The media is the vehicle in which skiers and snowboarders get all the information they need to plan ahead for their vacations to resorts in Utah. Ski Utah realizes the importance of the media, and as a result, they honor the local news outlets at the annual Ski Utah Media Day. This year the event was held at Snowbasin, where the media got a sneak peek at the new documentary, “Ready to Fly” by filmmaker Bill Kerig and hopeful Olympic Ski Jumper, Lindsey Van.
The big star of the event was Snowbasin herself. The day was warm and sunny, with snow conditions that were soft, creamy and really fun. Snowbasin tends to be overlooked by the media in favor of more well-known resorts like Deer Valley or Alta, so having a media event at Ogden’s impressive local resort was a treat.
Back at the lodge at the resort’s base, Ski Utah presented Bill Kerig and Lindsey Van, who showed everyone the trailer to the film, “Ready to Fly.” Kerig is the man who brought us the ski documentary The Edge of Never, and as a follow up to the success of that film, he has turned his attention to the highly controversial subject of the women’s ski jumping team and their struggle to be accepted into the Winter Olympic Games. The film focuses on ski jumper Lindsey Van’s quest to prove to the International Olympic Committee that women should be allowed to participate in Olympic ski jumping events.
“Ready to Fly” has deep roots in Utah ski culture. Lindsey Van lives and trains in Park City and is set to prove once-and-for-all that women can compete at a pro level. In addition, Deedee Corradini, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, is an officer for the International Women’s Forum and has become the outspoken advocate for women’s ski jumping in the Olympics. And of course there’s Bill Kerig, the Salt Lake City resident and award-winning writer, producer, director, and former professional skier who wrote the book, “The Edge of Never,” and was the writer/director/executive producer of the Showtime Networks 2009 documentary feature film of the same name.
For more information, visit www.readytofly.com
After the “Ready to Fly” presentation, Ski Utah gave two awards to media members who they say have “significantly aided the promotion of The Greatest Snow on Earth®.” The Excellence in Journalism award is given to a media member who best shares their love for skiing and snowboarding with their audience, and this year’s recipient was Brett Prettyman of The Salt Lake Tribune. Prettyman, an outdoor columnist for the paper, produces news stories about Utah’s ski and snowboard resorts.
In addition to the Journalism Award, Ski Utah also honors a Weather Enthusiast of the Year. This award is given to the person who best celebrates Utah’s winter weather and encourages their audience to embrace The Greatest Snow on Earth®. This year’s recipient is KSL-5 Meteorologist Kevin Eubank. According to Ski Utah, Eubank’s love of weather stemmed from watching his father Mark forecast weather. Eubank has continued the family tradition and shares his love of Utah snow with his audience.
In addition, Ski Utah’s Jessica Kunzer gave a positive outlook on the success of Utah’s ski resorts for the 2010/11 ski season which will extend through April at many areas. “This season has been fabulous. The combination of above average snowfall and improvements in consumer confidence has resulted in very strong visitation at Utah ski and snowboard resorts. We hope the pattern continues throughout the rest of the year.” Kunzer says they will have solid numbers on skier visits very soon.
For more information, you can visit http://www.skiutah.com/