We're hard at work getting our summer adventures set up for the traditional Memorial Day Weekend opening. But in case you think we're only about winter, here's 11 reasons why you've *got* to make Park City Mountain Resort part of your summer...

1. You Never Know Who You'll Run Into

Just remember to give a wide berth.

2. The Alpine Slide

Are you a drops or turns kinda slide rider? We've got lanes for both tastes.

3. Cash In Your Pocket

The all-in-one Alpine Pass lets you spend the day enjoying unlimited rides on the Alpine Coaster, Alpine Slide, chairlift rides and all the other base area activities. Best of all, buy your Alpine Pass online in advance, and save 10%!

4. Milkshakes

Nothing washes down a sunny summer day like Crescent Burger's homemade milkshakes, made just for you by our awesome team members.

5. The Alpine Coaster

One of our signature summer adventures, the Alpine Coaster - the longest ride of its kind in Utah - takes you down the mountain winds through more than a mile of banks and drops. All while enjoying the mountain's beautiful scenery.

6. Shopping!

Forgot something? Or just want to keep up with the latest mountain summer styles? Gear up at Legacy Sports, featuring the latest from brands including Patagonia, Oakley, Aventura, Mountain Hardwear, Salomon, Roxy, RVCA and Reef.

7. The ZipRider

Soar above the tree tops as the ZipRider propels you 110 feet above Park City Mountain Resort's ski runs at speeds up to 45 miles per hour.

8. Town Lift

Enjoy everything Park City's Historic Main Street has to offer, then jump on Town Lift and explore the mountain - or just take a scenic roundtrip!

9. The Legends Burger

Go to town on our kobe beef burger, done just how you like it by the gang at Legends Bar & Grill.

10. The Adventure Zone

Our mountain playground - for guests 36"-54" tall - features a Spider Slide, Boulders, Climbing Web and a Climbing Wall. Watch your kids reach new heights - and wear themselves out - with this great summer adventure.

11. We're Way More Fun Than This

Nothing's better during the dog days than getting up out of the Valley heat and relaxing in our cool mountain air!

Winter is (finally) behind us - time to dig out the flip-flops, pull the cover off the grill and  enjoy those lazy summer days. But if you think we're sitting back and putting our feet up during the dog days, think again.

We open for summer on Friday, May 24 (just in time for Memorial Day Weekend) and we've got a couple new summer wrinkles, in addition to the adventures we've featured here in previous seasons. Here's a look...

NEW FOR 2013
*Crescent Lift opens up a whole new part of the mountain to summer guests! In addition to PayDay and Town lifts which have run during the summer for years, Crescent Lift will also run this summer - giving guests direct summer access to new parts of the mountain. Want to take a hike over to Shadow Lake? Or take your bike up onto Mid Mountain Trail? Crescent Lift will be your new best friend.

*Enjoy unlimited summer rides with our new Summer Activity Pass! Get a season's worth of summer rides* and skip the ticket lines - all for a great value. Learn more about pricing and buy your pass HERE. (*passholders pay a per-ride add-on for the ZipRider and Flying Eagle Zip Line)

Under the snow next to Jupiter Lift sits Shadow Lake, a great location for summer hikes. Crescent Lift will provide hikers more direct access to Shadow Lake Trail in 2013.

These new features join our classic summer adventures that we've offered for years: one of the world's longest alpine slides, Utah's longest alpine coaster, our kids' Adventure Zone and climbing wall, Little Miners Park, scenic chairlift rides and some of the best hiking and mountain biking in the world! Throw in the full lunch/dinner and beverage menu at Legends Bar & Grill and the made-to-order burgers, handcut fries and homemade shakes at the Crescen Burger shack, and you've got everything you could need to escape with us into the cool mountain air.

Ride PayDay lift to the top of one of the world's longest alpine slides, and enjoy a beautiful ride down.

 Learn more about all of our summer activities HERE, and escape to the mountains with us this summer!

Forty three years ago on April 22, 1970 the first Earth Day was observed with coast-to-coast rallies. The atmospheric CO² level was 325 parts per million (ppm).

Thirty years later on 18 April 2000 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under President Bill Clinton, Dr. D. James Baker, marked Earth Week with remarks in New Orleans about climate change.  "Our climate is warming, now at a rate faster than any other time in our instrumental records," he said, adding that "long-term climate change could have major impacts on the environment, human health, the economy, and society."  In 2000 the atmospheric CO² level was 369 ppm.

