Skiing

Five Fabulous Things to Do On A Ski Trip Without the Skis in Park City, Utah

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

You don't have to ski or snowboard to have a good time in Park City, Utah. Besides the Sundance Film Festival and all things Robert Redford, there are a slew of other fabulous ways to spend your days and nights in the resort town. Park City proves itself well in the luxury category.

We put together a list of ways to live well in the city known for having the "Greatest Snow On Earth" (and being the site of a few scenes in Dumb and Dumber), and all without having to ever put on those godforsaken foot and calf-suffocating ski boots.

Apres Ski
In a way, resort hopping the apres ski scene is Park City's other great sporting event. The French term specifically refers to the drinking and revelry that ensues after a long day of skiing or snowboarding. The art of the cocktail is nothing to scoff at in snow country and up in these mountains the Mormon influence shunning drinking and nightlife is forgotten. Alta Resort's Sitzmark Bar is a classic. Off-resort, check out High West Distillery and Saloon. They make their own whiskey and vodka and have a killer, innovative cocktail list with drinks like the High West Silver Julep using High West's Silver Oat Whiskey and Rendezvous Rye. Park City's Main Street features a collection of classic, mountain and Western motif bars and nightclubs like No Name Saloon, The Sidecar, and The Spur. There's also Downstairs, owned by Danny Masterson of "That 70s Show" fame, a hip rocker lounge that celebrities typically flock to when they're in town.

Shop
Ski bunny fashion is no joke in Park City. Locals and pros sport some of the slickest and brightest colored gear and pseudo-gear from brands like The North Face, Patagonia, and Lululemon, or, hanging in resort shopping areas in Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and The Canyons. It's hard to resist not purchasing a brilliant blue fleece when witness to everyone else looking fashionably ski hip. There's shopping too for the fashion-forward who prefer to wear something that's also stylish away from the resorts. Along Main Street are adorable boutiques like Bunya Bunya and Mary Jane's with clothing and accessories handmade by local artists and independent designers. Park City also has the largest collection of factory outlet stores in northern Utah.

Tags: awards-main, DumbandDumber, golf, luxist-awards, luxury, Montage Deer Valley, parkcity, RobertRedford, shopping, skiing, spa, stein eriksen lodge, Sundance, utah

Continue reading “Five Fabulous Things to Do On A Ski Trip Without the Skis in Park City, Utah”

The Best Ski Resorts in Utah (with video)

by shira levine (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports, Video

To find out if the three resorts in the Park City, Utah area really do represent "The Greatest Snow on Earth", we skied and apres-skied and learned first-hand how fabulous the town and it's amenities have become. Indeed, the area has come a long way from the area's poor, silver mining history.

During the recent Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah was teeming with glittery Hollywood types littering local restaurants and bars, meanwhile abandoning the perfectly powdered slopes. Over the ten-day stretch, those idyllic resort town slopes– located less than an hour's drive from the Salt Lake City airport, stand virtually empty. It's an insider secret that the week and a half is ideal for powder junkies hungry for crowd-free runs during high season.

(Good luck finding a hotel room though!) As it turns out Hollywood isn't so into that kind of snow.

Fortunately out west ski and snowboard season run long. A good year means soft, fluffy snow starts falling just after Thanksgiving until -- if you're really, really lucky -- as late as Cinco de Mayo. Utah doesn't claim "Greatest Snow on Earth" for nothing -- the trademarked white stuff maintains a unique blend of "consistency, abundance and quality," says Ski Utah's Director of Communications Jessica Kunzer, "Anyone who skis dreams of skiing out west. You might like skiing wherever you're from originally -- if it's Minnesota, or, out east in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, [but] the general wish is to experience our soft, ice-free slopes."

The fleeting effects of Sundance come and go, but the snow steadily falls and the apres ski scene never dies. Here are three stellar spots to kick back and relax between smooth runs and story-worthy wipe-outs.

Tags: 2011+best+ski+resort, 2011bestskiresort, all-inclusive, Alta, awards-main, best+ski+resorts, bestskiresorts, Deer Valley, luxist-awards, luxury, Park City, park+city+ut, parkcity, parkcityut, resort, saltlake+utah+skiing, ski resorts, skiing, snowboarding, utah, utah+video, utahvideo

Continue reading “The Best Ski Resorts in Utah (with video)”

How to Ski Safely and Prevent Injuries (with video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

How to ski safely and prevent injuries No one wants a ski vacation cut short by an injury. So how to best protect yourself from injury? Don't ski late in the day.

Statistics have shown that most ski injuries occur toward the end of the day, according to the Steadman Clinic, which specializes in sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery in Vail and Frisco, Colorado (see video below).

