The back-to-back national tributes for Park City and Salt Lake City in recent weeks provide the folks who promote the state with some welcomed leverage.

Second honor in a week: Park City one of 'America's best ski towns'

Tourism » Travel + Leisure names 11 as must-visit destinations.

By Steve Oberbeck

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Jan 03 2013 06:13 pm • Last Updated Jan 03 2013 07:37 pm

For the second time in less than a week, Utah is receiving national raves as a ski destination.

Travel + Leisure magazine has included Park City among 11 spots in a piece it titled "America’s Best Ski Towns."

It said this: "Nearly a million annual visitors descend on Park City, whose Main Street still has the rugged good looks of a 19th century western mining town. It puts skiers in easy reach of mountain resorts, hosts the Sundance Film Festival, and has become a culinary hotbed.

"The ski-in High West Distillery & Saloon offers customized flights of craft creations paired with dishes like Kentucky whiskey beer cheese and bourbon three-onion soup. The seasonal tasting menu at Talisker on Main incorporates vegetables and herbs grown on its rooftop, while the Canyons’ Bistro restaurant is the first and only certified kosher restaurant at a U.S. ski resort. With the restoration of the 1889 Washington School House into a 12-room hotel, you’ve got a new home base—plus complimentary transportation to your preferred slopes."

Others on the list included Telluride, Colo., and Taos, N.M.

Last week, the travel website TripAdvisor ranked Salt Lake City No. 4 in its top 10 "Best Value Ski Destinations"

It noted that Utah’s capital city boasts seven major ski resorts within 45 minutes of downtown.

The back-to-back tributes provide the folks who promote the state with some welcomed leverage.

"There’s nothing better than a third-party endorsement," said Nathan Rafferty, CEO of Ski Utah, marketing arm for the state’s 14 resorts. "It’s one thing when we say we have the best snow, it’s another when someone independently says good things.

"We’ll shine a light on these rankings because they get a ton of traction. They have credibility."

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