Jaunted - park city

Park City's Upcoming St. Regis To Get Equally Swanky Funicular

juliana — 2009-07-17T12:19:19-05:00

Right now, we're a little preoccupied with our summer cocktails and our river tubing spots to begin thinking about the upcoming ski season. Yet we did come out of our summertime haze for just a moment to read this press release about the first funicular to ever open at a North American ski resort. The lucky ski resort? Deer Valley in Park City, Utah.

The funicular, which is nestled at the base of the mountain at The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort’s Snow Park Building and is adjacent to Deer Valley’s Snow Park Lodge, ascends 500 vertical feet in just 90 seconds to the primary hotel building.

The funicular cars will have panoramic windows that are tinted and UVA and UVB-protected. They will also be heated (with AC operating in the summer) with leather seats and a separate area for luggage. Fifteen well-heeled (booted?) skiers can fit into these cars. But unlike other funiculars in the U.S., the Deer Valley cars will function independently so that "demand can be met at the base and top terminals."

The ride is free and the St. Regis is hoping you'll try the funicular on a lark and then of course, pop into their hotel to check out Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new J&G Grill, a wine bar, or the Rem�de Spa, or the ski beach overlooking Deer Hollow ski run or the outdoor terrace with its 40-foot long firewall.

A 500-ton crane is installing the funicular as we speak but the St. Regis Resort won't be open until later this year.

Related Stories:
· Park City Travel Guide [Jaunted]
· The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort [Official Site]
· Funicular [Wikipedia]

How To Get The Most Out Of 24 Hours At Sundance

shiralazar — 2009-01-21T12:07:51-05:00

By now you probably know, Jaunted did not send an embed to Sundance Film Festival this year. We decided to hit up the inauguration instead. Choices right? Anyway, that doesn't mean Sundance isn't in our travel thoughts this time of year. Thus, when Shira Lazar, one of our newest contributing editors, told us she was going to be at Sundance doing something with the Kutch, our interest was piqued. Turns out, she ended up winning the 24 hours at Sundance event. Here, she tells us how.

This was my fourth year at Sundance, so I guess you can say I'm a veteran. It was also the most unique year I've had in Park City, Utah. I was one of eight "social media mavens" chosen to compete in Ashton Kutcher's live online reality competition 24 Hours at Sundance. At 9am mountain time on January 17th, four teams went live online. We were given Nokia video phones, 20 dollars, an HP laptop and had our social networking communities in tow to help us through wacky tasks we would be doing until 9am the following day.

Those 24 hours taught me some great Sundance hustlin' skills that can also help you if you want to do the festival on a budget and/or you just want to see and be seen. Here's How To Get the Most Out of 24 Hours at Sundance.

Real World Brooklyn Kicking Off Sundance Early

pbb — 2009-01-13T15:30:48-05:00

Sundance 2009 doesn't officially start until Thursday, but at least one always-hungry-for-publicity "Real World: Brooklyn" cast member is already in festival mode.

Baya Voce, who like another cast member realized she liked DJing while filming a reality show for a cable channel that used to play music videos, will be hosting the fun tonight at The Star Bar in Park City. As it turns out, the Salt Lake City native has been to Sundance before but never to its exclusive parties, she tells The Salt Lake Tribune:

I was always the person standing outside in the snow, not getting in.

God, we know the feeling! During Sundance, The Star Bar competes with Harry O's for who can bring the most celebrity wattage while simultaneously causing blackouts on Main Street thanks to excessive sound and light equipment. (Seriously.) This Thursday, Star Bar hosts the Slamdance Opening Party while Paul Oakenfold and Mark Lewis will drop in on January 20. Harry O's meanwhile brings T.I. to town on Saturday. But who booked Chet Cannon?

Related Stories:
· The Star Bar [MySpace]
· Harry O's [MySpace]
· Cast Member Getting Real in Park City [SLT]
· Six Tips for Surviving Sundance 2009 [Jaunted]

Six Tips For Surviving Sundance 2009

pbb — 2009-01-09T13:31:54-05:00

Once was enough. We're skipping Sundance this year, but for those of you first timers hoping to enjoy the Park City insanity, here are six ways to make your film fest fun.

Don't Drive: We know: It seems impossible to give up your wheels, particularly if you're coming from LA. But trust us, they don't say Sundance traffic's a bitch for nothing. The streets are backed up from dawn until well after sundown, and you're not going to find a parking spot anyway. Just take the bus.

The Five Must-See Films In Park City This January

pbb — 2008-12-04T10:15:25-05:00

Take it from Sundance veterans like us: No matter how good your intentions, you won't be able to catch that many flicks at the Park City festival. Between traffic, parties, "gifting lounges," ticket lines, velvet ropes, celeb spotting and art gawking, you'll just run out of time.

Don't beat yourself up: No one else is going to see movies either. But if you do want to catch a film at the, uh, film festival, we'd suggest these five off the recently released line up:

Ski Resorts in Summer: Training to Be a Bobsled Hero

DanielR — 2008-05-23T13:00:01-05:00

We've always been curious about bobsledding and the Olympians who make up the US team. The entire sport seems to be shrouded in mystery: Who are these people that become Olympic-level bobsledders? Seems like a serious boarding school sport, up there with fencing, badminton and sneering.

For us non-blue bloods, the Park City Mountain Resort offers a moderately daring and inexpensive alternative with the summertime Alpine Slide. For $11, you can select one of four different courses to race down on your own sled. Unlike bobsledding no helmets are required and if it gets too scary, you can pull the brake.

The 3,000 foot course down the banked concrete track is not exactly like racing 90 degrees up an ice wall at 60 mph, but for a casual summer afternoon, it does the trick. As long as you're over four feet tall, you can be the captain of your alpine slide ship.

We recommend arranging a four-person race with your friends, adding a fifth to stand on the side mid-course somewhere and wildly ring a cowbell for that Olympic rush. After about 27 of those 3.2 Utah beers, you'll be raising the stars and stripes and belting out the national anthem in no time.

Related Stories:
· PCMR Alpine Slide [Official Site]
· Jaunted at Sundance: Riding at Park City Mountain Resort [Jaunted]
· Park City Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: PCMR]

Active Travel: Ski Jumping In Park City

Christine Mattheis — 2008-02-26T14:39:28-05:00

The International Olympic Committee claims women's ski jumping doesn't merit admission into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver because the sport wouldn't be competitive enough. That has former Salt Lake City mayor Deedee Corradini protesting the decision, along with her Women's Ski Jumping USA Foundation.

Maybe if more ladies strapped on skis and started jumping, they'd join the cause. The facilities used for the 2002 Olympics are open to the public year-round, and a few local clubs offer lessons and camps to learn the sport.

An all-day personal lesson from Axis Freeride costs $500. Yeah, it sounds steep, but if you want to learn how to rocket down a big icy ramp and fling yourself through the air, you can't skimp. (A half-day intro class will run you $85, but you'll need to bring your own gear.)

By the end of the day, you'll be flying 30 feet off the K10 jump--and if you're especially talented, your instructor might let you try the K20 or K40, which send you soaring up to 100 feet. In addition to ski jumping, you can also learn bobsled, skeleton and luge. Try 'em all before deciding what kind Olympics protest to join.

Related Stories:
· Former Salt Lake City Mayor Leads Ski Jump Protest [24 Hours]
· Axis Freeride [Official Site]
· Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]