A Hiking We Will Go- Alta’s Baldy Main Chute Is Open
I wasn’t planning to ski. After three full days of romping around the chutes, couloirs and bumps of Jackson, I could feel the residual umph in my hip flexors and thighs. Damn Facebook. More than one person was posting about Baldy’s Main Chute being open. And it was sunny and warm. How could I ignore that carrot?
I dropped Sage at school and raced over to Alta. People think if you live in Park City, a drive to Little Cottonwood involves vacation days but it’s not true. It’s 40 minutes to click in. Plus, you have cell reception the whole way down Parley’s and most of LCC so you can get work done during your commute. The flat light was beginning to replace the sun by the time I loaded the Sugarloaf chair. When I got to the gate at the Snowbird checkpoint, it was all but gone; not a bad thing when you’re about to start a journey of connect-the- postholes straight up a spine.
I unfurled my Goat, strapped my skis to my back and off I went. It was 11 a.m. The sign at the gate said “Main Chute Only; if you ski anything else we’ll close the whole thing. Know where you’re going.” I thought I did.
At noon I was still trying to make my way to the summit. Two people passed me and three snowboarders were slowly catching up. I appreciated the fact that I wasn’t trying to get up with skis in my hands as I needed them to help me crawl at one point. The wind swirled around me, thankfully cooling my head through my helmet vents. Once on the ridge I could relax. I wasn’t quite to 11,000 feet but the drama was over. I had plenty of room on either side in case I needed to step out of the path and catch my breath. Thanks to a crappy season and lack of skiercise so far I was definitely struggling. But I made it. I dropped my skis and looked around. No one. The one guy ahead of me faded over the ridge. I waited. I skied Main Chute once last year but I hiked it from Snowbird in May. My perspective was off. I wanted to make sure I didn’t drop into the wrong chute and summon the wrath of every Alta patron. Soon an Alta ski instructor approached. A friendly one who gave me specific instructions, down to the mention of where I would want to enter the shot (far skier’s left). I clicked in, waved bye and deliberately worked my way to the entrance.
Where was everyone? Maybe because it was so skied up from yesterday they didn’t need to hit it again? Usually Main Chute is a cluster. The leeward wind exposure makes it a snow trap and one of the first of Baldy’s fingers to sport a relatively rock-free descent. It doesn’t open often so when it does, the march of eager backcountry skiers looks like ants heading for scraps at a picnic. On my lap, it was deserted.
I dropped in. Large, soft mounds of chalky packed powder, not quite close enough or big enough to be full-blown moguls, kept me working for each turn. My legs burned instantly. I had 750 feet of vert ahead. A few chocolate chips poked out but the run is wide and they were easy to navigate. I kept waiting for snow drifts to scoot by from skiers on the 40-degree pitch above but the only sloughs around me came from me. I thought about what I had learned at Jackson. Counter is your friend, plant your pole far down the hill, chin up so you can see ahead, etc. Despite getting sloppy toward the end, I proudly exited onto the apron of Ballroom. My only regret was not finding a friend to go with me. I could have used a huge High Five at that point.
It’s not every day we get to ski the Baldy Chutes and with the forecasted storm it looks like we’ll all be waiting to get back up there. I headed for the Collins parking lot with a self-satisfied buzz. Neeners!
Cowboy Up For Jackson Hole’s Steeps
Driving up to Teton Village should hold dread. You see the Teton Mountains and the imposing face of the ski resort as you approach. I bet beginners pucker just looking at that area. Jackson Hole is not only huge but steep and loaded with vertical lines. Nearly 4200 vertical of thighroasting feet but unlike at Snowbird, once you get up to the top you never have to go back down to the tram if you don’t want to and you will still rack some serious vert. Sublette, Thunder and the new Marmot lifts get you pretty close to Rendezvous Bowl.
The plan was to meet the gang from PSIA Intermountain in Nick Wilson’s cafeteria, all ride the tram, warm up in Rendezvous Bowl, and split up in Cheyenne Bowl ride and ride chairs for the rest of the day.
