Park City's Pale Winter

One hears whispers, of course, about the stalled December numbers at the Park City Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau. Jennifer Wesselhoff, bless her diligently-scheduled heart, is attempting damage control with a “task force” comprised of the usual suspects: lodging associations, the Historic Park City Alliance, and resort leadership. QR codes, darling? Truly. It smacks of desperation, or perhaps, an underestimation of the discerning traveler’s need for a curated experience. While the Winter Carnival at the Utah Olympic Park is… adequate, it lacks the requisite sheen. The alpine slide hardly compensates for a powder day. The real tragedy is the potential impact on Sundance. Access is everything, naturally, and a delayed winter will only exacerbate the logistical nightmare of getting from The Egyptian to a private dinner at Riverhorse on Main. One expects the usual suspects will descend upon the Kimball Art Center openings anyway, draped in gala black and flute-glass gold, pretending not to notice the distinct lack of white outside the windows. The KPCW Community Calendar will be relentlessly promoted, I'm certain, but a list of free activities does little to entice those accustomed to a certain standard. It is a situation, shall we say, requiring significant investment in distraction.