Author Archives: Jill Adler

Hilton Salt Lake City Showcases Tech Travel

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tech travel

I raced up to the Executive Floor. This was my first time inside the Hilton Salt Lake City Center despite it having staked a spot downtown since 1997. The business travelers’ hotel promoting advanced tech travel was like nothing I had expected.

I’ve been inside our other downtown hotels and it’s always the usual. Big lobby, big rooms, ballrooms for conferences, a pool and gym somewhere, and one or two restaurants. I’ve attended the Build Your Own Blog Conference at the Little America, the bi-annual meetings and breakfasts at the Marriott and Hotel Monaco for the Outdoor Retailers Show and even romanced the night away at both the historic Peery and Grand America hotels. But the Hilton Center is its own convention center that you’ll never notice.

What’s New At The Hilton Salt Lake City Center

The 18-story complex on the corner of 300 South and West Temple, mere steps from Temple Square, the Salt Palace Convention Center and the sparkling City Creek Shopping Center, recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation with little fanfare- at least it wasn’t picked up on my radar. About the only thing I knew the Hilton for was the elegant Spencer’s Steakhouse.

The relaxingly upscale, 479 modern guest rooms and 20 suites are also pet and child friendly (kids up to 18 stay free; pets are $25/nt up to $50 max). There’s 24,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space, including a 52-seat tiered seminar theater and a 5,000 sq. ft. pre-function foyer space; business center, outdoor and indoor decks everywhere, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a sizeable indoor heated pool, Spencer’s and a Starbuck’s. Oh, did I forget to mention all of the happy employees who have been there for decades?

Hilton actually has a Sugar Artist:

 

All of this might still have gone unnoticed had I not been invited to attend a Tech Travel bloggers luncheon. I have the Consumer Technology Association, Techlicious and Traveling Mom to thank for sponsoring this grand introduction- in more ways than one (er, won?). The lunch was their opportunity to showcase a little culinary art, hotel architecture and tech trends for the holiday season.

At the end of the lunch there was a raffle. Don’t laugh. I joked with the ladies at my table that “If they don’t call my name, it must not be in the bowl!” Just then, the General Manager of the Hilton announced my name! I had won the grand prize of a night’s stay in the Conrad Suite, $150 to the new Eccles Theatre, $100 to City Creek, passes for ice skating at the Gallivan Center and a gift basket of delectable local snacks and treats.  The Hotel also gifted everyone there with a Spencer’s and Starbuck’s giftcard. I felt like I had just been called down on the Price is Right.

 

Hilton Salt Lake City Center Isn’t Just For Business and Tech Travel

The new renovations brought all sorts of connectedness to business travelers from plugs in the lobby furniture and high-speed wifi to keyless entry check-in where you use your smartphone as the key to your room. But here’s the deal. No, really, the DEAL. Business peeps travel during the week. You want a deal at an executive hotel like this? Stay on the weekends. You’ll find rates as low as $75/nt and all sorts of family packages. With winter (hopefully) coming, you might be looking for a place to stay on your next Utah ski trip. Even if you can’t afford the Conrad Suite, don’t overlook the Hilton Salt Lake City Center.

 

BTW, I was NOT paid to write this post! 🙂

Brighton Resort Gets New Owners

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CNL Lifestyle Properties finally closed a deal with Och-Ziff Real Estate (OZRE) to sell off its 15 U.S. and Canada ski resorts, and Brighton Resort was part of the bundle. But the swap leaves Boyne Resorts still in charge of the day-to-day at the Big Cottonwood Canyon area so don’t expect to see a difference.

Boyne has cared for Brighton since 1986 and not much has changed with the family friendly resort. The last significant improvement was the opening of the Milly Chalet at the base of the Millicent high-speed quad in 2008. But you can’t fault Brighton for staying true to its roots, keeping prices low and being the only area in Utah that lets kids 10 and under ski free.

The other ski areas managed by Boyne:

  1. Big Sky Resort, Montana
  2. Brighton, Utah
  3. Crystal Mountain, Washington
  4. The Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington
  5. Cypress Mountain, British Columbia
  6. Boyne Mountain, Michigan
  7. Loon Mountain, New Hampshire
  8. Sugarloaf, Maine
  9. Sunday River, Maine

Brighton Resort & the M.A.X. Pass

In addition to Brighton’s low lift ticket prices, season passholders have the option to add on the 2016/17 M.A.X. for $349. The pass, created to compete with the Mountain Collective, offers skiing at 39 mountains for the 16/17 season, including Brighton.

What’s on the MAX Pass List

The Max gives you five free days at the resorts below but unlike the Mountain Collective once those days are used, you can’t return for a discount.

