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Tag: Park City

  • ‘Dying to Ask’ podcast: Visualize your life like an Olympian with Chris Lillis

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    Saying Chris Lillis is a details guy is like saying he kind of wants to win another Olympic gold medal. Lillis won gold in mixed team aerials at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Making a second Olympic team in his discipline of freestyle skiing is arguably more mental than physical. Tracking the details of how he eats, sleeps, trains and recovers is crucial to unlocking what does and doesn’t work for him as an athlete. The data helps shape his mindset training. The key to mental preparation is visualization.Chris says, “Visualization can just be like a kind of mental imagination, whether it’s in the first person or the third person. You really just imagine yourself doing that jump.” Aerialists are like acrobats on skis. They ski down a ramp, launch themselves in the air and complete a series of flips and twists while maintaining enough spatial awareness to land on on snow. Jumps last seconds. But Chris says the time in the air feels a lot longer than that because of how in tune he is with every small move his body makes. Just making the 2026 Olympic Team isn’t enough. “It’s different when you’ve won before because the only question anyone has for you is, are you going to win again? My answer is always the same. It’s yes,” says Chris. On this Dying to Ask: What it’s like to live your life with that much attention to detailThe move Chris had to make to follow his Olympic dream and how he spends his summersGoing from newbie to veteran. The importance of mentoring the next generation of OlympiansAnd how to master the art of visualization like an Olympic athleteOther places to listenCLICK HERE to listen on iTunesCLICK HERE to listen on StitcherCLICK HERE to listen on SpotifySee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    PARK CITY, Utah —

    Saying Chris Lillis is a details guy is like saying he kind of wants to win another Olympic gold medal.

    Lillis won gold in mixed team aerials at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

    Making a second Olympic team in his discipline of freestyle skiing is arguably more mental than physical.

    Tracking the details of how he eats, sleeps, trains and recovers is crucial to unlocking what does and doesn’t work for him as an athlete.

    The data helps shape his mindset training. The key to mental preparation is visualization.

    Chris says, “Visualization can just be like a kind of mental imagination, whether it’s in the first person or the third person. You really just imagine yourself doing that jump.”

    Aerialists are like acrobats on skis. They ski down a ramp, launch themselves in the air and complete a series of flips and twists while maintaining enough spatial awareness to land on on snow.

    Jumps last seconds. But Chris says the time in the air feels a lot longer than that because of how in tune he is with every small move his body makes.

    Just making the 2026 Olympic Team isn’t enough.

    “It’s different when you’ve won before because the only question anyone has for you is, are you going to win again? My answer is always the same. It’s yes,” says Chris.

    On this Dying to Ask:

    • What it’s like to live your life with that much attention to detail
    • The move Chris had to make to follow his Olympic dream and how he spends his summers
    • Going from newbie to veteran. The importance of mentoring the next generation of Olympians
    • And how to master the art of visualization like an Olympic athlete

    Other places to listen

    CLICK HERE to listen on iTunes
    CLICK HERE to listen on Stitcher
    CLICK HERE to listen on Spotify

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Multiple Tahoe athletes, including a 15-year-old, are named to US Olympic ski and snowboard team

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    2026 MILAN-CORTINA OLYMPICS. AND THIS MORNING, THE U.S. SKI AND SNOWBOARD TEAM HAS ANNOUNCED THE 97 ATHLETES WHO ARE GOING TO BE REPRESENTING THE U.S. IN NORTHERN ITALY. AND WE HAVE QUITE A FEW FROM THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA. SO WE’LL START WITH THE ALPINE TEAM. THREE WOMEN AND ONE MAN, ALL FROM TEAM PALISADES TAHOE. KEELY CASHMAN FROM STRAWBERRY HEADING BACK TO THE OLYMPICS. SO IS AJ HURT FROM CARNELIAN BAY AND NINA O’BRIEN OF SAN FRANCISCO. THOSE THREE GREW UP TOGETHER AND NOW WILL GO TO AN OLYMPICS TOGETHER. AS FOR THE MEN, BRYCE BENNETT OF TAHOE CITY ALSO GOING TO ANOTHER OLYMPICS IN CROSS COUNTRY. JAKE SCHOONMAKER OF TAHOE CITY IS AN OLYMPIAN ONCE AGAIN IN FREESKI WOMEN’S HALFPIPE. KATE GRAY OF CROWLEY LAKE AND THE MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN SKI TEAM, NOW AN OLYMPIAN AND SO IS 15 YEAR OLD ABBIE WINTERBERGER FROM TRUCKEE. SHE’S ON THE OLYMPIC FREESTYLE FREERIDE, AND SHE’S ALREADY BEING CALLED ONE OF THE RISING STARS OF THE SPORT. NOW LET’S GO TO THE SNOWBOARDERS. THREE MAMMOTH RIDERS ARE ON THE WOMEN’S HALFPIPE TEAM. THEY’RE LED BY TWO TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST CHLOE KIM OF TORRANCE, ALONG WITH B KIM OUT OF PALOS VERDES AND OUR OWN MADDIE MASTRO OUT OF WRIGHTWOOD IN SLOPESTYLE. WELCOME TO THE OLYMPICS, HANNAH NORMAN OUT OF TRUCKEE JUST TURNED 2020, I THINK. AND IN SNOWBOARD CROSS. HANNAH PERCY OUT OF TRUCKEE AS WELL. SHE’S 18 AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF VERY NOTABLE NAMES THAT ARE NOT ON THE LIST THIS MORNING. JAMIE ANDERSON, THE TWO TIME GOLD MEDALIST AT A SOUTH LAKE TAHOE TRYING TO COME BACK OUT OF AFTER A THREE YEAR BREAK, TRYING TO QUALIFY FOR A FOURTH OLYMPICS. HER NAME NOT ON THE LIST THIS MORNING. AND THEN ALSO DAVID WISE OF RENO, WHO HAD TWO GOLDS AND A SILVER AND WAS GOING FOR HIS FOURTH GAMES IN FREE SKI SLOPESTYLE. SO 97 ATHLETES, ROUGHLY 220 ATHLETES WILL GO. SO IT’S A HUGE NUMBER OF ATHLETES FROM SKI AND SNOWBOARD, AND FOUR OUT OF TEN TEAM USA ATHLETES TOTAL ARE SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS. SO THIS IS A HUGE LIST MAKING IT OFFICIAL TODAY. SO NOW IMAGINE BEING THE PARENTS OF THESE ATHLETES, THOSE WHO HAVE NOT TRIED TO BOOK ANYTHING YET, TRYING TO SCRAMBLE TO GO SEE THEIR KIDS. A LOT OF EMOTIONS FOR SURE. A LOT OF EMOTIONS. AND IF YOU GO BACK FOUR YEARS AGO, WE WERE STILL IN PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS AND THOSE FAMILIES DIDN’T GET TO GO TO BEIJING. SO IT’S FOR THE FOR THESE ATHLETES, VERY JOYOUS, BUT ALSO

    Multiple Tahoe athletes, including a 15-year-old rising star, are named to US ski and snowboard team for the Milan Cortina Olympics