Four DECL coaches greeted us and handed out lift tickets as we entered the café. If I wasn’t already an instructor, I’d seriously consider joining PSIA just for the value. A full day of coaching and lift ticket to Jackson for $60 (retail value on the ticket alone is $94 and a group lesson is close to $200!). Jackson is definitely not known for its value. Afterall, they have to pay for that shiny new tram somehow. Kids group lessons are close to $200 and don’t include a lift ticket, lunch averages $15 for a samdwhich and drink (no fries) and they charge $15 for the nearest parking lot; otherwise it’s $5 for the Ranch Lot and shuttle to the Tram building. But let’s face it, if I’m going to spend $100 on a lift ticket I’d rather it be to Jackson than Deer Valley. But that’s just me. I haven’t gotten old or lazy enough to whine for groomers. A DV Steeps Camp would be an oxymoron.
The Split
Twenty two campers from mostly Utah anxiously booted and helmeted up as we waited for battle plans. We’d soon split into four groups of five. There would be the ‘hard-chargers’ who would ski top to bottom all day long, the ‘slowpokes’ who would need extra love and attention and then two middle groups who would get a mixture of the others. One of those, led by Karen, turned into a ladies group. I thought I was going in that group until hit the bottom, looked back up and saw all of them still skiing down. They were strong skiers but sloooow.
Last year, I charged. My clinician decided pain was the name of the game and we stopped once for the bathroom and once for lunch from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. This year, with the weaksauce early season I’ve had, I just didn’t feel up to non-stoppers but that didn’t mean I wanted to stand around waiting and talking.
Hello, Bruce Keller!
Bruce has been at Jackson for 18 years. To say he knows the mountain is an understatement. He’s a trainer to other instructors, a backcountry guide, a heliski gude in Alaska and a river guide in the summer. He’s led Steeps Camps groups for 12 years and he’s filled with anecdotes, pointers and constructive yet positive feedback.
The conditions at Jackson this week were better than Utah’s but that’s not really saying much. Neither state has broken the 100″ inch base benchmark and it’s mid-February. At Jackson, we had moguls everywhere. Fortunately the caliber of skier at Jackson means the moguls are at least skiable instead of those weird hacked off mini cliffs you find at DV when it hasn’t snowed in a while. We had soft purchase on those rolling mounds. There were decent-sized bumps in the tree shots from Expert Chutes to Bivouac but at least the mountain was 100 percent open including the backcountry gates.
It didn’t take long to feel the burn. I’m usually in ski shape by February but with so little motivation to get on it this season, I wasn’t. The Steeps Camps, therefore, served a multitude of purposes- get me in shape, get me skiing off-piste, get me skiing off-piste well, and get me out of Utah where lack-of-snow depression was setting in. We bee-lined for Sublette chair and our first ‘theme’ of the day. Bruce asked us, “What’s the most important angle in steep skiing?” The answer isn’t hips, or ankles or knees. The angle is us being perpendicular to the slope. That’s the angle you need to keep moving down the hill. In just about any ski school class you’ll take, you’ll encounter an instructor who eschews counter. That’s where you’re shoulders and pelvis face downhill while your lower body is across the hill (or at four or eight o’clock, as Bruce describes). Ski steeps at Jackson (or anywhere) and counter is king.
Don’t Be A Poodle
Another fave phrase of Bruce’s- Don’t be a poodle. I add, “Be a pitbull”.
Debb Demonstrating Counter
Another big topic of discussion was directional control versus speed control. Sometimes it’s more important to make minor adjustments to the shape of your turn as you make your way through a technical section and worry about speed control when the run opens up (becomes wide enough for a bigger turn to dump your speed). All that talk of “finishing a turn” you hear from ski instructors? Screw it in the steeps. ‘Finish’ a turn and you stop your flow. One thing you don’t want to be in a 55 or 60-degree slope is ‘stuck’. We watched a guy launch into Corbet’s Couloir and straight run it for about 100 feet before slowly arcing to regain control. He then changed direction and did another lazy GS turn. He didn’t stop until the flats. No poodles in sight.