Northeast/East

Blue Mountain, Ontario
Killington, Vermont
Loon Mountain, New Hampshire
Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Mount Sunapee, New Hampshire
Mountain Creek, New Jersey
Okemo, Vermont
Pico Mountain, Vermont
Snowshoe, West Virginia
Stoneham, Quebec
Stratton, Vermont
Sugarloaf, Maine
Sunday River, Maine
Wachusett, Massachusetts

Rockies

Big Sky, Montana
Brighton, Utah
Copper Mountain, Colorado
Crested Butte, Colorado
Eldora, Colorado
Fernie Alpine Resort, British Columbia
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, British Columbia
Kimberley Alpine Resort, British Columbia
Nakiska, Alberta
Solitude, Utah
Steamboat, Colorado
Winter Park, Colorado

Midwest

Boyne Highlands, Michigan
Boyne Mountain, Michigan
Buck Hill, Minnesota

West

Alyeska, Alaska
Boreal Mountain, California
Crystal Mountain, Washington
Cypress Mountain, British Columbia
Lee Canyon, Nevada
Mountain High, California
Mt. Bachelor, Oregon
The Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington

Stevens Pass, Washington

Powder Mountain: Largest Ski Resort in the Country

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Powder Mountain Resort is just a few weeks away from leapfrogging over Park City to become the largest ski resort in the country. When two new SkyTrac lifts, “Village Lift” and “Mary’s Lift,” turn this December, the sleepy area in Ogden, Utah, will have 8464 total skiable acres including their epic side country terrain.

Of course, with all that mountain you need a village to support the “Largest Ski Resort”. The area’s owners, aka Summit, have plans for a new town in the saddle that intersects the top of three bowls at 8600 feet. Already, there are 6 miles of new roads that will lead to a version of the Swiss town of Wengen where visitors are surrounded by surreal mountain, meadow and Great Salt Lake views.

roads to the largest ski resort

It’ll be like a Spiritual Alpine Disneyland with a main street of pop-up stores, micro-apartments, farm-to-table restaurants, yoga boot-camps, public art, media labs and educational outlets offering training in everything from transcendental meditation, software development and athletic performance. The environment will embody Summit’s vision of staving off overcrowding and over development while creating a hub for millennial entrepreneurship where ideas spark “positive global change”.

Largest Ski Resort With Small Numbers

As part of the mission of freedom, the owners swear they’ll cap lift ticket sales. This allows for the lowest skier density of any major resort in North America. In other words, you’ll have one skier per acre rather than the average 15-20 skiers/acre.  “We strive to maintain the uncrowded, wide open, adventurous experience Pow Mow is known for,” said Mark Schroetel, General Manager of Powder Mountain Resort. “By…capping ticket sales at 2,000 per day and establishing a limit of 1,000 adult season pass holders annually, we aim to keep our skier density of 1 acre per skier.”

Powder Mountain’s New Lift Locations

The new lifts in Lefty’s Canyon and Mary’s Bowl will access terrain previously accessible only by all-day guided cat skiing adventures. The resort has always been a funky place with little grooming; a throwback to the days when skiing and skiers were rugged and real. There is now efficient grooming for novices and intermediates in strategic spots but it’s still a place wild with powder stashes and side country adventure. The Lightning Ridge, Rain Tree and the newly added Lefty’s snow cats will still escort you to out of bounds style action and you can even opt for a full day snowcat expedition to Davenport, an area known for steep canyon descents and deep, untracked powder.

Powder Season Passholders Get Copper Mountain Privileges

Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort and Powder Mountain have partnered for 2016/17 to give season passholders three free days at each area.

Copper Mountain offers 2,490 acres of terrain and averages 304 inches of snowfall during the winter season, and is also known for their award-winning terrain parks while Powder is at 8,464 total skiable acres.

“We are thrilled to welcome Powder Mountain to the Copper Season Pass,” said Jesse True, Senior Vice President at Copper Mountain Resort.

Put Powder on your 2017 Do-To List!

 

Winter Traction with Vibram’s Arctic Grip Soles

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I knew a man who slipped shoveling his driveway and died. It really sucked. Just walking on a sidewalk he’s walked for decades. We never think a slip and fall is going to lead to anything more than a bruised ego. But it can. Winter traction matters.

Vibram’s Partner in Winter Traction

Outdoor out sole manufacturer Vibram has partnered exclusively with Wolverine Worldwide to ensure winter traction in their footwear brands this season kick butt on ice so it doesn’t kick yours. Their Arctic Grip product is taking the winter ice to task.

 

If you don’t want to slip in the winter you put chains on your tires and serious lugs on your feet. But up until this season those “lugs” still needed added protection for even everyday walking. Kahtoola Microspikes, Stabilcers, Icebugs, YakTrax. There are all sorts of over-sole devices on the market for winter traction. Vibram’s Arctic Grip technology, however, stands alone.

