Author Archives: Jill Adler

Climb 4 Life – Sept. 14-16

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The HERA Climb 4 Life is swinging back into Utah next week and if you’ve ever thought of learning to climb, meeting fellow climbers, getting your kids to climb, learning outdoor photography or just spending the weekend with a great group of people then you absolutely MUST join this event. Trust me on this one. I love events and the Climb 4 life is one of my all-time favorites. And now, the event, held every year in September to raise money for ovarian cancer research, isn’t just about climbing.


It’s three days rather than four this year and instead of holding the activities on Friday and Saturday, they’ve moved them to Saturday and Sunday to make it easier for people to attend. My first Climb 4 Life was about getting women on rocks; now it’s about encouraging men, kids and chicks to explore the outdoors along the Wasatch whether climbing, hiking or taking photos. Yep. You heard right. I’m going to be taking outdoor photos this time around. How could I resist? New this year is a component where participants can spend the time with professional photographers, videographers and trainers, tweaking their photo skills. I’m going to be splitting my day shooting and learning how to better use Photoshop to edit my pics. Olympus Visionary sponsored Jay Kinghorn will lead the weekend along with Jeremiah Watt, and Black Diamond Photo Editor Sandra Salvas will be delivering a presentation on “What Makes A Great Photograph” on Saturday. The whole weekend is just $60 and it goes to a valiant cause. The price is miniscule for what you get and – if you raise $250 in donations – you can also take part in a raffle guaranteed to net you more than that in swag. There are parties Friday and Saturday nights and a Sunday afternoon closing party. I’ve always gone solo, but you can form a team. Basecamp is the Black Diamond Equipment parking lot. You can register there on Friday night but it’s better to do it online beforehand. Once you sign up, you get a goodie bag and an itinerary that includes two days with some of the best guides in their respective fields.

If you can only spare one day, bring out the fam for a “Families with Children Half-Day Climb”on Saturday (1-5 pm). It’s $30pp and you still get the Saturday night party and a goodie bag. Children of all ages are welcome to climb with their families and the personal guide from Utah Mountain Adventures. Maybe you want to climb a little harder or you have no interest in climbing at all but you child does? Drop Junior at Rockreation Indoor Climbing Gym on Saturday for the Kids Indoor Climbing
for ages 5 – 18. They’ll climb from 1-5 p.m. for $30 per child. Parents/legal guardians must fill out a waiver, but they don’t need to remain. That’s cheaper than most babysitters! You do need to register your child beforehand to make sure there are enough participants and coaches. Contact Jessica at jessicakinghorn@gmail.com or 801-505-5273.

Finally, you can also spend two days hiking places like Grandeur Peak and Gobbler’s Knob if you would rather keep your feet on the ground. Hiking guides from the Utah adventure nonprofit SPLORE will break you into groups depending on experience, ability and interest. Again, it’s $60 and that includes everything.

Click here to see the rundown for HERA’s Climb4Life.


Snowfall Contest at PCMR

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Quick, quick, quick. You have until next week to win a pair of tickets to Park City Mountain Resort this season. The annual Snowfall Contest ends September 4. So get those calculators and Google eyes geared and make your best guess as to when PCMR will hit their first 6 inches or more. Fill out the online form. If you pick the closest day and time, you win two winter day passes. The resort will track the snow total through the National Water and Climate Center’s sensor in Thaynes Canyon.

Last year, Kirk Partridge guessed October 5 at 11 p.m. along with two others. The actual snow total was 7 inches and Kirk’s guess of 7.5 inches was the closest. BTW, another six inches fell the night before opening day, November 19, but the first official powder day didn’t come until January 19, 2012. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts another winter like last year for Utah with most of the snow falling to the east of the country but Accuweather says just the opposite. Just goes to show how impossible it is to predict the weather. It’s about as accurate and believing in your own snow dance (which btw, PCMR will be doing in November before opening day)


* In the event of a tie, PCMR will pick the person whose guess is closest to the actual total snowfall accumulation recorded at the hour it passes 6 inches.


Mountain Bling Continues

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By Jill Adler

Just because I live and play in the outdoors doesn’t mean I like to bare all. Granted, I’m not the best at accessorizing but when I find something cool, that works with my ‘style’, I’m all over decorating my neck and limbs.

I got my first Expression Ring at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The owner/designer was in a corner of one of the gifting suites at The Sky Lodge; surrounded by power waters, and Burt’s Bee’s products. I was attracted to the luring sparkle at the CW3PR RE:treat.

Cancer was the inspiration for these stretchy, shiny, fun rings. On February 4th, 2010, Mike Kacynski was diagnosed with Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma that had metastasized throughout his spine and other bones. His battle inspired his wife’s best friend Holly Freese to start Expression Rings of Hope. The rings are made with Swarovski crystals and Miyuki Delica seed beads. They retail for $45 but there are always one or two on her website for $25. A portion of the proceeds of each ring go to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research in Mike Kacynski’s name.


