee cafeterias, lest they mingle with the guests. “The idea was to replicate the service and experience of a five-star hotel,” says Bob Wheaton, who ran the resort for 22 years before stepping aside in January.

But when the lifts started cranking this season, things looked a little different. Among the affluent families were young couples and packs of Salt Lake City friends navigating the runs for the first time. The reason: Deer Valley had suddenly become a bulk-buy product. In 2017 a new conglomerate (later dubbed Alterra Mountain Co.) bought 11 of America’s most popular ski resorts and teamed with dozens more mountain owners to honor a single-season lift ticket called the Ikon Pass. Compared with buying a string of daily lift tickets for as much as $200 a pop, the Ikon Pass (which ranges from $599 to $899) can pay for itself in as few as three days. Only one other product is in direct competition with Ikon: The Epic Pass from Vail Resorts Inc. admits skiers to its aggressively expanding chain of 20 destinations including the company’s namesake ski area in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Together, Alterra’s and Vail’s passes can be swiped at 58 North American resorts, as well as a handful of resorts in Oceania and Europe. The two competing conglomerates are trying to turn occasional skiers into frequent skiers and frequent skiers into serial skiers who incidentally buy a lot of midmountain beers and slopeside hotel rooms. Deer Valley and resorts like it have become a sort of research and development lab forecasting possible futures for the long-struggling ski industry. Skiing isn’t necessarily a bad business—it’s just lumpy and volatile, given natural cycles both economic and meteorological. To read the entire article - CLICK HERE.

Warmer weather will be here before we know it and so will all the spring and summer activities that come with it. In Park City there are amazing bike trails and one of the toughest biking competitions in the world. Here are The Most Challenging Mountain Bike Races You Can Enter in 2019, From XC to Downhill. With most of these events attract world-class athletes, set your sights on personal goals rather than winning. Keep training simple and focused on getting into the best shape possible. Simply finishing any of these events is a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

Park City P2P - One of the few true point-to-point races in North America, riders won’t traverse the same section of trail twice. This race is over 90% singletrack over a total distance of 75 miles with around 12,000 feet of climbing, all while traveling through two of the country’s premier mountain resorts. The P2P is a true adventure-style event, just like the old days of mountain bike racing. Since the course is not closed and there’s no guiding tape, racers will want to prepare, study the course map, and bring a GPS unit with the route pre-loaded. The mental challenge at the P2P is nearly as great as the physical on August 31, 2019. For the the entire article and the other 9 challenging courses - click here.

Looking for something a little less physically taxing, the Utah Symphony's 2019 Deer Valley Music Festival is bringing some big names to Park City this summer. Kristin Chenoweth, Marie Osmond, Indigo Girls, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, and Broadway singer Renée Elise Goldsberry from the original cast of “Hamilton," are all set to perform with the Utah Symphony. Disney in Concert is also slated for a performance of the studio's biggest hits from its animated films. The concert series will also feature smaller, more intimate performances on Wednesdays at St. Mary's Church in Park City.

Below is the entire schedule of events for the concert series.

2019 DEER VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

MAIN STAGE – DEER VALLEY SNOW PARK OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER

2250 Deer Valley Dr. S, Park City, UT

Chris Botti with the Utah Symphony

June 28, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Chris Botti, trumpet

Utah Symphony

Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti returns to kick off the Utah Symphony’s 2019 Deer Valley Music Festival with an evening of jazz under the stars.

Marie Osmond with the Utah Symphony

June 29, 2019 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m.

Jerry Williams, conductor

Marie Osmond, vocalist

Utah Symphony

Marie Osmond has spent five decades entertaining audiences throughout the world. Her iconic talent is showcased with the Utah Symphony in this concert featuring “Paper Roses,” “Somewhere” from “West Side Story” and selections from her latest album.

Patriotic Celebration with Broadway star Hugh Panaro

July 5, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Michael Krajewski, conductor

Hugh Panaro, vocalist

Utah Symphony

Hugh Panaro is best known for playing the coveted role of Phantom in Broadway’s “The Phantom of the Opera” over 2,000 times. Audiences are invited to celebrate America as he performs hits from Broadway and patriotic favorites at this performance.

Bravo Broadway! Life is a Cabaret

July 6, 2019 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m.

Randall Craig Fleischer, conductor

Morgan James, vocalist

Debbie Gravitte, vocalist

Hugh Panaro, vocalist

Utah Symphony

“Chicago.” “Cabaret.” “New York, New York.” The songwriting duo Kander and Ebb collaborated for more than 40 years and delivered hit after hit on the stage and screen. In Life is a Cabaret, the Utah Symphony salutes their contribution to the Great American Songbook while also featuring other Broadway favorites from musicals like “Hairspray,” “Les Misérables,” “Mamma Mia” and “Cats.”

