One of the advantages that Park City, Utah has over other Western ski destinations is its convenience -- it lies 35 major highway minutes east of Salt Lake City's airport. So if your desire to ski exceeds the time you have available to devote to the slopes, you don't have to lose an entire day to transportation: wake up at dark-thirty almost anywhere in the United States and catch a flight into Salt Lake and board your chair lift by the afternoon.

To sweeten the deal, you don't even have to buy a lift ticket on your first day. The Quick START Vacation program allows you to convert your boarding pass into a lift ticket at Deer Valley Resort, The Canyons Resort, or Park City Mountain Resort. You need to register in advance online for a voucher, which you present along with your boarding pass, a non-Utah driver's license or other official state identification at the ticket window.

Make sure you read all the rules and regulations on the website, since there's no flexibility in these requirements. Like, if you're a person who shuns printing boarding passes at home and relies on your PDA for check-in, you're going to need to change your ways to get this deal. And if the airline wants to keep your boarding pass, you're going to need to put up a fight.

As you'd expect there are also black out dates: you're not going to get this deal over Christmas week (December 25th, 2009 to January 2nd, 2010) or from Valentine's Day weekend through March 27th, 2010.

There are more Park City deals and promotions to be had, and I'm particularly keen on is a package offered by The Sky Lodge which is throwing in a complimentary breakfast and a 50 minute spa treatment with each night's stay November 26th to April 13th, 2010. The spa treatment deal is especially nice since the Sky Lodge's Amara spa offers all of its massage and body treatment clients a soak in traditional wooden Japanese tubs called Ofuro baths. Per Japanese tradition, you shower before entering the tub, which is filled with piping hot water I'll admit that the soak made me a little nauseous when I visited this past summer (when it was nearing an unusually sultry 85 degrees outside) but it would definitely be just the thing after a day on the slopes. Once again, there are blackout dates during peak periods, so from December 26, 2009 - January 2, 2010, January 21 – 31, 2010 and February 10 – 15, 2010, you'll be paying for your own spa treatment and breakfast.

Today's estate in Heber City, Utah offers the luxury of your own private lake. The home is a haven for the outdoor enthusiast offering fishing, hiking and more on 32 acres (additional acreage is also available for purchase). The six-bedroom home is a log lodge with an updated kitchen, stone floors and large windows showcasing mountain views. The decks are particularly wonderful, offering room to entertain with plenty of space that includes a dining table sheltered by a pitched roof. This home is listed at $9.95 million.

Not long ago, golf real estate communities sprouted across the country every month, each project promising a higher level of luxury than the last. These days, they're as a rare as a postseason in baseball that doesn't include the Red Sox or the Yankees. Hence the curiosity of the Victory Ranch Club, an expansive (5,600-acre) development just east of Park City, Utah, that's to be designed around a just-opened--and, of course, camera-friendly--Rees Jones golf course.

The primary selling point of Victory Ranch is its mountain setting. The 7,600-yard golf course gambols across rugged topography that features deep ravines, bulwarks of ancient stone and high plateaus that yield sweeping views of the Deer Valley ski area and the Jordanelle Reservoir. Horseback riding on a network of trails and fly fishing in the Upper Provo River complete the tableau. Whether buyers will come at a time when the nation's high-end real estate market is reeling remains to be seen.

1 - Into the Air: Freestyle Skiing
It's a little strange to watch a person in skis shoot up into the air, execute mind-boggling flips and tricks and then land in a swimming pool, but that's the set-up at the Utah Olympic Park. And because anyone who's belly-flopped knows that landing in water can hurt, the pool is set up with special air jets that break up the surface tension and make for a softer landing. First, make sure you take in the Flying Aces Aerial show to see how the pros do it. Then, you can sign up to learn to perform these tricks yourself. There are organized camps for kids, but adult lessons can also be arranged.

You can also take a tour of the Nordic ski jump venue -- this is the tallest of its kind in the world -- and peer down from the top and just imagine yourself careening down that thing on skis. You can get some of the sensation by taking a zipline down the K120 ski jump hill. This is billed as the steepest zipline in the world, and you reach speeds of up to 50 m.p.h., which filled me with adrenaline for at least a couple of hours.


2- Through the Woods: Mountain Biking
Deer Valley has 55 miles of mountain biking trails, ranked from "easier" to "expert only", which you access via a chair lift ride. But even the "easier" trails are challenging, so the best bet here is to sign up for a private lesson or a clinic.

