BIG STORM (with a little locals secret)

WOW!! 50+ inches of snow since Sunday and it is still snowing. This is a great early Christmas present for everyone. With a big storm and limited time, locals are very efficient in their pursuit of fresh tracks. With no time to wait in the corral for the upper lifts to open after avi control, there are some secrets we are going to let you in on. At Park City Mountain Resort when McConkey's and Jupiter lifts are on hold, stay on Crescent on the lower mountain. 90% of the people will bypass the lower mountain and all the goodness they see under the lift. Ski Team Ridge is the most underutilized part of the entire mountain. It has long consistent fall lines, perfect spacing between the aspen trees and the best part....no one is there. Once you unload at the Crescent Lift, head right. Go to the left of the radio tower. Head down the cat track and you will see a sign for Erica's Gold and Willy's. Duck in to your right. The best shot's are if you continue skiers left and continue to traverse. The further you traverse, the less tracks. It opens into a great expanse of wonderful powder. With all this snow, we took our own advice and were able to hit 4 runs in an hour. And we passed no more than half a dozen other tracks in that hour. Simply put...AMAZING!

PS. Don't tell anyone we told you!

A little fall mountain biking and Crash Pads Owner/GM talks about Park City

Park City is a great place to live and visit. Last month, we sent out our Owner/GM Todd Hageman out with local photog/videographer/mtn. bike promoter/PC local Jay Burke to play around on some of the newest mountain biking/hiking trails in PC and talk about why they live in Park City. (We dare you to use more forward slashes in a 100 word paragraph!)

The snow is starting to fly. 20 to 30 inches forecasted for the mountains in the next few days as we get hit by a couple of back to back storms.

Here is a great little video about Utah.

Why do you live in Park City?

When people ask "Why do you live in Park City?" I think the best why to explain it is, we are all just big kids who refuse to grow up. Sure, we have responsibilities just like the next guy. But admittedly, we have our priorities a bit out of whack. I can't speak for every aging ski bum, but for me, there was a fork in the road, usually around the first few years after college. The much larger, well traveled straight road, with a wide horizon was for those who wanted a more traditional and stable road, based more on the pursuit of financial stability, family upbringing and close community. But for many ski town dwellers, we blew passed the big fork to the draw of the less traveled narrow twisting road. The desire to see what was around the next corner was too much of a draw. Like many have done before, we headed west. For us skiers, that meant, for the most part, the Rockies, Wasatch and Teton's. If you wonder which kids are more likely to move out west and gamble their financial future on the search for mountain powder and desert solitude, you need to look no further than the kid in class that the teacher continueally yelled at to stop looking out the window.

Today was a great example of why we live where we live. Here is a little video. The idea isn't that we ski the gnarliest lines and huck the biggest cliffs everyday (and quite honestly, our knees can't take it anymore). We don't live a ski movie. It's about friendship and sharing experiences. It's about being in a town where everyone had different starting points, but we all ended up in the same place, because we all a little different from the norm. We all have similar stories. We are the modern day, "Land of Misfit Toys". Today, three such misfits got together and had a great lunch! There were thousands of such "lunch meeting's" in mountain towns around the west. This is our idea of a "Power Lunch."

GAP DEALS!!!

In skiing terms, a GAP JUMP is a jump between two objects (such as Chad's Gap - see video)

In Crash Pad terms, its a KILLER DEAL between two reservations. Meaning if we have a gap between two reservations, we want to fill it and we will fill it for CHEAP.

We have our first GAP DEAL of the year.

GAP DEAL"
Loft at the Mountain Village #38
3 bedroom/ 3 bath
Ski in/Ski Out
Dates: 12/23-12/25/10
Regular Rate: $875/night
GAP DEAL: $300/night
BOOK NOW:

Tour of Utah takes over Main St.

The Tour of Utah professional bike race took over Main St Park City for the 5th stage.   Tour de France veteran (and SLC Rowland Hall HS graduate) Levi Leipheimer took the lead into the stage and held it to the end.  Wow, was it fast.  These riders flew up Main St and went down Swede Alley at 40+mph.  An estimated 15,000 people lined the course to see the racers. The final day took the riders from Park City to the Snowbird (via the long way thru Sundance and the Alpine Loop!).

