This winter, Park City is going back to school. And we're not talking ski school. Class, let us introduce you to the new kid in town, the Washington School House hotel.

The 19th-century schoolhouse has graduated from the kid stuff to the big leagues just in time for Sundance next month, courtesy of an eight-month renovation. Reclaimed barn-wood floors, Swedish antiques, and roaring fireplaces add a rustic warmth to the modern snow-white palette and contemporary art collection in the 12 rooms. Ski to the back door of the hotel, where a valet takes care of your gear, leaving you free to cozy up by the fire or head to a heated pool tucked in a grove of trees beside the mountain. The school of hard knocks this is not.

Photo: Courtesy of Washington School House

Subzero conditions may not faze you when you're powering down a mogul run, but a long, frigid ride on a chairlift can bum out even the hardiest of skiers. That's why we're drawn to a new lift at Utah's Canyons, which is adding warmth to all the right places.

The state-of-the-art lift, the first of its kind in North America, will be up and running when ski season starts on November 26 and is part of the first phase of an overall multi-million dollar investment being made at the resort. In addition to having heat in the seat, each chair is enclosed in an orange pod to block wind and glare--much like your ski goggles. It takes just nine minutes to reach the top of the mountain.

We suspect the only problem will be getting people off the lift and onto the slopes.

Photo: Courtesy of Canyons