A Tribute to Aretha, Queen of Soul

July 12, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Lucas Waldin, conductor

Capathia Jenkins, vocalist

Ryan Shaw, vocalist

Utah Symphony

Aretha, the “Queen of Soul,” created a legacy that spanned six decades. This concert features Capathia Jenkins and three time Grammy Award-nominee Ryan Shaw performing her iconic hits like “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools” and “Amazing Grace.” Created in conjunction with Lucas Waldin and Lesley Sabol

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”–Film in Concert with the Utah Symphony

July 13, 2019 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Utah Symphony

Director Steven Spielberg's heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world, complete with John Williams’ Academy Award-winning score performed live by the Utah Symphony in sync to the film shown on the big screen. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Disney in Concert – A Magical Celebration

July 19, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Utah Symphony

The magic of Disney comes to Deer Valley in this multimedia showpiece featuring music from Disney’s “Coco,” “Frozen,” “Moana,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and more. Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts All rights reserved

Renée Elise Goldsberry with the Utah Symphony

July 20, 2019 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m.

Renée Elise Goldsberry, vocalist

Utah Symphony

An evening of music with “Hamilton’s” Tony and Grammy Award-winning star Renée Elise Goldsberry. Her spiritually uplifting set includes music from “Rent” and “The Lion King” in addition to tributes to some of the strongest ladies to ever grace a stage such as Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan.

America in Space: A Cinematic Celebration

July 26, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Amy Andersson, conductor

Utah Symphony

America in Space honors the 50th Anniversary of NASA's moon landing featuring film scenes and music from beloved Hollywood films about astronauts, as well as new symphonic music from a NASA Exhibit and NASA documentary footage.

July 27, 2019 Concert

The program and artist for the July 27, 2019 concert at Deer Valley Snow Park Amphitheater will be announced at a later date.

Tchaikovsky’s "1812 Overture" and Piano Concerto No. 1

August 2, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Anna Fedorova, piano

Utah Symphony

Cannoneers of the Wasatch

Tchaikovsky’s explosive “1812 Overture” is paired with live cannon fire and a program that also features Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1

An Intimate Evening with Kristin Chenoweth and the Utah Symphony

August 3, 2019 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m.

Mary Campbell, conductor

Kristin Chenoweth, vocalist

Damien Bassman, drums

Utah Symphony

Kristin Chenoweth shares her memorable songs and show tunes from “Wicked,” “Glee” and more in this performance with the Utah Symphony.

The Music of The Rolling Stones: Circa 1969

August 9, 2019 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m.

Brent Havens, conductor

Tony Vincent, vocalist

Utah Symphony

A multi-media celebration of the 50th Anniversary of two iconic albums—“Beggars Banquet” and “Let It Bleed.”

Indigo Girls with the Utah Symphony

August 10, 2019 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Indigo Girls

Utah Symphony

This concert features the Indigo Girls’ and the Utah Symphony performing larger-than-life arrangements of their songs that don’t sacrifice the emotional intimacy and honesty that have defined the Indigo Girls’ music for decades.

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA SERIES – ST. MARY’S CHURCH

1505 White Pine Canyon Road, Park City UT

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto

July 10, 2019 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Maria Ioudenitch, Violin

Utah Symphony

STRAVINSKY “Danses concertantes”

MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto

FAURÉ Suite from “Pelléas et Mélisande”

DEBUSSY “Suite bergamasque”

Schumann’s Cello Concerto

July 17, 2019 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m.

Christian Reif, conductor

Rainer Eudeikis, cello

Utah Symphony

BEETHOVEN “Coriolan Overture”

HONEGGER “Pastorale d’été”

R. SCHUMANN Cello Concerto

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2

Beethoven & Dvoák: The Romantic Violin

July 24, 2019 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Kathryn Eberle, violin

Utah Symphony

BEETHOVEN (arr. Mahler) String Quartet No. 11, "Serioso”

BEETHOVEN Romance No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra

DVOÁK Romance for Violin and Orchestra

RAVEL “Pavane for a Dead Princess”

MOZART Symphony No. 36, "Linz"

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23

July 31, 2019 (Wed) | 8 p.m.

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

Aristo Sham, piano (2018 Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition Silver Medalist)

Utah Symphony

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23

ARVO PÄRT “If Bach had been a Beekeeper”

BRAHMS Serenade No. 2

Schubert’s Symphony No. 3

August 7, 2019 (Wed) | 8 p.m.

David Danzmayr, conductor

Bokyung Byun, Guitar

Utah Symphony

MOZART Divertimento No. 1

RODRIGO “Fantasia para un gentilhombre”

TAUSKÝ Coventry (Meditation for String Orchestra)

SCHUBERT Symphony No. 3

GALLERY SERIES

Small ensembles from the Utah Symphony performing at these concerts will be announced at a later date.

Gallery MAR

436 Main St, Park City, Utah

Monday, July 15, 2019 | Doors 6 p.m. | Performance 6:30 p.m.