The perfect Wednesday night concert

One of my favorite events in the summer time are the Wednesday night concerts at Deer Valley. They start at 6pm and are located at the Snow Park amphitheater. Regardless of the type of music you enjoy, you can have a great time at any of the shows. The music serves as the background music to the sounds of family and friends getting together to enjoy a wonderful night in the mountains. So if you are in Park City on any Wednesday during the summer, follow the mass of people walking, riding and driving towards Snow Park. More info can be found at http://www.mountaintownmusic.org/.

Big party at The Canyons over the weekend

The Canyons continues to deliver the biggest parties in Park City. If you have never been, make sure you make a point of joining in the fun next time you are in town. Over the 4th of July weekend, The Canyons enhanced their party reputation by putting on one heck of a show. The Disco Drippers rocked the crowd until the Fireworks Show. Right after the fireworks, the Disco Drippers continued to rock the crowd late into the night. And if you still think Utah is dry, just come to a party in Park City.

Newpark Concert Series - Thursday Nights

Park City has multiple opportunities per week to experience live music during the summer. One of the newest venues and events is the Thursday night Newpark Concert Series put on by the good folks at Mountain Town Stages. Thursday nights at Newpark (in Kimball Junction) is one of the most laid back of the concerts in town. Make a point to check out the series at Newpark. Pack a picnic, grab a bottle of wine or beer, bring the kids and dogs and have a great time listening to wonderful music.
Here is a quick video of tonight's event.

Park Silly Sunday Market

Summer is here and one of the newest Park City traditions is the Park Silly Sunday Market. Every Sunday during the summer, lower Main Street is transformed into a funky, fun, art market complete with farmer's market and beer garden. The market consists of local art vendors, food vendors and fun for all ages. Live music fills the area from several local musicians. Here is a great video to show what the Park Silly Market is all about.

New Park City Museum

After a couple of years under renovation, the new Park City Historical Museum has reopened.  If you are strolling around Main St, make sure you stop in and check it out.  The old county jail located in the basement is worth the price of admission by itself.  Cost is $10 per person.

Check out our newest Crash Pad! Park Ave #208. Great 2 bedroom unit with a indoor hot tub!

We welcome our newest Crash Pad - Park Ave Condo #208.  This is a very large 2 bedroom plus loft unit.  It is comfortably decorated with soft wood accents.  Park Ave Condos are located adjacent to the Park City Golf Course/Nordic Center and just down the street from Park City Mountain Resort.  The unit is available for short term or summer-long rental.  (Photos do not show our washable duvet covers. This unit will include all Crash Pad amenities.)

More info for potential new owners.

Park City Crash Pads is EXPANDING!!

Thank you to everyone that supported us in our first year in Park City.  We have a successful year and are looking to expand.  If you are an owner of a condo in Park City and are in the market for some fresh ideas on how to market and rent your unit, please give us a call.
We would love to add your Crash Pad to our inventory.
Contact Todd Hageman at 435.901.9119 to discuss the benefits of joining Park City Crash Pads.

Mud Season

mud   [muhd] verb,mud·ded, mud·ding.
–noun
1.
wet, soft earth or earthy matter, as on the ground after rain, at the bottom of a pond, or every square inch of a mountain town when the mountain snow begins to melt


sea-son (see-zuhn)
-noun
1. one of the four periods of the year (ski, mud, biking, color)

Park City Cocktail Contest

This past weekend, Wahso restaurant hosted the Annual Park City Cocktail Contest. Bartenders from 14 restaurants/bars in town created new and wonderful cocktails to pick this years official Cocktail of Park City.
If you think you can't get a drink in Utah, you haven't been to Utah!

This is how NOT to ride a rope tow. This is too funny!

Up to 31 inches in the past 48 hours!!!

Utah is in the middle of a series of spring storms that has already dumped up to two and a half feet of snow in the Wasatch. We felt it was our duty to go try some of our product and report back to you. We give the storm a 4 out of 5. This is Utah so the 5 star is reserved for those 100 inch dumps. This would be a 6 star storm in Colorado, but this is Utah so its a 4.
But man, was it good!
Here are some videos from the last couple of days.

Parade of Olympians down Main St.

Last night was the Parade of Olympians down Main St in Park City.  Utah is proud of its Olympic Legacy and was home to over a third of all the Winter Olympians. Thousands of locals and visitors lined a Main St to see their Olympic Heroes.

Some great people watching and video from Spring Gruv at The Canyons

What is the Canis Lupis Challenge?

The Canis Lupis Challenge is this weekend at The Canyons.  Canis Lupis (scientific name for Wolf) is a mile long natural halfpipe on the far north side of The Canyons Resort.  Picture a large, wide bobsled run and you have a good idea of what this run is like.  The Canis Lupis Challenge is pretty simple...Fastest down the run WINS.
You if you this you are a hot shot skier/boarder/tele skier, sign up and let's see what you got.

