It definitely wasn’t the January Parkites had hoped for when the Covid-19 pandemic sent Sundance Film Festival organizers scrambling to cancel venues, sponsors pulled out and cancelled short term leases on Main Street properties. The Festival went virtual, Park City turned ghost town and people stayed home on their couches to stream indie films from across the globe. What blew everyone away was how Virtual Sundance kicked ass.
Perhaps it was the dearth of new movies in online land or the immense boredom folks are swimming in with cultural activities being severely curtailed for nearly a year now, but Betsy Wallace, the CFO and Managing Director of the Sundance Institute said attendance (or better film and seminar logins) during the seven-day virtual fest nearly tripled from last Sundance. But Sundance Institute reports that users tallied 251,331 online views of the 73 feature films, 50 short films and four independent TV series (at $15 a pop) during the seven days of Virtual Sundance. If 215,873 seats were filled during the 2020 festival in Park City, it’s definitely an uptick but not “triple”?
Organizers must be including the Virtual Sundance Festival’s “satellite screens,” at 20 art-house theaters across the country (20,000 attendees), the festival’s 23 panel discussions (another 22,267 views), the New Frontier virtual exhibit (39,869 visits)
We had ‘Life in a Day,’ a film that was free to Utahns,” Wallace said. “We had 6800 people sign up for that. We had about 1,500 stay through the Q and A of it.” The Festival’s biggest prize winner, “CODA,” was acquired by Apple – for a record $25 million and we’re curious how many viewers that one had!
No Celeb Sightings at Virtual Sundance 2021
Rachel Brosnahan at Acura Festival Village at Sundance 2020
Photos courtesy of Kia Telluride Supper
Virtual Sundance is Here To Stay
With the success of this year’s virtual Sundance Film Festival it’s likely we’ll see a hybrid in-person/online event because why not double down? Sundance Institute should be able to lure brand sponsorship at both the ground level Main Street, Park City, as well as through its streaming platform, plus sell all those tickets to virtual screenings while putting butts in theater seats.
Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute runs through 2026 and although there is an escape clause that allowed the Institute to change, or give notice of termination if they did so this year, Wallace says they plan to stay put.
“We want to come back to Park City, and we want to have the ability to go to a theater in person, and we also want the ability to stay at home and watch something in the coziness of our house,” she told KPCW.
Something called The Big Gear Show is coming to Park City this summer in the hopes of reinvigorating Utah’s quest for outdoor brand recognition. The beehive state and Utah’s former governor Gary Herbert blew it big time when they let the hugest retail expo in the land move onto Colorado’s pastures, taking with it MILLIONS in tourism dollars.
The inaugural event in Park City, Utah, has the support of the Utah’s newest and less douchy Governor, Spencer Cox and will bring outdoor brands and retailers back to where they belong- a state teaming with outdoor recreation, public lands and national parks.
From climbing to cycling, overlanding to paddlesports, “we are excited to play host to the Big Gear Show 2021, an event that both celebrates the great outdoor recreation offerings of the state and the spirit of innovation and commerce that drives the modern economy here,” said Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah.
The Big Gear Show isn’t exactly the Outdoor Retailer Show, but it was created with the needs of buyers front of mind, with the demo aspect fully integrated into the event. America’s first open-air trade show was created solely to meet the needs of outdoor shops and gear builders. The event is a demo and buying experience built for outdoor, bike, paddling and climbing buyers and makers. The show will feature a curated group of 500 hand-selected retailers and 250 brands across the outdoor and cycling industries. The demo is fully integrated into the event, so buyers get to paddle, ride bikes, and test gear all day. There is simply no better place to discover new brands and products.
The founders chose Park City for its incredible access to trails, roads and water for paddling, biking, and gear testing opportunities conveniently located onsite.
Park City is an outdoor paradise in the summer, offering legendary outdoor access that the state of Utah is famous for. “Utah is known as the crossroads of the west and has always been a gathering place for outdoor recreation and the industry. Deer Valley is a perfect place to experience the latest and greatest gear and connect with all the people that make the outdoor industry special. I am excited for some in-person time in the outdoors with all our friends from across the country,” added Pitt Grewe, Director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Park City Embraces The Big Gear Show
Park City is a place retailers and brand teams want to go for vacation – which founders knew was important in creating an event in a location that everyone could get excited about. “There are so many incredible outdoor venues across the country, but none can match the accessibility of Park City and Utah’s Wasatch Range for adventuring and having an authentic and inspiring business gathering of outdoor recreationists,” said Kenji Haroutunian, show Director. DAMN STRAIGHT.
