The three winter sports resorts around Park City, Utah, all have big news, both on and off the slopes, including expanded terrain and spectacular hotels nestled in the Wasatch Mountains.

Park City is one of North America's most accessible ski towns, located 58 kilometres from Salt Lake City's international airport. Its three vast downhill areas, Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons, are connected by frequent shuttle buses and all boast vertical drops of more than 915 metres, with a combined total of 426 trails, 58 lifts and terrain. Thanks to the dry air from Utah's Great Basin Desert, the state's ski areas have the lightest powder snow in the United States.

Utah's largest downhill area, The Canyons, has made significant updates for this season, including the installation of a new orange-bubbled, high-speed quad chairlift with heated seats, the first of its kind in North America. Another new chairlift leads to 10 new trails and substantial terrain with glades. And a repositioned gondola will launch from the centre of Canyons' resort village.

About seven kilometres from the town of Park City, The Canyons' village has four on-mountain condo buildings and hotels, plus the stunning new Waldorf Astoria Park City Hotel which has a Golden Door Spa, a branch of the pioneering California brand.

Park City Mountain Resort rises majestically from the main street of the historic silver-mining town of Park City, which has scores of lodges, more than 30 restaurants and a busy, stylish apres-ski scene of art galleries, shops and nightclubs.

A former Olympic venue and a top-rated family resort with lots of snowboarding terrain, Park City is expanding its night skiing and riding. Park City's Snowmamas are a specialized source of family vacation information (see www.snowmamas.com).

The Sundance Film Festival, founded by Robert Redford, will take place Jan. 20 to 30, attracting A-list Hollywood celebrities.

Another Olympic mountain, the posh Deer Valley Resort, has been rated the No. 1 area in the United States in the annual Ski Magazine Readers' Poll, for four consecutive years. Strong on impeccable snow grooming, attentive customer service, fine dining and upscale lodging, Deer Valley does not allow snowboarding and limits the number of skiers for safety and comfort.

Now marking its 30th season as the fancier next-door neighbour to Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley has updated its skiers' day lodges and opened the Deer Valley Grocery-Cafe for condo dwellers' convenience. A spectacular new summit hotel, Montage Deer Valley ( www.montagedeervalley.com), has opened at an elevation of 2,53 metres. A gold standard in mountain luxury, Montage has about 200 richly furnished guest rooms and suites with stunning views of the ski slopes and forested valleys.

Perhaps only the lavish St. Regis Deer Crest Resort outdoes Montage in rarefied services and comfort. The slope-side St. Regis has butler ski service, a five-star spa, an outdoor fire-garden and a dining room run by internationally renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Deer Valley coddles its clients, but it still has lots of challenging skiing. It is teaming up with Park City Mountain Resort to host the FIS Freestyle World Cup, Feb. 2 to 5.

For more information, see www.parkcityinfo.com (or call 800-453-1360), or individual

areas: www.parkcity.com, www.pcski.com, www.deervalley.com, or www.thecanyons.com.