Great article in Food & Wine about how Park City is the ski town to come party!

Tell us something we didn't already know. Food & Wine has a great article on the endless drinking options in Park City. From the high end restaurants with thousands of bottles of wine to the only ski in/ski out whiskey distillery, Park City is the place to party!

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/ski-countrys-newest-place-to-party-park-city-utah

Insiders view from Ski Flying off the World's Largest Ski Jump

After winning his Olympic Gold medal, our resident Olympic Hero Billy "Nice Guy" Demong, was invited with his Nordic Combined teammates over to Planica, Poland for the Ski Flying World Championships to be a Forerunner.  These guys have too much fun.  Normally, these guys jump around 120-130 meters.  This jump will have them going over 200 meters.
Notice in the video how there is zero hesitation when Bill sits on the bar and how he immediately goes down the ramp.  Insane!!!!

New snow, blue skies and CHEAP ROOMS!

We have just reduced the rest of our ski season inventory to VALUE SEASON RATES.
One bedroom units are only $100/night!
Two bedroom units are only $150/night!

Spring skiing is great.  Long days, warm temps, great snow and blue bird days make skiing in March and April fantastic.

We have an new, funky, amazing, huge two bedroom CRASH PAD!

Now, this is a Crash Pad. Brand new to our offerings is this funky 2 bedroom Park Avenue Condo located adjacent to the cross country trails and down the street from Park City Mountain Resort. The property includes a common outdoor heated pool and hot tubs in the pool house.

But its inside that makes this unit special. All I have to say is JACKALOPE. Yes, there is a stuffed Jackalope on the wall as well as a deer mount and various antique Park City paraphernalia. It also has an 80's area dining set and chandelier. And we can't forget the 2nd bedroom with the running horses wall rug.

But of course, this is a Crash Pad, so we have added flat screen TV's, iPod alarm clocks, washable duvets and organic linen.

This unit is available now, so gives us a call and come visit.

Spring Gruv is coming

March is usually one of the snowiest months of the year, but it also brings longer and warmer days, and that means SPRING SKIING.  One of the biggest spring events in Park City are the events up at The Canyons during their Spring Gruv.  Fun contests, big concerts and spring skiing mark this annual event.
The Canyons provides a perfect festival atmosphere.
The party begins on March 27th, with the annual pond skimming contest followed by Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
On March 28th, Funk legends FISHBONE, will hit the stage at the Canyons Forum.
The party continues the next weekend, with the Red Bull 1976 Games followed by Robert Randolph and the Family Band on April 3rd.
The Spring Gruv at the Canyons ends on the Soulistics on April 4th.

http://www.thecanyons.com/springgruv/sg.html

New snow and blue skies

Park City got 20" of snow over the weekend and now the clouds have moved out and the sun is shining.  Come on out to Park City for great Spring Break skiing.

We have reduced all of our prices to make your ski trip incredibly affordable.  1 bedroom condos are $150/night and 2 bedrooms as low as $175/night. 

Post Olympic Thoughts

WOW! What a week.  We were hoping to give regular updates from Whistler, but the lack of internet at our lodge made that difficult.   As you hopefully saw on NBC, our own Billy Demong won the Gold Medal in the Nordic Combined and was voted by his fellow Olympians to carry the American flag at the Closing Ceremonies.
Thursday was the most memorable with Billy getting the Gold and fellow American Johnny Spillane getting the Silver.  We had front row seats to the Medal Ceremony and we're in attendance at the US Ski Team House when Bill proposed to Katie.  Just amazing.  Here are some photos from a great week.

Our own Crash Pad junkie Billy Demong wins Olympic Silver

Today was our first day in Whistler to watch our own Crash Pad model/junkie Billy Demong compete in the Winter Olympics in Nordic Combined.  Today was the Team Relay.  After some great jumps, USA was in 2nd place only 2 seconds behind Finland.   The skiing portion was 4 legs of 5K each.  Brett Camerota started the day in great form for the 1st leg and ended the first leg tied for the leg. Todd Lodwick led the US across the line for the 2nd leg.  Johnny Spillane lost a bit of ground in the 3rd leg, but the gap was no problem for Billy as he quickly bridged the gap.  Austria and the US were 1/2 coming into the stadium with Austria pulling  away in the last 300 meters to repeat as Olympic Champions.