Today, the 43rd Earth Day observance, the atmospheric CO² level is almost 397 ppm.  The Save Our Snow climate study indicates the sustainable snow level at Park City Mountain Resort could be at 9,500’ elevation by 2075 and 10,200’ by the year 2100.  The major part of ski season could be limited to January and February, or worse.  

Average temperatures have risen more quickly since the late 1970s (0.31 to 0.45°F per decade). Seven of the top 10 warmest years on record for the contiguous 48 states have occurred since 1990.

Since the late 1970s, the United States has warmed even faster than the rest of the world.

Think about the last forty three years of your life.  Have you seen changes in the environment in your lifetime?  For those of you in your teens, twenties and thirties, think about those of us who have seen changes. 

I hope when Earth Day 2053 comes someone is writing a blog about all the right things we did in the past 40 years.  I hope they have pictures of lakes and reservoirs that are filled to capacity.  I hope they have skiing and snow in April.

Please make a change to help your planet on Earth Day. 

When snowcat manufacturer PistenBully put out a call for a video contest this winter, I couldn't resist shooting and editing a look at what it looks like to groom the better part of 3,300 acres of terrain.

Grooming operators and mechanics across the country were challenged by PistenBully to show what goes on with grooming at their mountain. Two winners were chosen from all the entries, and I was one of them!

The trip I won is an all-expense paid trip to Switzerland and Germany in May. I'll be participating in a two-day terrain park cutters camp on a glacier, then the rest of the time will be spent in Germany sightseeing and checking out PistenBully’s main headquarters.

I filmed everything in about a week, and used a few other clips I already had - you can see the final video below. I'm stoked I won and think this trip should be a fun time.

And that's a wrap on the winter season!

From Opening Day to Park City's holiday events, the annual celebration of Jupiter Lift's opening, the world's best descending on the superpipe for Grand Prix, a week of Snowasis in the Snow, incredible spring snow, a season's worth of #ParkCityGram's and everything in between, it was a heck of a run. And we're grateful to have shared it with you. After all, we supply the snow - but the memories are provided by you.  

The last couple weeks' weather only reminds us that a powder day is never far away out here in Park City, but we've got a lot of fun to have out here before the lifts start turning for our 50th anniversary 2013-14 season - we open on May 24 for the summer!

Lily's back, one of the season's biggest powder days and a welcome home for a world champion. It's This Week in #ParkCityGram.
*Editor's Note: the season may wind down Sunday, but This Week in #ParkCityGram keeps on going - so keep 'em coming! 

@eastcoastpowderhound: My little ripper about to drop into her first hike-to run off Pinyon Ridge! #parkcitygram #salomonfreeski #pcmr

@powderburger: ate pow for lunch today #powderburger #powder #parkcity #wasatch

@skiutahyeti: Hanging with the new @pcski avalanche dog Lilly this morning! #parkcity #puppy #parkcitygram #skiutah

@sweatersss: Snowboarders up in my grill. #snowboarding #parkcitygram

@lindsayheather28: Last day of the season... Skiing in rain, snow and sun. @pcski #parkcitygram #heaven #home #sisters

@rossdownard: If you didn't go #skiing today, you blew it. #parkcitygram #triebby

@sh1elds: Rider: @stephaniesuefeld #parkcitygram 

@snowangelsam: It just keeps dumping! Freshies all day off of mcconkeys and Jupiter!! #parkcitygram #faceshots #april8

@evjmath: #parkcitygram #snowman #barfruit

@ted_ligety: Flag parade. Thanks @pcski for the welcome home party. #parkcitygram

Every year at this time, the lift crews for the three Park City resorts step into a crucible of karaoke, competition and carnage known as the Wasatch Backside Lifty Invitational (WBLI). This week, the games of the 5th annual WBLI's are being held, and Park City Mountain, Deer Valley and Canyons Resorts are battling in a friendly - but hard-fought - competition for the right to call themselves the best darn lift crew in town. Today we host the final, climactic stop in the three-part series on our home turf!

Park City Mountain Resort's lift crew flies the flag at a recent WBLI throwdown

The WBLI's are jointly organized each year by the three resorts, they provide our beloved local lifties a fun way to enjoy the season's homestretch, an excuse to do some serious team bonding, and a chance to meet their counterparts at the other resorts. Each year, each resort hosts one leg of the competition over the course of a week, with the champion being determined by an overall aggregate score across all three leg's events. Disciplines run the spectrum; from a slalom race in which competitiors must first dizzy themselves by spinning around a ski pole, to an equipment dressing/undressing relay, to a race to return a collection of dropped gear to a "guest" on a stopped chairlift - and everything in between.

