Park City Mountain opened Friday to a crowd of mountain enthusiasts ready to get in their first turns on their favorite runs. Well, the open ones, anyway. 

At 7:30 a.m., a whopping hour and a half before the first lift opened, lines of skiers and snowboarders filled the Red Pine Gondola entrance to make it up for the first turns at Canyons Village. A DJ played to the chorus of giddy riders ready for the season’s early start. 

Folks from across Summit and Wasatch County flooded the gates and endured the early morning cold to secure fresh tracks on the corduroy. Some even skipped school to spend over 19 hours waiting in line to lay the first set of tracks on the snow. 

Two of the lucky four who received the iconic “I Got Here First” Park City Mountain T-shirts, Ryder Frahf and Kennen Vareoman, are seniors at Wasatch High School. Arriving at 2 p.m. Thursday to set up camp, they spent the night outside on the plaza to earn their spot in line.

“We’re excited to get 30,000 (feet in vertical descent) today, planning on skiing all day,” said Frahf. As seniors, the lucky duo didn’t have school Friday, though they did confess to skipping last period Thursday to stake their claim in line.

Frahf and Vareoman were determined to start this season strong after last year’s disappointment when car troubles on the way from Heber cost them first chair. While they managed to snag second chair then, their dedication this year paid off as they finally claimed their spot at the front of the line. 

The two of them rushed the opening day banner with two other high school students at the top of Saddleback Express, the highest banner break in all of Utah, boasted Park City Mountain Communications Manager Emily McDonald.

Kemper Allison, a youth group leader at Mountain View Church in Heber, earned his spot on the second chair with friends from the youth group this year.

“We got here at 8 p.m. and camped out right behind (Frahf and Vareoman),” said Allison. Allison is no stranger to first chair sacrifices, having earned this spot multiple times in previous years. When Ty Dixon and James Luke, students at Wasatch High, approached him with the idea, Allison said, “Let’s do it! I hadn’t done it in a while and I wanted to do it again.” 

Ty Dixon said, “We’re here just to get the season off to a good start. We’re super excited about it. And camping out was fun. We toured the hotels and got free hot chocolate at the Grand Summit. It’s great.” 

Paul Tirrano has been skiing Park City since 1982, and his love for the place only grows greater with time, he said. Paul and his wife, Christine, moved to the area 10 years ago, having fallen in love with “bluebird skies and amazing snow,” said Christine, though they stayed for the community. Christine is a certified alpine level instructor and children’s specialist at Park City Mountain, but she was off the clock on opening day, happy for the time to connect to the snow. 

“We just found such a community here, which we love. But what’s kept us here is the snow is amazing,” said Paul. “I can’t imagine why I would ever want to leave or live somewhere else.” 

The Shank family — Jonathan, Steven, and their father, Dave — upheld their longstanding tradition of early runs on opening day, celebrating Jonathan and Steven’s 30th season alongside Dave’s more than 50 years on Park City’s snow. Their mantra is simple: “Get in early and get out early,” said Dave. 

One of the highlights this season is Park City Mountain’s investment in snowmaking infrastructure. Over the summer, the resort upgraded its snowmaking capabilities on two trails, Another World and Chicane, on the Canyons Village side. Both trails are expected to be open before the month’s end, according to McDonald. 

“These upgrades include over 1.6 miles of new pipe and 35 snow guns on Another World, and 14 new snow guns on Chicane,” McDonald said. “This expansion allows us to open these trails earlier than ever, giving guests more options to ski and ride at the start of the season.”

Deirdre Walsh, COO and vice president of Park City Mountain, emphasized the effort behind the day’s success.

“We’re so proud of the team and what they’ve put together for an opening package,” she said. “Every employee that’s behind the scenes makes opening day come to life.”

The opening day package at Park City Mountain included the lifts Saddleback Express and High Meadow, accessed by the Red Pine Gondola at Canyons Village and First Time and Payday at Mountain Village. 

Ski school opened Friday, as well, with the carpet Tommy Knocker available at Canyons and Sweet Pea at Mountain Village. 3 Kings is also open for park riding at Mountain Village.

“At Park City, you can truly choose your own adventure,” McDonald said. “Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned expert, we have terrain that fits your needs.”

