OCR Text |
Show World Cup kick-off in P.C.: Town and resort come of age It has been a week of celebrations, inaugurations and firsts. It is as though Christmas came early to those who have been nurturing the resort aspects of Park City for more than 10 years. Gathered on Main Street to hail the coming of the long-awaited long-awaited Main Street Trolley, residents, officials and members of the press were treated to a surprise. IT Park City Ski Area Vice President Craig Badami announced an-nounced that the World Cup ski racing series would, for the first time, begin in North America next ski season. Further, Badami said, that kick-off would be right here on the same slopes where throngs of people cheered American skiers last spring. ; i The success of those 1985 World Cup events probably ' had a lot to do with Park City Ski Area being chosen by the FIS Congress (Federacion Internationale de Ski) to open ski racing's premier series. . i ' v ; But while the FIS Congress was impressed with all those enthusiastic racing fans, they probably were equally impressed with the race's organization and further fur-ther by Utah's snow conditions early in winter. Badami and others at Greater Park City Corp. have worked hard to get the World Cup here our hats off to . them. But more than a coup d'etat or a lucky shot, Park City's World Cup success is a sign of the times good times for a town that bases its economy on tourism. The decision to launch the World Cup season here, rather than somewhere in Europe as in the past, will certainly cer-tainly bring celebrity to Park City. The effect the prestige will have on Park City's tourism is, however, be very difficult to measure. But it is bound to be significant. Editorial ?? ' By the time those races occur on Nov. 29 and 30 next year, it will be the third time World Cup events have come through this town. , Outside of World Cup events, Park City, as well as . other Utah ski resorts, have steadily increased their reputations over the past 10 years. On Dec. 1, a two-page spread in the Philadelphia Inquirer cited Park City as the place to be for skiers. But anybody who knows anything about this town knows it hasn't been easy. And anyone trying to make it in Park City's retail markets knows survival here is much less than assured. ; Just less than one year ago, resorts and merchants alike feared that Park City may have peaked in its popularity after years of steady increases. Perhaps, we thought then, there is no chance of competing with Colorado Col-orado resorts. What a difference a year can make. The trolley and the new lift are aimed specifically at pumping new life into Main Street by connecting the historic district directly with the white gold on our mountains. The World Cup opener next November will focus international inter-national attention on Park City. The prestige of the events will be far-reaching and long felt. Those who worked so hard to accomplish these things should be congratulated. |