A PCMR lifty finishes his ski pole spins before beginning his slalom run

Tonight, we host the event's Game 7: the final leg in the series, where the champion will be crowned. And if we're being honest, we need all the help we can get. So grab a noisemaker, maybe even your favorite piece of red flair, and come support the good guys tonight at 5:30 as we try to win back the cup for the first time since our back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011! 

Clown Day, enjoying one of the season's biggest storms and the Wasatch Backside Lifty Invitational. It's This Week in #ParkCityGram.

@_andi_pandi_: Only 1 more weekend left #parkcitygram

@rossdownard: Pulling out my best #oface #deepbreath before the plunge. #parkcitygram 

@sh1elds: Send it brAh! #parkcitygram

@eric_hoffman: Depth check @pcski = awesome #parkcitygram

@jackolantern11: night skiing with park city lights in background #parkcitygram

@therealgraysonwest: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Mahatma Gandhi

@alday_productions: #clown_day #alday #parkcitygram

@jsteltzer: #powder #snow #winter #parkcitygram @4frnt_skis

@christianduffy: About to film th sickest edit with the snow cam 3100 with fisheye lens here at @pcski #irideparkcity

@wutangkillajane: We came. We competed. We may have lost this round but we definitely had the most fun. #wblis #parkcitygram

@ted_ligety: Enjoying an awesome Spring skiing day @pcski #parkcitygram #springski #tshirtweather

"What? Over? Did you say, 'over?' Nothing is over until we decide it is!"
-John Blutarsky, 1962

After nearly five months and more than 200 inches of snow, things had started to warm up this spring and I'll admit I'd pulled out the shorts and was making eyes at my mountain bike hanging in the garage.

Then last night happened, and Old Man Winter came charging through town and onto the mountain with 15 brand new inches of snow like Bluto rallying the Delta Tau Chi brothers in "Animal House" - reminding us that winter in Park City is never over 'til it's over.

As much as I'm looking forward to summer, I was happy to oblige another hit of snow. I passed by the shorts and grabbed my snowbibs on the way out the door this morning. 

I'm never one to deny winter. Or John Blutarksy, for that matter.

We knew him growing up as Ted "Ligety Split," but now you can call him World Champion Ted Ligety - and we're welcoming him home Saturday, April 6!

In February, Ted enjoyed a world championship not seen in nearly half a century, becoming the first man in 45 years - and the first non-European ever - to win three world championship events. For good measure, he also won six World Cup GS events, good for third in the overall World Cup standings, and wrapped his season by winning the slalom at the U.S. Alpine Championships.

Now we get to welcome him home at Park City Mountain Resort – where Ted took his first turns on skis, learned to race and still comes back to enjoy the snow between race circuit events. And the public is welcome!

The day includes remarks from previous world champion Stein Eriksen, a meet & greet with Ted and live music. A schedule of events is below:

1:00 p.m. – Parade of flags down lower PayDay run
1:15 p.m. – Ted Ligety introduced on stage, participates in live Q&A with guests
1:30 p.m. – Remarks from former world champion Stein Eriksen , US Ski & Snowboard Association President Bill Marolt and Park City Mayor Dana Williams
1:45 p.m. – Remarks from Ted Ligety
2:00-3:00 p.m.  – Meet and greet with Ted Ligety at PayDay plaza
3:00 p.m. – Live music featuring Bryon Friedman on PayDay Deck at Legacy Lodge

Watch Ted's story about growing up on our snow and becoming an Olympic and world champion, then join us to welcome him back home! 

This Sunday, our traditional Easter celebration returns with a pair of egg hunts for the young and the young at heart. Guests 6 and under will be able to fill their baskets with treat-filled eggs in our Kids Korral. The Easter Bunny will return as well, taking photos and spreading Easter cheer. Older guests will will be able to participate in our all-mountain hunt, with eggs all over the Resort holding treats and all sorts of prizes including: Skullcandy headphones, Arnette goggles, shirts, alpine coaster tickets, tubing passes to Gorgoza Park and alpine slide tickets!

Of course, we'll also have our traditional Golden Eggs hidden on the mountain - each holding a voucher for a 2013-14 season pass. Clues as to one egg's location are being dropped daily on our Facebook and Twitter pages, while the other remains a mystey - you'll have to be quick and eagle-eyed to find it!

Last year's Golden Egg went fast, we expect the same this time around

Easter is one of our favorite celebrations to share with our guests, we hope to see you Sunday morning at 9 when both egg hunts begin!