Despite the fanfare surrounding opening day, folks were impressed with the efficiency and manageability of lift lines. Joe Plomin has skied at Park City Mountain for over 15 years and likes to call opening day his “equipment-check day. I get everything on and find out what’s not perfect.”

Plomin wasn’t quite as ambitious to get first chair and took a leisurely start to the day after walking his dogs Friday morning.

“I was really pleased that it isn’t so crowded here. (Lines) have been manageable. I was very jazzed for opening day. I was hoping for a few little storms to get here beforehand, but I think it’s impressive they can start this early,” said Plomin. 

Park City Mountain employees walked the line at the Red Pine Gondola handing out their new aprés-ski treat, a doughnut with a rosemary and honey filling called the Orange Bubble Bite, an homage to the Beehive State and the Orange Bubble Express at Canyons. With the DJ jamming and the sweet treats flying, the only thing people were wishing for was good snow. 

For Robb Lentz, the early snowfall was the deciding factor for his attendance on opening day.

“We moved here in the summer of ’98 and it’s been our mountain ever since,” said Lentz. “We don’t always make it for opening day, but when conditions are good, we try. The snow is good today. We’ve only done one run, but I can certainly say I’ve skied worse.” 

The mountain plans to open more terrain throughout the week and into mid-December. As more runs become available, people will be able to continue to progress in skill and terrain with Park City Mountain’s emphasis on progression and learning, said Emily McDonald.

“I think something really neat about Park City is just the ability to be yourself and whatever you want to ski a ride that day. We have it for you,” said McDonald. 

Nine trails were open Friday morning, and Park City Mountain plans to roll out more than 350 trails in the coming weeks. With snow in the weekend forecast, McDonald and other guests are optimistic about early openings, hoping for cold, snowy weather in the future.

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The National Ability Center held their annual Snow Challenge event at Park City Mountain on C.B.’s Run Saturday, April 1, 2017. Participants formed groups to race in and dressed in costume. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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Spring is on the horizon. Temperatures are rising and tress are starting to bloom.

What better way to usher in the new season than at Park City Mountain Resort’s annual Spring Grüv, a 16-day celebration of music, family activities and pond skimming.

The annual event, now it its 10th year, has become a tradition for many people who live in and visit Park City, said Whitney Wall, Park City Mountain brand experience manager.

“Spring is one of the best times of year on the mountain and Spring Grüv is the ultimate celebration to cap off the winter season,” Wall said in an email interview with The Park Record. “We wanted to create an opportunity for people to come together, soak up the sunshine and celebrate the season with live music, activities and fun with family and friends.”

All Spring Grüv events are free for spectators and open to the public, but there are some participation and transportation fees that apply.

“Those competing in the pond skimming competition do have to pay an entry fee to compete [and] pond skimming spectators must have a gondola pass or lift ticket to take the Red Pine Gondola up to the pond skimming site near Red Pine Lodge,” Wall said. “The rest of the Spring Grüv concerts and activities are located across the two base areas and are free.”

The pond skimming, an event in which skiers and boarders decked out in outrageous costumes try to cross a large body of water, will be held April 8.

It started 21 years ago, and was folded into the Spring Grüv events in 2007.

“The pond skimming contest is one of Park City’s most popular parties and is the true indicator that spring has arrived,” Wall said. “Contestants must dress in costume — the funkier the better — as they attempt to cross a 100-foot pond on skis or a snowboard. The pond and the excitement will happen at mid-mountain just outside of Park City Mountain’s Red Pine Lodge.”

The rules for pond skimming this year are as follows:

• No teams allowed – all pond-skimming competitors will enter the pond individually.
• Minimum age is 10 years old
• No nudity, thongs, or bare butts allowed
• No full-face masks or costumes that inhibit full visibility
• No costumes with pyrotechnics
• No animals allowed
• Must compete on skis or snowboards
• No sleds, sit-skis or ski bikes allowed
• Costumes must be able to fit inside the Red Pine Gondola with the doors closed
• Poles may be used but must be dropped before skis touch the pond
• No pre-runs; each competitor gets one run to be judgedWall said she enjoys seeing the outfits the pond skimmers make.