Third Time’s The Charm
We never did make it into Corbet’s ourselves but we got a chance to practice the next ‘theory’. Every well-executed run requires three passes. On the first, you scope it. The second, you ski it and the third, you flash it. We rode Thunder to Elephant Tree, skied soft Wyoming snow up to our boot cuffs through tight pines, cut across to Paint Brush for more trees and into Toilet Bowl for a funnel that focused on an exposed rock quarry. The trick was to set up with a high-side turn before entering the gut where the rocks were. Since we had ‘scoped’ on the first run, we knew exactly where we had to be to avoid them. Unfortunately, we had a hard time ‘flashing’ on the third run as the day became a total whiteout with the storm that had moved into the area. Next pointer from Bruce- plant your pole as far down the hill as possible. You’ll be able to tell what’s below you as well as move in that direction. We couldn’t see sh*t but we kept moving. Damn this clinic rocks.
By 3:45 p.m. our little band of old timers (we have a 70-year-old Snowbird instructor ripping it up with us!) was forced to pack it in. What a day. I felt like we went from zero to 70 in a blink but that’s what a steeps camp does. There’s no room for poodles as Bruce would say. We celebrated the end of Day 1 with jalapeno margaritas at the Merry Piglets and I tucked myself in by 10 p.m. As I drifted off, I wondered if I’d be sore in the morning.
A Jackson Hole Roadie
It came late this year; just like the snow. My annual dash to Jackson Hole, Wyo.. It’s only a 4.5 hour drive from Park City. Utah, but it’s miles away. I once did Jackson in one day- complete with the après party at the Mangy Moose with some cute drunken skibums before crawling back into the car and arriving home by 11 p.m. Roundtrip totaled 17 hours. Not to say I wouldn’t do something wild like that again but there better be a lot of snow and open terrain.
Jackson’s marketing machine was sending out regular mountain reports throughout the holidays to tease us snow-starved ski junkies, but with a base depth not much more than ours in Utah I had to believe that most of the word was propaganda. Locals’ reports confirmed that the skiing wasn’t all that, so I waited. Where I would have had 40 days under my belt by now, I sat at 20- maybe. There is, however, one thing that gets me motivated even when I’ve been such a slacker of late. Jackson’s steeps camp. I missed the one in early January. Pass. Now, smack over Valentine’s Day, the mountain was showing a little love in the form of a surprise squall that dropped 8 inches.
I booked a condo at my favorite Jackson hideout- the Spring Creek Ranch; halfway between Teton Village and the town of Jackson. The Resort is hosting me for the second year in a row but I wouldn’t go back if it wasn’t a killer spot to crash.
You get a lot for your money if you time it right (i.e. midweek, non holiday)- about $200/nt including discounted lift tickets, and free breakfast and dinner in the quiet rustic elegance of the Granary Restaurant. There’s also a small spa, indoor and outdoor hottubs and free wireless internet.
But it’s the location that rocks. The homesite community sits on a hilltop for nearly 360 degrees of spectacular views and serenity. The drive in either direction takes about 20 easy minutes.
Time to hit the road. We packed up the car with the essentials.
My first roadtrip of the winter season and already my Escort radar detector has saved my butt twice. There is no surer way to harsh a vacation than to get a speeding ticket. No matter how much fun you have post police, you have that sizeable fine and points on your record hanging over your head. Plus, it’s not like you’re going to go back to fight it. You will feel defeated in addition to pissed. The best defense is a good offense. My Escort mounts on my windshield with two small suction cups and if anyone asks, the mount looks just like one for a GPS receiver. In fact it does work with GPS technology to eliminate false alarms. The ”AutoLearn” feature will mute out zones that regularly give off a false signal so you aren’t bothered. The detector sounds when a radar or laser is in range and flashes your current speed on the display. You have plenty of time to slow down. It also comes pre-loaded with red light and photo speed camera locations- yes, they use them in Utah. And you can go online and download updates.