We're celebrating Easter for the young and the young at heart with a pair of egg hunts that start at 9am! Guests 6 and under will find treat-filled eggs - and the world's most famous bunny - in the Kids Korral by the resort plaza. Older guests will find more eggs around the rest of the mountain, including two Golden Eggs: each holding a voucher for a 2013-14 season pass. Easter is one of our favorite on-mountain traditions, you're invited to come share it with us!

Girlfriends, face shots, and karaoke on the mountain. It's This Week in #ParkCityGram.

@amymellow: #parkcitygram

@ashtyn_todd: #parkcitygram

@jackolantern11: I'm a powder huffer  photo credit: @cherryj16

@wbboarder: #parkcitygram with my girl @llh5057 #kristiscoffe

@davlew: Hitting up the moguls on Powder Keg with @melbryden @alexbryden86 @viclewandowski #parkcity #utah #parkcitygram

@vandygram83: Sit back and relax... Layin that cord. #pistenbully #parkcitygram

@robritt: Great day to live in PC! #parkcitygram

@keanecheese: This is why I live here. @pcski #parkcitygram

@themilehighmama: Hubby knocking it outta town karaoking Spoon Man. #SongsOnTheSlopes #parkcitygram

Gnar beards, awesome hats and shirtless turns...it's just another This Week in #ParkCityGram.

@b0az: #tbt to my gnar beard hahahaha #parkcitygram

@htsimonton: Rail jam @creedsimonton @frederick_danielson #parkcitygram

@jackolantern11: Neffland #parkcitygram 

@snowmamas: We like big flakes and we cannot lie! Snow is coming down in Park City! #parkcitygram

@mjtoddmd: Ski-in Ski-out beauties. #parkcitygram

@croshane: Watch out that merfox has got you!!! #awesomehat #parkcitygram

@reichlin: The tradition continues - spring skiing @pcski #parkcitygram

Snowasis in the Snow is here next week and there's no event we're more looking forward to than next Wednesday's "Songs From the Slopes" on-mountain karaoke session. We'll have our camera up by the Demo Center at the top of Bonanza Lift from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., shooting anyone who wants to show off their pipes and crank out a funky jam. So find our camera, pick up your air mic and show us what you got! Then join us for an apres party at PayDay Pizza in Legacy Lodge from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m - where we'll be screening your on-mountain performances and hosting more live karaoke.

But just so you know what you're up against... 

My Top 10 Reasons to love spring skiing and riding.

1. Goggle tans - remember to apply your sunblock.
2. Skiing the decks - great excuse to visit the Snow Hut, Summit House, Mid-Mountain Lodge and The Shack all in one day.
3. Slush bumps - I'm not a bump skier unless it's spring and slushy.
4. Spring Sales - currently at 30% off at Legacy Sports.
5. Daylight Savings Time has changed so the snow stays firm for the morning - check out my tips for how to best ski the mountain in the spring.
6. Silly costumes - be creative, have fun, or just enjoy what you see sliding around on the slopes.
7. Fun and free events - this week we have Apres Concerts and Snowasis in the Snow
8. Wind Shirts - my wife hates mine, but I think they're awesome (and these aren't even all that ugly).
9. Lift ticket deals - check out 50% off night skiing (closes on March 31, 2013) and other great specials.
10. Ony seven more months until the 2013-2014 winter season!
11. Ok - I lied, there's one more reason - I've had some of my best powder days ever in the spring - this shot was taken on March 30th a few seasons back!

 

I'm sure I missed some good reasons, please leave your favorites in the comments!

Springtime will always mean soft snow and sunblock to us - but there's always room this time of year for some Madness, as well. Which is why we're brining the Park City Mountain Resort Bracket Challenge back for another year!

Think you know how this year's X's and O's will play out? Straight chalk or do you know the hidden Bracket Buster? Take on a pool of PCMR guests for some fun and bragging rights, and jump into our free Bracket Challenge by signing up HERE! (PASSWORD: SpringTurns) If you were one of last year's 59 participants, your brackets are already waiting to be filled out again. If you're new this year, take 10 seconds to set up a profile and then get your picks logged. Our champion wins PCMR swag, to go with some serious bragging rights.

Whether you're breaking down the matchups by position or just picking your favorite colors, jump into our Bracket Challenge and follow along with us the next three weeks!

UPDATE: Winter Clothing is now discounted 40%!! (still with the exception of accessories and logo wear)

Springtime means soft turns, sunny days, sunscreen...and end-of-season deals. And Legacy Sports in Legacy Lodge is no exception, with 40% off all winter clothing in the store right now (with the exception of accessories and logo wear)!

Legacy Sports has everything you need to look your best on the mountain - cause that's the most important part, right?