  “Every year we see amazing costumes from the competitors,” she said. “We’re always impressed with the creativity and style.

  Last season, one pond-skimmer created a full Jenga costume that scattered like a falling Jenga tower when he hit the pond.

  “We were especially impressed that he was able to fit the costume inside of the Red Pine Gondola to get up to the competition site,” Wall said.

  In addition to pond skimming, Spring Grüv is known for the concerts.

• Crystal Fighters and Van Lady Love will perform at the Park City Base on March 25
• Magic Giant will perform on April 1 at Canyons Village
• Metro Music Club will perform on April 8 at Canyons Village.“We also have smaller live music acts that will perform every day of the festival, including Grizzly Goat and Cry Wolf,” Wall said.

  Park City Mountain Resort worked with local nonprofit Mountain Town Music for the concert program.

  “For Spring Grüv, we look for a variety of lively artists that are fun for the crowd to dance to,” Wall said. “We want to create the perfect atmosphere for our guests to soak up the sun and enjoy the best of spring.”

  If pond skimming and live music isn’t enough, Spring Grüv offers more.

  “We will have daily village activities for the whole family including face painting, a wire artist to create unique souvenirs for guests, s’mores, and much more,” Wall said.

  Park City Mountain will host Spring Grüv from March 25 through April 9. For information, visit http://www.parkcitymountain.com/events.

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As Park City’s silver-mining industry collapsed and, years later, skiing came to drive the local economy, the site of the California-Comstock Mine fell into a state of terrible disrepair.

Like numerous other mining-era sites in the Park City area, there was little work done at the onetime California-Comstock Mine over the decades after mining ended. The site is located on the slopes of Park City Mountain Resort, close to the Thaynes ski lift and at the bottom of the Keystone ski run. It is one of the most prominent mining-era sites that is easily visible to skiers at PCMR.

The site of the California-Comstock Mine was one of the mining-era locations that the owner of PCMR, Colorado-based Vail Resorts, identified as requiring work based on the terrible shape it was in. There was concern the structure would collapse.

“Deplorable . . . It was just falling down. It wasn’t going to last another winter,” said Sally Elliott, one of the chairs of a group known as Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History.

The group teamed with PCMR and City Hall to undertake the work, hiring consultants and a firm to stabilize the wooden building with a foundation made of stacked stones.

The work was largely completed last summer. It required heavy machinery like a crane to lift timbers that fell off the structure. Elliott said a small structure close to the main building needs to be re-erected and masonry work is planned.

She said it was important to pursue the work last summer since the condition had deteriorated. The heavy snow this winter could have left the building “close to flat,” she said.

“This winter would have been disastrous for it,” Elliott said.

The California-Comstock Mine site dates to approximately 1900 and City Hall says it is one of the oldest mining-era buildings remaining in Park City. Anya Grahn, the preservation planner at City Hall, called the site a “stabilized ruin.” She said the site is important since it illustrates a stage in the progression of the mining industry in the city.

“It kind of is the beginning of development for Park City mining,” Grahn said.

Preservation Utah, a statewide organization once known as the Utah Heritage Foundation, recently honored the work at the California-Comstock Mine site with an annual award given in the category of stabilization, restoration or renovation. City Hall, a Vail Resorts subsidiary and the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History were listed as the nominees.

A nominating letter, drafted by Grahn, provided a detailed rundown of the work, touched on Park City’s mining history and explained that mining-era sites remain standing.

“Preserved in time and largely overlooked, the mine sites continued to persevere through the harsh winters on the mountain . . . ,” the letter says.

It describes that the site was cleared of debris, pieces of the structure were salvaged and part of what was a mill building was rebuilt. It “is no longer threatened by collapse and the structural stabilization will allow for the safe, future restoration efforts on the stone foundation and remaining wood structure,” according to the letter. Clark Martinez, a member of a well-known Park City family with longtime ties to the mining industry, was the general contractor.

Elliott said Vail Resorts posted $50,000 for the work and a private donor provided another $50,000 as part of a matching grant. Another $16,000 must be raised to secure the $50,000 matching grant. The final cost of the project, though, is not yet known.

City Hall leaders, tourism officials and the preservation community have long seen the mining-era history as setting Park City apart from some of mountain resort competitors. They say the historic buildings and structures on the slopes offer a unique skiing experience. PCMR said it was pleased with the Preservation Utah award.

