Category Archives: Events

X-DANCE Says NoDance to SUNDANCE

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It’s a well-known tactic to create a festival to piggyback the marketing machine that is the Sundance Film Festival. Over the years there’s been Slamdance, Tromadance, Slamdunk, and X-Dance. For the first time ever the GoPro X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival will fly solo. Get ready and get your tickets for the (pretty much) only action sports fest in the world, January 12-15, 2012. “X-Dance has reached the point where we can stand alone and not run during Sundance,” said X-Dance’s Ann Wycoff. “We wanted to have the festival over the long weekend as the timing was better to celebrate these terrific films.”

Filmmakers and athletes from around the globe will arrive at the Depot in downtown Salt Lake City (13 North 400 West; 801-456-2800 www.depotslc.com) to showcase and celebrate the best of the best in sports like skiing, surfing, mountain biking and more.
 “It truly is the best of action sports. Nowhere else will you find all of the top athletes and filmmakers under one roof,” says surfing legend Laird Hamilton, a long-time X-Dance supporter.


This year’s line-up features athletic talent like speed demon snowboarder Shaun Palmer, extreme skier Seth Morrison, aloha surfer Jamie O’Brien, snowboard medalist Scotty Lago, and downhill mountain biking madmen Gee Atherton and Sam Hill. Curt Morgan, the director/producer of That’s It, That’s All, has a new epic film this year called The Art of FLIGHT that follows snowboarder Travis Rice around the globe as he conquers new terrain. The film’s cinematography is said to be mesmerizing, shot with a Phantom and a Cineflex, the same cameras used to shoot the Super Bowl and “Planet Earth.” Top wakeboarder Danny Harf will also attend the festival to present his film, Defy. Legendary filmmaker Jack McCoy will be busy getting the Lifetime Achievement Award at X-Dance 2012 and the same time premiering his film A Deeper Shade of Blue, which explores the roots and soul of surfing from the perspective of this legendary action sports filmmaker. He’s also produced a music video called Blue Sway with Paul McCartney that will be screened as well.


Tara Dakides at X-Dance. Photo courtesy of X-Dance

The top 30 accepted films from the hundreds of submissions will be screened for the public starting Thursday, January 12. The producers, directors and many of the athletes will be on hand for Q&A sessions after the film screenings. Park at the Gateway Mall, in the lots nearby, or on the street. Tickets are available through SMITH TIX and The Depot Box Office for
$8 per film, $5 for students, $15 for a day pass, $30 for a 3-day pass, $25 for students. For a detailed list of films and events go to www.x-dance.com. They are constantly updating the site as plans evolve so please be patient.

Don’t Forget the Parties

The Opening Party on Thursday, January 12 features live entertainment and is (unlike those for Sundance) open to everyone. Tickets are also available at The Depot Box Office. Same goes for the X-Dance Awards Ceremony and Closing Party on Sunday, January 15 at 7 p.m.
Industry stars and celebrities join bands and DJs while the extraordinary VJ transforms the enormous room into a mesmerizing, wall-to-wall montage of action sports imagery. And finally make sure you stop by Swag Town at a special area at The Depot for action sports swag, the latest products and sampling from X-Dance’s favorite action sports brands.


Trailers for “Must See” X-Dance Films:

The Art of Flight: Brainfarm Prods.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh29_SERH0Y

All. I. Can. : Sherpas Prods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQD5gEr76y4

Solitare: Sweetgrass Prods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKUhGwGM3fA

Drop, My Life Downhill: Orangefist Prods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0gbjy7CvoA

Frontier, River Roots Prods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVT6QsRDt_M

3 Minute Gaps: Clay Porter Director: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMUfvNqKQdw

Boardroom, Markus Davids Dir.: http://vimeo.com/7643212

Walls of Perception, Poor Boyz Prods. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvXt7YSDkT8

Ho Ho Holiday Happenings in Park City

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All sorts of fun hits the Historic Park City District this month. Most of the events are free to the public and open to all ages so bundle up and get your butts out. My favorite decision of all year is FREE PARKING on Main Street. Now why we don’t have this all year round is beyond me but take advantage of the ‘deal’ through December 16.

Dec. 3-4 The festivities kick off with The Silly Holiday Bazaar, Park City High School. One hundred unique vendors selling jewelry, clothing, accessories, gourmet foods, and more.Take photos with Silly Santa, holiday kids’ activities, live acoustic holiday music.

Dec.4 Also, this weekend The Nutcracker Tea Party, at the Hearth Club at Promontory. Tea treats and a holiday ornament are included.

Dec. 10 The following weekend support the Kimball Art Center (and party down) at one of the new hippest holiday bashes in Park City. The 2nd Annual Charity Lift will be in the Grand Summit Ballroom. Tickets are $60. The food and drink last year was worth the price of admission. And you get to see some kick-ass ‘extreme’ art auctions to boot.

 

December 15-23 Jesus Christ Superstar plays at the Egyptian Theatre. The super hip play is
loosely based on the last week of Jesus’ life. The rock opera is written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice. Ted Neeley returns to the role he made famous in the 1973 major motion picture. 

 

December 17 Santa lands at the Town Lift Plaza …after he skis free at Canyons

 

December 21 is the 2nd annual Winter Solstice Electric Light Parade

Dec. 23 & 25 Santa skis Canyons. He hits
Deer Valley Dec. 24., and then joins PCMR’s ski instructors for their torchlight parade & Christmas Eve celebration Dec. 24.

December 24-25 My favorite “soundtrack” musician performs his annual concert at the Egyptian Theater: Kurt Bestor – One Silent Night. I’ll be volunteering for that one, so come say hi!

