Park City Mountain Resort Blog

We've moved!

Over the past several weeks we've been busy integrating our blog directly into our website and are no longer posting new content here at our "old" Typepad blog. Please update all links to http://www.parkcitymountain.com/site/blog and we hope you continue to enjoy, thanks for visiting!

Ted Ligety gets his Christmas Wish at Park City Mountain Resort

Park City local, Ted Ligety, coming off three GS World Cup race victories, had a chance to enjoy some of the five plus feet of snow received at Park City Mountain Resort the last four days. In between untouched pow turns, Ted talks about growing up on the slopes of Park City Mountain Resort and how the mountain has been such a big part of developing his skiing. As recently mentioned in the New York Times, Ted is a skier first and a racer second.

Watch the video below to see Ted Ligety in action on the mountain and click here to see more photos.

Terrain and Holiday Storm Update

It's hard NOT to notice that Park City Mountain Resort has been getting hammered on. The weather forecast called for snow flurries, but I'm pretty sure those were some of the biggest snowflakes I've ever seen. It was absolutely dumping outside and the weather still has not let up. While the powder that this storm has brought has been nothing short of Christmas miracle, it has also brought along its share of problems.

The heavy wet snow, combined with high winds, took down several trees around the Resort. Multiple trees fell on the power line that feeds Jupiter lift, which ultimately took out the power. Rocky Mountain Power is sending several crews up tomorrow to repair the downed power lines. As a result, Jupiter lift, will be closed tomorrow. We will update you tomorrow afternoon (12/23) on the status of the repair.

Our storm total thus far is over 5 feet and we're still counting! See you on the slopes.

47th Annual Torchlight Parade at Park City Mountain Resort

We invite you to join us on Christams Eve for the Park City Mountain Resort torchlight parade. Santa Claus will ski around the mountain during the day and once the sun sets he will lead more than 100 ski and snowboard instructors down the PayDay run during Park City Mountain Resort’s 47th annual traditional torchlight parade. The parade can best be viewed from the Resort Plaza where complimentary hot beverages and cookies will be served.

Christmas Eve Schedule of Events:

9:00 am - 4:00 pm : Catch Santa as he skis around the mountain

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm : Enjoy free hot chocolate and cookies in the Resort Plaza

6:15 pm : Santa leads our ski and snowboard school instructors down PayDay run in the 47th Annual Torchlight Parade

6:30 pm : Visit with Santa before he leaves on his big adventure

Also of note, on December 25, the Resort will begin night operations for the 2010-2011 Winter Season!  The Resort will offer expanded night operations this season to include the Three Kings Mountainzone and the newly introduced Three Kings Terrain Park.  Night skiing on the PayDay run has also been improved with upgraded bulbs creating enhanced visibility across the run.  Night skiing and riding will be offered until 9 p.m. seven days a week until March 27, 2011.

Holiday Dump Drops Over Four Feet of Snow at Park City Mountain Resort

Park City Mountain Resort received over four feet of snow in 72 hours from a big holiday dump that blanketed the Western part of the country. The recent storm follows a tremendous early season, with the Resort recording 146” of snow for the season and an 82” settled base depth from the Jupiter Snow Stake.

Please visit our Flickr page for more photos

“The early season snowfall and conditions are some of the best we’ve had in recent memory,” said Jenni Smith, President and General Manager for Park City Mountain Resort. “It’s the perfect welcome for our holiday guests.”

According to the National Weather Service, snow remains in the forecast through Thursday.

Please visit our Flickr page for more photos

Ski Utah Powderhound Matt Baydala filmed this video on Monday, December 20, 2010 and had this to say:

“Since the terrain was so limited this morning, I was forced to ski the old reliable Pioneer lift and my God did it deliver. I've never had so many face shots at that altitude, period. Take a look for yourself; go ahead count the face shots!”

Lift Status Update for 12/20/10

12/20/10 - 1:50pm - Silverlode Lift is now open. At this time, McConkey's and Jupiter Lifts are now scheduled to open tomorrow morning after snow safety checks are complete. We hope to see everyone up there!

12/20/10 - 1:10pm - Because of our lift issues, we have decided to extend the hours of operation on PayDay, First Time and Three Kings lifts to 4:30 today.

We are hoping to have Silverlode open in the next hour and will post once we are able to open it.

12/20/10 - 12:20pm - King Con, Eagle and Silver Star Lifts are now open. Until Silverlode Lift is opened, Gotcha Cut-off is the only way out of the King Con Mountainzone.

The runs off of Silverlode are also open but the guests will have to ski/ride down to King Con lift and the only way to exit this area is Gotcha Cut-Off.

Original Post - It's been a busy morning as our mountain operations teams have been working diligently to get the mountain back into shape after a crazy night of weather.

Due to the freezing rain and wet snow, heavy ice build up on the grips of our hi-speed chairlifts is causing the chairs to stall in the terminals. Our lift team is working hard to get these chairs up and running and we are hopeful to have Silverlode and King Con open today.

We just opened Bonanza, Thaynes and Pioneer and we will be opening Motherlode soon. We recommend that you access the upper mountain by taking Crescent lift up and ski/ride down to Pioneer Lift, where you will be able to access Thaynes and Motherlode lifts.

