I’ve never been much for New Year’s resolutions. But in the spirit of the holiday, I thought I would apply the tradition to my life as a skier in a mountain ski town. Here are some of the things I’ll resolve to do this ski season. How about you?
Stay in the fall line
As I was ripping a line through 24 inches of fresh snow down Tranquility at Canyons Village on New Year’s Eve, I got to thinking about my propensity to bail out of the fall line and ski across the pitch. My friend Kristen Ulmer has made a living out of teaching skiers to embrace fear. I should do the same. It’s a bit easier when you have 24 inches of fresh snow to help regulate your speed. But this year, let’s keep ’em pointing downhill.
Parking lots
Sorry, and this may generate some letters to the editor, but ski area parking lots should be turned into hotels. While they may have worked in the past, they’re horrible guest experiences today. So one of my resolutions is to avoid resort parking lots this year and take the bus. We have plenty of park-and-ride lots from Kimball Junction to downtown. We have a free bus service that takes us to within just a few minutes’ walk to ski lifts. It’s a much more pleasant experience.
Become a tourist
We’ve all seen the t-shirt: My Life is Your Vacation. Holiday house guests can be a good reminder of this. We live in an amazing mountain resort town. People drop thousands of dollars every ski season to come to Park City. This season, take a break and enjoy a drink in front of the fireplace at Stein Eriksen Lodge, Montage Deer Valley or Goldener Hirsch. Take the funicular up to St. Regis and watch the sun set over the ridgeline while you enjoy that amazing hot chocolate. Walk down Main Street and visit a gallery or two.
Replace the coffee shop with the ski slopes
With all due respect to my favorite coffee shops, I resolve this year to take my meetings to the slopes. There is no better place to chat with friends or work out a business deal. While you might not have the 25 minutes you had a few decades ago on the Park City gondola, it’s a refreshing way to get outdoors and have a reason for doing it.
Get out of town
We live in an amazing place with two world-class resorts just minutes away. We have 10,000 acres of lift-served terrain here in town. Who needs to go anywhere else? Well, sometimes you just need a break.
This season, get out of town for a day … or a week. Head over to Alta, drive the hour up to Snowbasin. Check out the new high-speed quad at Sundance. Try something radical. My single most memorable ski day last year was at tiny Beaver Mountain between Logan and Bear Lake. I went on a Tuesday. I had the resort to myself. Or, grab your Ikon or Epic and head to Colorado or California.
Get lost
We had a house guest over the holidays who, in a very positive way, talked about getting lost on the mountain. He wandered from the orange bubble over to Tombstone. He somehow found his way to the Quicksilver gondola. Somewhere along the line he hit 9990 on a powder day. Eventually he found Silverlode. And somehow he found his way back to Canyons Village. It was an amazing experience — his first day riding here in Park City.
I thought about my daily routines. Whether it’s Deer Valley or PCMR, I have my precise route that I love. I know the track, I know the lifts and I love the trails. But, it’s the same every time. This season, think about breaking your routine. Try something new. Take some different runs. And try to get lost once in a while!
Just get out and ski
“Oh, it’s too cold this morning.” “Boy, there’s too much snow.” I remember years ago how I would wait for that perfect day. And I soon realized I was never skiing. A perfect day is any day you’re on skis. Try it! This year, don’t worry so much about the weather — just stuff your weather accessories into your gear bag so you’re ready to go.
Most of all, just resolve to get out and ski!
Wisconsin native Tom Kelly landed in Park City in 1988 (still working on becoming an official local). Inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2019, he is most known for his role as lead spokesperson for Olympic skiing and snowboarding for over 30 years until his retirement in 2018. This is his 52nd season on skis.