Additionally, Park City’s ideal summer weather and convenience from the Salt Lake City International Airport just 40 minutes away, makes the iconic mountain town an obvious and easy choice for retailers and brands across the country.
To learn more about the show or to request an invitation, please visit thebiggearshow.com.
I once invited a guy I barely knew to take a ski trip to Canada with me. Big FREAKING mistake. You see, my boyfriend at the time bailed at the last minute and I had to punt. I didn’t want to go alone and I wanted Brad to know he wasn’t the only one in my life that could keep me company. So I asked Anthony; a guy who had been pursuing me and who seemed “nice enough”. Long story short- DO NOT EVER TRAVEL INTIMATELY WITH A STRANGER. Duh. Halfway through the trip, Anthony was sharing a hotel room with someone else and I wished he was dead. Plus, the snow sucked that year.
Traveling with family is tough enough but planning a ski trip (road or otherwise) with friends is even more risky. At least with family you are aware of the dynamics, buttons and personalities of the parties and have had practice dealing with them.
You could go it alone and I usually prefer traveling that way. But while solo adventures can be amazingly satisfying, sharing your adventures with your tribe can be even better…sla you know them before you go if you want to have the best ski trip with friends.
Together you brainstorm activities, plan and share your explorations, and split expenses. But just you wait before diving into booking that condo and lift tickets for six. Without preplanning you might find yourself without a best friend or boyfriend by the end of the trip.
The close quarters of a 6-hour drive or six-night hotel room demands compromise. Are you good at politics? Is your friend? Does one person want to plan everything while everyone else follows sheepishly? Who gets the master? On a group ski trip to Japan, I shared a hotel room with a girl who spent every day trying to sell me on her MLM health supplements, telling me that they would make me feel better and bring me more income when, no, I just needed a moment of peace and my Cup o Noodles.
Here are some ski trip tips for those who don’t want to hate each other by the time you check out.
Who’s Going On Your Ski Trip
Will this be a girls’ trip, a guys’ trip, a couples trip, a multiple-family trip? Will everyone know each other? Not everyone will like each other but you can minimize some of the drama when you vet your future bunkmates. Who snores? Who hates Trump? Who has issues with altitude? Who doesn’t drink? Who’s on a tight budget? That kind of stuff should be considered when you’re hoping for the best ski trip ever.
Plan Ahead to Have The Best Ski Trip Possible
Before you book the room, rental car, restaurants, gear, or lift tickets have an open conversation. Are you splitting the booking responsibility but sharing in all expenses? Are you going to book everything individually including the hotel rooms and meet on the hill or for dinner? Will there be down days and are you all going snowmobiling or tubing? Who would rather spa than ski? Any vegans in the group? Beginners who should be taking ski lessons so they don’t get hurt trying to keep up with more aggressive skiers? Cooking in the condo or dining at expensive restaurants? Up all night in the hottub or early to bed/early to rise? When it comes to a ski vacation, leave no stone unturned.
Compromise when taking a Ski Trip with friends
It’s likely that one member of your group will rise as the leader, especially if they are familiar with the resort or the most experienced ski traveler in the bunch but still check in with each participant so they feel included and validated.
Make sure everyone gets something they want out of the trip. Maybe someone hopes to stroll Main Street or try that hip new restaurant they read about in Forbes. Maybe one friend can’t wait to go snow tubing or someone ALWAYS gets to the lifts before they open. Try to find ways to make everyone feel like their interests are considered even if there isn’t enough time to do everything.
Don’t be afraid to split up on your Ski Trip With Friends
Even if you think you’re totally in sync, we can’t all be soulmates. Make sure everyone knows it’s okay to do your own thing so there are no hurt feelings when the time comes to split up. Besides, you’ll still be together more than apart. Plus, getting personal space provides a chance to regroup before a fight breaks out or heads explode.
Set boundaries
If you must sleep in, let your party know that you won’t be bullied into rising at 7 a.m. When you don’t want to go out to a $100 dinner every night speak up. You would be surprised how quickly the knot in your stomach forms when you are coerced into doing something that goes against your grain. If you are clear about your expectations up front it’s hard to take it personally when you shut the door in their face. Even in close quarters try to give others privacy and space.
What are the Non Negotiables?
Make sure everyone creates their “must do” checklist. Compare and see what you can do together and what you’ll need to factor in for yourself. For example, if someone wants to learn to snowboard at Park City, three others want to ski Deer Valley and one wants to hang at the condo by the fire, you can split up without anyone feeling bored, guilty, or like they’re missing out because it was on the list.