PC's most popular lunch spot

Ask any local to pick one place for lunch and it's a good bet that they say El Chubasco. El Chubasco is a local Mexican restaurant located on Bonanza Drive. This isn't fancy resort fun, but man is it GOOD. There food is great and they have a mean Salsa Bar. All meals come with some tasty chips to dip in your favorite salsas.
So, if you are looking for a good, cheap meal (Crash Pads style!!!), head over to El Chubasco for lunch or dinner.www.elchubascopc.info/

86 yr. Olympic medal drought in Nordic Combined OVER!!

Congratulations to Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick and our own Billy Demong, who went 2-4-6 in yesterdays Nordic Combined event in Vancouver. WAY TO GO GUYS!!!
Some of our employees are heading up to Vancouver next week to see the guys go for GOLD. We will be posting often, so check back!!

Check out the video from Vancouver.

Just some cool Olympic Facts

Did you know:
Over 1/3rd of the US Winter Olympians are either from Utah or live in Utah to train. Salt Lake City's Westminster College only has 2000 students but 15 Olympians.

We are pretty proud of our Olympic Legacy.

Billy got a new helmet cam!!

Nordic Combined World Champion/Park City Crash Pad Junkie Billy Demong got a new helmet cam.  If you ever wanted to know what it's like to go off one of those large nordic hills, check out this video.
Good luck to Billy and the whole Nordic Combined Team in Vancouver!!

See the Olympic Athletes Train before leaving for Vancouver

If you are in Park City this week, take some time and head over to the Utah Olympic Park.  Our Olympic athletes will be training there all week prior to departing to Vancouver in their quest for Olympic GOLD.
Go to the UOP site for more info.
http://www.olyparks.com/uop/events_calendar.asp

35% OFF all Lodging - Jan. 31-Feb 11, 2010

The Sundance crowds are gone and we have a ton of new snow. Now is a great time to come to Park City. All lodging has been reduced 35% between Jan 31 and Feb. 11, 2010 (minimum 3 night stay). Call us at 435.901.9119 to book.

That was a BIG storm series. More snow on the way

Wow! Was that ever a great series of storms this week. We aren't sure of the final tally, but its safe to say we received about 5 feet of snow in the last week. We get a couple of days to dig out, when another series is set to hit us later in the week.

Here is an older video we found from Ski Utah to get you in the mood.

Sometimes words aren't needed

Some interesting Sundance Film Festival facts

Sundance officials are reporting the following numbers in the 2010 Press and Industry Guide:

- 9,816 total submissions, up from last year's 9,293 (most are short films)

- 105 world premiers

- 23 first-time feature filmmakers

- 53 female filmmakers

- 9 Native and indigenous films

- 41 countries represented at the festival, including Austria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Estonia, Greenland, Iraq, Kenya, New Zealand, Peru, Senegal and Switzerland

- 36 languages spoken in festival films

- 1,020 accredited press covering the festival this year

- 26 countries represented by press

- 1,523 volunteers making the festival happen.

There you have it - Sundance by the numbers

POWDER DAY!!! Up to 13" in last 24

The Snow is Back. I string of storms are lined up to hit Utah. The first wave hit last night and dropped up to 13" in the mountains. More is on the way!

Great Weekend and Snow on tap for this week!

Wow! What a great weekend in Park City.  The weekend started on Thursday night with The Bravery rocking out to thousands of fans on Main St.  The fun didn't stop there with a full schedule of World Cup events at Deer Valley.  The World Cup featured the best skiers in the world as they prepare for the Vancouver Olympics.  We will take a couple of deep breaths, let the powder accumulate (2-4 ft forecasted) and get ready to watch Shaun White and Co. hit Park City for the Superpipe Championships and Olympic qualifier starting on Thursday.   The event ends Saturday night with a concert with 30 Seconds to Mars.

More BIG events in PC - Shaun White and the US Snowboarding Grand Prix next week.

Right on the heels of the Dew Tour and Freestyle World Cup, Park City Mountain Resort will host the US Snowboarding Grand Prix. 
The historic pipe where U.S. athletes swept the men's podium and won gold in the women's event during the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002 will entertain the masses with Olympians again. The Grand Prix makes its final stop at Park City Mountain Resort for back to back night competitions, after which the winners will be crowned and the 2010 Olympic halfpipe team will be named.
A reduced field comprised of the highest scoring athletes from previous tour stops will throw down the best tricks in their bag in an attempt to be one of the few named to the Olympic halfpipe team when the event is over.  Go to www.parkcitymountain.com for more info

The eyes of the winter sports world are on Utah this week. World Cup and Dew Tour in town.

