New Developments

In spite of the struggling but improving economy new developments at the ski resorts here in Park City continue to move forward. This past week Dakota Mountain Lodge at The Canyons opened for business. Dakota Mountain Lodge features a Golden Door Spa and is operated under the Waldorf Astoria flag. As one would expect with these marquis names, the rooms are spectacular. The spa is both beautiful and comfortable and the dining rooms/lounges boast beautiful views of The Canyons Resort. During the construction period of this property almost all of the units sold and are now closing. Since the grand opening last week the occupancy rate has been extremely high.

At Deer Valley Resort the St Regis hotel is nearing completion and is about 2/3 sold out. St Regis is built directly on a ski run in the Deer Crest area of Deer Valley and boasts stunning views of the Jordanelle Reservoir, Deer Valley Resort, and downtown Main Street in Park City. The St Regis is expected to open for business this December and early walk-through’s indicate that this hotel will easily live up to the St Regis standard. St Regis has raised the bar for prices with units selling for around $2000 per square foot.

In the Empire Pass area of Deer Valley there are two new projects under construction. Right in the heart of the village at Empire Pass is a project known as Flagstaff located directly on a ski run and across from the members Tower Club Lounge. The Flagstaff building should be completed and ready for occupancy sometime this ski season. Flagstaff is part of the Talisker Club offering both golf course amenities at Tuhaye and private restaurants on Deer Valley for the owner/members. Flagstaff had the unfortunate timing of coming on the market right as the resort market started slowing down followed by the economic meltdown last September. In spite of this, 7 out of the 24 units have sold and I expect that with the building completion scheduled this winter we will see more activity.

Also under construction and scheduled for completion for the 2010/11 ski season is the Montage condo hotel located at the base of the empire lift in Deer Valley. Montage is a boutique hotel/spa and is only the 3rd hotel built in this new emerging chain. Montage will feature about 30,000 square feet of spa and restaurant area with magnificent views of the empire pass ski runs. The condominium units at Montage have yet to be offered for sale and we eagerly await details on pricing, floor plans and finishes. Montage should easily rival the St Regis for quality and will have a superior location. Stay tuned for further updates on Montage.

It seems that this may be an early fall or a very short summer. This past weekend an unseasonably strong cold front came through Utah dropping daytime high temperatures into the mid 50’s. While it has warmed up very nicely this week, another cold front is expected to arrive tonight once again dropping temperatures into the 50’s or low 60’s tomorrow. After having lost summer weather in June which was the rainiest June on record, to now start loosing summer weather in August just does not seem right. Summers in the mountains are short enough to begin with! While summer may be quickly coming to an end we still have a couple of large events remaining. Next Thursday is the start of the Park City Jazz Festival under the stars at Deer Valley, and then we close out summer with Park City’s Miners Day celebrations (Labor Day for the rest of the country) in early September. The cooler but still warm days of September are a magical time of the year and would be a terrific time to visit us.

4th of July and Golf

This past weekend was the 4th of July here in Park City (and everywhere else). Park City has the quintessential small town 4th of July parade. Entries this year included the Park City junior kid’s hockey team, who periodically broke into fights on main street. The People’s Health Clinic with people walking down main street on crutches and hospital gown’s open in the back. The junior luge team with kids coming down main street on luges. Several local breweries with beer taps on the back of the float. And the girls gymnastic team performing handsprings down the road. The parade was followed by a town party in the City Park with music, children’s games and the annual rugby tournament. As expected, this was capped off with a fireworks display at 10pm (sundown in this part of the world). Parade’s in small town America are a must see and Park City’s is one of the most enjoyable I have seen.

The rains of June have ended and summer has definitely arrived. The sunshine and heat have brought the wildflowers out in such a dazzling display of colors that it is breathtaking just driving around town. The mountains the greenest I have ever seen and the golf courses are plush and in superb condition. This past weekend a new golf course just outside of Park City, called Red ledges opened for play. This is a Jack Nicklaus “signature” course and is one of the prettiest courses I have seen. It is set amongst the red rocks, just southeast of park city in the town of Heber. Typical of a Jack Nicklaus course, it also very difficult with narrow fairways and long 2nd shots to small greens. However the setting and the scenery keep the experience extremely enjoyable.