Legacy's sale includes outerwear and gear from the industry's top brands, including: Armada, Burton, Helly Hansen, Hot Chillys, Neff, Neve, Nils, Marker, Mountain Hardwear, Oakley, Patagonia, Quiksilver, Rossignol, Roxy, Salomon, Scott, Skea, Smart Wool, Sno Skins, Spyder and Under Armour.

Legacy Sports' men's section is full of outerwear, hats and accessories from the biggest snow apparel brands around.

Additional select winter clothing, helmets and boots are marked down up to 50% off!

Forget something? Legacy Sports' women's section has you more than covered.

Legacy Sports also features the widest variety of Park City Mountain Resort and "I Ride Park City" logo'd clothing, accessories and gifts you'll find anywhere - and is your on-mountain source for outerwear, base layers, goggles, sunglasses, gloves, helmets and almost anything you can imagine.

If it says "Park City Mountain Resort" or "I Ride Park City" on it, chances are you can find it at Legacy Sports. 

Stop in and check out the great spring prices at Legacy Sports next time you're in the base lodge. But if you leave with a bag (or two) of new gear, don't say we didn't warn you.

 Lily, fresh snow and a fake tuna. It's This Week in #ParkCityGram.

@sethaurus: #parkcitygram

@mjtoddmd: The world's only ski-in ski-out gastro-distillery.  Located right under the town lift. #parkcity #utah #parkcitygram #whiskey #highwest

@reichlin: Testing the course for the USSA Freestyle Junior Nationals #parkcitygram

@jerryk82: Great way to end a #snowday #peppermintpatty #apreski 

@katietrout33: @jay_kay1890 #claimjumper #parkcitygram

@mtndogs: Finding that perfect patch of sun. #pcmrpatroldogs #intraining #lily #basepatrol 

@brandonkone: Little C box action. #slushydays #atomic #hot #3kings #irpc #parkcitygram 

@eric_hoffman: Thanks @pcski Mountain Patrol for getting Pincecone open! #parkcitygram

@argreenwell: Davanza's #parkcitygram

@ntj: My son is so happy to be holding Lilly @pcski

@croshane: @buehlersdayoff is doing some warm up boosters in than massive pipe!! #parkcitygram #irideparkcity #tomorrowitson #pipe #snowboard

@cassandraw34: Made it down the mountain in one piece!! #parkcitygram 

We're all about making memories that last a lifetime here, and this spring we're working with Fidelity Investments® to help you Re:live your moments on the mountain again and again. And there's more than one way to do it! Here's how:

1.  Find the banners and SharpShooter photographers at the top of Bonanza and Silverlode lifts and get your picture taken, then visit the SharpShooter location in Legacy Lodge to redeem your free print. SharpShooter photographers will be ready for you on the following dates:
Saturday - Tuesday: March 16 - 19
Saturday - Tuesday: March 23 - 26
Saturday - Monday:  March 30 - April 1
             Wednesday: April 3

2. Post your own pictures from around the mountain on our Picture of the Day gallery.

3. Share your photos in Twitter and Instragram with the #ReliveYourMoments hashtag.

Whether you're enjoying a dream vacation with your family, or chasing our one of a kind powder, we're all about making memories that last forever. Now, we and Fidelity Investments® invite you to relive them again and again!

These warm spring days are the perfect time to get some great turns, then kick back and work on your goggle tan in the sunshine. And if that's part of your on-mountain game, there's no better spot to be than the deck outside The Shack - our spot for burritos and street style tacos at the bottom of 3 Kings Lift and the Eagle Superpipe.

Whether you're into the Kings Crown burrito's carne asada, the 3 Kings' carne asada and grilled chicken, the Green King's black beans or you want to make your own with the Park Builder burrito, the Shack has what you need to fill your belly after a day of lapping the mountain (eat like a local and order yours with the Shack's signature King Sauce). Wash it down with an ice-cold soda or a frosty beer on the deck while watching the goings-on in the superpipe and you've got yourself the perfect spring afternoon!

Getting some night runs in? Get your third taco free when you order two tacos at regular price and show your special 50% off night ticket available now at all Ski 'N See and Arcs locations (with the exception of the Ski 'N See in our Resort Plaza).

If you're coming out to the mini park for this weekend's TransWorld TransAm finals, there's no better spot to hang  Come out for Saturday's TransWorld TransAm tour finals at the mini park just below the Eagle Superpipe, and enjoy a perfect lunch spot outdoors on the Shack's deck, or on a seat in one of the old PCMR gondola cars steps away from the pick-up window.

Study the menu and order like a pro when it's your turn at the window!