Park City Mountain Resort Blog

Beat The Heat at Park City Mountain Resort

When I opened up my google homepage today, the "How to of the Day" topic was how to survive a heat wave. There is no denying that Utah is in the middle of a heat wave. We recommend taking the appropriate precaution of coming up to Park City where, as a rule, it is at least ten degrees cooler than Salt Lake City. After all an Alpine Coaster ride sounds a lot more fun than sitting on the couch with a fan in your face.

Take a hiatus from the rising temperatures and cool off on a relaxing and scenic Town Lift ride. Once you've reached the top you can seek refuge from the heat under a blanket of trees while exploring many of our hiking and mountain bike trails. Team member favorites on a hot day are a quick break at the Dip-n-dots and Snowie stands. "My favorite way to cool down on a scorcher is to grab a Snowie. The Tiger's Blood flavor is my favorite!" says PCMR team member Meisha Lawson. "I prefer a ZipRider™ break! Nothing beats the cool breeze on the chairlift ride up and the wind in your hair as you zip through the trees," says team member Jess Werner.

So as the sweltering heat sweeps Salt Lake, remember that Park City Mountain Resort is your summer oasis. We are only a 30 minute drive from Salt Lake and want to help you beat the heat!

Trees near mid-mountain trail.

Rainbow Dip-n-Dots

Town Lift

Halfway to Winter: A Midsummer's Night Post

Yes, It's me. You may be surprised to see a post from 406 in July. No more surprised I'm sure than Eric, Krista, and the rest of the PCMR staff who figure I drop off the earth this time of year. 

I took note of today's date and realized we're at a halfway point. Halfway through summer, halfway to next winter; however you prefer to look at it. You see, three months ago this week we closed our winter operations for 2009-10 and three months from now, we (the patrol) start our early training for the 2010-11 season. While it really feels like summer just started (we had a pretty good snowstorm over Father's Day weekend) folks are already getting set for the upcoming winter. I think Hutch even started to dig into the hiring process for our latest crop of rookies and I'm making preparations to travel with Colin in October to the biennial International Snow Science Workshop (held this year at Squaw).

For now, it's time to embrace the now and the heat of summer. Today I took a long ride up in the hills along just a bit our extensive network of single-track. Had great views along the Wasatch Crest of the high peaks and wildflowers.

 

I even ran into the PCMR sawyer crew (all patrollers of course) on their lunch break where CMG meets the Mid Mountain Trail at Hidden Splendor. Speaking of winter preparations, they are thinning the woods between Powder Keg and Assessment to open up some new lines. It was good to see Andrew, Jeff, CB, Manky, Ben, Mandy, Mike, Tessa, and Stu (nice pants by the way Stu). We shared some lunch and laughs; generally caught up on the last few months of our lives.

In a couple weeks my wife and I will pack up the dogs and head out to our camp on Lake Superior for the rest of the summer. A chance to trade the mountain bikes for road bikes, canoes and kayaks; trade world-class Park City cuisine for fried fish, pasties (pAAst-EEs) and beer. When we return in late September, we'll be that much closer to the first snowfall and another winter season. Until then, be sure to get outside and enjoy the Wasatch in summer.

PCMR to Expand Night Riding and Snowmaking Operations

Raising new lights on PayDay

It's been tough keeping the big news to ourselves but we have finally been given the green light to announce a few thrilling improvements for the 2010/2011 season at Park City Mountain Resort. We are significantly expanding our snowmaking and increasing both the night skiing/riding terrain and hours. You will now be able to ski or ride until 9pm with PayDay, Three Kings and First Time lifts in operation.

Night skiing/riding began at Park City Mountain Resort on PayDay in the 67/68 season, a fact I find quite impressive. In the 10/11 season night skiing is going to be incredible! We are replacing the old 1500 watt quartz lights on PayDay with 150 watt metal halide lights. This will give us a more even light across the run while expending less energy. You will also be able to ride under the lights in the Pick ‘N Shovel terrain park as well as Three Kings Run and Quicksilver! Overall the added lights will increase our night skiing/riding terrain by 23%.

In addition to having night skiing/riding for the first time, we will also add snowmaking to both Three Kings Run and Quicksilver Run. Seven fully automated fan guns and six low energy tower guns will be installed on these runs.