Are you ready to start planning?
We’re here to help with any questions about visiting Park City so feel free to leave comments!
Not too long ago, we’d never dream of eating outside in the winter. Hot food instantly turns cold along with your fingers, toes and nose. Can you say unpleasant? But with all of the new rules surrounding Covid-19 safety like limited seating or full-indoor closures, resort restaurants have been forced to get creative or lose their businesses.
No indoor dining, you say? We’ll do you one better and offer really expensive indoor-outdoor dining for your vacation pleasure. How’s that for finding a silver lining to the Covid-19 ski season circus? Enter tent, yurt, igloo and dome dining. Even old gondolas find a new home this winter.
Colorado Dining Cabs
In Steamboat Springs, Mountain Tap Brewery has taken three, bright purple gondolas and repurposed them with electric heating, Bluetooth speakers, twinkly lights and room for up to six friends to safely dine and drink.
Telluride also has set out 20 newly refurbished, heated, ventilated and socially distanced buckets. Up to eight guests can sit on plush seats, and order from 12 different restaurants around the plaza.
At Aurum Food and Wine in Breckenridge and Steamboat, you can climb inside a yurts, bundle up with quilts and lanterns and feast on a special chef’s multi-course meal.
Vail, Colo., restaurants have also gotten into the game by adding heated tents and igloos.
Utah’s Yurts Igloo and Dome Dining
Courtesy of Stein Eriksen Lodge
Speaking of igloos, Alpenglobes are all the rage in the Beehive State. The Utah-based company designs these clear domes to offer diners a 360-degree, panoramic view from posh spot like the deck of the Stein Eriksen Lodge and Butcher’s Chophouse in Park City. It’ll cost you $200 for 90 minutes but what’s that kind of money compared to the company of good friends and family on vacation. Plus you get adjustable heating, Bluetooth music dimmable chandeliers, mountain views and cocktails.
The Wasatch Brew Pub at the top of Main Street in Park City erected their own cool little igloos to serve Covid-conscious diners. Each dome seats up to eight people and reservations are required.
And at the bottom of Main, you’ll spot another Alpenglobe for whiskey fans. The High West Distillery’s Nelson Cottage . The eight guests not only get those panoramic views, heat, and ventilation but variable mood lighting as well. They won’t be able to dine off a full menu but can get sips and snacks.
The Yurt Village at The St. Regis Deer Valley is quite the spectacle over at the hotel’s “Ski Beach.” Three custom-made yurts feature mahogany lattices, plexiglass for stargazing and radiant heat. They are themed based on the 2002 Olympics events that were held at Deer Valley (Aerials, Moguls and Slalom) and seat eight for a gourmet mountain meal.
All of these unique dining spectacles come with a high pricetag, demand and limitations. Most can seat only 6- 8 guests and are booked up well in advance. There is also a food and beverage minimum ranging from $200 – $400 (depending on the date and time) plus tax and gratuity. But getting engaged, having a birthday, only taking one vacation during a pandemic? If you can score one just once, it might be totally worth the splurge.
Nope, nothing to see here, Folks. Move along. I’m sorry to report that any significant storm events that any website hinted would come our way have evaporated like Aladdin’s genie. It’s been dry as a bone overall since the Utah ski season began in December. Remember that year it didn’t snow until February? Yeah, it’s like that. Now add in a global pandemic.
This all begs the question, “Should you take a Utah ski vacation this year?” Well, let’s see: no “Greatest Snow on Earth”, the Beehive State Covid-19 spiking big time, you risk your life if you travel by plane, stay in a hotel, dine in at a restaurant, stand in a lift line, and then there’s the whitty bitty task of making a reservation to ski. Will you risk your health traveling to a ski resort if you can’t even ski?
The planning of a ski vacation during the continuation of Covid-19 protocols is enough to make you jump into your bed and hide under your sheets. But do you scrap everything and wait until the world calms down and it’s “safe”?
“Safe” is relative.
If you are a skier like me, waiting out the summer is tough, but can we imagine not skiing for a whole year? Hell, no. Luckily, as a local ski area employee, I get a free pass so if the mountain closes I’m not out $1200. Destination skiers must plan everything- and fork out thousands. I can just hop in my car avoiding the local shuttle filled with tourists who wear masks like chin diapers, I ride the lifts alone, take a few runs and head home. Whether to leave your home resort to venture to Utah comes down to your own personal choice for your family, health and bank account. Here are some pros and cons that can help you with your decision.