When you consider that one speeding ticket averages $200, the $499 investment is worth every penny. Remember all of that construction on I-80 near downtown Salt Lake City? I’ve been using my radar since 2009 when I was busted for doing 75 in a 55 construction zone near 1300 east. I wasn’t going that fast but try to fight that one in Salt Lake County and win. Not going to happen. I did community service and used the ‘fine’ money to purchase my new road buddy.
We checked in safe and sound. More roadtrip gear and a Jackson review tomorrow.
Day Three of Dew Tour Up Next
You don’t have to be a halfpipe or slopestyle athlete to appreciate the competition throwing down at Snowbasin Resort in Utah this weekend. In fact, Saturday’s ski halfpipe finals for the 2012 Dew Tour drew huge crowds from skater teens to families.
The annual event debuted in 2008 as the first-ever winter action sports tour with a stop in Utah. Like the X-Games, the Tour crowns champions in six disciplines (Men/Women Snowboard Superpipe, Men/Women Snowboard Slopestyle, Men/Women Freeski Superpipe and Freeski Slopestyle). Over $2.5 million and the Dew Cup are at stake for the overall winners. For spectators, there’s a Festival Village with video gaming, giveaways, product demos and athlete autograph signings.
Louie Vito
stomped the afternoon’s snowboard superpipe finals and earned his second Dew Cup in a row with a double crippler, followed by a double Michalchuk, front double 1080, cab double 1080, and frontside 1080, ending with a cab 720. Snowbasin’s pipe is the world’s longest ever built for competition.
The ski girls stalked the pipe at dusk after the lifts closed. Devin Logan won the Cup and the Finals with a Japan grab, to 5 tail grab, flair, mute grab, alley oop critical, 7 mute, to finish with a switch alley oop 5.
“I had slope this morning, so I was a bit tired,” Logan said. “But I got some energy, found some deep down and ended up doing it, so I’m thrilled.” Canadian freeskier Rosalind Groenewoud took second, with favorite Maddie Bowman finishing third.
As the sun went down, the action heated up. The top men in the world hit it big under the lights. David Wise won the Freeski Pipe Finals but it was Kevin Rolland who walked with his second consecutive Dew Cup. Sixteen-year-old phenom Torin Yater-Wallace was third. Wise pushed full throttle on the second run with his first-ever 14 in addition to the switch double 1080, and alley oop flatspin 5 tail to end with a double cork 12. “My first run was good, so I kind of felt like I had to add a little bit of something to it,” Wise said. “The 14 was the first thing that came to mind, so dropping in I was like, ‘OK, I’ll go for that 14 at the end.” He didn’t stick the 14 but it was enough to keep him in the winner’s spot.
Rolland, in 11th place after the first run, pulled it together with a switch into a 900, to switch 720, back-to-back double flips to finish with a double cork 1260.
Yater-Wallace lost a ski when he landed his last trick of an outstanding first run that included a double cork 12 mute into an alley oop flat 5 and a double flair. He skied it out on one ski while the crowd cheered. Boos followed when the judges deducted for the equipment gaff. His second run with a double cork 12, alley oop double, double cork 9, left 10, into a switch 9 edged out Simon Dumont for a 3rd place finish.
The Sunday action starts on the slopestyle course with the women’s and men’s snowboard and ski finals before moving back to the superpipe for the Gatorade Free Flow (junior) Tour.
Dew Tour organizers say it was Snowbasin’s handling of the 2002 Olympic Downhill that attracted them to the resort. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Winter Games, Snowbasin will offer $20.02 lift tickets to everyone who shows up wearing their Olympic volunteer jackets or credentials on February 16th
Take Five- Winter Photo Tips From Park City’s Best
Winter is the perfect time for great photos in mountains – lots of sunshine, bright white snow, smiling faces, a relaxed atmosphere. But anyone who has tried to snap the ultimate image of a priceless vacation knows that shooting outside in the winter has its drawbacks. We asked Park City’s most prolific professional photographers for their number one bit of advice to help you with your Kodak Moment.