December 30 The final PC Gallery Stroll of the year, 6-9pm


 

Cow Ballet MOOVES Park City Locals

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Overheard at the Cow Ballet in Peoa, Utah, this afternoon: “You just can’t describe this thing; you gotta be here to see it.”

We considered skipping the 13th annual event when the torrent of rain washed over Park City this afternoon. But way off in the distance- in the direction of the ranch where cows would be dazzled with tutus and children’s faces painted like mystical creatures, the weather looked clear. I doubt a little sprinkle would keep the cows away anyway so we piled into the car and headed out towards Browns Canyon to support Mountain Town Stages. The non-profit is responsible for all the live free music you hear around Summit County. Those concerts at Canyons, Newpark, Quarry Village, the Silly Market, and more. We don’t want them to disappear so we rally to help them raise money.

The Cow Ballet is one of those few fundraisers where any age kid can get down and dirty. I mean where else are you hucking your meat over a hulking pile of cow manure? The irony is that the beer drinking race came after the jump.

The tickets were a fairly priced $12 with kids under 10 free. Now why can’t more benefits be this reasonable? The upcoming Utah Avalanche Fundraising Party is $35 and you get to stand around a parking lot for four hours drinking beer with your backcountry buds. Of course, it’s all in the name of a cause that could very well save your life and the lives of those friends. I suppose the price is in the realm of value when you consider that we also spent $4/beer and $7 for a cheeseburger at the Cow Ballet. And then there are the benefits that keep out the riffraff. I volunteered at the Friends of the Animal’s Barking Ball the night before and tickets were $100 a pop! Granted, you got hors d’ oeuvres and wine included and an excuse to dress up but the Cow Ballet offered something those fancy bashes don’t- a benefit to share with the whole family. Plus, you have a lot more money in your pocket to spend on the silent auction.

So what exactly is the cow ballet? A bunch of big kids dressed in cow costumes, dancing to songs about cows and making their friends and families laugh out loud.

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Locals’ Days Coming To PC Main Street

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by altopower

 

It’s still not free parking 24/7 but downtown Main Street is trying- just a little- to lure us locals to Main Street this fall. You can already use those 2-for-1 coupons in the Park Record and Restaurant.com for dining deals around town. Now, they’ve added this “Shown’ the Love” program Thursdays from 5-8 p.m. through October 20. First off, we get free parking all day. Then there are discounts up to 25 percent at retailers and 50 percent at restaurants. You don’t have to ‘prove’ you’re local, just mention the offer to see if you get a deal. You know, say something like, “Can I get a locals’ discount?” It works for me at Park City Bread and Bagel, and the owner of Wasatch Bagel LOVES locals. If you ask me, the best thing Historic Park City can do to get us into town and away from all the fun stuff at Kimball Junction is to crush those f*&king meters into dust. If they’re worried about squatters, enforce the same two hour limit that’s on Park Avenue near the Art Center.

Oh, and please coordinate the lights on HWY224 so it doesn’t feel like we’re navigating the 405. Thank you.

To see specific deals at participating businesses, head over to www.historicparkcityutah.com.

Outdoor Retailer Show Opens with the Open Air Demo

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My feet cried uncle, the backs of my legs are fried and my eyes are can barely focus. Yep. The Outdoor Retailer Show 2011 is on. The morning at Jordanelle Reservoir started off sunny both in weather and dispositions. Despite the clouds that bubbled in the distance the vendors at this year’s show couldn’t be more excited to meet and great retail store buyers and media.

Nearly 200 companies set up tents around the Hailstone section of the Park with the boating and stand up padding guys rimming the shoreline. Before we even hit the water Eton’s iPod speaker cases stopped me in my tracks. They’re solar powered, splash resistant and pretty decent sounding.

Next door we spotted these pretty “Sweaty Bands” – hair head bands created to stay put even during your workouts. I don’t know if it’ll hold up to one of Abi’s Sports Conditioning classes but it felt secure. The inner lining is velvet that grips your hair.

There were a few toy distributers present because of course no day on the water is complete without Frisbees, Smashballs, and ring tosses like The Original Ring Stix Game..As Seen On TV (the packaging says).

I haven’t had a chance to wear the Agion Active shirt but the built-in, “next generation odor elimination technology” sounds intriguing. Another top I can’t wait to wear is a body hugging KoreDry Bounceless Bra sport top from Victory. The girl at the booth demonstrated how a C-cup didn’t move while you wore it. Sorry, Guys. Plus, the quick dry Koredry fabric repels water but also breathes. It’s meant for water sports but I’m thinking it’s perfect for skiing.

The eco thing is alive and well it should be at OR. I got a tour through the Sustainable Living Roadshow bus with its solar top, bamboo interior and biodiesel engine. It still looked like a hippy band’s dormitory. We tossed trash into baskets and threw beanbags at targets painted with oil rigs and smoke stacks.

After a round of geocaching with Magellan’s little geocache specific, handhelds we went down to the water to talk boats. Everyone was out paddling. SUPs ruled the water with canoes a distant second. A decade ago whitewater kayaks were topdog. Now, only a handful of companies represent at OR- Prijon, Piranha, Liquid Solution, Wavesport. Paddleboards are just so simple on the water. You need a board and a paddle. You don’t even need a PFD apparently. In addition, many companies are busting out new lighter-weight designs.

My favorite sight was the “Mormon” kayak. Have another kid, add another cockpit. J

By the time on my new waterproof Flexx digital watch that looks kind of like one of those Lance Armstrong cancer wristbands, things were winding down for the day. I wish I had it on my trip to Montana. At $15 it’s exactly what you want when you’re doing class IIIs and swimming.

I headed home, changed and hit the road again for the Verde PR Media Suite at the Hotel Monaco. I’d tell you all about it but that will have to wait for tomorrow. I’m desperate for sleep and have to head to SLC at 6:30 a.m.

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