Park City Vacation Blog

Archive for February, 2012

What makes a classic ski town? According to the editors at National Geographic, it starts with skiing and snowboarding so good they attract people like youth-bestowing fountains. Then add an inviting mountain burg steeped in ski heritage, amenities and culture.

Those editors recently selected the world’s 25 best ski towns - a list that included Park City, Utah.

Home to the United States’ National Ski Team, Park City was cited for its three outstanding ski resorts andUtah’s feathery, desert-dry powder snow. One of the premiere ski towns in America, the 19^th century mining town has since established itself as a tourism boomtown, with a historic Main Street and a lineup of high-end restaurants, boutiques and art galleries. National Geographic also listed Park City for its vibrant and sophisticated bar scene and the annual Sundance Film Festival.

Just 45 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport, Park City also offers convenient and free bus service from the airport to the ski slopes.

The Park City listing offered this to say about the area’s three major ski destinations, each of which features more than 100 runs, ample high-speed lifts and nearly 3,000 feet of base-to-summit vertical skiing:

Park City Mountain Resort is the “right there” option, with access from town, four terrain parks for snowboarders and freestylers, night skiing, a cutting-edge ski school, and remarkably well-rounded terrain, from gentle beginner runs to powder-filled bowls.

Deer Valley, only one mile away, is unapologetically up-market. Its skier numbers are capped, grooming is scrupulous, on-mountain restaurants are gourmet, and snowboards are not allowed.

The Canyons, four miles from town, is the ever-expanding upstart that has quickly grown to become the largest ski area in Utah.

In addition to Park City, other Top 25 ski towns worldwide included Girdwood, Alaska; Fernie, British Columbia; Zermatt, Switzerland; Chamonix, France; Crested Butte, Colorado; Aspen, Colorado; Niseko, Japan; Kitzbuhel, Austria; Bend, Oregon; Mont Tremblant, Quebec; Taos, New Mexico; Truckee, California; Whistler, British Columbia; North Conway, New Hampshire; Banff, Canada; Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Telluride, Colorado; Jackson, Wyoming; Wanaka, New Zealand; Stowe, Vermont; Ketchum, Idaho; Whitefish, Montana; Bozeman, Montana; Cortina, Italy.

For information on discount accommodations in Park City, including Westgate Park City Resort & Spa, visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/. Westgate Park City Resort & Spa was recently named for having the Best Timeshare Unit in North America by Perspective Magazine.