Christmas holiday visits look to be at or beyond record levels as the Wasatch Mountains continue to bask in a post-Olympic glow.

Of course, the ski areas' success is as much about snow conditions and accessibility as it is the 2002 Winter Games. And it all seems to be coming together.

In the Park City area, The Canyons and Deer Valley put together record numbers while Park City Mountain Resort had two "very strong" weeks. Measured by available parking spaces in Park City itself, it's hard to imagine records didn't fall.

To the north, both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain Winter Resort marked high points. Ditto for Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

For Scott Rucker and his family from Alpharetta, Ga., a holiday vacation to Park City was an easy choice.

"It's just so easy to get in and out of Salt Lake City [International Airport], we thought it was just a good idea," he said.

In the past, his family has skied at Colorado resorts during holiday breaks. But resorts there are distant from airports, requiring a lot of mountain driving.

"If you have to go through Denver and it snows, you're toast," he said.

Rucker said he likes the idea of staying in Park City near three ski areas. "It just makes for a good family holiday. That's what it's all about."

Jan's Mountain Outfitters and Cole Sport on the plaza at Park City Mountain Resort have seen two weeks of brisk business and it had not tapered off by Monday.

"We had a better holiday than last year," said Scott Dudevoir, the store manager at Cole Sport.

Holiday traffic began a week before Christmas. "It started soft but then it really kicked in hard," he said. "It's been real busy."

Skiing in Utah is a natural for Las Vegas resident Jeff Riggs and his family. Riggs arrived on New Year's Eve and plans to spend the entire week skiing northern Utah resorts.

"It's been perfect," he said of ski conditions. "Yesterday was just gorgeous, and now it's snowing again."

On Friday, The Canyons resort logged its busiest day ever, said Katie Eldridge, public relations director. "It's been amazing. For the holiday week, we're up 30 percent over last year," she said.

The Canyons hosts tourists who come to spend an entire week during the holidays, she explained. But the resort also sees skiers who stay for two or three days after a snowstorm.

"Word is getting out how easy it is to pop into Utah for great skiing," she said.

Snow didn't come as early or as big this year as it did last season, and that was a blessing at Powder Mountain, said spokesman Marc Poulsen.

"Last year, we had so much snow that people couldn't get up here," he said. "This year, with the warm weather, they've been looking for resorts with higher elevations."

By Monday morning, Powder Mountain had a two-day storm total of 24 inches.

At nearby Snowbasin - which underwent a huge face-lift in preparation for the Winter Olympics - the holiday set records for skiers, said spokeswoman Mary Rowland.

"We experienced strong growth in numbers over the holiday," she said. "As a result, we're ahead of last year's numbers. That's encouraging."

Rowland chalks up the success to the Olympic alpine ski races of 2002. "Snowbasin is on the map now."

In Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird had what could be its three busiest days, said spokeswoman Laura Schaffer. "We've had a very good week. It's at least comparable to last year." Since Dec. 26, Snowbird has received 54 inches of snow.

In Big Cottonwood Canyon, holiday ski tourism also was up, said Solitude spokesman Jay Burke.

"We've seen more skiers and more people in the village. We couldn't be happier," he said. "For the last 14 days, we've done really well. We are definitely up over last year."

Utah has been fortunate that for the past several years Wasatch Mountain ski areas have had good snow, Burke said. And last year's records set up this year's holiday season.

"A lot of people are looking for an alternative to Colorado," he said. "Their eyes are definitely on Utah."