The Sundance Film Festival  may be over, but that doesn’t mean the fun stops in Park City.  This week kicks off the 2012 VISA Freestyle International World Cup Event hosted by Deer Valley Resort, as well as the 10 Year Anniversary of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics.  There’s a ton of fun going on in and around town.  Bottom line, it’s a great time to book your trip to Park City, Utah!   Visit our Specials Page and read below about upcoming events, celebrations and fun!

Competitors from around the world will challenge each other and themselves on Deer Valley’s 2002 Olympic runs.  The festivities started last night, Feb. 1, with Robert Randolph and the Family Band on Main Street in Park City, followed by an amazing fireworks display!  Best of all, the snow was falling.  Have you seen fireworks in the snow?! Below is the full schedule for the remainder of the week/weekend.  *All events are FREE and open to the public and take place in the evening under the lights.

Thursday, February 2
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Ladies’ Mogul Qualifications
Champion
5:50 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Men’s Mogul Qualifications
Champion
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
VIP Tent Open
Competition Venue
8 p.m. – 8:55 p.m.
Men’s and Ladies’ Mogul Finals (16/16)
Champion
8:55 p.m. – 9:10 p.m.
Awards
Finish Area
9:10 p.m.
Fireworks

Friday, February 3
1:05 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Ladies’ Aerial Qualifications
White Owl
4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Men’s Aerial Qualifications
White Owl
6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
VIP Tent Open
Competition Venue
7:30 p.m. – 7:40 p.m.
Showcase
White Owl
7:45 p.m. – 9:25 p.m.
Men’s and Ladies’ Aerial Finals (12/12)
White Owl
9:30 p.m. – 9:40 p.m.
Awards
Finish Area
9:40 p.m.
Fireworks

Saturday, February 4
3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Ladies’ Dual Mogul Qualifications Champion
4:50 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
Men’s Dual Mogul Qualifications
Champion
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
VIP Tent Open
Competition Venue
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Men’s and Ladies’ Dual Mogul Finals (32/16)
Champion
9 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
Awards
Finish Area
9:15 p.m.
Fireworks

But that’s not all… this week also kicks off the Salt Lake 2002 10 Year Olympics Anniversary! Here is what’s happening:

The Relighting the Flame ceremony starts the evening of Feb. 8 at Cauldron Park, Rice-Eccles Stadium.  This ceremonial relighting of the 2002 cauldron will remain lit for public viewing through Feb. 11.

Come join the Community Celebration at the Utah Olympic Park, Feb. 9 from 5-6 pm.  *Admission is FREE and open to the public!  And you have the opportunity to meet Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have special ties to the Park City and Summit County community.  Come join the grand opening of the Silver Bean Café at the Utah Olympic Park as well.

10-Year Anniversary Olympic Sport Festival. On Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 am-5 pm, an outdoor sport festival will be held in the streets of The Gateway shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City. During the street festival, participants will have an opportunity to meet winter Olympic athletes, participate in interactive winter sport demonstrations and view commemorative exhibits about the 2002 Winter Games.

The festival will also serve as an official stop for the United States Olympic Committee’s (USOC) “Road to London” Tour – a family-friendly, interactive experience that offers fans a chance to learn about the Olympic Movement, participate in simulated events and meet athletes. The 2012 Road to London Tour, sponsored by Hilton HHonors, Samsung and TD Ameritrade, will make a total of four stops before culminating in Chicago in July.  Click here to view full information.

A Tribute to Salt Lake 2002 with Stars on Ice. Come pay tribute to the success of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on Feb. 18, from 7-9 pm at the Energy Solutions Arena.  This special event features skating performances and memorable highlights from Salt Lake 2002.  Tickets starting at $20. Click here for more information and to book your tickets now.

But it doesn’t stop there… join the community of Kearns “Welcome the World” Parade on Feb. 17, from 6-9 pm at the Utah Olympic Oval.  Re-live the Winter Olympics with a live Parade of Nations, a Children of Light figure skating performance, sport exhibitions, a torch re-lighting with past and present Speedskating athletes, autographs and photos with athletes, and 2002 Olympic memorabilia. *Admission is FREE and open to the public.  Click here for more information.

With all the FUN and all the SNOW heading our way, it’s a great time to be in Park City!  Book your family/friends vacation today with Park City Lodging, Inc!

The month of February during a Winter Olympic year is always exciting. I would say it is definitely the best reason for anybody to have an excuse to watch TV for an absurd amount of time, every day, for two weeks. But the winter Olympics is so much more for the town of Park City who can proudly boast that we have seven truly local Parkites competing in the 2010 Olympic Games. This is a bit long for a blog I know, but when you have this many local Olympians to brag about, the brevity of a blog can easily be ignored.

Brett Camerota is 24, a Nordic combined athlete, and besides being born in Salt Lake has spent his entire life in Park City. Camerota was 10^th after the jumping portion of the Nordic combined and came out in 36^th after the cross country skiing portion.

Steve Holcomb, “little Steve” as his family calls him, is a 30-year-old native of Park City. Holcomb was a football player and ski racer before discovering bobsled at the 2002 Olympics. His sheer power of his 5’10” 210lb body has made him a major threat in the bobsledding world where he intends to stay.

Anders Johnson, the youngest of the locals group at 20, is a Ski Jumper who qualified for his first Olympics at age 16! An interesting thing about Anders is that his older sister Alyssa is a part of the women’s ski jumping team that has been fighting to have their place in the Olympics for many years now. Anders does a great job representing both he and his sister on the world stage and no doubt looks forward to competing with his sister at the Olympics in the next winter games (we are keeping our fingers crossed for these women, you should too!)

Ted Ligety, the Torino surprise, is a 25-year-old native who has lived and trained here his entire life with the Park City Ski Team. Ligety won gold in the Men’s alpine combined (slalom and downhill in one day) in 2006 and has been a force to reckon with ever since. And if you are interested in wearing your ski gear in Olympian fashion check out www.shredoptics.com it is Ligety’s very own Goggle, Sunglass and Helmet brand!

On the ladies side of alpine skiing is 22-year-old Megan McJames. While possibly the sweetest and most soft spoken person you will ever meet on the street, steer clear on the race hill. Her small frame may not look like much against some of the other women you may see, but her power and desire make her a hulk of the hill on course.

Nate Roberts is a 26-year-old Moguls man. You would never know that he was out for the 2008-2009 season with a knee injury when watching him fly down the course with ease. And even though he ended in 16^th, a position he is not used to being in, fans can bet that he will be back on the podium soon enough. That seems to be the Roberts way.

So show your Olympic and American pride and brag to your friends about the town you got to visit which hosts more Winter Olympic athletes than any other.

Enjoy this last weekend of the 2010 Winter Games. Go team USA and Go Park City!

NBC’s Natalie Morales Gets Big Air at Utah’s Olympic Sports Park

Park City is home to many of the top US winter sports athletes, which is not too surprising considering that the US Ski and Snowboard teams are based in Park City, Utah!  NBC’s Today Show featured a nice segment this week in which Natalie Morales visited Park City to meet with some of the national team athletes, dance with them, and try a quick training session to take on the ski jumps at Utah’s Winter Sports Park.  Fortunately, beneath these huge jumps is a nice landing in an aerated pool (the airflow from the bottom of the pool makes the water landings less brutal on the legs and body).

Check out this video on the NBC website to see Natalie take in some fun Park City moments.  She proved herself a real “trooper” in learning to try jumps that many people would not go near….. and she got to feature some of America’s top athletes on the Today Show!

NBC’s Natalie Morales Gets Big Air at Utah’s Olympic Sports Park