*Disclaimer: We are not counting Thursday as Day 1 of the Fest as it’s not a full day.
I started Sundance with the best of intentions. I would write once a day from the scene of the crime. By Friday (Day 1) I was right on track. I kicked off the morning with a trip to the Quaker Oats Lodge to meet Brooke Burke and get the skinny (she’s that too) on her spokesperson gig promoting healthy, quick energy options from the cereal brand. We busy ski moms are all about getting the gear packed and the kids out the door in time for 9 a.m. lessons. Who’s got time for omelets and pancakes?
The lodge did actually feel like a cafeteria in a ski resort. They even had an oatmeal station with servers making three different types of oatmeal concoctions you could try at home.
Quaker premiered an emotional short film featuring our worst enemy- time. Several guests shed a tear or two. We were asked to add to their wall on the way out. Can you guess which statement is mine? J
A large part of the Sundance Film Festival is gifting. Companies pay big bucks to station themselves in “pop-up lounges” for facetime with celebrities, media, and industry professionals like publicists and sales agents. It’s networking with swag. I love this part because being from Utah we don’t often get exposure to style and fashion unless it’s for the slopes. Boy was I surprised to see ExOfficio showcasing their Give and Go boxers at TR Suites (one of the hottest popups of the Fest). If my boyfriend could replace his entire collection with these babies, he would. We just learned he can wear them into the shower, rinse and wring and be good to go with them that same day.
And who doesn’t need a Bluetooth speaker?
Caterpillar– yes, the heavy equipment manufacturer- is making heavy duty boots that are ideal for stomping around Park City whether you are a celeb or a ski bum.
Also at the Talent Resources spot in the Blue Iguana was Gardein. The meat-free ‘chicken’ strips are tasty. Not a huge fan of their other stuff but you might be. More quick, on-the-go foods for busy skiers and families!
On my way back down Main Street I had a close encounter with Paul Reiser. I even stopped him to get a picture with him only to find out that in the rush I forgot to turn my camera on! Ugh.
Speaking of celebs, can someone please tell me the name of this actor? He was in the short-lived HBO show with Nick Nolte called Lucky but he’s also been in a zillion other projects. You know you’re a great actor when people recognize your face but not your name. It means you become the character- not an actor playing a character.
Well, at this point, so far so good. But notice that today is now Tuesday not Friday. More on that in the next post!
Is it bad that I’m not missing skiing right now? After my EPIC and I mean EPIC day of pow at Alta on Monday I put away the skis and got ready for Sundance. It’s like the circus came to town and with zero fresh and 50 degree weather, skiers and non-skiers alike have a decent excuse to take in the sights and sounds of a newly ‘converted’ Park City Main Street. More than two decades ago, Sundance organizers and Park City collaborated to move the Sundance Film Festival to the historic resort as a way to bring business to town during a traditionally slow time of year. Then came the World Cup Freestyle at Deer Valley Resort and MLK weekend and now January is insane in this tiny town. Driving’s a hassle, parking non-existent unless you like extortion with your entry pass, the restaurants are booked and your favorite dining galleries are “lounges” and “suites”. Yet, still, there’s plenty of room to ski. But I can do that any old day.
Park City businesses must feel the same. Many on Main Street pack up their stock, their paintings, their dishes and get out of town for the first four days of the Fest; choosing to take a huge chunk of cash to walk away and let sponsors like Chase Sapphire and YouTube take over their spaces. For most, those rentals amount to a couple of months’ rent in just four days.
J Go Gallery rents to Variety Magazine for a celebrity interview lounge the first five days of the festival. (eg. Good Stargazing Spot). “The first weekend is mostly people in the film industry seeing movies, networking and having coffee. They are not spending a lot of time shopping,” the Gallery owners told the Salt Lake Tribune. “The second weekend is more of our clients — film lovers and skiers — who spend more time shopping.” They tried not renting last year and lost money so they’re back in the game this year.
YouTube takes up residence at Root’D (596 Main St.) where the public can grab coffee, listen to live music and view film panels. They will host private parties in the evenings.
I can’t wait to swing by Udi’s this year. Last year, they treated invited guests to an amazingly tasty breakfast, lunch and dinner menu t their showcase their gluten-free products. The pop-up café takes over 501 Restaurant.
