PARK CITY, Utah -- Snow skiing in Utah not only provides some of the most delightful views and groomed/powder runs in the world, but you can also get a good size dose of the area's colorful and interesting history to boot -- replete with tales of rough and rowdy silver miners.

The history of skiing in Utah began more than 150 years ago when prospectors discovered silver, lead and zinc was relatively plentiful in the cloud-bumping mountains all along the Wasatch Mountains range and the Big and Little Cottonwood canyons.

Miners learned one way to get down the snowy mountains faster was to attach a couple of wooden slabs to their feet and just slide. Some of these early skis were fashioned from old wooden barrel staves.

At the heart of this mining throng was the little community of Alta and the early mining settlement of Park City.

Michigan native George Watson came to the little community of Alta in 1902 to seek a mining fortune and wound up as the area's mayor/promoter and a central figure in the development of commercial skiing at Alta.

Watson and businessman Gus Becker, Mark Strand and international award-winning skiing brothers Alf and Sverre Engen helped promote ski jumping events to attract interest in skiing in the mining community areas and that gradually evolved from a spectator sport to a participation sport all along the Wasatch.

Even today, remnants of old mining shacks and shafts exist all along the Wasatch range, with many ski runs, restaurants and other buildings named for early mining and ski pioneers.

Seven of Utah's major ski resorts are within 40 minutes of the Salt Lake City Airport, with Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Sundance as Wasatch neighbors and Brighton is nearby.

And little did those old codgers scrambling around the Wasatch Mountains for a little silver nearly a century ago know that the area's most valuable natural resource was the white stuff they were slipping and sliding on and cussing about.
The value of silver kept sliding downhill in the early 1940s (after diggers extracted more than $400 million in silver, creating 23 millionaires), so some wizened investors figured out that sliding downhill might be an even better way of making money.
The snow ski industry began at Alta and slowly spread down the canyons to Park City, with the opening of the first public ski area, Snow Park at Park City in 1946. Treasure Mountain (now Park City Mountain resort) debuted in 1963, followed by Park West (now The Canyons) in 1968 and Deer Valley (incorporating many of the old Snow Park runs) opened in 1981.
Now, it is apparent that Park City and the Little and Big Cottonwood canyons area has hit the motherlode.

Alta has retained much of its historic approach to skiing over the years, with rustic lodgings and the banning of snowboarders during regular skiing hours.

Alta also has some of the most alpine-like scenery this side of Switzerland and particularly ranks as a favorite for older skiiers.

Alta and Snowbird are close enough that skiiers can actually ski from one to the other -- thus an Alta-Snowbird combination ski ticket is available. Skiing Magazine groups Alta and Snowbird together and ranks them as the No. 2 best skiing area in the U. S. in their 2007-2008 ratings.

Snowbird offers some of the best ski lifts in the world, including a
125-passenger Aerial Tram that zooms from an elevation of 8,100 feet to 11,000 feet in about 8 minutes, taking skiers to Hidden Peak and the infamous 2 1/2 mile Chip's Run. As Snowbird describes its own facility: "As a full-service resort, Snowbird focuses on both recreation and relaxation. Luxurious suites, outdoor heated pools (even during the winter), spa services, and ski-in/out lodging characterize just a few of Snowbird's amenities. A number of diverse restaurants, festivals, and retail opportunities give guests a full mountain community experience. Exciting mountain biking and hiking trails are among the popular summer activities available at Snowbird."

Snowbird is about 30 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport.

Solitude Ski Resort has made strides in recent years and in its own words "what used to be a locals-only ski area has become a family friendly European-styled pedestrian village boasting spectacular scenery, cozy resort accommodations and an abundance of activities. Far from the crowds at other resorts, 12 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, is a whole different world; a world where the sense of calm and peacefulness can only be described as 'solitude.' It's a place of unrivaled beauty, a place where priorities slip back into place and you're free to reconnect with nature, with your family, friends, and with yourself.

Sundance is one of the newest ski areas in Utah (opened in 1969), but it has lots of mining history along its mountain runs. Famed actor Robert Redford. now in his 70s, owns the place and shows up often to take a few turns down the hill. Sundance also has lots of amenities, including a performing arts theater (where many Sundance Film Festival works are debuted each year). Sundance ranked second in the nation in Conde Nast Traveler's 2007 Readers' Poll for the Top 50 U.S. Mainland Resorts.

Sundance has 5,000 acres, with many gorgeous runs set against a dramatic Timpanogos Mountain backdrop. Generally, Sundance is also uncrowded. The resort offers a series of rustically elegant lodging cabins (with full kitchens and wood-burning fireplaces) set on a mountainside amid a pine forest. With its vastness, Sundance also offers numerous cross country ski trails and hiking. Mountain bikers flock to the area in summer.

Redford discovered the area in the 1960s while motorcycling around the mountains of the west. He fell in love with the setting and began gradually buying up the property. It has become an ecological showpiece for him.