"If it is 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon and you are thinking of taking one more run, you may want to think twice about that because more people are hurt at the end of the day," says Tom R. Hackett, orthopaedic surgeon with the Steadman Clinic in Vail who is also a team physician for the U.S. Snowboard Team.

Tags: awards-main, luxist-awards, main-pedia, ski, skiing, snowboard, snowboarding, VailColorado, winter-travel-pedia

Continue reading “How to Ski Safely and Prevent Injuries (with video)”

Aspen Fashion Week 2011 to Begin March 13th

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events

Aspen Fashion Week 2011 to Begin March 13th

Aspen, CO, the epicenter of winter luxury, has announced plans for the the 3rd annual Aspen Fashion Week (AFW) taking place from March 13th to 16th in various locations around the
top-drawer town. The destination fashion event, designed to showcase and market winter
resort, ski and technical outerwear in the country's most stylish mountain playground, will feature daily après ski fashion shows, in-store presentations, on-mountain events and late night fashionable soirées. Participating brands include Authier, Rossignol, Dannenmann-Pure, NUMBER: Lab, Obermeyer and Burton.

Heidiskis will serve as the ofﬁcial ski partner, while FEED will serve as the ofﬁcial charitable partner, featuring their AFW FEED bag exclusively on-site. Proceeds from the FEED bag will beneﬁt the foundation, and Founder Lauren Bush (recently engaged to Ralph Lauren's dashing son David) will be on hand to host events in conjunction with The Feed Foundation. In addition, William Grant & Sons will serve as the ofﬁcial spirits partner. "Aspen Fashion Week has an intensely exciting schedule this year and an amazing follow up to last yearʼs event," says founder Lisa Johnson. " Weʼre looking forward to an exciting future with the event becoming stronger each year."

Gallery: Aspen Fashion Week

Tags: Aspen, Aspen Fashion Week, fashion shows, Fashion Week, FEED, Lauren Bush, Ralph Lauren, ski, ski resort, skiing, William Grant Sons, winter, winter sports

Killy, Luxe Ski Wear from a Stylish Olympic Champion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style

Killy, Luxe Ski Wear from a Stylish Olympic Champion

Jean-Claude Killy won all three ski events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, worked as a stuntman in James Bond films, appeared in Rolex ads, raced sports cars and was tapped as one of GQ's 50 most stylish men of the last 50 years. Until now we didn't know that he also has an eponymous line of luxe ski wear. Born in the French Alps, elegance, comfort and performance are the key focuses of the Killy brand. French designers, cutting edge fabrics, sporty laser cuts and color hits adorn what are otherwise very practical weatherproof garments for both men and women. The quality and style of each Killy ski piece is designed to "embody the exacting demands and spirit of Killy, the man himself." Recently merged with the leading French outdoor group Lafuma, which also owns the famed Le Chameau boot brand, look for Killy to make even more of an impression in the future.

Gallery: Killy Ski Wear

Tags: clothing, France, GQ, Jean-Claude Killy, Killy, Le Chameau, Olympics, Rolex, ski, skiing, sports, winter sports

Swiss Ski Maker Zai Unveils the Nezza

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

The last time we heard from zai they had just completed a new set of skis in conjunction with Bentley. But the seven-year-old maker of hand-built skis that works out of a centuries-old monastery in the Swiss alps has its own range, and the latest to join is called the Nezza. Called "a black blade to tame the mountain" – "nezza" means blade or sword – the carbon fiber composite ski has been specifically developed for hard slopes.

Even with that, zai's unique construction with the composite material it calls zaiira means that you can tailor the flexing behavior of the ski to your liking – so although hardpack is the Nezza's specialty, deep powder won't slow you down. The 173-centimeter skis weigh 3.1 pounds, and they're available now for 6,900 Swiss Francs, about $6,934. No, that's not exactly cheap, but the best never is. Yet it's almost guaranteed you'll see them on slopes sooner or later: zai was recently named the official supplier to the 2011 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Gallery: Nezza skis by zai

Source

Tags: nezza, ski, skiing, skis, winter sports, zai, zai nezza

Luxist Visits Ski Dubai, The World's Largest Indoor Ski Area

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports, Architecture & Design

Luxist visits Ski Dubai, the largest indoor ski facility in the world.

Sipping a cup of hot chocolate beneath a heat lamp on the deck of the cozy mountainside Avalanche Café, it's easy to forget that you're in the middle of the desert in Dubai. That is, until you see a pack of bearded men gleefully whizzing down the slope, white tunics billowing like sails behind them.

Any excursion to Ski Dubai, which purports to be the world's largest indoor ski area, is filled with this sort of incongruity. Though the air outside routinely tops 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, the temperature inside the 22,500 square meter facility remains just below freezing all year round. The structure that encloses the ski slope is as tall as a 25-story building; its flagship trail, the first indoor black diamond ever built, is longer than three football fields. There are four other runs of varying difficulty, as well as a chairlift, a freestyle snowboarding zone, and of course, the aforementioned café.

