Utah resort upgrades/changes for the coming season

[Red Baron]

(just sharing an email from the PR folks!)

New and Improved for 2004-05
Infrastructure and Program Upgrades at Your Favorite Utah Resort

ALTA SKI AREA: When skiers arrive at Alta this winter, it will be hard
to not notice their new lift. For years Alta has wanted a bottom-to-top
lift, and now, with Forest Service approvals, it has become a reality.
The new Collins Lift is a 6,300-foot long detachable quad replacing the
old Collins and Germania lifts. Skiers will ride one lift to the top in
under nine minutes, accessing over 1800 vertical feet of skiing.

In addition to Alta's 2200 acres of Mother Nature's greatest terrain
park, Alta opened its first Terrain Park last spring. The Park is
located just off the top of the Sunnyside lift and offers small and
medium jumps, a luge, a box and four rails.

BEAVER MOUNTAIN: Northern Utah's favorite ski resort boasts a completely
remodeled ski shop for 2004-05. And look for more elbow room off of
Beaver's triple chair where an extensive widening project has improved
the existing runs.

BRIAN HEAD RESORT: Brian Head has expanded its freestyle offering for
the 2004-05-winter season. Three large terrain parks, designated
beginner, intermediate, and advanced will feature over 25 jumps, rails,
and fun boxes. Riders will also have a 364-foot long, 12-foot high
halfpipe available, as well as tools and benches at the top of lifts,
and other assorted elements and freestyle terrain around the mountain.

The Resort is offering $10 "Get Better" lessons for riders who have
skied or snowboarded at least once. Guests who rent a full-day snowboard
or ski package from the Resort can purchase a 2-hour lesson for only $10
when paying for a full-day lift ticket. The $10 lesson program is
offered daily, with start times based on demand. Other "Get Better"
lesson packages are also available for guests who already have their own
equipment.

The Lift House Restaurant will provide a new weekend and holiday
on-mountain dining experience in Brian Head. Located in the Navajo
Lodge, it features a varied menu including steaks, seafood, salads,
sandwiches, and a children's menu. The Lift House Restaurant will be
open from 12 to 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and during holiday
periods, and will offer a full selection of adult beverages.

BRIGHTON RESORT: Brighton replaced their classic 1955 Majestic
double-chair lift with a Doppelmayr CTEC fixed-grip quad. This change
will offer skiers and riders a quicker, more comfortable ride to the
heart of the resort and one of Utah's most popular terrain parks. The
new lift is named after its predecessor and has been dubbed the
"Majestic Quad." Installed in 1955, Majestic was the first double-chair
lift in the intermountain region. The classic lift has been relocated
this summer to Big Sky Resort, Montana.

THE CANYONS RESORT: Buy two or more days of skiing or riding at The
Canyons Resort, and you'll get an additional day on the slopes for free.
The Canyons Resort is offering a free day of skiing and riding to guests
who purchase two or more day tickets to The Canyons. In order to redeem
this offer, guests must log onto www.thecanyons.com/freedaydeal to
pre-register. After registration, participants will access an online
certificate. By presenting the certificate at the ticket window, guests
can redeem an additional day of skiing with the purchase of a multi-day
ticket.

Also new this year - be the first on the slopes of The Canyons on
Wednesdays and Saturdays with a resort "insider." First Tracks at The
Canyons makes its debut during the 2004-05 Season. For $30 plus a lift
ticket, guests will have the pleasure of being the first on the lifts,
and the first to make tracks at Utah's largest resort. When you're done
exploring, breakfast at Red Pine Lodge will be waiting (and is included
with your First Tracks ticket). Reservations are required. Call (435)
615-8042 for meeting times, reservations and details.

DEER VALLEY RESORT: Deer Valley has invested $8 million in improvements
for the 2004-05 season. Two new chairlifts, the Judge Lift and the
Silver Strike Express, have been installed in the Flagstaff area of the
Resort. The Judge lift is a fixed-grip triple chair which runs parallel
to the existing Viking chairlift on the south side of Trainer ski run.
Its base is near the Quincy chairlift base with the top just below the
merging area between Homeward Bound and Birdseye ski runs. The Silver
Strike Express lift is a detachable quad chair running between the Red
Cloud and the Northside lifts, ending at the top of Flagstaff Mountain.
The Resort's Flagstaff area is also home to two new intermediate ski
runs. The runs are accessible from the new Silver Strike Express,
Quincy Express, Red Cloud and Northside Express lifts. Additional glade
skiing has been added in both the Empire Canyon and Flagstaff areas of
the Resort. Due to great popularity during its inaugural season last
winter, Deer Valley will offer its Fireside Dining at Empire Lodge two
nights a week during ski season, on both Wednesday and Thursday
evenings. The dinner features three courses served from Empire Lodge's
grand fireplaces.

PARK CITY MOUNTAIN RESORT: Park City Mountain Resort, ranked a top ten
resort by Ski magazine the last 17 years, has replaced its beginner lift
with a new high-speed, four passenger detachable lift. The new lift will
give beginner snowboarders and skiers a better learning environment and
more efficiently move riders and skiers out of the lower base area of
the Resort.