New snowguns

Our park rats can look forward to a new park in place of Pick N’ Shovel that will be OVER DOUBLE the size. You can expect new jib lines in the expanded areas and brand new features to launch progression.

So what do our improvements mean for you? More terrain open earlier in the season and longer hours to do what you love the most!

Stay tuned for more announcements on the 2010/2011 season improvements!

Triple Crown Softball Tournament Returns to Park City

Week two of the 15th Annual Triple Crown Sports Girl’s Fast Pitch World Series is kicking off in Park City! 270 teams representing 14 states and Canada are descending on Park City, Oakley and Coalville fields. Each Monday of the tournament you can catch the Opening Ceremony parade on Main Street, starting at the top of Main Street by Wasatch Brew Pub and ending at 4th street. Teams will be competing in the parade for Best Banner, Best Team Costumes, Best Coaches’ Costumes, Spirit Award, Best State Theme and Best of Parade. The parade should begin shortly after 5pm, lasting no later than 7:30pm.

The team spirit from these ladies can be seen all around the resort. Matching shirts are a must and they aren’t afraid to take on a thrill ride! Our parking lot is filled with SUV’s whose windows are covered in team names and slogans. So far my favorite quote from a car window is, “Good Girls Steal.” 

  Don’t miss out on our special discounted offer for all Triple Crown Participants. Look for the exclusive offer on the back cover of your program. *You must pre-order online and allow at least 3 business days for ticket processing.

PCMR Float Wins Best of Show in the Park City 4th of July Parade!

As I noted in my "Fourth of July in Park City" post, our wonderful Mountain Hosts were responsible for building and "staffing" the Park City Mountain Resort float in this year's Park City 4th of July parade.

We are extremely proud to congratulate them on doing such a fantastic job. Park City Mountain Resort's float was named the "Best of Show" in this year's parade! Way to go everyone, and for those of you that weren't among the masses watching the parade, here are a few photos:

We like the parade so much that we're a sponsor!

Anyone recognize where the names Silver Queen, Hot Spot and Rosebud come from?!

Another famous PCMR feature...

And it all winds up with a perfect ski slope. We're already looking forward to seeing next year's float! 

Free Summer Concerts in Park City

Summer is in full swing here in Park City and there’s plenty of great concerts on tap to enjoy. While our small town is renowned for our dining and art scene, the menu of outdoor concert options and local music are also a standout. And the best part - drumroll please - many of them are free and very kid-friendly!

If you're planning a trip to Park City or simply need a new way to entertain the kids on a Saturday evening, check out our Snowmamas Guide to Free Summer Concerts in Park City.

Fourth of July in Park City

The Fourth of July is one of the best days of the year to spend in Park City, Utah. Our town’s unique mining history always seems to come through and there are a host of fun and exciting activities and events to satisfy all ages. And to add more to the fun this year, Park City is one of the only communities in Utah to have festivities on the 4th – so if you live somewhere that is celebrating on the 3rd, please come on up!

This year, the weekend will start with local radio station KPCW’s 30th Birthday Party on the Town Lift Plaza. The “Summer Bash” starts Friday at 5pm and features music, food, drink and kids activities – the entertainment is free and all food and drink purchases go to help support KPCW.

On Saturday, the festivities continue with the Park Silly “Saturday” Market, which moves from its traditional Sunday time frame in order to accommodate the 4th of July parade. I highly recommend the Silly Market and have been to all but one so far this year.

On the big day, things kick off early with the traditional pancake breakfast at City Park starting at 7am. You may want to show up a little later if you’re planning on doing the Park City Ski Team 5k Fun Run, which starts at 8am, call Cole Sport at 435-649-4806 for more info. It’s always nice to fill up with some ‘cakes after putting in a few miles. After that, head up either along Park Ave or Main St to snag your spot to watch Park City’s famous 4th of July Parade with over 70 floats celebrating Park City's history "From Silver to Snow", which starts at 11am. Keep an eye out for the Park City Mountain Resort float which was specially constructed by our wonderful Mountain Hosts. Then, mosey back down to City Park where there will be live music, food, drinks and more throughout the afternoon.