“I was surprised and pleased to receive this award notification. This is fantastic recognition of community collaboration – the city, the resort, the museum and all the tireless efforts of the Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History that allow the passion and skills of Clark Martinez to bring the restoration work to fruition,” Bill Rock, the chief operating officer of PCMR, said in a prepared statement.

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The Town Race Series slalomed on C.B.’s Run at Park City Moutnain Resort Monday afternoon, March 13, 2017. Locals were able to sign up and participate in the event. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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Skiers and snowboarders from at least three different states convened at Park City Mountain Resort to participate in the USASA Big Mountain West Series Championship halfpipe and slopestyle courses. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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The National Ability Center holds their annual Huntsman Cup event at Park City Mountain Resort Tuesday – Friday, Feb. 7th-10th. The IPCAS-sanctioned, alpine ski racing event is geared toward athletes focused on building technical skills in racing and lowering their points to quality for more upper level competition. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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A development firm in January acquired land on the border of Park City Mountain Resort that has long been seen as the eventual location of a significant residential project, a deal that provides more evidence of Park City’s hot real estate market but one that has the potential to pull the group into the broader discussions about growth in the community.

A firm called CRH Partners, LLC purchased the approximately 18.5 acres from another business entity, known as Nastar, LLC. The seller or its principals held the land for decades. The parcel is immediately south of the Marriott MountainSide and borders the King’s Crown ski run. The land is along Lowell Avenue.

CRH Partners, LLC involves longtime Park City restaurateur Hans Fuegi, prominent Park City developer Rory Murphy and another developer, Chuck Heath. The partnership declined to disclose the purchase price.

“It is adjacent to a ski run and right at the base of Park City Mountain.” Fuegi said as he described the land’s desirability.

He said the City Hall zoning in place at the site is favorable to development. The partnership has not crafted a development plan. Fuegi indicated a mix of high-end condominiums, townhomes and houses is under consideration. A project would also include work force or otherwise affordable housing, perhaps 12 units, he said. The developers want to use Lowell Avenue as the primary access to the project.

The overall unit count has not been finalized. Fuegi said the zoning allows for a “pretty dense development,” but the partnership does not intend to seek an approval for the maximum amount the zoning would permit. He said the project will, perhaps, involve between 130,000 square feet and 140,000 square feet of development. It will not include a hotel, he said. Fuegi also said the partnership will not design a project that would be highly visible.

“We want to be very sensitive to how much impact we have on the neighborhood as a whole,” he said.

Fuegi said a map was created on the land during the silver-mining era decades ago that contemplated 295 lots. The proposal does not envision a project of that size, though, he said.

The firm wants to hold its first discussion with the Park City Planning Commission by early spring. An application would be filed afterward. Fuegi said an application timeline has not been determined. He said the partnership intends to meet with the neighborhood and nearby property owners prior to the filing of an application.

Fuegi said the timeline works well amid a strong economy and increasing skier numbers. He also said there is not a similar project at the Park City side of PCMR even as there are at the Canyons Village side of the resort and in Deer Valley.

It seems almost certain there will be pointed questions from the Planning Commission and people who live in the vicinity about topics like the traffic the project would be expected to generate and the designs.

There also could be critics who will consider the project in the context of an unrelated and much larger development proposal on the Treasure land, which is south of the CRH Partners, LLC acreage. The Treasure partnership is locked in a difficult discussion with the Planning Commission about a project involving upward of 1 million square feet.

The Treasure land is located off the Lowell Avenue-Empire Avenue switchback. It does not border the CRH Partners, LLC land, but the Treasure developers also see Lowell Avenue as a primary route to the site. The resistance to Treasure has spread across Park City, but the core opposition is centered on streets like Lowell Avenue and Empire Avenue. Critics of Treasure could see the CRH Partners, LLC project as further exacerbating the concerns about Treasure itself.

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Park City Mountain Resort hosted the annual David Wright Memorial Giant Slalom Race from Friday, Jan. 6th — Sunday, Jan. 8th on the resort’s black diamond run — C.B.’s Run. The event saw participants from nearly 10 different ski organizations. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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