Utah is hosting two of the biggest events of the year.  Deer Valley is hosting the Visa Freestyle World Cup.  The action starts on Thursday and includes a big concert on Main St.
Thursday:  Moguls
Friday: Aerials
Saturday: Dual Moguls
Go to www.deervalley.com for more info.




Also this week the Winter Dew Tour makes a stop at Snowbasin.  The Winter Dew Tour will feature men’s and women’s snowboarding in both slopestyle and Superpipe, Men’s Freeskiing in both Slopestyle and Superpipe and live concerts to keep the party going all night long. Whether it’s a fresh cut pipe or a technical Slopestyle course with endless features that gets you going, the stoke levels will be impossible to resist. Go to http://www.allisports.com/tours/winter-dew-tour for all the info.

Park City Crash Pad junkies continue to kill it - Billy Demong wins a World Cup.

Park City Crash Pads junkie/models continue to kill it on the international stage.  Current Nordic Combined World Champion (and our model!) Billy Demong won his first World Cup on the year in Val de Fiemme, Italy.   Bill fractured his arm this fall in a rollerskiing accident.  He is coming into form just in time for the 2010 Olympics.

Way to go Billy!

Learn to Snowshoe or Nordic Ski - Free Instruction and Demos-This Saturday

Looking to try out snowshoes for the first time? Want some instruction on how to kick and glide on Nordic skis? Fascinated by winter ecology? Winter Trails Day at Mountain Dell is a chance to get out there with a little help! If you are a beginner or first timer on snow, come join members from the Utah Nordic Alliance and the knowledgeable guides from Cottonwood Canyons Foundation. This day of guided snowshoeing, cross country & skate ski instruction and outdoor interpretation is not to be missed! Already know how to ski or snowshoe? Come try out the latest and greatest gear. Demo equipment will be provided by local retailer Wild Rose, Salomon, Rossignol, Swix, Tubbs and others in the snow sports industry. Activities include an hour long snowshoe interpretive tours, 30-40 minute introductory classes to cross country skiing and beginning skate ski lessons. Best of all, it’s FREE! Join us Saturday, January 9th from 10:00am– 2:00 pm. Mountain Dell golf Course is a fee area for day skiing but all fees have been waived for this event, January 9th only. Please check http://www.rei.com/stores/store_events.jsp?store=19 for up to date information.

Participants will be served on a first come first served basis. Activities will generally begin on the hour & half hour. No advance registration is required. Please allow ample time for parking, registration, paper work and equipment fitting. Mtn Dell is a fee area for day skiing, but fees have been waived for this event. See Tuna at http://www.utahnordic.com/ or Cottonwood Canyons Foundation at http://www.cottonwoodcanyons.org/

VISA Freestyle World Cup coming to town Jan. 14-16

The FIS Freestyle World Cup in coming back to town.  Come see the best mogul and aerial skiers in the world as they prepare for the 2010 Olympics.  This is one of the biggest events to come to town each year, which nighttime competitions under the lights and big concerts on Main St.  This year, The Bravery, will be rocking out thousands of fans on Lower Main St.

Try a new sport - check out Utah Winter Games

If you plan on making a trip to Park City in the winter and you are an adventurous soul (and if you are reading this you probably are!).  Check out www. utahwintergames.org.  The Utah Winter Games are a legacy of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics.  It provides an opportunity to try sports you may never again have access to.
I grew up in Detroit and I certainly never had the chance to learn how to skeleton.  But in Park City, I did!
Last year, I took the Learn to Skeleton clinic.  It was great.  There were 8 people in our class and our average age was probably 45.  We had a great time.  The instructors give you about 45 minutes of instruction and then it was time to go.  And go you do!!  We started from the Junior start, but the run was still about a minute long and we hit 60 mph!  We each were able to go 4 runs.  It was the best $35 I ever spent!

The Sun is out, the snow is great, let's go skiing!

The holiday crowds are gone and the snow is soft.  This is a great time to be visiting Park City.  Great deals can be found, you can get into the restaurants and the streets aren't gridlocked.  Pack up you skis and get to Park City!

Congrats to Crash Pad model Nick Pearson on quallifying for the 2010 Olympics

Congratulations to Park City Crash Pad model and Olympic Speedskater Nick Pearson! Nick qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver after a very successful Olympic Trials held in Kearns, Utah.