Finally, be sure to stick around until ‘dusk’, probably around 9:30pm, when we’ll have fireworks shot from the base of Park City Mountain Resort. The fireworks are shot from the First Time Parking Lot and some of the best viewing locations are along the Park City Golf Course, the Aerie hill area, and Boot Hill.. And if you want an extra patriotic flavor to your fireworks viewing, tune into KPCW on 91.9 FM during the fireworks for some 4th of July themed music during the show.

Of course, our summer activities will be open all weekend long, with extended holiday hours. So, have a great time, Happy Fourth of July and let me know in the comments if you think I missed anything!

Mountain Clean-up Day at Park City Mountain Resort

We have held a few mini mountain clean-up days here at the resort, but today was the main event. Team members from each department assembled at the Munchkin yard, early in the morning to fuel up on coffee and bagels before heading out to the hill. Our mission was to divide and conquer the trash on the mountain.

My group started at Mid-Mountain lodge, making our way down to McConkey’s and Pioneer lift. While it would have been exciting to retrieve a lost iPod or find cash laying around, I must admit it was just as rewarding to fill up an entire trash bag on my own. After declaring our area clean, we made our way over to the top of King Con and down The Ridge, collecting more trash. Before breaking for lunch, my group went out to Shadow Lake at the base of Jupiter.

As I sat at Shadow Lake, taking in the stunning view and enjoying the calm, I took a moment to reflect on our mountain. It amazes me how our guests can be having totally different experiences at the same time on different zones of our mountain. While kids are screaming down the alpine coaster at the base, a mountain biker is burning their lungs on the climb to the Wasatch Crest trail and a hiker pauses to take in the view and contemplate. The same can be said for the various team members at the resort. While some of us sit in an office, others perform mechanical and electrical work out of an elaborate shop halfway up the mountain, some are hands on with guests every day and others are silent heroes behind the scenes.

After lunch the entire mountain clean-up team tackled a project together. A wooden stair-set feature in King’s Crown terrain park needed to be disassembled and moved. We filled up the beds of five trucks with wood and moved it to be used later this summer for wood chipping. Had only one department been asked to do this, it would have taken the majority of a day, yet as a team we were able to finish this task in a little under two hours.

Today I met people that I've never even seen before, yet each one of them plays an integral part in the daily operation of this resort. We gathered together because we all share something in common and that is pride in Park City Mountain Resort.

Thanks to all the departments who put projects on hold to help make our mountain beautiful. Representatives from mountain patrol/trail crew, building maintenance, marketing, sales, food and beverage, vehicle maintenance, HR, terrain park staff, lift maintenance, retail, mountain and base operations, snowmaking, IT, ski and snowboard school and even Zeke, one of our avalanche rescue dogs helped out today.

Jenni Smith Appointed President and General Manager of Park City Mountain Resort

After 12 momentous years at Park City Mountain Resort, Peter Curtis is off to explore life in retirement. It is with great pleasure that we announce Jenni Smith as the new president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort, effective immediately.

Below is the official press release. Please help us in congratulating Jenni Smith in her new position.

Park City, UT (July 1, 2010) – Powdr Corp, a leading mountain resort owner and operator in North America, announced today that Jenni Smith has been appointed president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort, ranked a top-five resort in North America by the readers of SKI magazine. Most recently, Smith served as vice president of resort administration and development at Park City Mountain Resort. Her new role is effective immediately.

"Jenni has been instrumental in the success of Park City Mountain Resort,” said John Cumming, chief executive officer of Powdr Corp. "Given her tenure with our company, there is no one better suited to lead the Park City Mountain Resort team into the future and continue the significant growth it enjoyed under Peter Curtis’s leadership. We are incredibly grateful for Peter’s long-standing commitment and devotion to Park City Mountain Resort and wish him well in his retirement."

Smith has held a variety of progressively significant roles in operations and administration at Park City Mountain Resort since 1980, through which she gained a broad and comprehensive knowledge of the ski and snowboard industry. During her career, Smith has led teams across the Resort, including risk management, human resources, resort administration, food and beverage, retail, and development.

In addition to her work at Park City Mountain Resort, Smith has served on numerous community and industry-related boards. Currently, she is the chairperson for the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau’s Board of Directors and the Vice Chair for the Utah Ski and Snowboard Association. She is an active member of the Park City Rotary Club and a graduate of Leadership Park City (Class XIII).