Park City, UT – Utah’s Deer Valley Resort will kick off its 32nd winter season with the annual Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest on Dec. 8 and 9. This invitational ski event pairs former Olympic ski legends with television and film celebrities for a weekend of skiing, live music and fundraising for the environmental group Waterkeeper Alliance, which advocates for the protection of ecosystems and water quality.
“It’s always exciting to open our chairlifts, slopes, lodges and restaurants for a new ski season, and hosting the Celebrity SkiFest for the weekend adds a touch of glamor and fun,” says Deer Valley Marketing Director Coleen Reardon. “We love to broadcast to the country that Deer Valley is snowy and ready for skiing guests, and we also feel great about helping support a non-profit we feel strongly about, the Waterkeeper Alliance.”
The Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest will include giant slalom races on both Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 9 on Deer Valley’s Birdseye run. The festivities throughout the weekend are featured in the number-one rated winter sports television special on CBS, broadcast to more than one million viewers. The 2012 Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest is scheduled to air on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, at 5 p.m. EST (after the NFL).
The public is welcome to watch the ski racing portion of the event adjacent to the Birdseye ski run. The televised celebrity race begins at noon on Saturday, and a Pro-Am race will also take place at noon on Sunday.
Some of the best-known legends of U. S. skiing are scheduled to compete in this year’s event, including Steve Mahre, Phil Mahre, Tommy Moe and Deer Valley’s own Ambassador of Skiing, Heidi Voelker. While this year’s celebrity lineup has yet to be confirmed, previous guests have included Oscar Award-winning actors Glenn Close and Marcia Gay Harden, Emmy Award-winning actors Larry David and Neil Patrick Harris, New York Ranger Mike Richter, Paul Mitchell Systems President John Paul DeJoria, Grammy Award-winning artists Mary J. Blige and Train, and musical talents Natasha Bedingfield, Gavin DeGraw, Gavin Rossdale and James Blunt.