Utah

This story was Published in The Daily Evening Item

Written: February 2000

By Heather Burke

Utah at 9,000 feet - the snow is soft, the sky is blue, the scenery – traditional Rocky mountain spectacular. Hours ago I was in Maine, an early drive to Logan, a direct flight to Salt Lake City, an efficient check-in at the Silver King Hotel, and we are on the slopes at Park City Mountain by 12:30pm.

A quick swipe of the trusty Visa, click into our skis and board the Payday hi-speed six-pack lift. Six minutes and 1,200 vertical feet higher we board yet another brand new Bonanza hi-speed six-passenger quad for an added six minutes and another 1,100 vertical climb that deposits us high above the miner’s town of Park City. Fresh powder tracks by 1pm, no time for jet lag, as our six-year-old daughter shouts, “no more rides – I want to ski.”

Parley’s Park is our initiating selection of Park City Mountain’s 100 trails, a blue square buffed to perfection, a football field wide and perfectly pitched. We hoot, we holler, we shout for joy, we are in Utah and this is skiing! Skiing the fall line of “Picabo” I am reminded that Park City is home to the US Ski team, and will host the 2002 snowboard events and the men’s and women’s GS. “Having the Olympics come to my hometown is a dream come true”, said Picabo Street. “I can’t wait to introduce the world to some the best skiing and riding in the Rockies at Park City Mountain Resort”.

Park City is big, 3,300 acres big. We do not even scratch the surface of the six upper bowls including Jupiter or McConkey’s. From a glance we determine those double black diamond chutes and steeps are best saved for when the kids are in ski camp. Park City’s mountain has gone through extensive transformation, to the tune of $12 million just this season; spectacular new lodges crown the summit, mid mountain and the new base village - chock full of distracting shops, cafes and services. Older lifts have been replaced or relocated, Park City now holds the record for the most 6 passenger detachable chair lifts, four, in the world. These lifts are highly social, comfortably seating our entire family, a ski patroller and a powder hound from Salt Lake. The patroller mused that when this area opened 36 years ago, and high winds shut down mountain lifts, skiers commuted in the underground shafts with the miners to reach the fresh powder.

Now Park City sprawls with lift pods heading every which way, to the point of confusion to the newcomer. They offer guided tours, but my husband sleeps with a trail map under his pillow so we make infinite turns on a dozen superb cruisers that afternoon. A far cry from the usual travel day, we already logged more miles on our skis that our rented SUV and it is only day one. Welcome to the joys of Utah skiing.

When traveling as a family, two young kids and all accompanying ski gear, locating direct flights and easy to reach resorts can make your vacation infinitely more pleasant. That is the amazing reality of Utah skiing – extreme accessibility. We happen to have chosen Park City as our first stop but we could have been at the summit of Snowbird, Alta, Deer Valley, The Canyons, Solitude, Brighton or Snowbasin by now – all within an hour’s drive of Salt Lake City airport. Now these are choices I can live with.

That evening, after the requisite swim for the kids and hot tub for our tired legs, we explored Park City’s legendary Main Street. Barely reminiscent of the old miner’s town, the colorful boulevard is lined with upscale boutiques, an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars. Hard to believe Park City was a western ghost town in the early 60’s. Declared an economically depressed area, the Kennedy administration lent $1 million toward its recreational development. Today, a million won’t even get you in the door of one of the showcase homes clinging to the surrounding mountains. Park City is now the epicenter to three world-class ski resorts, host to Hollywood’s trendy Sundance Film Festival, and future hub to the 2002 Winter Games.

Day two, an attentive Deer Valley host unloads our skis as we arrive at the immense Snow Park Lodge. This is no standard base lodge; I gawk at the massive beams, gleaming brass fixtures and elegant appointments. No wool flannel ski pants here, the Bogner wearing clientele and the gracious, ever-present staff mocks a scene of “Rich and Famous”.

Our inaugural ride up the Silver Lake Express offers a view of perfectly manicured corduroy in all directions. The 1,500-feet vertical high-speed quad gives us a bird’s eye view of the freestyle aerial jumps and mogul course. Fresh from hosting the World Cup, they appear well equipped for the Olympic slalom, aerial, and mogul venues in 2 years. Our son longs for first tracks in the corduroy. My husband, the trail map man, points out our plentiful options: stay here and ski, ski down to the recently added Deer Crest skiing area, or choose one of two other mountain lifts that lead to still more mountains of terrain. We traverse past the impressive lodges at Silver Lake including the world-famous Stein Erickson Lodge, and head up the Quincy mtn triple, toward Empire Canyon, the height of Deer Valley at 9,570-feet.