    Updated: 8:25 AM PST Jan 22, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Northern California will be well-represented on the slopes for the Milan Cortina Olympics with multiple athletes from the Tahoe area competing. They include returning Olympians and rising stars. U.S. Ski & Snowboard on Thursday announced the full roster of 97 athletes who will represent Team USA in Northern Italy. Returning Olympians from the 2022 Beijing Olympics include Alpine skiers Keely Cashman from Strawberry, AJ Hurt from Carnelian Bay, and Bryce Bennett from Tahoe City. All are from the club Palisades Tahoe, along with Nina O’Brien, who is from San Francisco. The team also includes returning Olympic cross-county skier James “JC” Schoonmaker, who is from Lake Tahoe. For the women’s halfpipe in freeski, Kate Gray of Crowley Lake, representing the Mammoth Mountain Ski Team, and 15-year-old Abby Winterberger of Truckee, a member of the Olympic Valley Freestyle Free-Ride, have been named Olympians. Ahead of her Olympic debut, Winterberger is already being called one of the rising stars of the sport.Other first-time Olympians from Truckee are snowboarder Hahna Norman competing in slopestyle and Hanna Percy in snowboard cross. The women’s halfpipe snowboarding team includes three Mammoth riders: two-time gold medalist Chloe Kim from Torrance, Bea Kim from Palos Verdes, and Maddie Mastro from Wrightwood.Meanwhile, a decorated Olympian who grew up in Lake Tahoe, Jamie Anderson, did not make the cut. The snowboarder won two gold medals and a silver in previous Olympics and was aiming for a comeback after taking three years off from her sport to have two children.Another Olympian, David Wise of Reno, who has two gold medals and a silver, also failed to make the team. Outside of California competitors, this year’s Olympic team will feature skier Lindsay Vonn returning to racing at age 41 after a partial knee replacement, and Mikaela Shiffrin competing in her fourth Olympics. Shiffrin failed to win a medal in Beijing.Overall, the team has 50 women and 47 men who range in age from 15-year-old Winterberger to 44-year-old snowboardcross rider Nick Baumgartner. See the full list of athletes named to Team USA below, along with their hometowns, clubs, colleges, birthdates and past Olympic teams.2026 U.S. Olympic Alpine Team(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)Women*Mary Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark Ski Academy; Dartmouth College; 10/7/2003)Keely Cashman (Strawberry, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; Montana State University; 4/4/1999; 2022)Katie Hensien (Redmond, WA; Rowmark Ski Academy; University of Denver; 12/1/1999; 2022)AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; Dartmouth College; 12/5/2000; 2022)Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID; Rowmark Ski Academy; 1/19/1996; 2018, 2022)Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; University of Vermont; 4/7/1994; 2022)Nina O’Brien (Denver, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Team Palisades Tahoe; Dartmouth College; 11/29/1997; 2022)Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995; 2014, 2018, 2022)Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill Ski Team; 10/18/1984; 2002, 2006, 2010, 2018)Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, OR; White Pass Ski Club; 7/13/1992; 2014, 2018, 2022)Isabella Wright (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 2/10/1997; 2022)MenBryce Bennett (Tahoe City, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; 7/14/1992; 2018, 2022)Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992; 2018, 2022) *Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Dartmouth College; 5/27/1996) *Kyle Negomir (Littleton, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Dartmouth College; 10/3/1998)River Radamus (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/12/1998; 2022)*Ryder Sarchett (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; University of Colorado Boulder; 7/28/2003)2026 U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)WomenRosie Brennan (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; Dartmouth College; 12/2/1988; 2018, 2022)Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN; Stratton Mountain School; 8/26/1991; 2014, 2018, 2022)*Lauren Jortberg (Boulder, CO; Mansfield Nordic Pro Team; Centre National d’entraînement Pierre-Harvey Team; Dartmouth College; 4/12/1997)*Kendall Kramer (Fairbanks, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 6/26/2002)Julia Kern (Waltham, MA; Stratton Mountain School; Dartmouth College; 9/12/1997; 2022)Novie McCabe (Winthrop, WA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Utah; 12/15/2001; 2022)*Samantha “Sammy” Smith (Boise, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Stanford University; 9/22/2005)Hailey Swirbul (El Jebel, CO; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/10/1998; 2022)Men*John Steel Hagenbuch (Ketchum, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Dartmouth College; 10/1/2001)*Zak Ketterson (Minneapolis, MN; Team Birkie; Northern Michigan University; 4/2/1997)*Zanden McMullen (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 5/31/2001)Ben Ogden (Burlington, VT; Stratton Mountain School; University of Vermont; 2/13/2000; 2022)James “JC” Schoonmaker (Lake Tahoe, CA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 8/12/2000; 2022)Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/25/2000; 2022)*Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 8/7/1998)*Jack Young (Jay, VT; Green Racing Project; Colby College; 12/17/2002)2026 U.S. Olympic Freeski Team(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)HalfpipeWomen*Kate Gray (Crowley Lake, CA; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; 6/29/2006)*Svea Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Freeski Team; University of Colorado Boulder; 2/27/2002)*Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Colorado Denver; 8/14/2003) *Abby Winterberger (Truckee, CA; Olympic Valley Freestyle Freeride Team; 5/1/2010)MenAlex Ferreira (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 8/14/1994; 2018, 2022)Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, IN; Cork Tech Freeski; 3/14/1994; 2014, 2018, 2022)*Hunter Hess (Bend, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; Salt Lake Community College; 10/1/1998)Birk Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Freeski Team; 7/26/1999; 2022)Slopestyle & Big AirWomenMarin Hamill (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 4/5/2001; 2022)*Rell Harwood (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 6/1/2001)*Grace Henderson (Madbury, NH; Waterville Valley BBTS; University of Utah; 4/28/2001)*Avery Krumme (Squamish, British Columbia; BC Freestyle Team; 8/23/2008)MenMac Forehand (Winhall, VT; Stratton Mountain School; 8/4/2001; 2022)Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 9/21/1998; 2018, 2022)*Troy Podmilsak (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 8/23/2004)*Konnor Ralph (Helena, MT; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Salt Lake Community College; 1/27/2003)2026 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Ski Team, Moguls & Aerials(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)AerialsWomen*Kyra Dossa (Cleveland, OH; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 1/24/2004)Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, MI; University of Utah; 4/8/2003; 2022)*Tasia Tanner (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard/Fly Freestyle; University of Utah; 7/26/2002)Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, MI; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah/St. Mary’s University School of Law; 12/18/1998; 2022)Men*Connor Curran (Cincinnati, OH; Park City Ski & Snowboard/Elite Aerial Development Program; Utah Valley University; 9/23/2004)*Quinn Dehlinger (Cincinnati, OH; Elite Aerial Development Program; Salt Lake Community College; 6/8/2002)*Derek Krueger (Cleveland, OH; Elite Aerial Development Program; University of Utah; 6/2/2003)Chris Lillis (Rochester, NY; Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team; University of Utah; 10/4/1998; 2018, 2022)MogulsWomenOlivia Giaccio (Redding, CT; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Columbia University; 8/15/2000; 2022)Tess Johnson (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Harvard Extension School; 6/19/2000; 2018)Jaelin Kauf (Alta, WY; Grand Targhee Ski & Snowboard Foundation/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 9/26/1996; Olympic Teams: 2018, 2022)*Elizabeth “Liz” Lemley (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Oberlin College; 1/22/2006) Men*Charlie Mickel (Durango, CO; Wasatch Freestyle/Durango Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 7/6/2004)Nick Page (Park City, UT; Wasatch Freestyle; 8/1/2002; 2022)Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, NY; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/25/1993; 2022)*Landon Wendler (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Los Angeles Film School; 10/12/2000)2026 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)MenBen Loomis (Eau Claire, WI; Flying Eagles Ski Club; DeVry University; 6/9/1998; 2018, 2022)*Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Colorado Mountain College; 12/7/2003)2026 U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)Women*Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 6/13/2002)*Josie Johnson (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 10/3/2006)*Paige Jones (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of North Dakota; 8/30/2002)MenKevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL; Norge Ski Club; 9/23/1996; 2018, 2022)*Jason Colby (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 3/30/2006)*Tate Frantz (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation; 3/28/2005)2026 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)HalfpipeWomen*Bea Kim (Palos Verdes, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 1/25/2007)Chloe Kim (Torrance, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 4/23/2000; 2018, 2022)Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 2/22/2000; 2018, 2022)*Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/29/1994)Men*Alessandro Barbieri (Portland, OR; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; 10/5/2008)*Chase Blackwell (Longmont, CO; Summer Action Sports Club; 2/27/1999)Chase Josey (Hailey, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 3/31/1995; 2018, 2022)Jake Pates (Eagle, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/30/1998; 2018)Parallel Giant SlalomWomen*Iris Pflum (Minneapolis, MN; G Team; 7/13/2003)MenCody Winters (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000; 2022)SlopestyleWomen*Lily Dhawornvej (Frisco, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/14/2009)*Hahna Norman (Truckee, CA; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/26/2004)*Jess Perlmutter (Millburn, NJ; Killington Mountain School; 12/2/2009)Men*Jake Canter (Evergreen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/19/2003)Sean FitzSimons (Hood River, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; 9/22/2000; 2022)Red Gerard (Silverthorne, CO; 6/29/2000; 2018, 2022)*Ollie Martin (Wolcott, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/15/2008)Snowboard CrossWomenStacy Gaskill (Golden, CO; International Snowboard Training Center; University of Colorado Boulder; 5/21/2000; 2022)*Hanna Percy (Truckee, CA; Gould Academy Competition Program; 7/7/2007)*Brianna Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, NJ; Gould Academy; University of Utah; 1/30/2006)Faye Thelen (Salt Lake City, UT; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Westminster College; 3/24/1992; 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)MenNick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI; 12/17/1981; 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)*Nathan Pare (Bethel, ME; Gould Academy; 2/1/2005)Jake Vedder (Pinckney, MI; International Snowboard Training Center; 4/16/1998; 2022)Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000; 2022)*Denotes first-time Olympian See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    Northern California will be well-represented on the slopes for the Milan Cortina Olympics with multiple athletes from the Tahoe area competing. They include returning Olympians and rising stars.

    U.S. Ski & Snowboard on Thursday announced the full roster of 97 athletes who will represent Team USA in Northern Italy.

    Returning Olympians from the 2022 Beijing Olympics include Alpine skiers Keely Cashman from Strawberry, AJ Hurt from Carnelian Bay, and Bryce Bennett from Tahoe City. All are from the club Palisades Tahoe, along with Nina O’Brien, who is from San Francisco.

    The team also includes returning Olympic cross-county skier James “JC” Schoonmaker, who is from Lake Tahoe.

    For the women’s halfpipe in freeski, Kate Gray of Crowley Lake, representing the Mammoth Mountain Ski Team, and 15-year-old Abby Winterberger of Truckee, a member of the Olympic Valley Freestyle Free-Ride, have been named Olympians. Ahead of her Olympic debut, Winterberger is already being called one of the rising stars of the sport.

    Other first-time Olympians from Truckee are snowboarder Hahna Norman competing in slopestyle and Hanna Percy in snowboard cross.

    The women’s halfpipe snowboarding team includes three Mammoth riders: two-time gold medalist Chloe Kim from Torrance, Bea Kim from Palos Verdes, and Maddie Mastro from Wrightwood.

    Meanwhile, a decorated Olympian who grew up in Lake Tahoe, Jamie Anderson, did not make the cut. The snowboarder won two gold medals and a silver in previous Olympics and was aiming for a comeback after taking three years off from her sport to have two children.

    Another Olympian, David Wise of Reno, who has two gold medals and a silver, also failed to make the team.

    Outside of California competitors, this year’s Olympic team will feature skier Lindsay Vonn returning to racing at age 41 after a partial knee replacement, and Mikaela Shiffrin competing in her fourth Olympics. Shiffrin failed to win a medal in Beijing.

    Overall, the team has 50 women and 47 men who range in age from 15-year-old Winterberger to 44-year-old snowboardcross rider Nick Baumgartner.

    See the full list of athletes named to Team USA below, along with their hometowns, clubs, colleges, birthdates and past Olympic teams.

    2026 U.S. Olympic Alpine Team
    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

    Women

    • *Mary Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark Ski Academy; Dartmouth College; 10/7/2003)
    • Keely Cashman (Strawberry, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; Montana State University; 4/4/1999; 2022)
    • Katie Hensien (Redmond, WA; Rowmark Ski Academy; University of Denver; 12/1/1999; 2022)
    • AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; Dartmouth College; 12/5/2000; 2022)
    • Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID; Rowmark Ski Academy; 1/19/1996; 2018, 2022)
    • Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; University of Vermont; 4/7/1994; 2022)
    • Nina O’Brien (Denver, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Team Palisades Tahoe; Dartmouth College; 11/29/1997; 2022)
    • Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995; 2014, 2018, 2022)
    • Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill Ski Team; 10/18/1984; 2002, 2006, 2010, 2018)
    • Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, OR; White Pass Ski Club; 7/13/1992; 2014, 2018, 2022)
    • Isabella Wright (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 2/10/1997; 2022)

    Men

    • Bryce Bennett (Tahoe City, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe; 7/14/1992; 2018, 2022)
    • Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992; 2018, 2022)
    • *Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Dartmouth College; 5/27/1996)
    • *Kyle Negomir (Littleton, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Dartmouth College; 10/3/1998)
    • River Radamus (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/12/1998; 2022)
    • *Ryder Sarchett (Sun Valley, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; University of Colorado Boulder; 7/28/2003)

    2026 U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team
    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)
    Women

    • Rosie Brennan (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; Dartmouth College; 12/2/1988; 2018, 2022)
    • Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN; Stratton Mountain School; 8/26/1991; 2014, 2018, 2022)
    • *Lauren Jortberg (Boulder, CO; Mansfield Nordic Pro Team; Centre National d’entraînement Pierre-Harvey Team; Dartmouth College; 4/12/1997)
    • *Kendall Kramer (Fairbanks, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 6/26/2002)
    • Julia Kern (Waltham, MA; Stratton Mountain School; Dartmouth College; 9/12/1997; 2022)
    • Novie McCabe (Winthrop, WA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Utah; 12/15/2001; 2022)
    • *Samantha “Sammy” Smith (Boise, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Stanford University; 9/22/2005)
    • Hailey Swirbul (El Jebel, CO; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/10/1998; 2022)

    Men

    • *John Steel Hagenbuch (Ketchum, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Dartmouth College; 10/1/2001)
    • *Zak Ketterson (Minneapolis, MN; Team Birkie; Northern Michigan University; 4/2/1997)
    • *Zanden McMullen (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 5/31/2001)
    • Ben Ogden (Burlington, VT; Stratton Mountain School; University of Vermont; 2/13/2000; 2022)
    • James “JC” Schoonmaker (Lake Tahoe, CA; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 8/12/2000; 2022)
    • Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; University of Alaska Anchorage; 7/25/2000; 2022)
    • *Hunter Wonders (Anchorage, AK; Alaska Pacific University; 8/7/1998)
    • *Jack Young (Jay, VT; Green Racing Project; Colby College; 12/17/2002)