Once we have these lifts open we will work to open McConkey's and Jupiter, but realistically these lifts will not open today as we still need to do Snow Safety (thanks to the 20" of snow) once we get them turning.

We will be posting additional updates as soon as we have any new information to share. Thanks for your patience as we work to safely and efficiently open our mountain.

Additional Terrain Openings for December 18, 2010

 We are happy to announce additional terrain and mountain dining openings this weekend:

Saturday, December 18 Terrain Updates

• Eagle Lift
• King Con Lift and runs
• King Con Ridge will be open however, The Ridge Terrain Park will open at a later date
• Silver Star Lift – Uploading and Downloading Only

Mountain Dining Updates

  All on-mountain restaurants are now open. Please see the updated hours below:

• Legacy Lodge – Now serving breakfast from 7:30- 10:00 a.m. Lunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Kristi’s – Now open until 6:00 p.m.
• Legends – Now open Sunday – Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Friday & Saturday 11:00 – 10:00 p.m
• We are serving a Full Menu at Summit House, Snow Hut and Legacy Lodge
• Viking Yurt open for lunch and dinner
• Snowed Inn open for lunch (12:30 – 2:30) and dinner

Snowmaking

Thanks to the return of winter temperatures, the snowmakers are making snow around the clock! Currently they are focused on the following locations:

• Sitka
• King’s Crown 
• Eagle Superpipe

Don’t forget to join us as Santa Arrives on the Town Lift Plaza tomorrow evening. The festivities begin at 5:00 p.m.

PCMR Team Member Dinner Recap

This week we held our annual Park City Mountain Resort Team Member dinner. Although it may be called a team dinner, it feels much more like a gigantic, family dinner. This tradition has been in place for years and is a great way to welcome all our team members back for another season.

It's not uncommon to see a multitude of bear hugs, high fives and tables full of people laughing and sharing stories at this event. You see, here at PCMR we consider ourselves lucky to be part of such a fun and diverse group. Whether you are a ticket scanner, ski instructor, mountain patrol or yes, even the General Manager and President, you are surrounded by not only your co-workers, but your friends and family. Year after year our team members arrive in Park City for the season, bunch up with a group of friends or strangers to live with and by the end of the season you have a famliy away from home you can return to the next year.

Speaking from personal experience, I have never been surrounded by a more friendly and genuine group of people. As a relatively new employee, even I find that it's nearly impossible to walk from the Team Building through the resort base without stopping to catch up with another team member.

These welcoming faces are the reason we have so many team members return year after year. In fact each year we take out an ad in the Park Record to honor our team members who have put in five or more years of service and last year we had enough names to fill two complete pages. The longest on this list was 48 years of continuous service. I for one, am thankful each day I come to work at this playground and for each person who makes it such a memorable and rewarding experience. Thank you and keep up the great work team!

Celebrate the Holiday Season with Park City Mountain Resort

Park City, Utah (December 9, 2010) – Park City Mountain Resort celebrates the 2010 holiday season with complimentary family events for the local community and destination visitors during the month of December.

“Park City Mountain Resort is a magical place to be during the holidays and the reason why so many families choose to celebrate with us time and time again,” said Krista Parry, director of marketing for Park City Mountain Resort. “Our holiday events have become a tradition for the local community and visiting guests alike. We treasure the opportunity to share in their experience.”

On December 18, Park City Mountain Resort welcomes Santa Claus into Park City as he descends from the top of the mountain down the Town lift. Guests are invited to arrive around 5:00 p.m. to enjoy hot cocoa, cookies, Christmas carols and a live holiday performance. Santa and his reindeer will fly their sled full of goodies onto the Town Lift Plaza around 6:15 p.m.

On December 24, Santa Claus will ski around the mountain during the day and once the sun sets he will lead more than 100 ski and snowboard instructors down the PayDay run during Park City Mountain Resort’s 47th annual traditional torchlight parade. The parade can best be viewed from the Resort Plaza where complimentary hot beverages and cookies will be served.

On December 25, the Resort will begin night operations for the 2010-2011 Winter Season.  The Resort will offer expanded night operations this season to include the Three Kings Mountainzone and the newly introduced Three Kings Terrain Park.  Night skiing on the PayDay run has also been improved with upgraded bulbs creating enhanced visibility across the run.  Night skiing and riding will be offered until 9 p.m. seven days a week until March 27, 2011.

Ski Magazine: Park City Mountain Resort Gets Real

We couldn't be more excited to be featured in the newest issue of SKI Magazine. Carrie Sheinberg details the transition of Park City from a booming silver mining town to a vibrant ski town. From the "Moms on the Mountain" who have gathered at Park City Mountain Resort every Tuesday for over 30 years to the interwining of PCMR with the town, Sheinberg highlights the realness you feel when visiting the resort. Thank you to SKI Magazine and Carrie Sheinberg for capturing the true experience which we pride ourselves on providing to our guests.

Head out to your local shop to pick up the December 2010 issue of SKI Magazine to read the full article.