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.

At a press event for Jackson Hole, we chatted with Travis Rice (a JH native) about his upcoming Quiksilver Natural Selection snowboarding competition -- and this awesome trophy.

This is just second place.

Luxist: Now, the first place one is 24 carat gold, right?

Travis Rice: That's correct. The first place trophy weighs about 40 pounds and it's 24 carat gold. This one right here is silver-plated, and the third place one is polished bronze.

L: Do you know the value of these things?

TR: I do.

L: Can you tell me?

TR: No!

L: Shoot!

TR: It's definitely a very impressive number, like, our whole thing is like, I think a lot of contests just slack on trophies. I think a solid trophy is so important instead of just like "we have a little ribbon for you," and you get 10,000 bucks.

L: So, I'd imagine you have a closet full of those little ribbons.

TR: Yeah, and it pisses me off! I mean, you try so hard for something and then you end up getting this cheap, laser-inscribed piece of glass or something.

L: And the trophy's different every year?

TR: Yeah, this is our second year, and we wanted to do metal this year. And it's original artwork, you know?

L: So tell me about the event; explain it to me like I'm a child.

TR: The contest is called The Natural Selection for a reason. If you've ever seen a snowboarding contest before, for the most part they're man-made, they blow snow for them, they build up all the features, make jumps. This contest, however, is actually held on natural terrain. We let God do all the work. And, you know, we live in Jackson Hole, so the insane snowfall that we get there allows us to hold a contest of this type of scale.

L: Last question: Can it be worn?

TR: You know what? I think it COULD be worn. But it is gonna HURT.

L: Heavy, huh?

TR: I mean, I could try an put it on your head right now, but I think it's not gonna feel that good.

L: I feel like we might get in trouble for that in here.

TR: Yeah, it might just be a faux pas.

If you want to hit Jackson Hole for the Quiksilver Natural Selection competition, start here.

The sleek snowboard shown here is the Whip F-117, a design that manufacturer Cheetah Ultra Sports calls the Lamborghini of snowboards. The board's open V hull was created for speed and maneuverability (although not for fresh deep powder or heli-snowboarding). The board is made of wool, plastic, steel edges and carbon composite and the spider back suspensions are constructed with carbon composite. It is designed to fit better and let you cruise more easily and turn more quickly. The design is said to help both experienced riders and new riders great greater performance out of their boards. It is even lockable and can be hooked on a bike rack. The company is producing just a few boards for this winter and each sells for $1,899.

[via Cool Hunting]

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Skiing and snowboarding is a lot of fun but it can also leave you pretty sore. At Keystone Lodge & Spa, part of the snow resort at Keystone, Colorado, guests staying three nights get a free 50-minute spa treatment of their choice at the resort's RockResorts Spa. Keystone has three mountains that offer different experiences:groomed trails for carving on Dercum Mountain, big bumps on North Peak and deep powder and gladed terrain on Keystone's Outback. Rates start at $209 per night for this deal based on double occupancy. The 10,000 square foot spa, which opened last fall, is 100 percent powered by wind and features organic products, indigenous ingredients, natural light and a number of other elements that connect the spa to its mountain surroundings.

You probably aren't thinking about skiing right now but if you are dreaming of winter in Aspen prepare to spend more than ever. It has been announced that a one-day, walk-up lift ticket to Aspen during peak ski season will cost you $87 which is up $5 from last year. The new price gives Aspen the dubious honor of being the priciest lift ticket for now. Vail had the top spot last year at $85.

From now until September 7, Aspen Snowmass is offering season passes at their "super early' rate. A premier pass which offers unlimited skiing/riding on four mountains as well as discounts in the pro shop costs $1,699 now but will sells for $1,999 in November.

Some ski resorts that offer night skiing also play music over the slopes, giving the whole activity a completely different feel than daytime skiing. If you want to listen to music as you cruise down the mountain during the day, you'll have to wire your iPod up through your jacket or try to fit headphones under or around your hat and goggles. The Audex Ordinance Hat, from Motorola, is a padded hat with built-in Bluetooth headphones that can be set up to work with any wireless music device, allowing you to listen to music while participating in your favorite winter activities. Because they are wireless, there is no risk of getting anything caught up in a cord while you ski (or snowboard). They can be configured to answer calls and have a wind-resistant microphone built-in, too, so you won't have to take your gloves off on the slopes to search for your mobile phone in a pocket. It is available in black and white. Price: $180.

[via SciFi Tech]

Playing outdoors this winter? For skiers, snowboarders and winter athletes taking gloves off can be a real pain. If you are not interested in having your mittens on a string like you are eight years old, Vaughn Outdoor has the solution. Their CZiP gloves have a zip over the knuckles so that you can wiggle your fingers and hand out will still having the glove attached. The gloves are available in sizes small through extra-large and are insulated to keep you warm during a day outdoors. The gloves sell for $59.99 to $159.99.

If you've ever been curious, while hurtling breathlessly down a mountain, just how fast you were going, then this is the gadget for you. Hammacher Schlemmer is selling a wrist speedometer than can measure your ground speed while skiing, snowboarding, or sledding to track total range and best speeds. The wireless, coded radio-frequency transmitter attaches to your boot, leg, or waist and projects a radar signal to measure average ground speed in MPH and KMH, as well as maximum speed, pace in minutes per mile, distance in miles, total distance, and elapsed time. The info is sent from the transmitter to the watch display, which has a built-in lap counter, alarm, backlight, stopwatch, calorie counter, 12/24 hour time, date, and three automatic speed modes (cross country, downhill, Nordic). The speedometer sells for $299.95.