During the month of April, the slopes are a little less crowded, with the exception perhaps of Easter weekend.  The temperatures are a little warmer so you do not need too many layers as in the colder months which makes things a little more comfortable.  People enjoy eating their lunch outside at Red Pine Lodge at the picnic tables as if the snow was sand and you were having a day at the beach – yes, sometimes it even feels that warm but it is very comfortable at that altitude with low humidity and thin, dry air.

There are also usually discount package deals from most of the Park city hotels and resorts during the spring months.  You may be able to save half off the regular high season prices during December, January and holiday periods. Note that typically, Deer Valley Resort closes up to one week earlier than The Canyons Ski Resort and Park City Mountain Resort.  It’s just how Deer Valley rolls.  If your stay is long enough, it is also a good time to visit Utah National Parks. Within in a half day drive from Park City, you can be at Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef National Parks, among others. These parks become crowded during the summer months and can have extremely high temperatures during the day, but during the spring, crowds are low and temperatures are pleasant.

So if you are debating what time of the skiing season to plan your vacation, do not discount the month of April. Now, we cannot make guarantees that April will offer you the best skiing of the season, but more often than not, it is not the worst time of the season for sure.  I overheard someone on an airplane once talking to a couple of guys that were going to Utah to do some skiing in December. He said he went to Utah in November/December and the skiing was not so great. Not too surprised. Unless we get some huge snowstorms in November, the skiing can never compare to what it is like from January through April.  They do some snowmaking at the resorts, but the machines can never cover all the terrain, especially not off trail, so advanced skiers especially will not be too impressed with the skiing conditions sometimes early in the season.

Next it is time to focus on Park City Summer Activities since the ski season is officially over here in Park City. Would you believe that Snowbird here in Utah, sometimes has stayed opened during the weekends throughout the month of May and sometimes into June?! They sometimes get a ton of snow too during the spring snowstorms. Anyway, there is plenty of things to do in Park City during the summer months so come on out and plan your summer fun mountain vacation!

Related posts:

1. Park City Mountain Resort Vacation Packages
2. The Canyons Ski Resort Spring Break and Spring Gruv
3. Park City Ski Resorts Opening Dates 2009-2010 Ski Season – Deer Valley, The Canyons & Park City Mountain Resort

Canyons Pond Skimming Contest

The Pond Skimming Contest is The Canyons’ most popular party and is the true indicator that spring has arrived. Contestants must dress in costume (the funkier the better) as they attempt to cross a 100-foot pond on skis or a snowboard. The pond and the excitement happen at mid-mountain just outside Red Pine Lodge. Must be 10 years of age or older to enter.

Schedule:
8:00am – 9:00am: Registration at Smokie’s
11:45am: Riders’ meeting at top of course (mandatory)
12:00pm: Contest start
12:00pm – 3:00pm: DJ Velvet spins tunes at the Pond
2:30pm: Awards Ceremony at the Pond
3:00pm: Live music by Big Head Todd & The Monsters in the Resort Village!

More info on The Canyons Pond Skimming Contest and registration

Canis Lupus Challenge

In the old days, it was called The Natural (natural halfpipe) and the James Bond trail (for resembling a banked bobsled run). Call it what you will. Canis Lupus is a 1/4 mile-long gulley that serves up banked walls, turn after turn and whoops that will throw you off track if you are not prepared. There will be a few banked slalom gates at the top, then a “not-so-straight shot to the finish.” Must be 10 years of age or older to enter.

Red Bull 1976 Games

The Canyons will be hosting a qualifying event for the Red Bull 1976 Games. Teams of four will compete for the glory and bragging rights of becoming the 1976 Games Champions. Competitions include Snowbladecross & Old School Air – all up at Red Pine Lodge area. Registration info to come…

Red Bull 1976 Games Event Schedule:
8:00am – 9:00am: Registration at Smokie’s
9:30am – 11:30am: Athlete Training
11:45am: Riders’ meeting at top of course (mandatory)
12:00pm: Snowbladecross start
1:00pm: Old School Air start
2:30pm: Awards Ceremony at venue

Then, hit up the Resort Village for a live concert by Robert Randolph & The Family Band at 3:00pm!

NOTE: No outside alcohol is allowed in for the spring concerts. But do not fret, they will have food and beverage options available in the Resort Village.

You can find out more about all the events, concerts and special lodging packages at the The Canyons Spring Gruv website. They are offering some great discount lodging packages with rates starting at $59.50. We can get some awesome snowstorms in March and April, so come on over, enjoy the snow, the fun events, free concerts and warmer temps!