Named "Terrain Park of the Year" by Transworld Snowboarding, skiers and
riders have plenty of options in the Resort's terrain parks with more
than 50 rails, funboxes and jumps throughout the parks. The newest park
will be built under the lights on Payday run for after-dark riding. The
addition of a satellite radio system in the Pick N Shovel Park will
enhance the experience for skiers and riders. Three of Snowboarder
magazine's "Top Ten Riders in the World" joined the Park City All Stars
team. Teenage superstar Shaun White and Marc Frank Montoya joined
veteran Jeremy Jones as members of the impressive team. The All Stars
provide input on the Resort's terrain parks and pipe that help keep Park
City Mountain Resort a leader in the industry. This year's lineup of
Park City All Stars include White, Jones, Montoya, Tanner Hall, Pep
Fujas, Jessica Dalpiaz, Chris Engelsman, George Oakley, Chris Coulter,
John Symms and Ashley Battersby.

Park City Mountain Resort continues to host Olympic champions as they
return to compete in world-class competitions. The Resort kicks off this
season with the Roxy Chicken Jam - the first all-female slopestyle
competition on December 17, 2004. America's best riders will compete in
the world-famous Eagle Superpipe, where history was made when the
American's swept the 2002 Olympic men's halfpipe competition, during the
World Superpipe Championships (March 12-13, 2005). And the Resort will
host a freestyle snowmobile exhibition on February 5, 2005. The event
promises to be even more exciting than last year.

SNOWBIRD SKI & SUMMER RESORT: Winter 2004-05 at Snowbird brings a new
Superpipe to complement the recently expanded terrain parks. Located on
the Big Emma run next to the intermediate Big Emma Terrain Park, the new
Superpipe is 340 feet long and 50 feet wide. It was constructed with
dirt over the summer to enable an early opening. Other park and pipe
upgrades include improved rails and boxes in the Baby Thunder Terrain
Park and music to accompany the new Superpipe. Snowbird introduced a
ZipRider to the activity lineup this past summer and it will be open for
winter thrills too. Serviced by the Chickadee lift, the ZipRider carries
harnessed riders over 1,000 linear feet down a suspended cable from the
top of Chickadee to the Snowbird Center. Riders begin with a thrilling
leap off a 50-foot tower, drop 150 feet to the landing zone and reach
speeds up to 30 miles per hour. The ZipRider will be open to adrenaline
seekers selected nights of the week. A new addition to Snowbird Mountain
School's myriad offerings is Snowbird University. Participants choose
between Steeps for Skiers, Snowboarding, Telemark or Backcountry (skiers
and riders) and focus on one discipline for all four days. Campers join
their groups each morning for coaching and then participate in electives
each afternoon. Cap it all off with a commencement party and dinner, and
walk away with graduate-level skills. The camp runs Feb. 6-10, 2004. The
resort also used the summer to expand the snowmaking capacity to cover
Gad Valley from Hidden Peak to the base of the Gadzoom chair.

SOLITUDE MOUNTAIN RESORT: Solitude upgraded their snowmaking to ensure
early and late season openings. The system, covering five lifts and 18
runs, will triple capacity and create snow faster while conditions
permit. With the new village core complete, emphasis for improvement has
shifted to the mountain. Preparation this summer for construction in
2005 on a new 12,000 sq. ft. base lodge and high speed quad in the
Moonbeam area are well under way.

SUNDANCE: This year Sundance makes it easier and more affordable for
families to ski with the Sundance Family All Season Pass. Family Passes
purchased before Oct. 31, 2004, are $700, which includes two adult
passes. Children's passes can be added for additional savings from the
regular rate. A junior pass for ages 6 to 15 is $95, students aged 16 to
18 are $125 and children over age 19 are $300. Regular pricing for the
Family Pass is $790 for the two adult passes, $95 for the junior pass,
$175 for the student pass and $345 for children over 19 years of age.

[Buzzworthy]

Originally posted by Red Baron
[B
BEAVER MOUNTAIN: And look for more elbow room off of
Beaver's triple chair where an extensive widening project has improved
the existing runs.

[/B]

Since my pass is here, this should be interesting.

All great info Baron!! Thanks a ton.

[Ski Monkey]

Originally posted by Red Baron
THE CANYONS RESORT:
Also new this year - be the first on the slopes of The Canyons on
Wednesdays and Saturdays with a resort "insider." First Tracks at The
Canyons makes its debut during the 2004-05 Season. For $30 plus a lift
ticket, guests will have the pleasure of being the first on the lifts,
and the first to make tracks at Utah's largest resort. When you're done
exploring, breakfast at Red Pine Lodge will be waiting (and is included
with your First Tracks ticket). Reservations are required. Call (435)
615-8042 for meeting times, reservations and details.

Great, what about me as a local with a season pass? Is there an upgrade option just for early lifts and no breakfast? At least PCMR had the decency of making their fast tracks available for free to adult pass holders as well as selling it to multi-day ticket buyers.