Sundance offers several restaurants and ranked second in the country by Conde Nast Traveler's Gold List for Best of Food 2008. Sundance is 55 minutes from the Salt Lake Airport and 45 minutes from Park City.
With its trio of outstanding ski resorts (all have been rated in the top 15 by readers of Ski magazine (with Deer Park recently being named the No. 1 ski resort in America) and burgeoning town (now home to dozens of upscale shops and top restaurants) little ol' Park City has become the ski locale of choice for hundreds of thousands of Americans and foreigners.
With more than 350 inches of natural snow -- termed by locals as "The Greatest Snow on Earth" -- and world-class ski runs for all levels Park City has become a mecca for ski enthusiasts.
Park City's three ski resorts have made skiing a family opportunity with a variety of runs suitable for beginners, intermediate and expert skiers. Some also offer challenging terrain parks, providing snowboarders a chance to hone their skills to international levels. Indeed. many Olympic skiers and snowboarders live and train in the Park City area.
Now, many international ski competitions are held annually in Park City (with some of the 2002 Winter Olympics events also held there).
Deer Valley for seven years in a row has ranked among the top 3 American ski resorts by the prestigious Ski magazine readers, including No. 1 in 2002 and 2005.
Deer Valley is one of the few Utah ski resorts which does not permit snowboarding (Alta is another).
Deer Valley operates 21 lifts serving 92 runs over its four-mountain ski area. Deer Valley has about 1,825 acres of skiable terrain, with its runs divided into about 15 percent beginner, 50 percent intermediate and 35 percent expert.
Park City's Main Street is located approximately 1 mile from the base of Deer Valley and easy to get to via a short drive or on the complimentary citywide bus.
Snow Park is the Deer Valley base area and is in close proximity to the downtown Historic Main Street. The Silver Lake area is a European village, located mid-mountain approximately 3.2 miles from the Snow Park base area.
In addition to the great skiing, Deer Valley Resort offers spas and health clubs, pre-arrival grocery shopping services, hot air balloon rides, snowmobile tours, old-fashioned sleigh rides, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing in the back-country of the Wasatch and Uinta mountain ranges and heli-skiing,
Park City Mountain Resort covers about 3,300 acres, with 100 ski runs soaring as high as 10,000 feet. The resort has 14 lifts, reaching seven peaks and nine ski bowl areas. Its longest run (Home Run) is 3.5 miles. The resort's ski runs include 18 percent beginner, 44 percent intermediate and 32 percent expert. The resort has a halfpipe and a kid's halfpipe and is one of the favorite ski resorts for snowboarders. Park City Mountain Resort also has a unique toboggan-style roller-coaster that whizzes through trees and high mounds of snow at a breathtaking pace. Called the Alpine Coaster, the ride has an automated lift system. Passengers careen about 4,000 feet around sharp curves and up and down valleys.

The resort also has four terrain parks which have been named “Terrain Parks of the Year” by Transworld Snowboarding magazine for the last two years.
The mountains have 3,100 feet of vertical drop.

At the Park City Mountain Resort you can actually ski right down to the town's old historic Main Street (and catch a lift there up to the lodge).
As a special service to intermediate skiers who occasionally like to try a black diamond (expert) run or two, Park City Mountain Resort each day grooms several black diamond runs (calling them "signature runs") to give the intermediates a shot at some steeper stuff.
The Canyons Ski Resort covers a huge part of several mountains, with 3,500 skiable acres among its more than 5,000-acre property. The resort has the largest skiable area of any resort in Utah and is one of the five largest in the U. S.

The Canyons mountains run up to 9,900 feet from a base of 6,800 feet. The resort has 3,190 feet of vertical runs and skis from eight mountain peaks.
The Canyons Resort has 146 trails, including 14 percent beginner. 44 percent intermediate and 42 percent expert. The Canyons has two terrain parks, offering skiers and boarders both expert and intermediate chances to do various jumps and spins.
The Canyons Resort has plenty of chairlifts, including one eight-passenger gondola, five high-speed quad chairs, four fixed-grip quad chairs, two triple chairs, one double chair, one eight-person Cabriolet lift, one surface lift, and one Magic Carpet lift. The Canyons also offers learn to ski programs for both children and adults and a children's day-care center.
Park City's "Terrific Trio" of ski resorts all offer postcard-like views from dozens of spots on the mountains. Indeed, pausing along ski runs to drink in the views of craggy mountain peaks and deep valleys not only provides a bit of rest but lets you commune with Mother nature as well.
Park City also offers visitors a chance to do some bobsledding and ski jumping at the Utah Olympic Park/ The park is also the location of the Alf Engen Ski Musuem, an extensive facility which houses a wealth of information about Utah's skiing and mining history, including numerous memorablia and exhibits (including interactive and hands-on) and is one of two impressive anchor exhibits of the Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center. The George Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter Games museum is the other. Included is a downhill Olympic course which offers visitors a chance to electronically experience the thrill of downhill racing on the same runs used during the 2002 Winter Olympics. The park also offers regular tours of the site. (for more info: www.olyparks.com)
All three Park City ski resorts offer various dining and lodging opportunities and plenty of free parking. There is also ample lodging opportunities off the mountains in the park City area. All three resorts are only 32-36 miles from the Salt Lake City International Airport off Interstate 80, making Park City perhaps America's most accessible ski town.
The Utah ski resorts annually get from 350 to 500 or more inches of snow per year, making for perfect ski conditions from October through April.

