Chris McCandless is a backcountry skier and a Sandy City councilman.

So after skiing out of Grizzly Gulch on snowy Tuesday morning, he saw upon driving down Little Cottonwood Canyon that parking lots at Snowbird and Alta already were filling by 9 a.m. The councilman in him knew Sandy was on the right course in forging a marketing relationship with Salt Lake County's ski resorts, Little Cottonwood's pair in particular.

"Besides the beauty and majesty of that kind of day, what a huge economic benefit," McCandless said. "I don't believe there's anywhere in the U.S. like Sandy, where you can live or stay, and be at a world-class ski area in 15-20 minutes."

That's precisely why so many ski resort employees call Sandy home, another example of city interests meshing with those of the canyons.

Consequently, Sandy City, its business community and the resorts -- led by Snowbird -- are pitching the city as "the ultimate base camp" for vacationing skiers.

That theme is emphasized in a billboard Sandy City officials recently funded off Interstate 15 near 9800 South.

It also will reach a national audience in ads that will be placed in Ski and Skiing magazines by a consortium of local groups, boosted with a matching grant of $23,000 from the Utah Office of Tourism.

Snowbird marketing director Dave Fields said that with limited housing in the canyons, Sandy and other south valley communities are essential to support the resort's work force.

And with new Hyatt and Hilton hotels joining a cluster of lodging establishments offering views up the canyon's glacier-carved 'V,' Fields said "we put together a program for marketing to out-of-state skiers. The idea is you can get an affordable package and still have a really fun ski trip."

Selling the idea was not difficult. The Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau signed on, enhancing the mix with Ski Salt Lake Superpasses that destination visitors can use at any of the four Cottonwood resorts. LaCaille restaurant, Alta and hotels contributed. The group soon had a $23,000 local match for the state funds.

As a nonprofit, the chamber was the formal applicant and supplied in-kind services. "The chamber fields hundreds of inquiries every winter from skiers looking for information," said President Nancy Workman. "It makes good sense to pursue them actively rather than waiting for them to find Sandy by accident."

The concept was a "perfect fit" for state assistance, said Tourism Office managing director Leigh von der Esch. "With the new hotels coming on line, they will be very popular for people looking for value and who want to zip right up the canyons. Those flying from an hour away can drop their bags at the hotel and be skiing in the afternoon."

Off-season, she added, "tour operators love putting people into 'value' hotels and having them jump on a shuttle to go up the canyons."

Although the marketing partnership seemed logical when it was assembled during the summer, Fields said "it seems like a great idea now" in the midst of a challenging economy.

mikeg@sltrib.com