Last week I had the pleasure of visiting a new restaurant in Park City, Talisker on Main. This restaurant is operated by the Talisker Club which has the club facilities at Deer Valley Resort and the golf club facilities just outside of town. The restaurant is very small and offers an intimate dining experience for Talisker members and the general public. The restaurant is designed to showcase Talisker’s award winning chef, John Murcko, and the amenities that Talisker offers. The menu offers a pleasant variety and the meal was absolutely delicious. I was there with several clients and everyone agreed that it was one of the finest meals we have had in Park City. This should be must visit restaurant on your next trip here.
Last weekend was the Visa Freestyle World Cup at Deer Valley. This event featured the best men and women freestyle skiers in the world in aerials and mogul competitions. This was a great preview for the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver BC next month. Thursday, the weekend kicked off with a band and street dance on lower Main Street. Friday, under the lights was the men’s/women’s aerial finals. This is truly amazing to watch as these young kids soar 60 to 70 feet straight up in the air while performing numerous back-flips combined with twisting rotations. And then trying to land on a steep snow covered slope. Saturday night featured the men and women duel mogul contests. This event is skier vs. skier in a head to head single elimination run down a steep mogul field with two jumps interspersed on the hill. The skiers are judged on speed, form, and their turning technique on the bumps. As speed is one of the major criteria in selection the winner of each run, by the time of the quarter finals, the skiers are almost straight running the bumps. This is quite a spectacle and the crowd really get’s into it! The events both Friday & Saturday nights drew large crowds from visitors and locals and has become one of the “must attend” parties of the winter season.
In Real Estate News this Sunday is the much anticipated and talked about auction of 8 Silver Strike condominiums in the Empire Pass area of Deer Valley. For the last few weeks the upcoming auction has been the talk of the town and almost everyone I meet on the ski-lift has heard about it. It is going to be very interesting to see what happens. I expect that all 8 of the auction units will be sold, but at what price remains to be seen? Come back next week for an update on the Silver Strike auction!
In other Real Estate News the St. Regis Hotel in Deer Valley continues to close on its units. Prior to opening the doors in early December there were 59 units sold which represent about 2/3rds of the entire development. So far 23 of the units have actually sold with a remaining 36 anticipated to close within the next 4 to 6 weeks. The St. Regis at Deer Valley has been the most successful condo/hotel project in the US for 2009. The fact that the buyers, many who have had their unit under contract for 5 years, are closing at record high prices approaching $2000 per square foot is a testimonial to the quality of the St. Regis and a renewed confidence by the consumer in the Park City real estate market.
Next week I will have the final numbers for real estate sales in 2009 and will provide a re-cap of the year. I expect that this will be very interesting and probably a little bit of a surprise to see what our final numbers are.
The 2009-2010 ski seasons have been the driest season since 1976. The fact that the skiing at Deer Valley is actually quite good is a tribute to the snowmakers and grooming crew. Without their efforts and expertise we would not be skiing yet this year. My hat is off in congratulations on a job well done to the Deer Valley snowmaking crew! The one benefit to a low snow year like this is lots of sunshine so if you are in the frigid east come west and replenish your spirits in the beautiful rocky mountain sunshine.