    2026 U.S. Olympic Freeski Team
    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

    Halfpipe
    Women

    • *Kate Gray (Crowley Lake, CA; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; 6/29/2006)
    • *Svea Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Freeski Team; University of Colorado Boulder; 2/27/2002)
    • *Riley Jacobs (Oak Creek, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Colorado Denver; 8/14/2003)
    • *Abby Winterberger (Truckee, CA; Olympic Valley Freestyle Freeride Team; 5/1/2010)

    Men

    • Alex Ferreira (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 8/14/1994; 2018, 2022)
    • Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, IN; Cork Tech Freeski; 3/14/1994; 2014, 2018, 2022)
    • *Hunter Hess (Bend, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; Salt Lake Community College; 10/1/1998)
    • Birk Irving (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Freeski Team; 7/26/1999; 2022)

    Slopestyle & Big Air
    Women

    • Marin Hamill (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 4/5/2001; 2022)
    • *Rell Harwood (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 6/1/2001)
    • *Grace Henderson (Madbury, NH; Waterville Valley BBTS; University of Utah; 4/28/2001)
    • *Avery Krumme (Squamish, British Columbia; BC Freestyle Team; 8/23/2008)

    Men

    • Mac Forehand (Winhall, VT; Stratton Mountain School; 8/4/2001; 2022)
    • Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 9/21/1998; 2018, 2022)
    • *Troy Podmilsak (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 8/23/2004)
    • *Konnor Ralph (Helena, MT; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Salt Lake Community College; 1/27/2003)

    2026 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Ski Team, Moguls & Aerials

    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

    Aerials
    Women

    • *Kyra Dossa (Cleveland, OH; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah; 1/24/2004)
    • Kaila Kuhn (Boyne City, MI; University of Utah; 4/8/2003; 2022)
    • *Tasia Tanner (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard/Fly Freestyle; University of Utah; 7/26/2002)
    • Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, MI; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of Utah/St. Mary’s University School of Law; 12/18/1998; 2022)

    Men

    • *Connor Curran (Cincinnati, OH; Park City Ski & Snowboard/Elite Aerial Development Program; Utah Valley University; 9/23/2004)
    • *Quinn Dehlinger (Cincinnati, OH; Elite Aerial Development Program; Salt Lake Community College; 6/8/2002)
    • *Derek Krueger (Cleveland, OH; Elite Aerial Development Program; University of Utah; 6/2/2003)
    • Chris Lillis (Rochester, NY; Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team; University of Utah; 10/4/1998; 2018, 2022)

    Moguls
    Women

    • Olivia Giaccio (Redding, CT; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Columbia University; 8/15/2000; 2022)
    • Tess Johnson (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Harvard Extension School; 6/19/2000; 2018)
    • Jaelin Kauf (Alta, WY; Grand Targhee Ski & Snowboard Foundation/Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 9/26/1996; Olympic Teams: 2018, 2022)
    • *Elizabeth “Liz” Lemley (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Oberlin College; 1/22/2006)

    Men

    • *Charlie Mickel (Durango, CO; Wasatch Freestyle/Durango Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 7/6/2004)
    • Nick Page (Park City, UT; Wasatch Freestyle; 8/1/2002; 2022)
    • Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, NY; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/25/1993; 2022)
    • *Landon Wendler (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Los Angeles Film School; 10/12/2000)

    2026 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team
    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

    Men

    • Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, WI; Flying Eagles Ski Club; DeVry University; 6/9/1998; 2018, 2022)
    • *Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Colorado Mountain College; 12/7/2003)

    2026 U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team

    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

    Women

    • *Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; University of Utah; 6/13/2002)
    • *Josie Johnson (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 10/3/2006)
    • *Paige Jones (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; University of North Dakota; 8/30/2002)

    Men

    • Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL; Norge Ski Club; 9/23/1996; 2018, 2022)
    • *Jason Colby (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 3/30/2006)
    • *Tate Frantz (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation; 3/28/2005)

    2026 U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team
    (Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate; Past Olympic Teams)

    Halfpipe
    Women

    • *Bea Kim (Palos Verdes, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 1/25/2007)
    • Chloe Kim (Torrance, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 4/23/2000; 2018, 2022)
    • Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, CA; Mammoth Snowboard Team; 2/22/2000; 2018, 2022)
    • *Maddy Schaffrick (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/29/1994)

    Men

    • *Alessandro Barbieri (Portland, OR; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; 10/5/2008)
    • *Chase Blackwell (Longmont, CO; Summer Action Sports Club; 2/27/1999)
    • Chase Josey (Hailey, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 3/31/1995; 2018, 2022)
    • Jake Pates (Eagle, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/30/1998; 2018)

    Parallel Giant Slalom
    Women

    • *Iris Pflum (Minneapolis, MN; G Team; 7/13/2003)

    Men

    • Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000; 2022)

    Slopestyle
    Women

    • *Lily Dhawornvej (Frisco, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/14/2009)
    • *Hahna Norman (Truckee, CA; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/26/2004)
    • *Jess Perlmutter (Millburn, NJ; Killington Mountain School; 12/2/2009)

    Men

    • *Jake Canter (Evergreen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/19/2003)
    • Sean FitzSimons (Hood River, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; 9/22/2000; 2022)
    • Red Gerard (Silverthorne, CO; 6/29/2000; 2018, 2022)
    • *Ollie Martin (Wolcott, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 6/15/2008)

    Snowboard Cross
    Women

    • Stacy Gaskill (Golden, CO; International Snowboard Training Center; University of Colorado Boulder; 5/21/2000; 2022)
    • *Hanna Percy (Truckee, CA; Gould Academy Competition Program; 7/7/2007)
    • *Brianna Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, NJ; Gould Academy; University of Utah; 1/30/2006)
    • Faye Thelen (Salt Lake City, UT; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Westminster College; 3/24/1992; 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)

    Men

    • Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI; 12/17/1981; 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
    • *Nathan Pare (Bethel, ME; Gould Academy; 2/1/2005)
    • Jake Vedder (Pinckney, MI; International Snowboard Training Center; 4/16/1998; 2022)
    • Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 4/20/2000; 2022)

    *Denotes first-time Olympian

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  • Sisters on the slopes: These 3 Olympic skiing hopefuls are competitive siblings

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    The recipe for the Masuga Sisters, *** trio of Olympic hopefuls, fearless, fast, and *** lot of fun. Don’t let the glitzy photo shoot fool you. No matter what it is, we are going for the win. The Masuga Sisters are fierce competitors, even without their skis. The game of spoons is banned in our household because we. In the Christmas tree over it and they come by it honestly. Allie absorbs the bumps of moguls with ease. Lauren, she’s flat out fast in the downhill, and Sam, Sam defies gravity high above the slopes. The air gets underneath your skis. It picks you up by all that surface area and you actually feel it rotate you over and take you away from the ski jump. It’s it’s incredible. It feels really cool. Their flight on and above the snow in pursuit of gold takes them far from the starting gate and from each other. Usually I’m stalking them on the app and seeing the live results. I’m like, Lauren’s on course. Sam’s about to jump. I’m like, oh my gosh, but I think all of us just appreciate it so much because we’re all so excited for each other. We just want to see each other succeed. I think it’s hard tracking your two sisters. Their mother has resorted to *** spreadsheet to keep tabs on all three. And my mom just learned how to color code incredible work she’s doing. So when you get to the travel, it’s like travel, travel, travel, travel, travel. All of us traveling all across the world, you’re like, oh my gosh, I, I don’t know how she keeps track of it and figures out how to watch everyone the same amount of times. Now the hope is the tracking will get. In February, *** family reunion in Milan. It’s been the dream. That was the first, the original dream, and it still is, and I just can’t wait. And how about this? There is another Masuga and you guessed it right. Their brother Daniel is also in the ski business and they say he is fast. On the road to Milan Cortina, I’m Jason Newton.

    Sisters on the slopes: These 3 Olympic skiing hopefuls are competitive siblings

    Updated: 11:34 AM EST Nov 24, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Macuga sisters from Park City, Utah, are Olympic hopefuls in skiing, each excelling in different disciplines while maintaining a strong family bond and competitive spirit.Alli Macuga, an Olympic moguls hopeful, said, “No matter what it is, we are going for the win.” The Macuga sisters are fierce competitors, even without their skis. Alli Macuga’s sister, Sam Macuga, said, “Yeah, the game of spoons is banned in our house because we threw our cousin into the Christmas tree over it.”Alli Macuga absorbs the bumps of moguls with ease, Lauren Macuga is known for her speed in downhill skiing, and Sam Macuga defies gravity with her ski jumps. Sam Macuga described the sensation of ski jumping:”The air gets under your skis. It picks you up by all that surface area, and you actually feel it rotate you over and take you away from the ski jump. Wow. It’s incredible. It feels like, really cool.”Despite competing in different events, the sisters support each other from afar. Alli Macuga said, “Usually, I’m stalking them on the FIS app and seeing the live results. I’m like, Lauren’s on course, Sam’s about to jump. I’m like, oh my gosh. But I think all of us just appreciate it so much because we’re all so excited for each other. We want to see each other succeed.”Their mother has devised a spreadsheet to keep track of their competitions. Lauren Macuga said her mom just learned how to color-code her calendar to keep it all straight. “I don’t know how she keeps track of it and figures out how to watch everyone the same amount of time,” she said.The sisters hope to all make it to Milan in February for the Olympics. Lauren Macuga expressed her excitement, saying, “That’s just, it’s been the dream. That was the first, the original dream. And it still is. And I, you know, I just can’t wait.”Adding to the family’s skiing legacy, their brother Daniel is also a skier and is known for his speed. The sisters credit youth sports programs in Park City for allowing them to try out and find their sport at little to no cost.

    The Macuga sisters from Park City, Utah, are Olympic hopefuls in skiing, each excelling in different disciplines while maintaining a strong family bond and competitive spirit.

    Alli Macuga, an Olympic moguls hopeful, said, “No matter what it is, we are going for the win.” The Macuga sisters are fierce competitors, even without their skis.

    Alli Macuga’s sister, Sam Macuga, said, “Yeah, the game of spoons is banned in our house because we threw our cousin into the Christmas tree over it.”

    Alli Macuga absorbs the bumps of moguls with ease, Lauren Macuga is known for her speed in downhill skiing, and Sam Macuga defies gravity with her ski jumps. Sam Macuga described the sensation of ski jumping:

    “The air gets under your skis. It picks you up by all that surface area, and you actually feel it rotate you over and take you away from the ski jump. Wow. It’s incredible. It feels like, really cool.”

    U.S. skier Lauren Macuga, U.S. skier Sam Macuga, and U.S. skier Alli Macuga talk on stage during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at the Javits Center, in New York City on Oct. 28, 2025.

    CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

    U.S. skier Lauren Macuga, U.S. skier Sam Macuga, and U.S. skier Alli Macuga talk on stage during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 at the Javits Center, in New York City on Oct. 28, 2025.