High West For SkyWest

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By Jill Adler

 

 

Whiskey and eggs, anyone? Park City’s High West Distillery is now open at Salt Lake International. When you’ve got that 7 a.m. layover or want a good, stiff one after your ski vacay to arm yourself for the return to civiliation, you can now step into Concourse E for breakfast, lunch or dinner, western and whiskey style.

 

High West Distillery and Saloon is Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870 and the expansion is the restaurant’s first since it opened in 2009. Located at exactly 7,000 feet above sea level in historic Old Town Park City, the original High West is the world’s only ski-in gastro-distillery where food is expertly paired with house-made whiskey. Visitors can enjoy contemporary Western comfort food next to High West’s hand hammered 250-gallon copper pot still in a renovated 100-year-old livery stable and Victorian mining-era home. High West’s renovation of the buildings earned the 2010 Utah Heritage Foundation Award for Adaptive Use, and both structures are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

“We’re thrilled we’ll be able to share our love of great food and great spirits with as many people as possible — particularly the weary travelers who pass through Salt Lake City every year who haven’t yet tried what we have to offer at High West,” High West proprietor David Perkins said.

 

The restaurant will serve up its classic cocktails like the Dead Man’s Boot and High West Lemonade. The food will feature “All Darn Day Saloon Bites” and “Crack O’ Dawn Victuals.” You’ll still have to grab your souvenir bottles of Rendezvous Rye, Bourye, Valley Tan and Campfire in Park City and pack them in your checked luggage while they work out the kinks of purchasing liquor at pre-boarding.

 

 

Is It For Me?? Mountain Collective Pass Spelled Out

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I’ve got another option for you in the lift ticket department if you’re not sure whether to plunk down a grand (or more) for a season pass this year or just purchase individual passes from say, Costco. Liftopia has teamed up with six major western ski areas to produce the Mountain Collective Pass. For $350 (before Nov. 19) you’ll get two lift tickets to each of four resorts- Squaw/Alpine, Jackson Hole, Alta and Aspen/Snowmass. After that, it’s 50 percent off, along with what they say will be “exclusive discounts on lodging”.

That’s eight ‘free’ tickets if you do a ton of ski traveling. And with the average lift ticket price hovering around $90, you’ll save a significant amount. But what if you’re not going to visit Wyoming, California, Colorado and Utah in a single season? If you’re doing a one-week vacay to just one of those places then the Collective doesn’t make financial sense. You’d spend $450 to ski six days at Alta this season but with the Collective it would cost you $500. But do one more trip someplace else? Now you’re talking.


Snowboarders, unfortunately, might struggle with the math because Alta doesn’t let you in but, come on, were you really going to ride all four states in one year? Alta’s Connie Marshall told ESPN.com, “Our most satisfying outcome will be the introduction of our unique skiers-only mountain to skiers who understand the attributes of the collective passions our four destinations share.” The Mountain Collective is of course meant to market those individual resorts to riders who might need an extra nudge to visit.

Liftopia will use their sales force and online technology to process the passes. “We’re providing our exclusive technology, ecommerce and marketing reach,” said Ryan Jones, Marketing Manager at Liftopia. And why those four resorts? “We worked with independently owned resorts and not those under corporate management. The resorts came together on their own and created this alliance because of their great reputation, and Liftopia then came onboard to work with them to sell the passes,” he said.

“From a business point of view, we feel it will help us to extend our reach beyond the normal channels an independent resort can initiate,” Jackson Hole’s Brand Director Anna Olson told ESPN.com.


Plus, if you don’t live in Colorado to reap the benefits of the epic Epic Pass, this looks to be the next big thing.

You’ll take your receipt to one of the ski areas to exchange for a season photo pass and your two free tickets. After that, you must present the photo pass to get your discounted tickets. The pass is non-transferable and does not roll over into next season.

Utah skiers stand to make out the best because Jackson Hole is a mere four and half hours away. Alta’s tickets are $75 this season and Jackson‘s are $99 so four lift tickets to those two resorts alone would cost $348 at the window.


The best candidate for the Mountain Collective Pass is someone who will ski one resort more than 10 times but less than 20. If you’re going to ski 25+ days at Alta, you’re better off buying a full season pass ($999 before 9/27/2012) because you also get the Collective Pass! Yep, anyone purchasing a full-tier season pass from any of those four resorts will get a Mountain Collective Pass.

Visit www.TheMountainCollective.com or call (800) 705-6286 for more information. The adult pass price is $349 while the junior pass (kids 12 and under) is $229 through Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. 

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