David Schultz (Westlight Images, (435) 645-8414)
Exposure and metering. Know how your camera’s light meter works. In conditions where there is a lot of white in the frame, such as snow, your light meter can/will give you an incorrect exposure reading. Your meter is calibrated to read a scene as 18 percent grey, which, when averaged out on a “typical” outdoor scene, would include a blue sky, perhaps a green foreground, white clouds, mountains, etc. When your scene is basically all white, the camera’s light meter still wants to average everything to 18 percent grey. Now all that beautiful “Utah Powder” is a dull grey. Overexpose the film by about 2 f-stops when you meter off the snow or meter off your faded jeans or a “grey card”.
Dan Campbell (Dan Campbell Photography, 435-655-7700)
Experiment. Compact digital cameras are small enough to carry all day in your ski jacket so there is no excuse not to have it with you at the top of the mountain, at lunch and while cruising Main Street. If you don’t like what you see, try again. Check each shot to make sure you like the composition and to make sure you nailed Uncle Billy going off the jumps in the terrain park. Make sure you take a big memory card like a 2g, extra cards and an extra battery. Set your digital camera to save all photos at the largest file size to give you the best quality prints.
Mark Maziarz (Sportsstockphotography.com, (435-649-0002)
Fill the viewfinder. Most amateur photos have too much empty space around the subject. Train your eye to look at all parts of the frame through the viewfinder rather than just concentrating on the little target in the center of the frame. It’s even OK to visually cut off some body parts, such as the top of a head or someone’s legs. But be careful; hands sometimes look weird if they’re missing and you pretty much always need to see the eyes.
Richard Cheski (Mindset Media, (323) 318-4885)
Catching the action. Riders move fast and your clicking finger, slow. If you’re not on it, you’ll have a card filled with white, with no one in the frame. The best way to get the peak action shot in a winter photo setting is to watch the athlete hit the jump first or have the rider pick a set spot before you shoot. The best shots in those mags capture one turn. The photog will often make the rider hike back up and run the same line again. Create communication and a focal point for the action and snap away. If you get just one shot on the roll that is “EPIC” than you have done your job!
Patrick Cone (Patrick Cone Photography, 435-640-0458)
The best photographs draw the viewer into the frame and are well-designed within the borders. So try different vantages: down low, from above, or use different lenses to edit out extraneous objects in the viewfinder or to affect the overall color and lighting. Time of day is hugely important as well. The “Golden Hour”, just after sunrise and before sunset, has a colored directional light that defines the form you are shooting. Go for those times. Avoid photographing anything when the sun is directly overhead.
Ski Tunes For February Shredding
I hate deleting music from my iPod. Not only does the iTunes interface suck so much I avoid it like my boyfriend’s breath in the morning but you never know when you’re going to miss that Glee version of Don’t Stop Believin’.
Therefore, my solution is to beef up my music library so it takes longer to shuffle back to Highway To Hell. The challenge is finding new tunes that haven’t been blow out on the radio to the point that it’s the last song you want to hear on your personal player. So where do you go?
The Internet
You can dig into your CD vault and burn, you can peruse the Billboard Magazine online charts (and try to make sense of them), or you can wait for the monthly ‘what’s hot’ list from a little-known music lover named Chris Lawlorn. The free list is sent to your inbox with hyperlinks so you can taste before you buy. Totally works for me. Now all we need is a foot of fresh powder so I feel like getting back out there.
Here’s what February’s list looks like-
Disclaimer: If you’re a heavy metal, ska, reggae, acoustic or rap fan, move along. This list is for clubbers; for ripping skiers and boarders who care about their BPM’s.
Flo Rida – Good Feeling (Jaywalker Remix) – 127 BPM
Jay Sean & Nicki Minaj – 2012 (It Ain’t The End) – 126 BPM
Cobra Starship & Sabi – You Make Me Feel… (Felix Leiter Remix) – 127 BPM
Beatfreakz – Somebody’s Watching Me – 129 BPM
Katy Perry – The One That Got Away (R3hab Club Remix) – 128
Train – Drive By – 123 BPM
Adele – Set Fire To The Rain – 109 BPM
Maroon 5, Christina Aguilera & Mac Miller – Moves Like Jagger (Remix) – 128 BPM
Outasight – Tonight Is The Night – 120 BPM
In Case You Missed The Swag
Sundance May Be Over But The Fashion Lives On….