    Despite competing in different events, the sisters support each other from afar. Alli Macuga said, “Usually, I’m stalking them on the FIS app and seeing the live results. I’m like, Lauren’s on course, Sam’s about to jump. I’m like, oh my gosh. But I think all of us just appreciate it so much because we’re all so excited for each other. We want to see each other succeed.”

    Their mother has devised a spreadsheet to keep track of their competitions. Lauren Macuga said her mom just learned how to color-code her calendar to keep it all straight. “I don’t know how she keeps track of it and figures out how to watch everyone the same amount of time,” she said.

    The sisters hope to all make it to Milan in February for the Olympics. Lauren Macuga expressed her excitement, saying, “That’s just, it’s been the dream. That was the first, the original dream. And it still is. And I, you know, I just can’t wait.”

    Adding to the family’s skiing legacy, their brother Daniel is also a skier and is known for his speed. The sisters credit youth sports programs in Park City for allowing them to try out and find their sport at little to no cost.

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  • This gift guide for movie lovers ranges from candles and pj’s to books for babies and adults

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    If you think gifts for movie lovers begin and end with Blu-Rays and cineplex gift cards, think again. There’s lots of ways to get creative (and impress) the film fan in your life.

    You could always splurge on a Sundance Film Festival pass (starting at $350 for the online edition, $4,275 for an in-person express pass ) for its last edition in Park City, Utah, this January. Or buy a plaid Bob Ferguson-inspired robe (perhaps this L.L. Bean option for $89.95) for the ones who can’t stop talking about “One Battle After Another.”

    For the very forward-thinking, you could help the Christopher Nolan fan in your life brush up on “The Odyssey” before next July with Emily Wilson’s translation (at bookstores.)

    Here are a few of our other favorite finds this holiday season for all kinds of movie fans.

    The ultimate Wes Anderson box set

    The Criterion Collection’s 20-disc Wes Anderson Archive box set is an investment for the true diehard. Anchored around 10 films over the past 25 years, from “Bottle Rocket” through “The French Dispatch,” the mammoth package includes new 4K masters, over 25 hours of special features, and 10 illustrated, chicly clothbound books, as well as essays from the likes of Martin Scorsese and James L. Brooks. $399.96.

    Mise en Scènt candles

    Home movie nights need the right atmosphere, and this female-owned, Brooklyn-based company creates (and hand pours) candles inspired by favorite movies. Their bestselling — and sometimes out of stock — “Old Hollywood” candle will bring you back to the silver screen’s golden age with the smell of “deep, smoky and worn-in leather,” which might be ideal with TCM playing in the background. The “Rom Com” scent evokes the feeling of a “meet-cute in a grocery aisle” with something clean, fresh and floral (maybe for watching “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” or “Materialists” ). There’s also a “French New Wave” candle that would work well with Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague.” Other scents include “Mystery,” “Fantasy,” “Macabre,” “Villain Era,” “Bad Movie” and “Main Character.” Starting at $24.

    Baby’s first movie book

    These adorable and beautifully illustrated board books take parents and kids on a journey through genres, from “My First Hollywood Musical” and “My First Sci-Fi Movie” to the very niche “My First Giallo Horror” and “My First Yakuza Movie.” There are also three box sets available for $45 each. Oscar-winning “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker called them his “go-to gifts for new parents.” From ’lil cinephile. Starting at $15.

    Pajamas fit for a KPop Demon Hunter

    Rumi’s “choo choo” pajama pants would make a cozy gift for days when you find yourself chanting “Couch! Couch! Couch!” Don’t understand what any of that means? Don’t worry, the “KPop Demon Hunters” fan in your life will. Available from Netflix. $56.95.

    A Roger Deakins memoir

    Even if you don’t know the name Roger Deakins you certainly know his work — simply put, he’s one of the greatest working cinematographers in the business. His credits include “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Sicario,” “Skyfall” and “1917.” Fittingly, his memoir “Reflections: On Cinematography” is uniquely visual, with never-before-seen storyboards, sketches and diagrams. The 76-year-old Oscar winner also looks back on his life, his early love of photography and how he found his way into 50 years of moviemaking, where he’d find longstanding partnerships with some of the great auteurs, from the Coen brothers to Sam Mendes and Denis Villeneuve. Hachette Book Group. $45.

    An alternative streamer for cinephiles

    If Netflix is too pedestrian for the cinephile in your life, the Kino Film Collection offers a robust and rotating lineup of classic and current art house and indie films. Categories include Cannes Favorites (like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth”), Classics (like “The General,” “Metropolis” and “Nosferatu”) and New York Times Critics’ Picks (like Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” and Agnieszka Holland’s “Green Border”). At $5.99 a month or $59.99 year, it’s also less expensive than the Criterion Channel ($10.99/month, $99/year) and Mubi ($14.99/month, $119.88/year).

    The Celluloid card game

    Who’s the biggest film buff in your family or group of friends? This clever card game might have the answer for you. Each Celluloid card contains prompts (like location, character and action) and you have to pick a movie that fits as many cards as possible. $19.

    An expressionistic dive into Chloé Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’

    Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, actor Jessie Buckley and photographer Agata Grzybowska collaborated on a gorgeous coffee-table book about “Hamnet,” opening in theaters in limited release on Nov. 27 and expected to be a major Oscar contender. The film, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s story, which won the National Book Critics Circle prize for fiction, imagines the circumstances around the death of William Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son and how it may have influenced the writing of “Hamlet.” The coffee-table book, called “Even as a Shadow, Even as a Dream,” is not a making-of, or behind-the-scenes look in any conventional sense, but an otherworldly, haunting companion piece of carefully chosen images and words. Mack books. $40.

    ___

    For more AP gift guides and holiday coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/gift-guide and https://apnews.com/hub/holidays.

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  • Sundance Film Festival reveals details about Robert Redford tributes and legacy screenings

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    Robert Redford’s legacy and mission was always going to be a key component of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, which will be the last of its kind in Park City, Utah. But in the wake of his death in Septemberat age 89, those ideas took on a new significance.

    This January, the institute that Redford founded over 40 years ago, plans to honor his career and impact with and a screening of his first truly independent film, the 1969 sports drama “Downhill Racer,” and a series of legacy screenings of restored Sundance gems from “Little Miss Sunshine” to “House Party,” festival organizers said Tuesday.

    “As we were thinking about how best to honor Mr. Redford’s legacy, it’s not only carrying forward this notion of ‘everyone has a story’ but it’s also getting together in a movie theater and watching a film that really embodies that independent spirit,” festival director Eugene Hernandez told The Associated Press. “We’ve had some incredible artists reach out to us, even in the past few weeks since Mr. Redford’s passing, who just want to be part of this year’s festival.”

    Archival screenings will include “Saw,” “Mysterious Skin,” “House Party,” and “Humpday” as well as the 35th anniversary of Barbara Kopple’s documentary “American Dream,” and 20th anniversaries of “Half Nelson” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” with some of the filmmakers expected to attend as well.

    “Over the almost 30 years of Sundance Institute’s collaboration with our partner, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, we’ve not only worked to ensure that the Festival’s legacy endures through film preservation, but we’ve seen that output feed an astonishing resurgence of repertory cinema programming across the country,” said festival programmer John Nein. “The films we’ve preserved and the newly restored films screening at this year’s festival, including some big anniversaries, are an important way to keep the independent stories from years past alive in our culture today.”

    Tickets for the 2026 festival, which runs from Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, go on sale Wednesday at noon Eastern, with online and in person options. Some planning is also already underway for the festival’s new home in Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, but programmers are heads down figuring out the slate of world premieres for January. Those will be revealed in December.

    “There’s a lot more to come and a lot more to announce,” Hernandez said. “This is just laying a foundation.”

    Redford’s death has added a poignancy to everything.

    “Seeing and hearing the remembrances took me back to why I felt compelled to go to the festival in the first place,” Hernandez said. “It’s been very grounding and clarifying and for us as a team it’s been very emotional and moving. But it’s also been an opportunity to remind ourselves what Mr. Redford has given to us, to our lives, to our industry, to Utah.”

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  • Prosecutors make their case for why Utah children’s book author should face trial in husband’s death

    Prosecutors make their case for why Utah children’s book author should face trial in husband’s death

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    PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Detectives on Monday described in court how they zeroed in on a Utah mother known for penning a children’s book about grief as the main suspect in her husband’s fatal poisoning. The multiday hearing will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence against her to proceed with a trial.

    Kouri Richins, 34, faces several felony charges for allegedly killing her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl in March 2022 at their home in a small mountain town near Park City. Prosecutors say she slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a Moscow mule cocktail that Eric Richins, 39, drank.

    Additional charges filed in March accuse her of an earlier attempt to kill her husband with a spiked sandwich on Valentine’s Day. She has been adamant in maintaining she is innocent.

    Detective Jeff O’Driscoll with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office was called to the stand Monday to describe his interactions with the state’s key witness, a housekeeper who claims to have sold fentanyl to Kouri Richins on three occasions. He said police first linked housekeeper Carmen Lauber to Kouri Richins through a series of text messages and later arrested Lauber, saying drugs and other illegal items were found at her home.

    Lauber, 52, originally denied any knowledge of how Eric Richins died, but she later opened up in an interview with O’Driscoll after he told her the drug charges against her might be reduced or eliminated in exchange for helpful information, the detective said. The housekeeper “went back and forth on what happened, what didn’t happen and in what order things happened,” O’Driscoll explained in court.

    He said Lauber told him she had sold Kouri Richins up to 90 blue-green fentanyl pills, and her supplier later confirmed to detectives that he had sold her the fentanyl she requested. Officers did not find any fentanyl pills in the Richins home, the detective said.

    Lauber has received a letter of immunity from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and is not currently in custody, O’Driscoll said. She is among the witnesses who could be called to testify later in the hearing or during a possible trial.

    Other witnesses may include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.

    In the months before her arrest in May 2023, the mother of three self-published the children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a father with angel wings watching over his young son after passing away. The book could eventually play a key role for prosecutors in framing Eric Richins’ death as a calculated killing with an elaborate cover-up attempt. Prosecutors have accused Kouri Richins of making secret financial arrangements and buying the illegal drug as her husband began to harbor suspicions about her.

    Utah state Judge Richard Mrazik is expected to decide as early as Tuesday whether the state has presented sufficient evidence to go forward with a trial.

    Mrazik had delayed the hearing in May after prosecutors said they would need three consecutive days to present their evidence. The case was further slowed when Kouri Richins’ team of private attorneys withdrew from representing her. The judge determined she was unable to continue paying for private representation, and he appointed attorneys Wendy Lewis and Kathy Nester to take over her case.

    The two attorneys used the first day of the hearing to build upon arguments presented by Kouri Richins’ former lead attorney, Skye Lazaro. They insinuated that the housekeeper Lauber had motivation to lie as she sought leniency in the face of drug charges.

    Lazaro also argued that Eric Richins’ sisters had a clear bias against her former client amid a battle over his estate and a concurrent assault case. Similar arguments could arise if family members are called to the stand.