Gallery: Ski Dubai

Tags: Avalanche Cafe, awards-main, Dubai, luxist-awards, Ski Dubai, Ski Resorts, Skiing, snowboarding

Continue reading “Luxist Visits Ski Dubai, The World's Largest Indoor Ski Area”

Vail Resorts: Staying Connected

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

No more fumbling for your lift ticket when you ski at one of the five Vail Resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Heavenly. Whether you buy a day or season's pass, your lift ticket is actually a smart card loaded with possibilities. For a start, when you're about to hop on a chair, just point to the pocket where you're keeping your lift ticket and it will be scanned. (It works because radio frequency technology is installed at each of the resort's 89 lifts across five mountains. Radio frequency chips are also embedded in ski passes and lift tickets.) All you have to do to record your activity and connect with friends is ski or snowboard as usual and then use your smart phone or your computer to access the web. Simply log on to the Vail Resorts EpicMix.com and access your account online, Then decide if you want to share your activities with friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Tags: breckenridge, colorado skiing, epicmix, Heavenly, KeystoneResort, lift ticket, ski colorado, skiing, Vail Resorts

Continue reading “Vail Resorts: Staying Connected”

EXCLUSIVE: Aspen Fashion Week Founder Lisa Johnson's Ten Essential Luxuries

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Wine, Events, Sports, 10 Luxuries

Click above to see Lisa Johnson's 10 Luxuries

The innovator behind Aspen Fashion Week, Lisa Johnson had a hunch that a fashion event combining the chic of skiing, winter and resort with the high energy appeal of Aspen would be a huge hit. As the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, managing the destination marketing funds on behalf of the City of Aspen, Lisa worked with major events and productions like ESPN Winter X Games, HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and Luxury Spa Finder's Aspen Spa Day. Also as part of her six year tenure with the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Lisa managed the media relations efforts and served as a de facto film commissioner assisting on film, television and commercial productions of all sizes.

"Aspen is the most recognizable mountain town and the undeniable center of the winter lifestyle," Johnson, pictured above, center, with Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson from FEED, tells Luxist. "Most of the major fashion and luxury brands have boutiques here because it caters to a very high-end consumer and has some of the most influential buyers in winter and ski. I strongly felt that Aspen could support a fashion event in which designers and outerwear / ski brands could show collections in a fun, relaxed, high energy format to a consumer with the ability to walk into the stores to buy. And having Aspen Mountain as a backdrop is never a bad setting!" In the gallery are images of Johnson's essential luxuries, from skis to wine to books and bags, along with quotes about what makes them a must.

Gallery: Aspen Fashion Week Founder Lisa Johnson's 10 Luxuries

Tags: Aspen, Aspen Fashion Week, Colorado, fashion, fashion show, FEED bags, Lisa Johnson, resort, skiing, winter sports

Hublot Big Bang Watch For Olympic Skier Bode Miller

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Sports

The new overly enthusiastic sports dad of the watch world (Hublot), has just drafted another member to its team of athletic stars and popular sports. The brand is quickly decorating a metaphorical rec room filled with a variety of trophy athletes and teams that aside from being well-known are relatively popular. Each new connection is celebrated with at least one limited edition Big Bang watch. Here is the "Bode Bang," as it is being called. The all black case with a monochromatic black and white dial has a nifty look with Bode's signature of the face. The look of the dial in addition to being trendy and cool, is very legible. As cool as the brand's signature black on black watch are are, the black and white dial is wonderfully clear to read. The standard 44.5mm wide Big Bang watch case is the typical one you are used to. Done in a few materials, with mostly black ceramic, PVD black steel screws, and a rubber strap. Inside the watch is a HUB4100 automatic chronograph movement. The Hublot Bode Bang will be limited to just 250 pieces pieces. A heart-throb of a watch for the most hardcore of skiing (or Bode) fans.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: bode bang, bode miller, hublot, ski, skiing, watch

The Macallan Winter Scotch & Ski Escape at Ritz-Carlton Aspen Highlands

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Sports

Famed Speyside distillery The Macallan and the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club at Aspen Highlands (above) have teamed up on a tantalizing Scotch and ski package combining the ultimate in single malt whisky, luxe accommodations, and winter sports - The Macallan Winter Escape. Eden Algie, The Macallan's Brand Ambassador, is inviting fellow enthusiasts to enjoy one last ultra-premium adventure both on and off the slopes before the snow melts, from March 20-26. The Winter Escape Package Includes: a private one-on-one Macallan tasting experience with Algie; luxurious accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands; ski in / ski out access to Aspen Highlands; personal 24-hour concierge service; unlimited use of all the Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands amenities; a decadent progressive dinner experience featuring limited-edition expressions paired with The Macallan-infused food pairings from Executive Chef Jami Flatt; and more. A four night package including one complimentary night is available for $3,036 and a seven night package including two complimentary nights is available for $4,585; both get you a two-bedroom Club residence. Click here for more info.