The games and gifting were slightly off from the years where stereo systems, Playstations and cars were doled out but it was no less engaging to watch the bags of swag spilling onto Main Street, Park City, this year. The idea behind ‘gifting’ is that you get to know the products, the people behind them and most importantly take it home with you for free. At the Timberland Lodge on Lower Main Street (the west side is for VIPs, the east for Public), men and women were treated to the perfect winter attire for the raging blizzard that finally appeared- SNOWBOOTS! And down jackets.
My favorite was the “Long Down” with the faux fur hood. Very Hollywood while being very Utah. The boots are wrapped in goose down all the way up to your knees. They’re a bit funky and not for everyone but super warm on your legs.
I was asked if I could write about alcohol when I entered the TR Suites at the Gateway Center. Huh? Apparently if you live in Utah you can’t write about liquor. I got a kick out of that one. Not only was I thrilled to see zero calorie margarita mix from Refine (sold in World Market) but these naughty Vice Merchants bedsheets also got my sexy on.
But of course it was too early to drink that day so I grabbed Hint Fizz instead. Unlike most flavored waters, these taste ‘infused’ rather than juiced. Kind of like those cucumber waters you’re handed at day spas.
Shoes were a big thing at Sundance this year and the styles appearing from Matt Bernson mixed the mountain look with fashion in a way that makes even a flat-soled gal like me sparkle.
As cute as heels are, though, they had to take a backseat to the new Sorels I gathered up at the Vevo Powerstation and Sorel Suite. I’m starting to feel like the Imelda Marcos of winter boots.
I have never heard of DL1961 Denim but now I know. That’s the thing about Sundance. The exposure to brands and fashion you never knew existed. DL1961 is the only jean with 4-way stretch Lycra so it will never sag, bag, or lose its shape. When you’re used to wearing Lycra baselayers all winter it’s not a stretch- so to speak- to include it in your outwear.
Friendship bracelets, layering bangles and rings are popular according to the Rachel Roy rep. But these friendship bracelets are nothing like you find at ClubMed. The touch of bling makes them all Hollywood and all Sundance.
You can’t get away from the harsh climate in Utah so Hollywood and New York brought their skincare saviors to us. Prasad Medical Skincare was gifting gels, lotions and potions designed to minimize free radicals, fine lines, and sagging skin. I walked with a skin survival kit of sunscreen, eye rescue and “intense vitamin serum”. Great stuff when you live in Park City. Throw in Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream (CW3PR Re:Treat), Amala Hydrating Yogurt Mask (EcoHideaway Lounge), Lumene Firming Day Cream (Bertolli Soup Chalet), Phytomer
(pronounced Fee-Toe-Mer) sea water bath to revitalize skin and lip plumping duo (at the Alive Green Expo Pavilion), a Fresh Cosmetics lipgloss (from Vevo), and a makeover at the L’Oreal Beauty Suite and I looked like one of those celebrities. Okay, at least I felt like one. My skin never felt better despite the lack of sleep and abundance of free-flowing alcohol over those first few days of the fest.
You can’t be beautiful without being thin and the Sensa rep vowed that clinical studies showed users lost 60 pounds in 6 months just by sprinkling the virtually tasteless crystals on every meal. I’ll be trying that before ‘buying’ that one.
And there is was! A little table of SHRD. I discovered this magical hair protein crème at last year’s Sundance but ran out in the fall. I missed it badly. I’ve tried two other leave-in conditioners since then but nothing smoothed my hair without making it feel dirty like SHRD. The stuff’s expensive so it was a sweet to see them back again for Sundance.
Eventually the space inside those suites fill up and you start to feel mushed. Nothing takes the edge off like hovering over snack food from various “sponsors”: Cream O’ Wheat and Sabra Hummus (TR Suites)- Yes, they have gotten in on the celebrity scene, Udi’s Gluten-free, organic snickerdoodles and bread (Maimi Oasis), Tembo Trading Company Watoto Coffee (Alive Lounge), and hearty, yummy Bertolli Meal Soup.