    A petition filed by the victim’s sister, Katie Richins, alleges Kouri Richins had financial motives for killing her husband as prosecutors say she had opened life insurance policies totaling nearly $2 million without his knowledge and mistakenly believed she would inherit his estate under terms of their prenuptial agreement.

    Court records indicate Eric Richins had consulted an attorney in October 2020 to discuss the possibility of filing for divorce and to quietly cut his wife out of his will. Forensic accountant Brooke Karrington⁠ said transcripts from that meeting indicate Eric Richins knew his wife was making major financial decisions without consulting him, but he never went through with ending the marriage.

    In May, Kouri Richins was found guilty on misdemeanor charges of assaulting her other sister-in-law shortly after her husband’s death. Amy Richins told the judge that Kouri Richins had punched her in the face during an argument over access to her brother’s safe.

    In addition to aggravated murder, assault and drug charges, Kouri Richins has been charged with mortgage fraud, forgery and insurance fraud for allegedly forging loan applications and fraudulently claiming insurance benefits after her husband’s death.

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  • Malia Obama Goes Hollywood – Screens Her Own Movie At Sundance

    Malia Obama Goes Hollywood – Screens Her Own Movie At Sundance

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    Opinion

    Source: Page Six YouTube

    Malia Obama, the daughter of the former President Barack Obama, is reportedly trying to make it in Hollywood, as she resurfaced at the Sundance Film Festival this week to screen her short film The Heart.

    Malia’s New Movie

    The Hollywood Reporter stated that Malia, 25, wrote and directed the project under the name “Malia Ann,” and the short is about a grieving son grappling with an unusual request his mother left for him in her will.

    “The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things,” Malia said in a video promoting the film.

    “The folks who came together to make this film have my heart, pun intended. And I’m incredibly grateful to them for giving this story life. And we are grateful to Sundance for giving us the opportunity to share it with you all,” she added. “We hope that you enjoy the film and that it makes you feel a bit less lonely or at least reminds you not to forget about the people who are.”

    Check out her full comments in the video below.

    Related: Michelle Obama Claims She Worries About Her Daughters Whenever They Get In A Car Because They’re Black

    Malia’s Red Carpet Debut

    People Magazine reported that Malia appeared at the red carpet for the film festival, which is held at the Prospector Square Theater in Park City, Utah. There, she was seen wearing a gray maxi coat, white button-down shirt and black jeans along with a gray scarf and brown boots.

    Malia has long been trying to make it in Hollywood, and she previously worked as a writer on the Prime Video thriller series “Swarm.”

    “Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny,” the program’s show runner Janine Nabers told Entertainment Tonight of Malia last year. “She’s an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table… She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”

    Malia was hired for “Swarm” by Donald Glover, who both starred in and produced it.

    “I feel like she’s just somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon,” he told Vanity Fair of Malia in 2022. “Her writing style is great.”

    Related: Michelle Obama Describes Having Children As A ‘Concession’ That Cost Her Her ‘Dreams’

    Malia’s History With Harvey Weinstein

    It should be noted that during her time attending Harvard University, Malia worked as an intern for the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein before his sexual assault scandal broke. TMZ reported at the time that Malia was “ensconced in the production/development department,” tasked with “reading through scripts and deciding which ones move on to Weinstein brass.”

    Time Magazine reported that Weinstein contributed more than $70,000 to Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, according to FEC documents. He’d also donated $3,000 to former President Bill Clinton’s reelection campaign in 2000 and more than $26,000 to campaigns or political action committees backing 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton since 2000, according to Business Insider.

    Weinstein was later convicted of raping multiple women and is currently serving a 23 year prison sentence. Malia has never spoken out publicly about her time working for him.

    Given how much the liberal world of Hollywood has been fawning over the entire Obama family for years, it should come as no surprise that Malia is already being given the opportunity to direct her own movies. What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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  • $1,850 a day? What it costs to visit the 10 most expensive vacation destinations in the world

    $1,850 a day? What it costs to visit the 10 most expensive vacation destinations in the world

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    Looking to splurge on your next vacation?

    The travel website FloridaPanhandle.com analyzed costs in 100 popular vacation spots, looking into average prices for accommodations, transportation, food and attractions.

    Here are 10 destinations that certainly call for big budgets.

    According to the analysis, the most expensive vacation destinations, excluding flight costs, are:

    1. Gustavia, St. Barts
    2. Gstaad, Switzerland
    3. Aspen, Colorado
    4. Park City, Utah
    5. Maui, Hawaii
    6. London, England
    7. Cocoa Island, Maldives
    8. Maun, Botswana
    9. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
    10. Monte Carlo, Monaco

    The 10 most expensive vacation destinations around the globe.

    Source: CNBC

    The list was dominated by islands and ritzy ski towns, though the draw of eco-tourism safaris in Botswana and Europe’s financial capital, London, rounded out the ranking.

    Where hotels average $1,000 per night

    The Caribbean island of St. Barts is the most expensive vacation destination in the world, largely because of its high accommodation costs, which average $1,770 per night, according to the analysis.

    Average hotel rates in Switzerland’s Gstaad (No. 2) are $1,360, according to the research. The town in the Swiss Alps also has the highest average food costs on the list, at $177 per day.

    Accommodations at the third priciest spot — Aspen, Colorado — average $1,385 for one person, but a family of four can expect to pay $2,274, according to the analysis.

    A street in downtown Aspen, Colorado.

    Nik Wheeler | Corbis Historical | Getty Images

    To find those prices, FloridaPanhandle.com researched average rates for four- and five-star hotels for stays during Christmas (Dec. 21-27) and the spring (May 19-25), but did not include taxes.

    Attractions: from $0 to $333 per day

    To estimate the price of activities, FloridaPanhandle.com calculated the average cost for each location’s three most-reviewed attractions on TripAdvisor.

    The ski town of Park City, Utah, averaged $333 for daily attractions — the highest on the list.

    Attractions in Maun, Botswana, Africa’s lone destination on the list, averaged more than $100 per day for activities like a one-day visit to the Okavango Delta.

    Despite having higher overall average costs, St. Barts and the Maldives’ attractions were valued at $0. Vacationers may have to pay top dollar for hotels in those locations, but their beaches are free.

    Monaco, Monte Carlo.

    Ostill | Istock | Getty Images

    Monte Carlo had one of the lowest average rates for attractions on the list, a surprising result for a vibrant gambling hot spot.

    While “Monte Carlo is known for its casinos, it is also not the most popular thing to do in town,” said a representative from FloridaPanhandle.com.

    According to the company, the three most popular attractions in Monte Carlo are the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, an outdoor area called Casino Square, and the Casino of Monte Carlo, which has an entrance fee of 18 euros ($20).

    Gambling losses, however, are not included in Monte Carlo’s average attraction costs.

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  • No Bail For Utah Woman Accused Of Killing Husband, Then Writing Grief Book For Kids

    No Bail For Utah Woman Accused Of Killing Husband, Then Writing Grief Book For Kids

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    PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A judge ruled that a Utah mother of three who wrote a children’s book about coping with grief after her husband’s death, and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, will remain in jail throughout her trial after her sister-in-law called her “desperate, greedy and extremely manipulative” during a court hearing.

    Kouri Richins knelt her head and cried as a detective testified about authorities finding her husband dead and “cold to the touch,” and prosecutors argued the evidence against her was strong enough to deny her bail.

    Her case became a true-crime sensation last month when charges were filed as a transfixed public pored over remarks Richins made promoting “Are You With Me?” — the illustrated storybook about an angel wing-clad father watching over his children after passing away.

    Monday’s detention hearing offered both prosecutors and Richins’ attorneys a chance to preview their cases and provide contrasting theories of what happened. Prosecutors called to the stand a detective, a private investigator and a forensic accountant who painted a picture of Richins as having calculatingly plotted to kill her husband, making financial arrangements and purchasing drugs found in his system after his March 2022 death.

    In a victim impact statement she read in court, Amy Richins, Eric’s sister, said it was painful for the family to watch Kouri Richins promote “Are You With Me?” and called her actions “betrayal and terror.”

    “Since Eric’s death, we have learned — and unfortunately are continually reminded — that Kouri is desperate, greedy and extremely manipulative,” she said.

    “We have watched as Kouri has paraded around portraying herself as a grieving widow and victim while trying to profit from the death of my brother — while trying to profit from a book about his death and trying to get life insurance,” she added.

    Richins’ attorneys argued the evidence against her was both dubious and circumstantial, noting that no drugs were found at the family home after the death and suggesting the state’s star witness — the housekeeper who claims to have sold Richins the drugs — had motivation to lie as she sought leniency in the face of state and federal drug charges.

    “They provided evidence to her, essentially, until she got it right,” Skye Lazaro, Richins’ attorney, said of police interviews with the housekeeper.

    While a handcuffed Richins shook her head in defiance, prosecutors questioned the detective about the housekeeper who claims to have sold her fentanyl weeks before it was found in her husband’s system and the family’s “bug out bags” full of emergency provisions and passports they suggested made her a flight risk unsuitable for bail.

    She huffed deeply as they questioned the private investigator about the search history on her devices — including for “luxury prison for the rich” and the information disclosed on death certificates.

    And with members of both sides of the family sitting in the court gallery behind them, they asked the forensic accountant about Richins’ personal financial struggles and the millions of dollars at stake in her husband’s estate.

    “One or two pills might be accident. Twenty — or five times the lethal dose — is not accidental. That is a lot. That is someone who wanted Eric dead,” Summit County Chief Prosecutor Patricia Cassell said.

    The detention hearing built off court documents in which prosecutors allege Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of fentanyl into a Moscow mule cocktail she made for her husband, Eric Richins, amid marital disputes and fights over a multimillion-dollar mansion she ultimately purchased as an investment.

    The court documents paint a picture of a conniving woman who tried to lethally poison her husband multiple times, including on a vacation to Greece and on Valentine’s Day weeks before his death. Witnesses interviewed as part of the investigaiton allege in February 2022 she laced a sandwich made for him with hydrocodone. She repeatedly denied her involvement on the day of his death in March 2022, even telling police, “My husband is active. He doesn’t just die in his sleep. This is insane.”

    In court filings, Richins’ attorneys say prosecutors “simply accepted” the narrative from Eric Richins’ family that his wife had poisoned him “and worked backward in an effort to support it,” spending about 14 months investigating and not finding sufficient evidence to support their theory. She said the prosecution’s case based on Richins’ financial motives proved she was “bad at math,” not that she was guilty of murder.

    “Being bad with money does not make you a murderer,” Lazaro said.

    The case has shined a spotlight on the communities on backside of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains near Park City, one of the American West’s preeminent destinations for skiing, hiking and outdoor recreation. The couple and their three sons lived in a new development in the town of Francis, roughly 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Salt Lake City. They argued over whether to purchase an unfinished, 20,000-square-foot (1,860-square-meter) mansion in nearby Midway Utah, according to court filings.