Tags: Aspen, Ritz-Carlton, Scotch, single malt, skiing, The Macallan, whisky, winter sports

Ice Couture's Crystal-Encrusted Ski Helmets

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Ice Couture helmets were invented by Dareece Saca because she just couldn't stand to wear a ski helmet unless it was pretty and had some fashionable bling on it. "I'll never wear a helmet unless it's crystallized like a Judith Leiber bag." So she affixed crystals to her own helmet by hand and got so many compliments that a business idea was born.

The helmets are expected to hit it big next season as more and more skiers are looking for a way to make being safe on a slopes more stylish -- why can't your helmet be an accessory of sorts? Saca's designs include everything from girly pink camouflage to edgier skull and crossbones patterns. $200-$2000

Via Luxurylauches

Source

Tags: crystals, helmet, helmets, ski helmet, SkiHelmet, skiing, swarovski, winter gear, WinterGear

Go Deeper into the Italian Dolomites at Rosa Alpina

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The New York Times just ran a lovely story encouraging travelers of the ski-enthusiast and foodie variety to head for Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites. If you're looking for something that's just as luxey and lesser known in the US (which makes it more-luxurious by definition) I would nudge you just a bit further west and north into Alta Badia, and specifically to the tiny little town of San Cassiano.

Americans that visit the Alta Badia region and particularly San Cassiano tend to come in the summertime, for hiking and fishing. But in the winter, the area is mostly frequented by Italians, and for good reason: San Cassiano and its environs have all the scenery and the skiing, plus its restaurants are a tightly-knit constellation of Michelin stars -- apparently the highest Michelin star concentration in the Alps.

The place to stay here is Rosa Alpina with 51 rooms, three restaurants (including St. Hubertus, with two Michelin stars) It's owned by the Pizzinini family which fairly dominates hospitality in this area, having been in the hotel business here since the 1930s. The family owns hotels, restaurants and even the local butcher shop. This means that whatever you need is not only within the grasp of the management here, they're probably related to the people who can make it happen.

The clientele they cater to obviously expects nothing less. It was snowing on the day I arrived, and the winding mountain roads with their hairpin turns and minimal guardrails would have been difficult in a car without four wheel drive. One guest had his Porsche Carrera flat-bedded up the mountains so he could drive it during the weekend, having followed behind in a more sensible form of transport -- if you'll allow that sensible is a word that could at all be fairly applied to that entire situation.

Gallery: Rosa Alpina and San Cassiano

Tags: dolomites, frette, italy, luxist-awards, michelin stars, MichelinStars, prada, skiing

Continue reading “Go Deeper into the Italian Dolomites at Rosa Alpina”

Aspen Fashion Week Set for March

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events, Sports

In the wake of a successful inaugural preview last year, the 2nd annual Aspen Fashion Week has been slated for March 14 – 19, showing that the ultra-chic Colorado resort is truly recession-proof. Designed to showcase and market winter resort, ski and technical outerwear in the home and playground of the country's most stylish mountain winter town, the occasion will feature slopeside runway events, daily après ski fashion shows, in-store presentations, on-mountain events and late night fashionable soirées. Expect world class designers, emerging fashionistas, brands with unique art programs, film screenings, music and models galore. W magazine will kick-off the festivities with an opening night party. Labels getting in on the action include Burberry, J. Crew, Helly Hansen, Victorinox, Calypso, Authier and more.

Tags: Aspen, Aspen Fashion Week, AspenFashionWeek, Colorado, fashion show, Fashion Week, FashionShow, FashionWeek, ski, skiing

What You Didn't Know About Your Ski Resort Vacation

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Heading off for a snowy adventure on the slopes might sound like nothing but fun but like it or not there are some dangers and inconveniences to be aware of.

There are more and more snow boarders out there, and it's good for business. Skiers and snowboarders don't always mix but there's little that can be done about it when skiers' numbers are dwindling and the snowboarding population is on the rise. Some resorts have separate slopes but many don't have the money or space to divide people up -- you'll have to get along.

Reported snow conditions may or may not be accurate. The truth is there's very little consistency or regulation in how ski resorts report fresh snowfalls and exaggeration is common. Studies have shown that resorts regularly report more new snow on weekends than during the week, apparently in hopes of encouraging impulsive last-minute weekend trips.

Source

Tags: luxist-awards, main-pedia, ski, ski resort, ski resorts, skiing, SkiResort, SkiResorts, winter, winter-travel-pedia, wintertravel-pedia