Another option for the more nerdy intellectual types is to ride the same chair lift and go for a three-hour guided history hike, which focuses on the mining history of the area. When Park City first became a ski destination, skiers were brought to the top of the slope via an underground mining trolley, and often came out covered with soot.

3- Under the Water: Scuba Diving
It's true, one doesn't often think of the mountains as a great place to learn to scuba dive. But the Homestead Resort has the Homestead Crater, a limestone rock hollowed out by melting snow and filled by water bubbling up from below. The water is warm -- 90 to 96 degrees -- and it's 55 feet deep, making Midway, Utah, the only warm-water diving destination in the continental United States.

None of these activities lighting your torch? Check out the gallery for a few more ideas.

Today's expansive property belongs to billionaire industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr., father of Jon Huntsman Jr, the governor of Utah. The Deseret News says that Huntsman, Sr. put his 20,000-square-foot vacation property at the Deer Valley resort on the market in order to use the money for other causes including fighting cancer at the hospital that bears his name, the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He has also been spending more time fly-fishing in Idaho and he is also working on a development called Huntsman Springs.

This Utah property is listed at $55 million and includes three lots for a total of 63.83 acres. The main house is a 12-bedroom home with a game room, fitness room and two custom-built water features. The property also includes a pool and the land could be used for several more homes. The estate has been on the market for about two months, and the real estate agent says she has received several inquiries. It is the most expensive home in the area.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

I was already loving the look of The Sky Lodge, a boutique five-star condo hotel in Park City, Utah, before I spotted these really cool screen-style doors that divides the bathroom from one of the three bedrooms in the penthouse suite. It turns out that those screens have a very interesting story, and it made me love the property even more.

But first let me back up and say that Sky Lodge's penthouse is where I'd want to a host a party during Sundance, since it's got 2,736 square feet inside, and almost as much -- 2,600 feet -- outside in the form of an enormous wrap-around deck with views of the mountains and Park City, all easily enjoyed from the hot tub. (Check it out in the gallery.) I'll further digress and say that while this suite runs approximately $5,000 a night during the winter season, if you visit during the summer, you can get this three bedroom suite for around $1,500 a night.

Back to the doors: they're made from an opaque ecoresin, into which is embedded beads and coiled copper wire. It turns out that these are "Ithemba", a product of 3form USA's "Full Circle" program, which attempts to marry environmental consciousness with social awareness to create beautiful design products. The beads and woven copper are created by South African women who are impacted with HIV, they recieve training in business skills, job skills training, marketing assistance while they're earning a living by maintaining traditional crafts. "Ithemba" means hope in Xosi. Just knowing this made me enjoy my time in Sky Lodge's Amatsu spa all the more.

If you're not in the market for a screen or a door, check out the cuff bracelet in the gallery below, which you can order here.

The most expensive real estate in the country has taken some pretty major price cuts over the past year or two. In the past, mega-mansions with huge pricetags would often sit on the market a year or two without a price cut with owners secure in the knowledge that the right buyers would eventually come along. These are uncertain times and there are some very motivated sellers testing their luck in the real estate waters. Our list of top ten reductions of U.S. properties we've covered in the past starts at a $10 million cut and it only gets higher from there.

10)The Sloane Mansion, was $64 million, now $54 million
Price Cut=$10 million
The Henry T. Sloane mansion on East 68th Street in New York City is located just steps away from Fifth Avenue on the East Side. The building has 18,500 square feet total spread out over five stories and there are 15 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, seven fireplaces, a ballroom and a rooftop garden. The mansion was designed by architect Charles Pierrepont H. Gilbert for Sloane, the heir to a furniture empire, in 1905. The home is classic Beaux-Arts style and five of the rooms have all their original details intact including wood-paneled ballroom with original oil-painted murals. It has been on the market for over a year but may need to go lower than $54 million in this economy.

Those of you who have been playing this game with me for a while may remember this home. I first checked it out in 2006 when it was still under construction. Well now the 33,000 square foot lodge is finally completed giving us a chance to do a before and after. This home was built on a massive scale and has 14 bedrooms, a 12,500 sq ft underground heated garage and more stone, wood and glass than some hotels. Each room seems to be built on a huge scale with room for the masses. This home features one amazing Jacuzzi framed by a double-height window and a wine cellar big enough to provide years of wine-soaked nights by the fire. It was listed at $25 million in 2006 and has come down just a touch to $23.8 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Mitt Romney's wife Ann might regret leaving some of her jewelry at the couple's Park City Utah home, which is currently for sale for $5.25 million. The Park Record reports that someone stole between 15 and 20 pieces of her jewelry from the couple's mansion. The person who stole the jewelry apparently had access to the house because there was no evidence of a break-in. Workers were recently in the home making some repairs on a bathroom near the walk-in closet containing the jewelry and it is not clear if the jewelry was taken at that time. Currently the value of the pieces stolen is not known.