    If the case goes to trial, it will likely revolve around financial and marital disputes as possible motives. In addition to arguing over real estate, prosecutors also say Kouri Richins made major changes to the family’s estate plans before her husband’s death, taking out life insurance policies on him with benefits totaling nearly $2 million.

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  • Gwyneth Paltrow won her ski trial. Here’s how it played out

    Gwyneth Paltrow won her ski trial. Here’s how it played out

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    PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.

    But Gwyneth Paltrow’s live-streamed trial over her collision with Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, in Park City emerged as the biggest celebrity court case since actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off last year — spawning memes, sparking debate about the burden of fame, and making ski etiquette rules of who was uphill and who had the right of way relevant beyond those who can afford resort chairlift tickets.

    On Thursday, Paltrow won her court battle after a jury decided the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash. Here is a look back at highlights from the two-week trial:

    ___

    LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND THE FAMOUS

    For seven days, attorneys highlighted — and downplayed — Paltrow and Sanderson’s extravagant lifestyles.

    Sanderson’s attorneys sought more than $300,000 in damages, but the money at stake for both sides paled in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit. Both sides marshalled brigades of expert witnesses, including a biomechanical engineer and collision expert.

    Paltrow’s legal team attempted to represent Sanderson as an angry, aging man who continued to travel internationally after the collision. They introduced photos into evidence of Sanderson camel riding in Morocco, trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, and taking a continent-wide loop through Europe with stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and Belgium.

    Sanderson’s attorneys questioned Paltrow about that day’s $8,890 bill for private ski instructors for four children accompanying her, as well as her decision to leave the slope after the crash to get a massage. They said the accident caused Sanderson to grow distant from friends and family, and they called his ex-girlfriend to testify about how their relationship deteriorated because he “had no joy left in his life.”

    To keep jurors engaged, Paltrow’s team shared a series of advanced, high-resolution animations to accompany their witnesses’ recollections. The renderings reflected the financial investment Paltrow and her defense team devoted to the case.

    ___

    THE BURDEN OF FAME

    Attorneys on both sides tapped into the power of celebrity to make their cases that reputations and moral principles were what was at stake in the trial.

    Sanderson’s side tried to characterize Paltrow, the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer, as clumsy, out of touch and evading accountability. They likened her decision to file a $1 countersuit against Sanderson to Taylor Swift, who filed a similar counterclaim in a lawsuit in 2017 — drawing attention to Paltrow’s testimony that she was “not good friends” with Swift but just “friendly.”

    Paltrow’s defense team called the highly publicized case an attempt to exploit her fame and suggested she is vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits. They questioned witnesses about Sanderson’s “obsession” with the case and homed in on an email subject line in which Sanderson wrote after the collision: “I’m famous.”

    “To become famous, he will lie,” one of Paltrow’s attorneys said. “I’m not into celebrity worship,” Sanderson later rebutted.

    ___

    FACTORY OF MEMES

    Though the trial tested the jury’s endurance as its eight members gradually sunk deeper into their chairs through hours of expert-witness testimony, it titillated spectators worldwide, became late-night television fodder and fed the internet’s insatiable appetite for memes.

    Viewers tuning into proceedings on CourtTV saw Paltrow complain about losing a half-day of skiing after the crash and heard a radiologist testify that Sanderson could no longer enjoy wine tasting. They compared the spectacle to “The White Lotus” — an HBO series that satirizes the petty grievances of rich, white vacationers — and, in a reflection of the courtroom theatrics and rapt public attention, likened Paltrow’s defense to the Salem witch trials of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”

    Photographs of Paltrow entering and exiting the courtroom — often shielding her face, perp-walk style, with a blue GP-initialed notebook — also have gone viral on social media.

    ___

    UTAH’S POSHEST SKI TOWN

    The proceedings have drawn the world’s attention to Park City, Utah, the silver boomtown-turned posh ski resort where Paltrow and Sanderson crashed and the trial was held. The city annually hosts the Sundance Film Festival, where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies, including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a celebrity wellness entrepreneur.

    The jury and local residents who have braved blizzards to get to the courthouse each day nodded along as attorneys referenced local landmarks like The Montage Deer Valley, the slope-side luxury resort where Paltrow got a massage after the crash.

    The all-white jury was drawn from registered voters in Summit County, where the average home sold for $1.3 million last month and residents tend to be less religious than the rest of Utah, where the majority of the population belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    Unlike the high-powered Hollywood attorneys that become household names at celebrity trials, both sides were represented by local lawyers. Paltrow’s team specializes in medical malpractice lawsuits, while Sanderson’s lead counsel, Bob Sykes, is known in Salt Lake City for his work suing police departments. Sykes attempted to play up his folksiness, referring to himself as “just a country lawyer” more than six times during the trial. After jurors were sent home Wednesday, both legal teams joked about the trial lawyer gimmick.

    ___

    THE MYSTERIOUS MISSING GOPRO

    Paltrow’s attorneys intrigued the jury with questions about the collision potentially being captured on a helmet-cam video, though no footage was included as evidence in the trial.

    Sanderson’s daughter testified this week that an email she sent the day of the accident referring to a GoPro didn’t imply footage existed. She said she and her father speculated that on a crowded beginner run, someone wearing a camera must have turned to look at the crash after hearing Paltrow scream.

    Internet sleuths following the trial later found and sent attorneys the link included in the email. Rather than revealing GoPro footage though, it contained a chatroom discussion between members of Sanderson’s ski group, including the man claiming to be the sole eyewitness who testified Paltrow crashed into Sanderson.

    ___

    THE VERDICT

    Paltrow looked to her attorneys with a pursed-lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom.

    The jury awarded her $1; however, the attorney fees she asked for in her countersuit were not included in the verdict, leaving the bulk of the final award for the Park City judge to decide. It’s unknown when the judge will make that decision. No decision was posted Friday in the online court docket.

    Paltrow thanked the judge and jury for their work.

    “I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” the actor said in a statement released by her representatives.

    As Paltrow left court, she touched Sanderson’s shoulder and told him, “I wish you well,” Sanderson told reporters outside court. He responded, “Thank you, dear.”

    ___

    Furman reported from Los Angeles.

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  • Gwyneth Paltrow gets vindication at ski collision trial

    Gwyneth Paltrow gets vindication at ski collision trial

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    PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow wasn’t to blame for a 2016 collision with a retired optometrist on a beginner run at a posh Utah ski resort during a family vacation, a jury decided Thursday following a live-streamed trial that became a pop culture fixation.

    A jury awarded Paltrow $1 — a symbolic amount she asked for in order to show it wasn’t about money — and delivered her the vindication she sought when she opted to take it to trial rather than settle out of court.

    “I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” Paltrow said in a statement released by her representatives that she also posted as an Instagram story for her 8.3 million followers. She also thanked the judge and jury for their work.

    As Paltrow left court she touched Terry Sanderson’s shoulder and told him, “I wish you well,” he told reporters outside court. He responded, “Thank you dear.”

    Paltrow’s attorney, Steve Owens, added in a statement he read outside court that “Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in – this situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right.”

    Paltrow, an actor who in recent years has refashioned herself into a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, looked to her attorneys with a pursed lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom. She sat intently through two weeks of testimony in what became the biggest celebrity court case since actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off last year.

    After the verdict was read, the judge polled the jury, which was unanimous on the decision. In civil court in Utah, only three-fourths of jurors need to agree on a verdict. The attorney fees Paltrow asked for in her countersuit were not included in the jury’s verdict, leaving the bulk of the final award for the Park City judge to decide.

    Addressing reporters after the verdict, Sanderson questioned whether the lawsuit was worth it and said he believed that people tend to naturally trust celebrities like Paltrow.

    “You get some assumed credibility from being a famous person,” Sanderson said. “Really, who wants to take on a celebrity?”

    The dismissal concludes two weeks of courtroom proceedings that hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case. Paltrow’s attorneys described the complaint against her as “utter B.S.” and painted the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits due to her celebrity.

    Paltrow took the witness stand during the trial to insist that the collision wasn’t her fault, and to describe how she was stunned when she felt “a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise.”

    Throughout the trial, the word “uphill” became synonymous with “guilty, ” as attorneys focused on a largely unknown skiing code of conduct that stipulates that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.

    Worldwide audiences followed the celebrity trial as if it were episodic television. Viewers scrutinized both Paltrow and Sanderson’s motives while attorneys directed questions to witnesses that often had less to do with the collision and more to do with their client’s reputations.

    The trial took place in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual Sundance Film Festival, where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer. Paltrow is also known for her roles in “Shakespeare in Love” and the “Iron Man” movies.

    The jury’s decision marks a painful court defeat for Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 over injuries he sustained when they crashed on the ski slope at Deer Valley Resort.

    “He never returned home that night as the same man. Terry has tried to get off that mountain but he’s really still there,” attorney Robert Sykes said during closing arguments.

    Both parties blamed the other for the collision. Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.

    He filed an amended complaint after an earlier $3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed. In response, Paltrow countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift’s response to a radio host’s defamation lawsuit. Swift was awarded $1 in 2017.

    Paltrow’s defense team represented Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow. They argued that Paltrow wasn’t at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.

    ___

    AP writer Anna Furman contributed from Los Angeles.

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  • ‘A Thousand and One’ wins Sundance grand jury prize

    ‘A Thousand and One’ wins Sundance grand jury prize

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    “A Thousand and One,” a drama about an impoverished single mother and her son in New York City, won the Sundance Film Festival’s grand jury prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, while “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” was awarded the top prize in the U.S. documentary category. This year’s winners were announced at an awards ceremony Friday afternoon in Park City, Utah, which included an audience prize for the documentary “ 20 Days in Mariupol.”

    Writer Jeremy O. Harris, filmmaker Eliza Hittman and actor Marlee Matlin judged the U.S. dramatic competition.

    Harris, through tears, said he asked to give the grand jury prize to “A Thousand and One” and writer-director A.V. Rockwell himself.

    “Never have I seen a life so similar to my own rendered with such nuance and tenderness” Harris said. “This film reached into my gut and pulled from it every emotion I’ve learned to mask in these spaces.”

    Rockwell, who made her feature debut with the film, was similarly emotional.

    “This has been such a long journey for me but the institute has been such a beautiful support system,” Rockwell said.

    “20 Days in Mariupol,” a first-person account of the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, won the audience prize for world cinema documentary. A joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline,” the film utilizes 30 hours of footage AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov and his colleagues shot in the besieged Ukrainian city before they were extracted.

    “I want to thank everyone who believed in us: AP, Frontline and Sundance and all the audiences who did not turn away,” Chernov said. “This is not an achievement, this is a privilege.”

    Sing J. Lee won the directing award in U.S. dramatic for “The Accidental Getaway Driver.” The team from “ Theater Camp ” was recognized with a special jury prize for ensemble. Lío Mehiel, who goes by they/them pronouns, received the special jury award for their performance in “Mutt,” about a trans-masculine person one day in New York. And the drama “Magazine Dreams,” in which Jonathan Majors plays an amateur bodybuilder, was recognized for creative vision.