From the Empire Express quad summit, my mate drops in to the wild chutes while I take the kids down the perfectly manicured Superior trail winding down this spectacular peak. Last season’s opening of Empire Canyon ended Deer Valley’s reputation as “Bambi Basin” by rounding out their already immense offerings with the steep, deep, bowl skiing that other Utah areas have long been famous for.

Day three, we are very comfortable in the lap of luxury, exploring more of Deer Valley’s extensive seven mountains of terrain, enjoying silky smooth snow, wonderful lifts and incredible cuisine at every break. Dining on chef created gourmet delights in posh lodges is all part of Deer Valley “pampered” first class experience, as is the leather seating in the new gondola. Deer Valley is exclusive, from the $60 lift ticket, to the no snowboarders allowed policy. I must confess, it surpassed my high expectations from the miles of sweet cruisers on champagne powder, most elegant lodgings, to the impeccable service. No wonder Deer Valley ranks number one among skiers every year in ski publication surveys for service and food. I fell for the whole upscale scene and next time I want to stay a week at this enchanting mountain resort.

Day four, we drive a scenic 8 miles through Park City to yet another immense resort, The Canyons. Just three years ago eastern ski industry mogul, Les Otten, broadened his empire to Utah with the purchase of the sleepy Park West ski area. He saw the five vastly undeveloped peaks and knew the world was coming to Salt Lake and the Park City area in a few short years. What better way to showcase a new resort? A transformation of new lifts extending terrain to total 3,300 acres and the creation of a base village has ensued giving skiers a mega resort complete with long trails, massive bowls and endless glades to explore.

As a New Englander, there is familiarity at the Canyon’s Grand Summit Hotel, just like those at ASC resorts back east. From the resort plaza, the mountain doesn’t look like much but my trusty trail map buddy promises there is more to this place than meets the eye. We head for the Flight of the Canyons Gondola, no leather, but we were the first eight-passengers to launch out of the base by gondola this morning. Sure enough as we crest the hill more lifts and mountains avail themselves to our view and over the next two days we discover extremely challenging terrain around every corner.

The Tombstone Express services superb cruisers among magnificent aspen groves. Aptly named “9990”, symbolizing the actual summit elevation, is wildness via hi-speed quad featuring your choice of expert powder shots and steeps, but no easy way out, in fact it is all true black diamond terrain. Peak 5 is the western most section, until future expansion; offering fun, twisty glades or a mellow cruise down “Harmony” back to the resort base. Over on the Condor Express skiers and riders could be grinning all day in the Southside Chutes 1 through 7. For a “007” experience, take the luge-like “Canis Lupis”, home of the notorious James Bond ski scene, it is a panic. From this eastern most part of the Canyons, if you are prepared with proper training and avalanche equipment (peeps, electronic locater devices and shovels) you can hike another 600’of pure vertical to Murdock Peak to access backcountry terrain.

The Canyons, like nearby Park City and Deer Valley, seems endless and warrants at least two days to master. With some of the country’s finest new high speed lifts including 6 high-speed quads connecting 3,000 skiable acres of terrain (about 500 more than Alta) there are enough trees, bowls and chutes to please any ski aficionado.

Since 1995, Utah ski areas have been preparing to be center stage to the world in 2002. They have wisely invested millions in new lifts, snowmaking (though I hardly see why they need it with up to 500 inches of perfect natural snow) and resort development. Come February 2002, Utah skiing will no longer be the best-kept secret. I can only imagine what will become of the prices, never mind availability. In our quick week we never got to ski Snowbird’s awesome Tram or the new Mineral Basin area. We couldn’t squeeze in the indomitable Alta, Solitude’s new resort village or family friendly Brighton, or Snowbasin – venerable host to the Downhill and Super G. Each area is worthy of a week’s skiing. Now that I know how convenient it all is, I will be back. My trail map spouse declared he would gladly trade all our eastern weekends on the slopes for one heavenly week in Utah.

My advice to you, get on a plane and encounter Utah’s finest for yourself – before the camera crews, 1.7 million ticket holders and 10 billion TV viewers discover this magnificent stash.

***

If You Go:

Park City Chamber of Commerce can offer lodging, ski and stay packages at 1-800-453-1360 or visit www.parkcityinfo.com

The Silver King Hotel is in the center of town; minutes drive or shuttle to all these ski resorts. Call 1-800-331-8652

For a totally exclusive lodging experience, call Deer Valley Central Reservations for slopeside luxury 800-558-3337

The Canyons Resort offers slopeside ski and stay packages at the Grand Summit Hotel or The Sundial Lodge. Call 1-888-CANYONS or visit www.thecanyons.com

Southwest Airlines offers “Kids fly, stay, ski and eat free at Park City”, with a paying adult. Call 1-800-SKI-8365 for details or book on-line at www.swavacations.com