My little one love swinging into the Festival Co-op where L’Oreal does face and hair makeovers. She walked with lipstick and shampoo. The space is open to the public 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. daily at 608 Main St.
You can’t miss the giant white ‘cabin’ at the corner of lower Main. And just in case, there’s a huge HP plastered on the sign. The Sundance House presented by HP showcases interactive experiences that will allow you to explore the ways in which technology works with film. You can also get out of the cold- if it ever gets cold this week!- for free Wi-Fi, laptops, and printers use. The HP Live Lounge is the heated tent you see on the corner. It’s earblowingly loud in there when various local artists play so bring your earplugs. Open daily from 9:30 a.m.
If you like cars, the Acura Lounge is right across the street for chances to win a ride-around, gourmet movie snacks and music.
One of the hardest public spots to get into is the Sundance Channel HQ at the top of Main. Well, it’s not really public per se. It’s open to credential holders or you can go online and rsvp for a day pass. The line swings up the street and you basically count on standing there until the event ends and you’re turned away. The invite tickets go before they’re even posted. The café hosts panel discussions and private events at night but the best event is CATDANCE sponsored by Fresh Step kitty litter. The party is also an awards show for cat-related short films.
Not sure you really understand the “industry?” YouTube on Main (596) hosts screening, panels, happy hours and parties – most of which are open to anyone. Daily 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Click here to see a complete schedule of events and programming.
Ever use Airbnb to book your Park City lodging? Now’s your chance to learn about the service. The Airbnb Haus is a nice place to chill and discover rentals from treehouses to castles. Open daily at the bottom of Main in the old Blue Iguana space.
Next stop is the Canon Lounge (aka Rock and Relly’s Pub) next to Park City Live (which itself is the Park City Live Lounge). But at Canon they’ll host panel discussions, screenings and parties for filmmakers to spotlight the Canon Cinema EOS line of professional digital cameras and lenses. My Canon Rebel T4i may not qualify but I’m an actor. I can fake it.
The Utah Film Commission is hosting The Hub. For sure drop in and see what’s cooking in our fair state with regards to film production. The spot at 751 Main will have hot drinks, snacks and hands to shake. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
One of the busiest addresses last year was the MorningStar Farms Veggie Burger Bar. Who can resist free food even when it’s veggie burgers? To be fair, they have veggie sliders, veggie chili and chik’n buffalo wings and vegan options as well. Located in the Eating Establishment (317 Main), the Bar is open to the public through Tuesday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
The SkyLodge becomes the ZenDen for exclusive morning yoga workouts (7 a.m! Ouch.) bodywork appointments and private parties co-sponsored by the Awareness Festival and Lulelemon. It’s an eco-friendly retreat for VIPs from the usual crazy scene at Sundance.
Another retreat for VIPs, the EcoHideaway, is the not so much of a gifting place as it is a spot to take in live music. This year’s lounge is back on Main after relocating to Stein Eriksen Lodge for a few years. Expect over 40 musical performances over the three days they’re there. Park City’s Whole Foods gets involved. Last year, I collected some sweet lotions and eye cream. The Spa at Stein Eriksen Lodge will do mini-facials, Utah’s Minky Couture will gift their adorable, uber-soft blankets and scarves; looks like they’re doing OC Hair and Makeup too. Other sponsors touted are LAMO Footwear, Fur Frenzy, OC HAIR and MAKEUP, Bula (yay for a ski connection!), and Under Canvas Glamping Trips to Yellowstone, Moab Desert, and Montana).
It looks like snowboarders have finally decided they can’t take it anymore. Citing protection under the 14th Amendment, four boarders and a Utah nonprofit corporation calling itself Wasatch Equality Utah claim Alta has no right to ban them. They’re suing the only skiers-only area in the country that operates on federal land.
There have always been murmurs that Alta might allow snowboarding but still the Little Cottonwood Canyon resort holds fast to the ban. Any Alta local will tell you this is not only a frivolous suit but an insane one. More than half of the mountain involves significant traversing (when you glide and push along a narrow, flat path to get from A to B).
“Just because they lease the land doesn’t mean that they can go out and discriminate and say who can come here and say who can’t come here,” said Jonathan Schofield, an attorney at Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless in Salt Lake City, on Fox13.
The argument is more than a bit flawed considering snowboarding isn’t a protected class like race, gender or religion. Makes for a weak case. Alta only needs to show they have a ‘rational basis’ for the ban; something easy for the resort and the Forest Service to prove.