    “Everyone in this room, everyone, every person, we give you our deepest props and our deepest respect,” Matlin said through an interpreter. She also gave a shout-out to her “CODA” team, who won big at the festival two years ago. Her Oscar winning co-star Troy Kotsur was in the audience cheering her on.

    Other grand jury prizes winners were: “Scrapper,” in world cinema, about a 12-year-old girl living alone on the outskirts of London after her mother’s death; and “The Eternal Memory,” in world cinema documentary, about the effects of Alzheimer’s on a relationship of 25 years. “Kokomo City,” about the lives of Black, trans sex workers, won the NEXT innovator award and the audience award in the NEXT category.

    Other audience award winners included “The Persian Version,” for U.S. Dramatic, “Beyond Utopia,” for U.S. Documentary and “Shayda” for World Cinema Dramatic. The “festival favorite” award went to “Radical,” starring Eugenio Derbez as an inspirational teacher in a Mexican border town.

    In total, 12 films premiered in the world cinema documentary section, including films about climate change, Syria, growing up during apartheid and the International Chopin Piano Competition. “The Eternal Memory,” about a couple dealing with Alzheimer’s, won the category’s grand jury prize.

    Other prize winners in the category included “Fantastic Machine,” for creative vision, “Against the Tide” for verité filmmaker, and “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” for directing.

    Several Sundance winners from last year were recently nominated for Oscars, including documentaries “Navalny” and “All That Breathes.”

    Many Sundance films came to the festival with distribution in place. Apple TV+ debuted “Still: A Michael J. Fox Story” and “Stephen Curry: Underrated.” Neon had “Infinity Pool,” A24 brought six films including “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” “You Hurt My Feelings,” “Past Lives.” Searchlight had the South London rom com “Rye Lane.”

    There were also several big acquisitions made at the festival this year. Apple TV+, who got its first best picture win when it paid $25 million for “CODA” out of Sundance, scooped up John Carney’s (“Once”) musical rom com “Flora and Son,” with Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Netflix secured the rights to the corporate thriller “Fair Play,” with Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor, made and sold by MRC. Both films went for a reported $20 million. Searchlight also bought Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s mockumentary “Theater Camp” for a theatrical release later this year.

    This year’s festival, the first in-person gathering since 2020, debuted 111 feature films and 64 short films. Over 75% of the films are available on Sundance’s online platform through Sunday, January 29.

    “We’re already thinking about the next one,” Sundance CEO Joana Vicente said.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival.

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  • Demand For Cold Plunge Pools Heats Up

    Demand For Cold Plunge Pools Heats Up

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    That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. For many of us, swimming underneath ice for 216 feet or running a half marathon above the Artic Circle barefoot sounds quite deadly. For endurance athlete Wim Hof, cold therapy is a pathway to greater health. “Frequent exposure to cold is linked to a number of different health benefits,” his website notes. “For example, scientists have found evidence that exposure to cold speeds up metabolism. Another benefit of exposing your body to cold is that it reduces inflammation, swelling, and sore muscles. Furthermore, cold body therapy is also linked to improved quality of sleep, more focus, and even an improved immune response,” it adds. Some doctors and research studies disagree, but the approach has adherents across continents and millennia.

    Premium Demand

    So when Dayson Johnson mentioned in last week’s Wellness Wednesdays Clubhouse conversation that some buyers of his upcoming ski community Velvære are requesting cold plunge pools, it wasn’t totally surprising. These individuals have the income to both buy a premium vacation home and jet off to snowy adventures.

    Across the country in Saratoga Springs, New York, Jim Sasko of Teakwood Builders is getting requests too, he says. His firm has built them outdoors and inside. Some clients want a model that can double as a hot tub. Or they request a plunge pool paired with a sauna, he says.

    “The clients that are inquiring have been 40-plus exercise enthusiasts and 60-plus looking for the luxury addition of a plunge style pool or spa bath,” Sasko observes. Typically, they’re requesting these as part of a new build or addition, often in a deck.

    The market is definitely growing, according to Data Bridge Market Research. “The cold plunge pools market is expected to reach $409.00 million by 2029,” the firm predicts. In 2021, it stood at $298.1 million. Much of that growth is seen in healthcare and fitness facilities, which accounts for 80% of sales, Data Bridge reports. As has long been the trend, though, affluent wellness-focused homeowners often want to bring professional features home.

    Cold Plunge Options

    San Francisco-based plumbing contractor Phil Hotarek with Lutz Plumbing is also getting requests for cold plunge tubs, he says. Hotarek goes with a Japanese soaking tub for both indoor and outdoor installations. “A regular tub can be used for an ice bath,” he notes. Numerous weekend endurance athletes go this route when adding that capability to an existing bathroom.

    Or you can opt for specialized technology, like the Cold Plunge from Hydro Systems. The water’s cooling equipment can be installed in a concealed cabinet, custom enclosure or storage space within eight feet of the tub, the manufacturer says. This saves the user the hassle (and possible mess) of dragging bags of ice from the freezer to the bathroom. A spokesperson says, “Cold Plunge can bring bath water temperature as low as 37°F, cold enough for dedicated practitioners of methods popularized by The Iceman,” as Hof calls himself.

    Cold Water Caution

    Geriatric medicine specialist James Larsen, MD of Loma Linda University Health has concerns for some users: “I do not recommend ice baths in any situation for older people. Immersion in cold water causes rapid constriction of capillary vessels in the skin with potential for resulting rapid rise in blood pressure and stress on the heart,” he explains. “In addition, exposure of limbs to cold water causes rapid constriction of peripheral arteries potentially resulting in inadequate blood flow. These physiological concerns coupled with a lack of evidence for benefit makes ice baths inappropriate for older people.”

    If it’s something you’re considering for your life at home at whatever age, it’s probably worth discussing with your health professional first, just like any other serious fitness pursuit.

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    Jamie Gold, Contributor

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  • Sundance doc looks into Brett Kavanaugh investigation

    Sundance doc looks into Brett Kavanaugh investigation

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    PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — A new documentary looks into the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and raises questions about the depth of the FBI investigation in 2018.

    “Justice,” from filmmaker Doug Liman, debuted Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival to a sold-out theater surrounded by armed guards.

    The film, made under intense secrecy, focuses on allegations made by Kavanaugh’s Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez that were detailed in a New Yorker article in 2018. Ramirez alleged that at a gathering with friends when she was a freshman in 1983, Kavanaugh pulled down his pants and thrust his penis at her. Kavanaugh has denied those claims. “Justice” also plays a taped recording of a tip given to the FBI from another Yale classmate, Max Stier, that describes a similar incident that the FBI never investigated.

    The Stier report was previously detailed in 2019 by New York Times reporters Robin Pogebrin and Kate Kelly as part of their book “The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation.” But the details of it came under scrutiny. After the story was posted online but before it was in the print edition, the Times revised the story to add that the book reported that the woman supposedly involved in the incident declined to be interviewed, and that her friends say she doesn’t recall the incident.

    Stier was not directly interviewed for the film and declined the filmmakers’ request to comment on the contents. An unnamed person whose voice was manipulated for anonymity provided the Stier tape to the filmmakers.

    Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in October of 2018 after a narrow 50-48 roll call following a wrenching debate over sexual misconduct. He strenuously denied the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford, who says he sexually assaulted her when they were teens.

    Many people referenced in the film, from Kavanaugh himself to several of Ramirez’s friends who were allegedly there, similarly declined to speak or never responded.

    “Justice” is especially critical of the FBI investigation that took place after the hearings. Through FOIA requests the filmmakers found that there were some 4,500 tips sent to the tipline that went uninvestigated.

    One of Ramirez’s friends from Yale who was interviewed for the film provided text messages in which a mutual friend admits to being contacted by “Kavanaugh’s people” and participated in the narrative that Ramirez didn’t remember things correctly.

    Blasey Ford appears in new footage only in the first several moments of “Justice,” asking Liman, a filmmaker known for “Swingers” and “The Bourne Identity,” why he’s making this film — a question that he doesn’t quite answer.

    In a Q&A after the film, Liman said he was simply outraged after watching her testimony in 2018. The making of the film, which they self-financed, was shrouded in secrecy. Everyone signed nondisclosure agreements, Liman said, and they even had code names for those who agreed to participate. He said that people are “terrified” and that those who came forward are “heroes.”

    Most of the focus is on telling Ramirez’s story — where she came from, how she ended up at Yale and what kind of person she is and was. Several academics specializing in trauma, as well as lawyers, help explain why memory of traumatic events is reliably fractured and how those gaps can be weaponized by prosecutors.

    “Justice’s” surprise inclusion in the festival was announced on Thursday, the first day of the festival, but it quickly became one of the most anticipated films in a slate of over 100. At least part of the reason for something like “Justice” to debut at Sundance is to drum up buzz and secure a distributor. As many of the lawyers in the film say, the stakes are whether or not Kavanaugh perjured himself under oath.

    Asked what he wants to happen when audiences see “Justice,” Liman said, “I kind of feel like the job ends with the film and what happens afterwards in beyond my control.”

    Standing beside him, his producer Amy Hardy said she disagreed. Hardy said she hopes it triggers outrage and leads to “a real investigation with subpoena powers.”

    ___

    Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival

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  • After 2 virtual years, Sundance returns to the mountains

    After 2 virtual years, Sundance returns to the mountains

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    Randall Park made a pact with himself some years ago that he wouldn’t attend the Sundance Film Festival if he didn’t have a project there. But the “Fresh Off the Boat” star never imagined that his first time would be as a director and not as an actor.

    His adaptation of “Shortcomings,” Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel about three young-ish Asian Americans finding themselves in the Bay Area, is among the films debuting in competition at the festival, which begins Thursday night in Park City, Utah.

    “Sundance is the pinnacle to me,” Park said in a recent interview. “I still can’t believe we’re going.”

    Park is just one of hundreds of filmmakers putting finishing touches on passion projects and making the sojourn to Park City this week, looking to make a splash at the first in-person edition of the storied independent film festival in two years.

    Festivalgoers will see some unexpected turns from stars, like Jonathan Majors as an amateur bodybuilder in “Magazine Dreams,” Emilia Clarke as a futuristic parent in “Pod Generation,” Daisy Ridley as a cubicle worker in “Sometimes I Think About Dying” and Anne Hathaway as a glamourous counselor working at a youth prison in 1960s Massachusetts in “Eileen.”

    “Bridgerton” star Phoebe Dynevor also breaks out of her corset leading the contemporary adult thriller “Fair Play” as an ambitious woman working at a high stakes hedge fund with a boyfriend played by Alden Ehrenreich. Sundance will be her first film festival ever and she’s especially excited that it’s with one of the best scripts she’s ever read.

    “It’s quite a polarizing one,” Dynevor said. “I can’t wait to see how everyone responds to it.”

    The slate of over 100 films premiering around the clock (from 8am to midnight) over 10 days are as diverse as ever. There are three films about Iranian women (“The Persian Version,” “Joonam” and “Shayda”), stories about transgender sex workers (“The Stroll,” “KOKOMO CITY”), indigenous people (“Twice Colonoized,” “Bad Press”), women’s rights and sexuality (“The Disappearance of Shere Hite”) and the war in Ukraine (“20 Days in Mariupol,” a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline.”)