The ‘gifting’ ended long before the actual Festival did but while the curtain closes on those films I’ve just begun to try out my goodies. Now, the real party starts. And, no, you can’t borrow my boots!
SIA Snowshow 2012 Flashes More O’ The Same But Different
It’s 2012 and Denver not Vegas. As much as I would like to get over that fact, I’m still missing the Vegas party. It’s been three years since the move and the vibe still hasn’t escalated. At least the temps were about the same with a nice spring-like day greeting Day 1 retailers, media, athletes and manufacturers to the Snowsports Industry of America convention. One thing I can say about Denver as the host city is it’s easy to get around, the restaurants are less expensive, the hotels don’t smell like ashtrays and you won’t burn up your wallet at the craps table.
Here’s a sneak peak at what’s in store for 2012/13. It’s a lot of the same- bright colors, longer hems, rocker in the skis- but elements have been fine-tuned. Designers are combining fabrics in a way they never have before. For example, Skea’s leather down puffy or Sessions men’s jackets.
Hands down the cutest little girls’ stuff is coming from Obermeyer next season.
Next year’s styles are (mostly) fun, lively and (nearly) timeless. So what do you think of this O’Neill one piece? Ahead of its time or behind? Look for it on the hill before you decide.
It’s All About The Parties At Sundance 2012
All the people at the party were drinking wine in one room at Zoom but I wanted food and a bit less ‘scene’. As I hovered but the bounty of greasy appetizers during the Focus Forward party I started chatting with Paul Bunyan in a cowboy hat. I asked him what movies he had seen and liked. Then he said judgmentally, “You haven’t seen much have you?”
“I cover the scene in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival,” I explained. “I don’t have time to see movies.” The cold chill crept in. “Films are the essence of Sundance,” he said with disdain. “Everything else is a waste of time.” The irony of the fact that this statement was made while standing in a party and eating free food was not lost on me. What’s worse is that Tex had no clue of his hypocrisy. Sundancers often split into two camps: the film camp and the party/lounge camp. But both are very much intertwined. Without networking, without parties, without music, without cast dinners, without swag (hell, think product placement and endorsement), these independent films would not be made. Those who can embrace all aspects of Sundance are the ones who get the most out of it. Maybe poor Tex (owner of his own little movie review website) just wasn’t invited onto enough Sundance VIP lists this year.
Exclusive cast dinner were all the rage this past fest with meals and bashes at places like the Supper Suite at the Montage, the LIVEstyle Film Lounge (HBO party), the Bertolli Meal Soup Chalet (7 For All Mankind Fresh Faces party), the Grey Goose Blue Door, The Fender Lodge music sessions, the new STK space, Hyde and Goodnight Gansevoort, TAO, Bing Bar and the Sundance Channel Headquarters, Chefdance and more. The only way in was to know someone.
One way to do that was Tweet. The Tweethouse party rocked and all you had to do to get in was send them a Twitter message asking to come. FYI- if you want to attend Sundance parties it’s best to RSVP long before the Festival actually starts.
The Tweethouse party of free booze and a cold veggie platter preceded a social media panel discussion. Celebs and press both attended and although they never did give away that Sony Tablet they promised to raffle if you tweet “#sonytablet”, I made some killer contacts.
With the editor of Backstage Magazine
With a star from one of my favorite inappropriate TV shows- Outsourced.
Entertainment lawyers throw the best party. Dive and Cozens got down at the Spur with live music, good food and tequila for everyone. There, I met the communications chair for Women in Film and a fellow blogger Christina Kotlar Turchyn.
After tequila comes Vodka, and the cast dinner and after party for Richard Gere’s new film Arbitrage featured free-flowing Grey Goose disguised as a fruity juice shot. IE Trouble.