REASONS TO NOT SKI UTAH IN 2021
Not everything is open. Park City skiers are riding on a 42-inch base of manmade snow during a month that typically hits 100+ inches, which means your favorite blue and black runs, tree shots and steep chutes are closed. There is indoor dining on the hill, and off, but it’s difficult to get reservations because seating is limited. If you wait until the hour before you want to eat you may be SOL. Many guests are brown bagging it, grabbing takeout from Five Guys or cooking for themselves.
Crowds over the holidays and reduced loading capacity on the lifts are causing ridiculous wait times. The longest so far being 48 minutes. I would hate to find out what it will be like on a powder day.
There is no consistency. Every Utah resort has its own Covid-safety protocols that could change at any minute. The toughest restrictions at the moment come from Park City Resort which requires you to make advance ski reservations whether you have a day pass or Epic pass. Even if you have a week booked at your favorite hotel, you might not be able to book the ski days you want. If you’re not the kind of person that likes to plan everything down to the minute of every day, it could be a stressful time to travel.
Lift riding procedures vary at each resort as well. Snowbird’s tram ops will make you wear a mask with ear loops, Park City and Deer Valley are cool with neck gaiters so long as they are over your nose. Yes, there are hosts and lifties empowered to make you pull up your mask or leave if you don’t comply and the Resort has requested that other guests and employees help in the policing of this.
You have to be flexible. The ski areas are still learning to navigate this pandemic. Despite best efforts you might wake up to find your favorite resort closed like they did at Hunter Mountain, New York. Some areas, like Snowbird which typically stays open through Memorial Day, are considering a shortened season. You will need to be able to go with the flow and have a few “alternative plans” at the ready until things normalize.
Not everyone is behaving responsibly. Every day there’s a post on the Park City Facebook page asking about the best places to party. Groups are gathering indoors for dinner and drinks, taking shuttles without their masks and hanging out in clusters both on the hill and in the lodges. If that sketches you out, you may want to wait to travel to Utah. On the other hand, there are social distancing and mask mandates everywhere. There’s no party scene this winter, the energy on the hill is subdued and we have no idea when and if things will feel “normal” again. This pandemic is unprecedented and it will definitely take a long period of time before things begin to feel pre 2020.
Lift ticket prices have gone through the roof! If you didn’t purchase a season pass you are looking at $179-$229 depending on the day. A 6.5-hour private lesson will set you back $1000-1100.
REASONS TO SKI UTAH IN 2021
You don’t want to miss out on a ski season. The champagne powder is bound to arrive sooner or later and you want to be here when it does. Some people have skied one week every year since they began or they count the days every season that they ski. Missing a whole season is just not an option.
Come visit if you’ve been here before and want something different. Your trip will not be a normal or usual experience. It’ll be unlike anything you’ve ever done (and hopefully unlike anything you will ever do again). You won’t get that same awesome ski vacation vibe you might if this was your first time visiting but if you’ve been here before, you might appreciate the low crowds on the slopes and the tales you’ll tell of skiing during a pandemic.
So should you go skiing in Utah in 2021? There’s no blanket statement that we can give like, “Yes go skiing,” or “No, 2021 just isn’t the year for it.” We don’t know how vaccines will change the experience as the season wanes or whether the lifts and lodging and restaurants will decide the worst is over and can allow more people. We can’t even say, “If I were you….” Because we’re not you. We don’t know how you feel about the world right now.
The one thing we can recommend is if you are planning to travel, make sure that there are cancellation flexibilities in everything you choose. Flights, hotels, lift tickets, adventure activity reservations. With spikes or county mandates things could close in a heartbeat so you need to be ready to change your plans as well. Make sure you can cancel without fees or you’re okay losing your deposits.
Last year, I was skiing one day and told the season was over the next. If you had 2020 lift tickets it was a fight to get them refunded; same with AirBnB reservations. Make sure you understand the individual cancellation policies for each aspect of your trip. If your hotel shuts down are you okay with changing your reservations? Restaurants in Utah are open for indoor dining but if they have to close like in Aspen are you okay with takeout? Bars closing at 10:00 p.m.? Making reservations to eat lunch on the mountain? Cooking in your hotel room?
For me, I travel because it’s another story to tell. I was in my apartment when the Pasadena earthquake struck and all the reports said to stay inside, stay off the roads. I grabbed my camera and drove to the epicenter to get my video for a story for school. The adrenaline was pumping. This year, the story is “skiing during a pandemic” but if you aren’t into that kind of narrative this might not be the year for you to ski Utah. Only you can make that call.
