While skiing is naturally the focal point of the Utah Office of Tourism's $1.9 million venture, the campaign does not confine its promotion to the slopes. It also emphasizes river running and other recreational opportunities in the state's desert regions.

"The Legislature has funded our efforts to promote Utah's outdoor recreational opportunities, where a winter visitor can ski in the mountains and bike in the redrock country of southern Utah," noted Jason Perry, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, which includes the Tourism Office.

Television commercials created by Struck, the Salt Lake City advertising agency hired to help develop the Tourism Office's "Life Elevated" brand, began airing last week on nine cable networks - Discovery Channel, A&E, Bravo, CNBC, The Golf Channel, History, National Geographic Channel, TLC and the Travel Channel.

The networks were selected based on demographic studies that indicated their viewers were likely to be the kind of people who would find a Utah adventure vacation appealing.

Print ads have been placed in Outside magazine and National Geographic Adventure. They also may be viewed by Internet users on Yahoo.com, Weather.com, Gorp.com, TravelChannel.com and TripAdvisor.com.

Other winter promotions include sponsorship of the national tour of Warren Miller's latest ski film, "Playground," a 24-page newspaper insert that will be published in targeted cities and ads in Delta Air Lines' inflight magazine.

The state's winter campaign is important to the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, whose Ski Salt Lake program is projected to generate $3.5 million this winter. Bureau spokesman Shawn Stinson likes what he has seen of the winter promotion.

"The Utah ski industry has been on a roll the past few years," he said. "This will enhance that and, excuse the pun, keep the snowball rolling. It really is taking advantage of the record [lift ticket sales] of the past few years . . . Even last winter's limited snow proved that we have an incredible product."

Tourism Office Managing Director Leigh von der Esch noted that the Utah ski shots emphasize two of the industry's most appealing aspects: Plentiful powder and access. Out-of-staters are particularly interested in the fact that "skiers can land at Salt Lake City International Airport and be on the slopes at 11 of Utah's 13 ski resorts in less than an hour," she said.

The ads, Stinson added, "show freedom."

An advertisement displaying the thrills of whitewater rafting extend the campaign's influence beyond the mountains to the high-desert country around Moab and Vernal.

"Because people are planning their vacations in the winter, it is extremely important that they realize how much is going on here in the spring and summer. That's when they do their planning," said Marian DeLay, Moab Area Travel Council executive director.

Added Nikki Farmer, executive director of the Vernal-based Dinosaurland Travel Region: "Anything that calls attention to our area is beneficial to us. Any recreational activity in the [Uinta] Basin is a plus."

mikeg@sltrib.com