Richard Gere and wife Carey Lowell were in the crowd somewhere at the Grey Goose Blue Door but I only caught Gere’s profile in the distance.
photo credit Jamie McCarthy / WireImage
I expected a sitdown dinner but it was a buffet so the dinner felt no different than the party at the Spur except the healthy, colorful food was fantastic. Wish I had gotten the name of the caterer.
The Sky Lodge partied from 24/7 throughout the first weekend of Sundance as ReTreat took over the upstairs, downstairs and sideways spaces.
Most of the hoopla has ended as we enter the last weekend of the Festival. To find a place toget your rock on, you’ll have to hunt deep. Head over to one of the final screenings and start networking. There’s a big fat “official” Sundance party tomorrow night but that is usually lame and you need a ticket. The food is picked over in less than an hour, the lines for your free plastic cup of wine or beer is slow and people just stand around in a loud, dark, crowded football-field-sized room while video clips of award winners flash in the corners. Skip it; especially if you partied hard at the Nas show tonight.
The rapper headlines at Sugar, 9 p.m. at 268 Main Street. The tickets aren’t cheap ($65) but there’s bound to be a guest list somewhere you can sneak onto. The Massachusetts-based electronic-pop band Passion Pit will perform on Saturday.
www.ticketcake.com.
Tomorrow (Saturday) singer-producer Akon should take the stage around 11 p.m. after the doors open on Park City Live (old Harry O’s). $50 at ticketcake.com and, yes, there’s a VIP list floating around. 
Sundance For Sale
Dear PCSkiGal- I think I want to see a Sundance Film Festival movie but everything that sounds interesting is waitlisted? Am I wasting my time? Should I even bother trying to go? I thought you might be the one in the know. ImpatientFan
Dear Impatient Fan- It’s not as bleak as it seems. You definitely have a shot at seeing not only a movie but one of your choice. Sundance continues through this Sunday and ends on Monday with the Best of Fest screenings for locals. The tickets to the BoF have been divvied out but because everyone got two, there’s a strong chance people can’t make it. Start asking around. Same goes for tickets to the screenings of your favorite picks. Network. Post want ads on Craigslist and KSL; Tweet. Also, every morning at 8 a.m. the Sundance box office releases extra tickets to movies screened that same day. They will publish an updated list the night before at http://www.sundance.org/ticketchart/. Check the chart, then head up to Park City before dawn. The guys at the office told me some people start lining up at 3 a.m.!
WaitList
Plan to stand in line in the cold if the above doesn’t work or have appeal. Now that the Fest is halfway through more seats become available. A good number of ticketholders start to blow off their movies toward the end of the Fest. They would rather ski, sleep, network, or they’ve OD’d on film. Choose movies that play in the early morning (before 9 a.m.) or super late evening (after 10 p.m.) that will screen at the larger venues: The Eccles Center, The Park City Library and the Prospector Square Theater. Get there TWO HOURS before showtime to pick up a waitlist number and return 30 minutes before the screening.
FSBO
Disclaimer- I neither endorse nor deny the following suggestion.
People are selling their tickets. Check Craigslist under Sale/Sundance. It is what it is. Be aware, however, the box office says they will prosecute anyone reselling their tickets and will void them out as there is some sort of fine print allowing them to do so. I asked the workers in the box office, “Don’t you guys have anything better to do than police your tickets?” and they responded, “Are you kidding? We’re a non-profit, of course not.”
Scalping is legal in Utah as long as the price is not greater than the face value of the ticket but Sundance gets to make their own laws? I think it’s absolutely ridiculous and lame that ticketholders can be prevented from recouping their money in the event that they can’t make it to a film. They are forced to purchase tickets so far in advance that the earth could end by the time the Festival comes around. You shouldn’t have to be out the money; especially if the screening is sold out. Sundance made their money on that ticket. They shouldn’t be entitled to double dip at your expense.
The one relief is you can exchange your unusable tickets for another movie at the box office and but it must be done in person and costs and extra $2 per ticket (the original ticket cost is $15). The box office will then resell your old ticket.
Now go out there and see a film before it’s too late!
~PCSkiGal
