First, a quick hello.
Welcome to Powder & Whiskey — a monthly letter from all of us at Compass Management. No sales pitch, no spam. Just the stuff that makes living here worth it: the first chair of the season, the places worth your Friday night, and a little hard-won wisdom about taking care of the buildings we all call home.
We’ve spent decades looking after some of Park City’s landmark properties, and along the way we’ve gotten to know this town pretty well. This is where we share some of that. Pour something nice and settle in.
❄️ It’s Official: Opening Day Is November 20
Ski season is back. Park City Mountain opens — a week before Thanksgiving — and the whole town can feel it coming. The air’s gone sharp, the peaks have their first coat of white, and every conversation in the coffee line circles back to the same thing: we’re almost there.
These last couple of weeks before opening are their own kind of magic. A few ways to make the most of them:
- Tune before the rush. The shops get slammed the week before the 20th. Drop your gear now and skip the line.
- Catch fall’s last act. The lower trails still have color — prime hiking and fall mountain biking before the snow takes over for good.
- Plan your opening-day ritual. First chair, then breakfast on Main? A toast at the base? If you don’t have one yet, this is the year to start.
📅 Dates to Circle This Month
- — Park City Mountain Opening Day. The big one. Lifts spin, season’s on.
- — Thanksgiving. If you’d rather not cook, a few kitchens will send the whole meal home — see below.
- — Last Friday Gallery Stroll. Nineteen of Park City’s galleries open their doors with light refreshments. A perfect, low-key way to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving on Main Street.
- — Holiday Makers Market launch. Arts Council of Park City and Summit County. Details below.
And if you’re chasing opening days beyond our mountain: Alta and Solitude also open Nov 20, Snowbird Nov 27, and Deer Valley December 5th.
Dinner to Go for Thanksgiving
Scratch-made, private chef, or fully cooked and ready to serve. Pre-order the ones that need it.
Gourmandise. Scratch-made Thanksgiving — pre-order by November 14. Full feast with turkey for $225, or everything but the bird for $165. Each serves four to six. Salt Lake City. gourmandise.com
Food by Chef Jenna. Private chef in Park City — in-home dinners and catering, seasonal menus, they’ll come to you. foodbyjenna.com
HoneyBaked. Fully cooked turkey dinner, ready to serve. Pickup in Salt Lake. honeybaked.com
Regional Artists
The Arts Council of Park City and Summit County’s Holiday Makers Market opens with a launch party November 30, 6 to 9 pm, at 1500 Kearns Blvd, Space F110. After that it’s open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6. Good place to start the holiday shopping and keep it local.
🥃 A Toast to the Season
Powder and whiskey go together for a reason — both are best enjoyed slowly, somewhere warm, with good company. And in High West country, we’re spoiled for the second one. As the season opens, raise a glass to first tracks, full glasses, and a winter that’s just getting started.
📋 Owner’s Corner: What Smart Boards Do Every November
Here’s the part nobody puts on a postcard, but every owner should know.
November isn’t just opening day — for anyone on an HOA board, it’s the most important month of the financial year. This is when the books get closed out and next year’s dues get set. Get it right and your community heads into winter funded and prepared. Get it wrong and you’re the one explaining a surprise assessment at the spring meeting.
A simple checklist if you’re on a board:
- Close the year honestly. Reconcile actuals against budget. Where did you overspend? Where did reserves fall short?
- Set dues with next winter in mind, not last summer. Costs rise. A budget that just copies last year’s is already behind.
- Fund the reserves on purpose. Winter is hard on buildings — roofs, heat systems, snow load. That money has to come from somewhere, and “a special assessment nobody saw coming” is the worst possible source.
The buildings that hold their value are the ones with boards that treat November like it matters. The ones that don’t usually find out at resale.
If your association isn’t sure where it stands heading into winter, that’s exactly the kind of thing we help with.
📍 Around Town
Park City in November is the quiet before the storm — in the best way. The summer crowds are gone, the winter rush hasn’t quite landed, and for a few weeks the town feels like it belongs to the locals again.
It’s the ideal window to get a table at the spots that’ll be booked solid come December — Park City’s food scene punches well above its weight, with MICHELIN-recognized rooms like Handle, Matilda, and The Nelson Cottage among the names worth the splurge. It’s also the time to support the Main Street shops and galleries gearing up for their busiest months. These are the businesses that make Park City Park City — and November is when they appreciate a familiar face most.
Until Next Month
That’s the first one. Thanks for reading — and for being part of this community, whether we manage your building or you just love this town as much as we do.
See you on the mountain November 20th.
— The Compass Team
Powder & Whiskey is a monthly letter from Compass Management Services — Park City born, keeping landmark properties running through every season.
Is your HOA ready for winter? Let’s talk about your building →