    And, as always, there are intimate portraits of famous faces, like Michael J. Fox, Little Richard, Stephen Curry, Judy Blume, the Indigo Girls and Brooke Shields.

    Lana Wilson (“ Miss Americana ”) directed the much-anticipated Shields documentary “Pretty Baby,” in which Shields reflects on her experiences from child model to teen superstar and beyond, including her complex relationship with her mother, Andre Agassi and the time Tom Cruise publicly criticized her for taking antidepressants.

    “I kept coming back to this idea of agency and of her slowly gaining agency first over her mind, then over her career and then over her identity,” Wilson said.

    If the past two years have proved anything, it’s that Sundance doesn’t need its picturesque mountainside location to thrive. After all, it was at a virtual edition that the festival hosted the premiere of “ CODA,” which would become the first Sundance movie to win best picture at the Oscars. “Summer of Soul,” another virtual Sundance premiere, also won best documentary last year, and both are getting encore, in-person screenings this year.

    But even so, the independent film community — from the newcomers to the veterans — has felt the lack of the real thing. There is, after all, a certain magic about seeing a new film from an unknown in the dead of winter at 7,000 feet elevation wondering, as the lights go down in a cinema overflowing with puffy coats if you might just be among the first to witness the debut of the next Ryan Coogler or Kelly Reichardt.

    Erik Feig, the founder and CEO of Picturestart, joked that he’s been going to the festival for “a billion years.” It’s where he saw “Thirteen” and hired Catherine Hardwicke to direct “Twilight,” and, years later, “Whiplash,” beginning a relationship with Damien Chazelle that would lead to “La La Land.” Sundance also is where he saw “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Little Miss Sunshine” for the first time, too, and others that “feel iconic and have been part of the cultural zeitgeist forever. That moment of discovery was at Sundance.”

    This year, his company is coming armed with a new comedy that could very well enter that canon of Sundance discoveries: “Theater Camp,” a heartfelt satire of the musical theater world set at a crumbling upstate New York summer camp (AdirondACTS). The film is a collaboration of longtime friends Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Ben Platt and Noah Galvin.

    “I felt so inspired by so many collectives of people that had come up together like Christopher Guest, The Groundlings, The Lonely Island, who made stuff with their friends,” Gordon, who co-directed and stars, said. “We thought, let’s make something about a world that we know really well and a world that we love. And because we love it, we can make a lot of fun of it.”

    Some films offer moody genre escapes, like William Oldroyd’s adaptation of author Ottessa Moshfegh’s award-winning “Eileen” starring Thomasin McKenzie and Hathaway.

    “It plays into the fantasy that I had as a young woman, like, can I run away and be a different person,” Moshfegh said. “I still kind of have that, especially in cinema because we watch movies in order to run away and be different people.”

    Others promise to open minds about the lives of marginalized communities. Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, who is a transgender filmmaker of Chilean and Serbian descent, is hoping to push trans masculine narratives forward with his film “Mutt,” about a trans man who encounters three significant people he hasn’t seen in some time one hectic day in New York City.

    “It’s really exciting to see people want to see stories about trans masculine people and also understand that they can see themselves reflected in us and that we’re not very different,” Lungulov-Klotz said.

    Veteran indie filmmakers will be there with fresh offerings too like Ira Sachs (“Passages”) and Sebastián Silva (“Rotting in the Sun”). “Once” director John Carney has a new musical with Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Flora and Son”), Nicole Holofcener reunites with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “You Hurt My Feelings” and Susanna Fogel adapts the viral New Yorker story “Cat Person” with Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun.

    With COVID-19 outbreaks still happening, some events and gatherings are requiring tests and proof of vaccination. People like Luis Miranda Jr., coming with a documentary he helped produce, “Going Varsity in Mariachi,” is planning to mask up while celebrating the movie.

    “We’re bringing real mariachis to Utah and will have a party with real mariachi music,” Miranda said excitedly.

    The festival is embracing a different kind of hybrid approach after the success of previous years. Starting on Jan. 24, five days in, many of the films will be available to watch online for people who bought that now sold-out package.

    Some films already have distributors in place but many do not and onlookers are interested to see how those acquisitions play out. After several years of deep pocketed streaming services making big plays, the market may have stabilized. Streamers are more cautious and traditional studios have learned how to compete.

    Producer Tommy Oliver, the CEO and founder of Confluential Films, has four movies at the festival up for sale: “Fancy Dance,” “Young. Wild. Free,” “To Live and Die and Live” and “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” He knows as well as any that Sundance isn’t just a place for celebration and discovery, but for connections too.

    His advice for any first timers is simple: “Talk to everyone. Talk to the people who haven’t made stuff yet. Talk to the people who are hustling,” he said. “And be patient, because you’re going to look up in five, 10 years and they’ll have made ‘Fruitvale Station,’ they’ll have made ‘Beale Street.’”

    The Sundance Film Festival runs from Jan. 19 through the 29.

    ___

    Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.

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  • Jen Shah of ‘Real Housewives’ gets 6 1/2-year prison term

    Jen Shah of ‘Real Housewives’ gets 6 1/2-year prison term

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Jennifer Shah, a tearful member of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” who insisted she is not the character she plays on the show, was sentenced Friday to 6 1/2 years in prison for defrauding thousands of people, many of them vulnerable or older, in a telemarketing scam that stretched nearly a decade.

    Shah, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein as a leader of a nationwide fraud that targeted people who were often unsophisticated electronically and could least afford to lose their money.

    Shah pleaded guilty in July to a conspiracy charge. Prosecutors sought a 10-year prison term, which would have been a year under the federal sentencing guidelines’ minimum recommendation but well above the three years in prison that Shah’s lawyer suggested.

    At the outset of Friday’s hearing, Stein cautioned a courtroom packed with Shah’s family and friends and members of the media that he was not sentencing the person people see on television.

    Stein said that person was “simply a character. It’s acting.” And he added that the housewives program “involves role playing. … It’s a heavily scripted operation.”

    His words were echoed by Shah, who told the judge: “Reality TV has nothing to do with reality.”

    She apologized to the “innocent people” she said she’d hurt and pledged to pay $6.5 million in restitution and forfeiture when she gets out of prison.

    “I struggled to accept responsibility for the longest time because I deluded myself into believing … that I did nothing wrong,” Shah said, calling it her “own fractured reality.”

    “For years I blamed other people for putting me in this position,” believing she was duped and manipulated, she said.

    “I alone am responsible for my terrible decisions. It was all my fault and all my wrongdoing,” Shah said. “I have no one to blame but myself. … I wish I could have stood outside myself and seen the harm I was causing and changed course. I am profoundly and deeply sorry.”

    During the hearing, defense lawyer Priya Chaudhry said her client has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent months.

    “Remorse can be genuine even if it shows up late. … Her apology is real,” she said.

    After the sentencing, Shah left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. She will report to prison at a later date.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman said Shah was a leader of a “clear and brazen fraud” that stretched from 2012 to March 2021 as bogus services were promoted as enabling people to make substantial amounts of money through online businesses. He called her the most culpable among more than 30 defendants.

    “She always knew what she was doing wrong,” he said, noting her efforts to slow the investigation into her misdeeds by lying to investigators and taking evasive actions to obscure her true role in the fraud.

    In a presentence submission, prosecutors said she used profits from the fraud to live a life of luxury that included a nearly 10,000-square-foot mansion with eight fireplaces dubbed “Shah Ski Chalet” in the resort haven of Park City, Utah. The home, they said, is now listed for sale for $7.4 million.

    They said she also rented an apartment in midtown Manhattan, leased a Porsche Panamera, bought hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury goods and funded various cosmetic procedures while cheating the Internal Revenue Service of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

    The government said she also seemed to mock the charges against her by claiming that the “only thing I’m guilty of is being Shah-mazing” and then she profited from it by marketing “Justice for Jen” merchandise after her arrest as she directed others to lie while trying to conceal her conduct from investigators.

    At sentencing, Shah said proceeds from merchandise sales, which have been shut down, will go to victims.

    The judge, though, said victims may be made whole financially, but they “can’t really be made whole emotionally.”

    “Their lives have been turned upside down,” Stein said.

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  • Sheriff names patroller who died in Utah chairlift accident

    Sheriff names patroller who died in Utah chairlift accident

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    PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Mountain employee who died in a chairlift accident was a 29-year-old ski patroller from Millcreek Utah, Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez said on Wednesday.

    Christian Helger died on Monday morning after being ejected from a chairlift shaken by a tree that fell onto a lift cable, resort officials and police said.

    “Our prayers are with the Helger family as they grieve the loss of Christian,” Martinez said in a statement on Wednesday.

    Representatives of Park City Mountain and the Summit County Sheriff believe Helger fell at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) from the Short Cut chairlift into a deep ravine around 11:25 a.m. on Monday.

    Park City ski patrol attempted to treat his injuries and evacuated 10 others who also were on the chairlift.

    Summit County Sheriff Captain Andrew Wright told KSL-TV on Tuesday that Helger fell to terrain that was difficult to access. Ski patrol members took at least 20 minutes to reach the victim and dig him out of what deputies called “chest-deep snow” before attempting to treat him. Wright said the department’s investigation may consider variables including snow, tree health and tree proximity to the lift.

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  • Utah resort employee dies after being ejected from chairlift

    Utah resort employee dies after being ejected from chairlift

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    PARK CITY, Utah — An employee at a Utah ski resort died Monday after being ejected from a chairlift shaken by a tree that fell onto a lift cable, resort officials and police said.

    Representatives of Park City Mountain and the Summit County Sheriff said a 29-year-old resort employee fell at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) from the Short Cut chairlift into a deep ravine around 11:25 a.m.

    The Park City ski patrol attempted to treat his injuries and evacuated 10 others who also were on the chairlift.

    “We are all deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and we will be providing support for our employees as we grieve this devastating loss,” said Deirdra Walsh, the resort’s vice president and chief operating officer.

    Park City declined to identify the employee. The Summit County Sheriff planned on Wednesday to release the name of the accident victim, a resident of Millcreek, following the wishes of his family.

    Summit County Sheriff Captain Andrew Wright told KSL-TV that the man was a ski patroller who fell to terrain that was difficult to access. Ski patrol members took at least 20 minutes to reach the victim and dig him out of what deputies called “chest-deep snow” before attempting to treat him.

    “This wasn’t over a run,” Wright said, noting that the department’s investigation may consider variables including snow, tree health and tree proximity to the lift.

    The Short Cut chairlift remained closed while the investigation continued Tuesday.

    As record snowfall continues in Utah, Park City has received 56 inches (1.4 meters) in the past week. Lift maintenance crews have been in a labor dispute with the resort over the past year, demanding higher wages, safer working conditions and more efforts to retain experienced mechanics.

    ——

    This article corrects a previous version stating the chairlift accident leading to the death of a Park City employee on Monday was caused by a tree shaking the chairlift’s cable and ejecting him, not severing the cable.

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