Here is a thumbnail on each of the Utah ski resorts, with snow conditions and contact information:





Park City Mountain Resort



3,300 acres
3,100'
106
15 Lifts
Varies



Park City Mountain Resort is a wonderfully expansive ski and summer resort located in the heart of Park City. It is within walking distance of dozens of restaurants, hotels and shops. In Summer, the Resort’s famous Alpine Slide is one of the longest in the world, and two new tracks have been added this summer for more curls, swirls, dips and turns.







Brian Head Resort



540+ acres (Brian Head is in the process of adding 35% further acreage)
1,700'
53+
10 Lifts
$24 - $40



Brian Head Resort is Southern Utah and Southern Nevada’s premier winter resort, with an average annual snowfall of over 400 inches of dry, light Utah powder and 500+ acres of terrain for all ability levels. Honored as a “Top Family Getaway” by the Family Travel Forum, it features spectacular red rock scenery, and a reputation for a friendly, uncrowded atmosphere.









Brighton Ski Resort



1050 acres
1,750'
64
8 Lifts
$10 - $55



Brighton is a mid-sized ski area that is a favorite with families with kids. Brighton has been around since 1936, and while it is one of the oldest ski resorts in the country, it is also one of the most diverse and modern. It is very popular with snowboarders.







The Canyons



3,700 acres
3,190'
155
17 Lifts
$44-76



The Canyons Resort is Utah’s largest single ski and snowboard resort. With over 3,700 acres of untracked trails, wide-open powder runs, family- friendly cruisers and cutting-edge terrain parks, it’s not surprising that both SKI and SKIING magazine readers have ranked The Canyons as one of the top ski resorts in North America.









Powder Mountain Resort



5,500 acres
2,005'
86+
7 Lifts
$12 - $58



Nestled high in the spectacular Utah mountains, Powder Mountain is the largest ski area in United States, with over 5,500 acres of skiable terrain. Powder Mountain offers heli-skiing, snowboarding, snowcat skiing, guided tours on double black diamond terrain, and 2,800 lift-accessible acres with 86 runs with 100% real snow.







Wolf Mountain



110 acres
3 Lifts
$10-$25



Wolf Creek Resort is excited to present Wolf Mountain, formerly known as Nordic Valley. Wolf Creek Resort is now the owner of this great community resort - the least expensive skiing and riding in Utah.









Snowbasin Resort



2,650 acres
3,400'
104
9 Lifts
$16 - $52



Snowbasin Resort is the largest resort in the Ogden area, overing a good selection of runs on varied terrain. It will be the site of the Downhill and Super G events for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Snowbasin tends to be much less crowded than the resorts near Salt Lake City.







Deer Valley Resort



2,026 acres
3,000'
99
20 Lifts + Gon
$45-$77



Celebrating their 25th Anniversary of operation this winter season, Deer Valley Resort is honored with being named the #1 ski resort in North America by readers of SKI Magazine. Since opening in 1981, the Resort has been committed to providing a level of care rarely found at a ski resort, delivering classic, consistent and quality service both on and off the mountain.









Alta Ski Area



2,200 acres
2,020'
116
7 Lifts
$30 - $60



Alta Ski Area is a 66 year Utah tradition and a favorite with many locals. Alta is a skier's mountain, offering consistent snow and outstanding terrain. Alta is situated at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon amidst stunningly beautiful granite peaks.







Solitude Mountain Resort



1,200 acres
2,050'
64
8 Lifts
$30 - $55



Far from the crowds at other resorts, 12 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, is a whole different world; a world where the sense of calm and peacefulness can only be described as "solitude". It's a place of unrivaled beauty, a place where priorities slip back into place and you're free to reconnect with nature, with your family, friends, and with yourself. Up here, every turn is a first, and every line is one that's left behind you.









Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort



2,500 acres
3,240'
89
11 Lifts
$15 - $66



Snowbird is one of Salt Lake's biggest and most conveniently located ski resorts. Great slopes, deluxe amenities, and the fastest lift in North America are only some of the perks you get when visiting Snowbird.







Sundance Resort



450 acres
2,150'
42
3 Lifts
$12 - $45



Sundance Resort offers the only downhill skiing in the Provo area. Sundance is a small facility compared to most of its competitors up north, but it is also less crowded and has a certain rustic charm about it. Its ownership by Robert Redford lends it a certain cache.














Beaver Mountain Resort
664 acres
1,600'
30
3 Lifts
$17-38







Contact Info
Phone: (435) 753-0921
Snow Line: (435) 753-4822
Toll Free: 866-703-1483
Fax: (435) 753-0975

Mailing Address
1351 East 700 North
Logan, Utah 84321
Resort Statistics
• Adult Day Pass $38
• 35% Beg, 40% Int, 25% Adv
• Open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• 664 Skiable Acres
• 30+ Runs
• 400" Average Annual Snowfall
• Located in Logan Canyon, Highway 89, approximately 80 miles north of Salt Lake
• Skiing and Snowboarding

This story was published on 21 Oct 2008.