Let’s look at some reasons –
Alta’s layout sucks for boarding. The multi-mile traverses are impossible on a board; there are flats and uphills everywhere (imagine trying to get from Sugarloaf to Supreme without skis).
Alta’s Winter Site Operation Plan approved by the Forest Service gives Alta the right to “exclude any type of skiing device that they deem creates an unnecessary risk to other skiers and/or the user of the device, or any device they deem causes undue damages to the quality of the snow, or is not consistent with the business management decisions.”
Alta has its history to preserve. If any place holds the sole of skiing it’s Alta SKI Area.
The U.S. Forest Service grants Alta a special use permit and plaintiffs Drew Hicken, Skullcandy’s Rick Alden, pro snowboarder Bjorn Leines, and Richard Varg claim the resort‘s permit states that the public lands ‘shall remain open to the public for all lawful purpose.’ Apparently, it’s not open to them. The boarding trio allegedly had bought Alta tickets on Sunday but the lifties denied them access to the Collins lift. Alden was able to sneak past because of his splitboard. Two patrollers, however, confronted him when he got to the top and he was allowed to ride down-once- to get off the mountain safely.
The lawsuit showed up on Wednesday. Alta has not had a chance to review it so they have declined to comment right now.
Sundance Credential approved! But just as important as checking out the independent films in Park City, Utah, this week is checking out the independent filmmakers themselves. The buzz on the street is this year’s Sundance Film Festival is going to blow up. Which means you should expect to see hundreds of indie darling celebs- actors, musicians, producers and directors. You’ll catch them at the movie premiere QnA’s but it’s way cooler to run into them on the street –literally.
I’m not really a ‘star’ gazer but when a friend of mine told me I needed to get photos of them at Sundance, I accepted the challenge. “You can’t just take a picture,” Scott followed up. “I don’t want to see that. I can see those anywhere. I want to see YOU with them.” Game on.
Last year, a very hammered Eric Roberts swayed outside Flight Boutique, corralling passersby for photos like Cinderella at Disneyland. That one was easy pickings.
So buckle up and grab your camera because Park City is going over to the dark side starting Thursday and you won’t want to miss a moment. Here are just some of the faces to play Where’s Waldo with:
(P.S. If you don’t recognize a name go to IMDB for stats and photos
I finally made it home. We can thank Candy Crush for maintaining my sanity in the post-event gridlock leaving (or attempting to leave) Deer Valley tonight following the Superfinal Moguls event of the Visa Freestyle World Cup. Forty-five minutes. That’s how long it took me to get from Snow Park Lodge to the turnabout near Main Street in Park City; about a mile.
Sage and I raced up to the mountain at 6:30 p.m. for the historic event. After all, this would be the last chance essentially for US Ski Team athletes to qualify for the Sochi Olympics. The World Cup happens every January at DV but you have to wait four years for the momentum to build to this level.
Nearly 8500 fans hiked up to the base of the Champion run to watch America’s Hannah Kearney podium with one of her best runs of the World Cup circuit. The 27-year-old Vermonter took her second World Cup gold of the weekend tonight- her 39th career World Cup win. Canadian Olympic gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau also grabbed a World Cup gold in the men’s round. Both hope to win back-to-back golds at the Sochi Games. “There’s a chance that this is a larger crowd than we will have at the Olympics,” Kearney told the Desert News. “And there is certainly more people cheering for me than there are going to be at the Olympics, so I used it, and I tried to put on a show.”
Kearney added she loves DV’s course with its long center section of tight moguls. She blazed it to pull in her sixth-straight win here. Yulia Galysheva (Kazakhstan) was second, while Canada’s Maxime DuFour-Lapointe took bronze.
The warm temperatures aided the celebration but it wasn’t too warm to rain. Whew. The hail-like beads drifted down gently at first but soon cascaded into the crowd. We cheered- for the fresh turns we’d have for tomorrow and for the teammates who pushed it harder on their home turf. Soon it was over, a brief fireworks show capped the night and we faced the red snake home.
Funny, we could have watched the whole thing on TV tomorrow (Sunday) and saved ourselves the headache. But there’s something about being in the heart of the action, surrounded by fellow ski fans; and watching your kid hoot and holler and say I’m going to ski like that one day that makes it all worth it.