Several styles from Merrell, Sperry, Saucony, Hush Puppies, CAT, and Wolverine feature this advanced cold-weather gripping system. Vibram has been working on the technology for more than two years and was quite hush about its properties at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show this year. All they would hint at was that it was a rubber compound with an advanced filler system. Vibram claims they have up to “three times better” winter traction than any other Vibram sole for over 200 miles of use. Your shoes will even warn you if the roads are slick that day because the thermochromatic lugs change color when temps dips below 32 degrees.

Naming The Models For Winter Traction

The shoes from Wolverine Worldwide sporting the new outsole for winter traction include – Merrell Moab FST, Capra Collection and the Aurora 6  CAT Footwear Stiction HI WP Ice+,  Hush Puppies Parkview Ice+, Sperry Cold Bay Ice+, Saucony Razor Ice+, Wolverine Crossbuck FX Ice+.

MerrellHush Puppies Winter Traction

Merrell Winter traction

Park City Ski Swap is Ski Goods Central

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Park City Ski Swap

I’m on a mission. Baby needs new skis. The real kid, Sage, picked up an awesome pair of K2s from Ski n’ See at the end of last season but her momma is a different story. As an instructor, I’m forced to replace my skis every couple of years to stay current; and I must have at least two pairs to cover variable conditions. That can add up to a small fortune over the years when you consider new skis cost between $600-1200 depending on the model. It pays to comb early season deals during blowouts like the Park City Ski Swap.

The most convenient and cheapest solution is a season-long rental offered through several retailers in Park City and the Salt Lake Valley. These programs ask for one nominal annual fee ($80-130) for a skis, boots and poles package. Some places even throw in waxes and tunes. This is great if you’re not concerned about skiing high-performance sticks or you need to outfit three growing kids. Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me. I’ll admit that industry pros have access to wholesale prices on gear but even that gets crazy expensive.

Here’s what pros do when they don’t/can’t pay retail or pro-pricing:

How to Swap For Ski Gear

Your hunt for ski gear starts at the end of the season. Retail ski shops everywhere have blowout sales to clear their floor and make room for next season’s goods. The choice gear is gone in a flash if you wait too long, so your next step is to scour eBay and Craigslist. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for by October you need to position yourself near a ski hub like Salt Lake and get ready for a smorgasbord of deals.

The Black Diamond Parking Lot Swap October 22, 2016, didn’t disappoint. The event is held annually in the climbing company’s parking lot. The place is filled with mountaineering bargains and big mountain gear that sponsored athletes are trying to unload. The asphalt is wall-to-wall cars, people and ‘stuff’. But alas there were no skis my needed length (170-175cm). My friend Nancy, however, picked up a pair of climbing shoes for $10.

black diamond ski swap

The Snowbasin Ski Swap is up next; October 27-29 in the Legacy Events Center in Farmington.

Park City Swap Mack Daddy of Gear

Rowmark Academy stopped having their popular swap a few years back so that basically leaves the mack daddy of all swaps to root for in November – Park City Ski Team’s Annual Ski and Snowboard Swap, Nov 4-6, 2016. It’s been going on for 44 years. Park City’s plethora of ski retail and rental shops all dump what’s left of last year’s wares. The Ski Team also has a rule that all equipment sold will be less than 5 years old. Of course, this will be the place for skis!

The best-priced gear is scooped up on Friday night so get to the Basin Rec Center in Kimball Junction early, dine with the family at Red Rock or Maxwell’s, have a few cocktails to take the night chill off while you wait for the doors to open. The Park City Ski Swap is Black Friday for skiers. People from all over the state stand in line for over an hour just to be trampled by the masses when the doors of the Center fly open.

Park City Ski Swap beta to ease your purchasing panic:

1) Make a list of all the items you would like to find, including the sizes- no time to waste calling home to see if something is going to fit.

2) Set a budget. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the deals but if you drop $2k in a night on two items or 10 it’s still $2k.
3) Get there early. If you miss Friday’s opening make sure you’re ready to go when the doors open Saturday morning.
4) If you really want a deal, volunteer so you get to see everything that comes in and will have first shot at it.
5) Bring a bag and cash. Get in, get out. The madness is dizzying.
6) Wear comfortable shoes and pee before you go.
7) Bring hand sanitizer for after. You’re touching a lot of items other people have also fondled.
8) Unlike regular swap meets, there’s no haggling here. The only drop in price will happen on the last day if things haven’t sold.

Saturday’s patronage is a ton more mellow and the price to enter a bit more reasonable ($10 vs. $5). By Sunday, the good stuff has been picked off and what’s left is marked down. BTW, 30 percent of sales go to the Park City Ski Team so your check can essentially act as a donation.
Most skis sell for around $100; nice winter clothing about $50. Not bad when you consider that brand new these items are eight times that! All of the goods that remain unsold wind up on Craigslist or eBay.

Miss The Park City Ski Swap?

You have two more shots at a great deal- St. Lawrence Thrift Store Ski Swap, November 11-12, and ACE (Alta Community Enrichment) Gear Swap, Dec. 2-3, at Our Lady of the Snows Center in Alta.

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