Several other private golf courses in town are Tuhaye, Promontory, Glenwild, Jeremy Ranch and Park Meadows. Both Jeremy Ranch and Park Meadows are older courses that have been around since the early 80’s. While these are private courses, membership is open to anyone, not just homeowners in the neighborhood. Of the two, I find Jeremy Ranch more scenic and interesting. Winding through a broad valley the course has a lot of elevation changes and beautiful views of the Wasatch Mountains.

Glenwild, which was the first true golf course community in Park City and designed by Tom Fazio, is the course for serious golfers. While the clubhouse is beautiful, and the fitness and spa rooms are excellent, Glenwild is really all about the golf. This is where Michael Jordan has a home and plays golf.

Promontory, the second golf course community in Park City, has two 18 hole golf courses. The first course which has been open for several years was designed by Pete Dye. Their second course, which is going into its second season, is a Jack Nicklaus designed course. While Promontory certainly has a strong golf presence, I consider it more of a family oriented community. Promontory features the best children’s center in the area, a beautiful pool and spa, small lakes where children can fish and sail, and an outfitters cabin for hiking and biking in the summer, snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter. Promontory also has an excellent tennis facility with a beautiful stadium center court. For someone looking for golf, and activities for the entire family, Promontory is the best in the area.

Tuhaye, one of the newer golf communities around Park City, is best suited for golf enthusiasts who are also avid skiers. Tuhaye features a Mark O’Meara designed course and in the works is a Fazio course as well. While Tuhaye has an excellent spa and arguably the best pool in the area, the member’s clubhouse has yet to be built. What is unique about Tuhaye is that club members enjoy the golf facilities and a member’s clubhouse called The Tower Club, located on the mountain at Deer Valley Ski Resort. The Tower Club, which has ski-in/ski-out access, features a lounge where members can get lunch during their ski day avoiding the crowded Deer Valley restaurants or stop in après ski for a snack and favorite beverage. While Promontory has a member’s lounge located in the village at Silver Lake at Deer Valley and Red Ledges plans to build a clubhouse at the bottom of the gondola in Deer Crest, Tuhaye is the only club that offers a true ski in facility, on the mountain, where members can dine.

Victory Ranch is a golf and fishing community with the golf course scheduled to open later this summer. This is a spectacular course set high on a bluff overlooking the Jordanelle reservoir and the Wasatch range. I have driven this course and from the looks of it the views are going to be stunning and the course extremely enjoyable. What victory ranch offers that is unique is the Provo river running through it with world class trout fishing. No other course or community in the area can offer this amenity.

For the golf enthusiast Park City offers a total of 14 public and private courses each with their own unique characteristic. Whether you are a serious golfer, a golf/skier, golfer/fly fisher, or golfer/spa person, there is something for every taste. Come enjoy Park City in the summer, see how much father your ball flies in our thin mountain air and take advantage of the activities we have to offer.

Snowmaking

While November has been uncharacteristically warm and dry, the weather finally turned cold last week, and all of the resorts are making snow. Snowmaking has been going on continuously since Tuesday, November 20, with Park City and the Canyons having opened last weekend. The forecast is for several small snowstorms to come through this week and continued quite cold. The cold weather is allowing the resorts to open more runs every few days. Snowbird and Alta have scheduled their opening for Friday, November 30.

All of the resorts are gearing up for the winter season with the new lift at Deer Valley fully operational and just waiting for Mother Nature’s cooperation. The Village at Empire Pass is looking very good with three condominium buildings completed and sold out, another under construction with a scheduled completion of next summer, and another having just broken ground. The homes and townhouses are mostly completed. This will be the first full season with this much completed and the members-only Tower Club open, which will give the Village the feel of a wonderful ski community. Bookings for this coming ski season are strong, particularly for all the holiday seasons, and we are all looking forward to a great ski season.