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney may be feeling the financial pinch. The Boston Globe reports that Romney is selling two of his four homes, his Utah ski cabin and his Belmont, Massachusetts home. Romney also owns homes in New Hampshire and La Jolla, California. Romney's rep says that he and his wife Ann are downsizing because their children are grown and that the move has nothing to do with either the recession or the $42 million Romney spent on his campaign to be the Republican nominee for president.

Romney's Park City, Utah home is a seven-bedroom, 9,500-square-foot log cabin tucked into the side of a mountain on 11 acres. The post-and-beam home will be sold fully furnished with furniture made specifically for the Western-themed home. All the lighting features and fireplace screens were custom made. The home is rich in wood and natural stone including river-washed rocks which surround a large spa tub for relaxing after winter sports. This home is listed at $5.25 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

The listing refers to this Park City, Utah home as exceptional and they aren't kidding. The 13,000 sq ft home designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is a modern version of a ski home. The most arresting feature has to be the lap pool which arcs out over the landscape, ending in a solid slab of aquarium glass to give you the sensation of swimming in a forest. Wood, concrete, steel and glass create a home that is angular and yet warm. The five-bedroom home has high ceilings, an elevator, gym, a streamlined wine cellar, covered dog run and large deck. There is also an indoor greenhouse. The 12.8 acre property has a ski trail across the street or you can ski through the woods to a main trail. It is listed at $9.8 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Park City, Utah is already known for fantastic skiing and deep-blue skies but lacked five-star status with a premiere resort within reach -- until now. A new addition to the Park City area, St. Regis Deer Crest brings 26 private residences, 67 condominium hotel suites, and 180 luxury guest rooms and suites with all the expected quality of other St. Regis resorts around the world. It sits just 30-minutes from the Salt Lake International Airport for easy access and only one mile from Old Town Park City plus the resort is conveniently located between three world-class ski resorts for winter sport enthusiasts as well as Jordanelle Lake and State Park for year-round exploration.

Park City Utah is known for its ski resort but about 20 minutes from the ski lifts you can find the Buffalo Run Ranch. This 897-acre ranch controls 1.5 miles of the Provo River and adjoins National Forest on two sides. The property includes a 13,000 sq. ft. main house and a 3,300 sq. ft. barn. The seven bedroom, nine bath home is rustic on a grand scale with huge wood beams and a skyscraper of a stone fireplace. The home is designed to be a total retreat including everything from a home theatre to a wine cellar. The retreat can also be used as a livestock operation with over 100 acres of irrigated meadows and two homes for ranch staff. It was once listed at $40 million but it has had a price cut to $28.9 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Someone in Park City, Utah has a bit of a French fetish. How else to explain this castle-like home with its medieval-style wooden gate, a stone guard house and a charming little peaked guest house complete with a clock above the door. In the main home the style vacillates between genuine vintage French antiquities and reclaimed pieces (the master bedroom seems to have a gorgeous vintage red marble fireplace) to the standard faux-European style we see in so many new homes. The listing says the home has five bedrooms and is 6,288 square feet. Noteworthy details include the charming round windows set into the peaked dormers, the antique angel hovering over a sitting area in the master bedroom and a chandelier in the laundry room. I'm not sure why you would need a chandelier in the laundry room but this home isn't about need, it's about the desire to create a Frenchified fantasy in the middle of ski country. It is listed at $5.9 million which looks to be a reduction from a $7 million listing price.

Today's estate takes us to another frosty winter location, Park City, Utah. This six bedroom home is located on a hilltop and has views of Park City as well as Jordanelle Resevoir. The over 10,000-square-foot home has features such as a ski prep room, plenty of fireplaces, an elevator, ski storage and an oversized garage. It's very similar to the last estate we covered in the Deer Creek estates nearly two years ago and the price $8,388,607, is also close, although I prefer the style of this home a bit more. After the jump, the very rough-hewn pool table.