Susan Swartz Studios

260 Main St, Park City, Utah

Monday, July 22, 2019 | Doors 6 p.m. | Performance 6:30 p.m.

www.deervalleymusicfestival.org.

Tags: Real Estate, Park City, Fun, Ski, Bike, Music
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A Good Cause

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.

Feb 26, 2019

This week we are sharing the top states for retirees, an upcoming ski event for a great cause and seven winter improvements for your home.

MSN Money has placed Utah in the top 10 for best states for retirees in 2019. The world may change, but at least one thing remains the same: Florida is still the top-ranked destination for retirees. The perennial retirement favorite Sunshine State earned an overall score of 65.6 out of a possible 100 in terms of how retirement-friendly it is, according to a recent analysisby WalletHub.

In determining its rankings, WalletHub weighed 46 retirement-related factors centered on affordability, quality of life and health care.Some of those factors include: General cost of living, Tax friendliness, Share of the population that is age 65 and older, Mildness of weather, and Physicians and dentists per capita.

The states that made the top 10 — and their overall scores — are:

Florida: 65.6 out of 100
South Dakota: 63.72
Colorado: 62.19
New Hampshire: 61.8
Virginia: 60.82
Utah: 60.73
Iowa: 60.41
Wyoming: 60.13
Pennsylvania: 59.94
Minnesota: 59.88

Looking for something fun to do with a great cause - Ski For a Good Cause with Pink Park City. Register now for the March 23 on-piste, fundraising extravaganza, complete with games, music, and skiing—supporting research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. After a smashingly successful inaugural year, Pink Park City returns for a second run on March 23, 2019. Not only does this charity ski event encourage pink tutus, unicorns, and wigs, it also helps raise vital funding for research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

With momentum behind them, Pink Park City is upping its fundraising goal to $150,000 (last year, they destroyed their $50,000 goal by raising $80,000) and they’re hoping to attract 600 participants. Event organizers promise a day full of on-mountain activities, deck parties, live music, challenges, giveaways, prizes, and the Rally For Hope Parade. Registration is open at the Pink Park City website. One hundred percent of the funds raised go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Don’t Wait for Spring - Keep your DIYing going year-round with these indoor winter home improvement projects. Here are 7 Winter Home Improvements to Do Now

#1 Update Your Laundry Room - laundry rooms in need of an upgrade tend to suffer from a lack of features, so this is typically a sledgehammer-free project. To make a bleak laundry space more functional, add shelves and bins for laundry baskets and detergent, and put a countertop over the washer and dryer. You get storage space and a place to fold clothes. Add a little peel-and-stick wallpaper, and you can make the chore-heavy room more enjoyable without fumigating your cozy home with paint.

#2 Add Crown Molding - Crown molding adds some heavy-duty appeal to a home without any heavy materials to haul through the ice and snow. You can put it at the top of walls or door frames or on the wall along the top of cabinets. It’s not just pretty; crown molding will cover dings and nicks on walls, and it gives your home a custom look buyers love. You won’t be using a ton of paint on molding, so fumes won’t be an issue, either.

For standard 8-foot ceilings, the molding should be 2.5 to 6 inches wide.
For 9-foot ceilings, 3 to 7.5 inches wide.
For 10-foot or higher ceilings, at least 8 inches wide.

#3 Change Out Cabinet Hardware - Make sure the new handles and pulls fit in the holes left by the old handles and pulls. That way, you won’t have to drill new holes or putty and paint over the old ones. A hardware redo’s one of the simplest winter home projects because all you need is a screwdriver and an hour or two.

#4 Get a New Faucet - a faucet is the brains of your sink. Put a better one in, and your sink is suddenly smarter. This one is an easy one— as long as you get a faucet with the same number of mounting holes in your sink. Just turn off the water shutoff valves under the sink, and follow the instructions that come with the faucet.

#5 Put in a New Bathroom Vanity - Take your bathroom into the 21st century with a new vanity. You can pull out your old one without making clouds of dust, buy a new one that’s a single, prefab unit and you won’t have to paint. No fumes, no dust, no problem for a winter home project.

#6 Max Out Your Kitchen Storage - Turn a kitchen wall into a storage wall by covering it in easy-to-install pegboard, then hanging pots, pans, cutting boards, and other utensils on it. You can find pegboard in a variety of colors and styles now, so you can skip the fume-y painting step. Plus, it adds storage space without losing any square footage.

#7 Add Wainscoting - Pump up the panache in your house by adding wainscoting to walls. It’s pretty easy to do, too, because it comes in panels you can put on the wall in one piece (even pre-painted to avoid the fumes), and you don’t need mad carpentry skills to install it.Just take off your baseboards. Cut each panel of wainscoting to length. Glue it in place with construction adhesive, and nail the panels where the studs are. Glue on the cap rail, and put the baseboard back. You can do wainscoting in an average-sized room in two to four hours.

Tags: Park City, Fun, Ski, Utah, Events, Skiing
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