Related posts:

1. The Canyons Ski Resort Free Lift Tickets and Breakfast Lodging Package
2. Free Lift Ticket and Snowboard Lesson at The Canyons Ski Resort
3. Park City Utah Spring Skiing

So perhaps you spend a little more to get a nicer room or suite in exchange for free lift tickets and breakfast. You may actually end up spending the same for the nicer suite as you would paying for a less expensive room where you had the added expense of having to pay for lift tickets and breakfast. Now if your breakfast consists of a cup of coffee and a granola bar, you may come out ahead – but getting a nicer room could be worth it in the end. Plus a nice buffet breakfast will give you that extra bit of energy to enjoy the slopes and not get pooped out before 10am!

Escala Lodges

Here is the lowdown on the ski/vacation package deal:

• Valid February 4, 2010 – April 11, 2010
• Choose either the Sundial Lodge, Silverado Lodge, Vintage on the Strand or Escala Lodges
• Lift ticket & breakfast vouchers have no cash value, are non-transferable and not for resale
• Not available for groups of 10 or more
• Offer may not be applied to existing reservations
• Price does not include taxes, fees or optional travel protection premiums
• Package based on availability
• “Other restrictions may apply” – guess you will need to ask them about what that means?

You can book the package online, Canyons Ski Resort Free Lift Ticket Package, or call The Canyons Resort directly at 1-(888)-CANYONS

All of the lodging facilities for this package are pretty much centrally located right near the slopes with easy access to either chair lifts or The Flight of The Canyons 8-person Gondola.  The Escala Lodges, pictured right, is one of the newest lodging facilities at The Canyons, located mountainside in the Resort Village. You can review each these properties at The Canyons Resort Lodging summary page. But remember not to book online from those pages. If you want the free lift ticket and breakfast package, follow the link further above or go to the hot deals lodging packages link from The Canyons drop down menu page.

Related posts:

1. Free Lift Ticket and Snowboard Lesson at The Canyons Ski Resort
2. Discount Lift Tickets for The Canyons Ski Resort
3. The Canyons Discount Lift Tickets Full Day $65!

The key here is that there is a limited number. If you click on the link below it will bring you to the order page for tickets. I would recommend ordering them as soon as you can if you plan on going to The Canyons this season. Full day lift tickets normally cost $81 so you can save some cash and use it to buy lunch in between runs. Plus it goes to a good cause. Mountain Town Music is a non-profit organization which exists to produce, foster, and support live music which enhances the cultural experience for Park City and Summit County residents and visitors.

Go here to purchase your tickets: The Canyons Discount Lift Tickets $65

You can have your tickets delivered by mail for $1.00 extra or just pick them up at The Market Hall. They mention picking up your “$65 voucher” so they probably are not the actual lift ticket, but rather a voucher which you then can take to any of The Canyons Ski Resort ticket windows and exchange it for a lift ticket.

If anyone wants to pick up their vouchers at The Market Hall and don’t know where that is, it is a co-operative retail outlet located between Park City Coffee Roasters and Molly Blooms near the Post Office at Kimball Junction at 1680 East Ute Blvd. (435.645.6004).

View Larger Map

Related posts:

1. Discount Lift Tickets for The Canyons Ski Resort
2. The Canyons Ski Resort Free Lift Tickets and Breakfast Lodging Package
3. Park City Discount Lift Tickets – $38.99 Full Day!

So what’s the catch?  The deal only lasts from today until February 11, 2010. You have to purchase the tickets in advance online. Both tickets must be used on the same day by two separate people – so you can’t use one ticket one day, then come back and use the second ticket another day, kapish? Also, the food vouchers have no cash value and cannot be exchanged or refunded. You can redeem your vouchers at Red Pine Lodge, Sun Lodge or Smokie’s Bar & Grill and you can substitute the burger for a slice of pizza and side salad, sweet.

This is just another way to get Park City discount lift tickets.  You have to do some searching around, but they are out there if you take the time to look. I just found out about this deal today because I signed up for email alerts for such special deals with The Canyons. I do the same for Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Ski Resort.  So save some cash and take advantage of as many discount lift ticket deals as you can. I rarely pay full price for lift tickets anymore and neither should you if you can’t or don’t want to.

For more information and how to purchase these lift tickets go to The Canyons Pair Pass

Don’t forget to check out other possible lift ticket deals at Liftopia Park City Discount Tickets

Park City Discount Lift Tickets – Our summary page of other ways to get Park City lift ticket discounts.

Related posts:

1. The Canyons Discount Lift Tickets Full Day $65!
2. The Canyons Ski Resort Free Lift Tickets and Breakfast Lodging Package
3. Free Lift Ticket and Snowboard Lesson at The Canyons Ski Resort

Qualifying Burton Snowboard Purchases:
Blunt
Blunt Primo
Blunt Wide
Bullet
Chicklet
Chopper
Clash
Custom Smalls
Dom Grom
Feather
Feelgood Smalls
Operator Smalls
Shaun White Smalls
Stigma
The Social
Verdict

What do You Get with Your Free Lift Ticket & Snowboard Lesson Package?

Basically you get a free Learn To Ride lesson package.  The Canyons is an official Learn To Ride Center and offers the clinic to first time snowboarders normally for $99. I did this lesson a few years back and thought it was a pretty good deal and the instructors were great.  They give you a full day lesson and full day lift ticket on the beginner lift at mid-mountain, just next to the Red Pine Lodge.  They also normally give you the full day of equipment rentals with this package, but in this case you already got your Burton Board!

About the Package – Restrictions & What You Get:

• This is for first-timers, a beginner lesson, so if you are above that level and buy a qualifying board and do not want the lesson – the deal is transferrable – sweet! Just give it to a friend or family member as a gift and tell them to buy you lunch on the slopes in return!
• The full day lesson is 2.5 hours in the morning, break for one hour lunch, then 2.5 hours in the afternoon. This is plenty of time to get the basics down and learn enough to be able to do some turns on your own by the end of the day – if you can last that long!
• Must be at least 15 years old for the lesson
• Call at a minimum 48 hours in advance of the day you want to take your lesson.  This lesson package books up quick and there is no guarantee there will be a spot open on the day you want if you do not call in advance. The Canyons especially recommends advance reservations are made for lessons during their “Premium Periods” which are: 12/19/2009 – 1/2/2010, 1/16/2010 – 1/18/2010, 2/13/2010 – 4/11/2010.  If you have to cancel, do it at least more than 48 hours in advance, otherwise fees will be imposed.

So if you are looking to get a new snowboard, consider one of the Burton snowboards listed above and you get a free $99 lesson and lift ticket deal thrown in. Even if you do not get one of the Burton boards, you still should consider getting the Learn To Ride lesson and lift ticket package at The Canyons because it is a great deal, especially if you are a beginner.

More about the Go Snowboarding Free Lift Ticket and Lesson – there are 18 other resorts in the U.S. you can choose to take your lesson at besides The Canyons, they are all listed at the Burton site.

And here’s the Learn To Ride Snowboard Lesson & Lift Ticket Package at The Canyons with all the details about the lesson and how to make reservations.

Canyons Ski Resort – just our page with a summary of the features at the resort and links to other pages about getting lift tickets, lodging, live webcam, videos and more.

Related posts:

1. Utah Residents Ski or Snowboard Lesson $25 at the Park City Mountain Resort!
2. Free Park City Lift Ticket – How To Get One!
3. The Canyons Ski Resort Free Lift Tickets and Breakfast Lodging Package

Park City Mountain Resort: November 21

The Canyons Resort: November 27

Deer Valley Resort: December 5

Now these dates are based on whether or not the resorts are able to get enough natural snow and/or able to use their snowmaking equipment to make enough snow.  If the weather cooperates, it will be cold enough for continued snowmaking and hopefully will not warm up enough during the day so that the snowmaking stays ahead of the melting rate.

Deer Valley typically opens the latest to make sure conditions are good enough so that they do not disappoint skiers. Not to say Park City Mtn. Resort and The Canyons do not care, Deer Valley is just choosing to wait longer for their opening day for insurance that the conditions are good by then.  If the weather is not cold and snowy enough by December 5th, well that would just make us sad to say the least.

Is it worth it to book a vacation to ski the Park City Resorts during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which starts November 26th (note The Canyons is planning to open the day after Thanksgiving on the 27th).  I do not know, to tell you the truth. I have never skied here during Thanksgiving because I can wait and ski the best snow days since I live so close.  A couple of years ago we had a friend who visited us during Thanksgiving and was looking forward to going skiing, but missed out because it was super windy and stormy the days he could go.  He had to return home when the storm cleared.  It’s up to you. If you are just dying to go skiing, especially if you are getting a season pass, they sure come on out.  Just remember that the snow probably won’t be the best yet (although after that storm we had during Thanksgiving the snow was great) and it is a slight possibility that the resorts won’t even be open.  But hey, even if you do book your trip there is still plenty to do in Park City besides skiing.

Do not forget to get your discount ski passes before prices go up.  Refer to this post for more information: Park City Ski Passes Pre-Season Discounts

Related posts:

1. Park City Mountain Resort Vacation Packages
2. Park City Utah Spring Skiing
3. Park City Ski Passes Pre-Season Discounts