Park City was put on the map during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and has become a premier destination for winter sports. Although Park City Mountain Resort has been in operation since the early 1960’s, in the last couple decades the location has become a favorite of skiers and boarders.
On a recent visit I was able to get a taste of the excitement. Although I have shifted from skis to boards and now back to skis, the two styles mingle easily on the 11 square miles of terrain. Several years ago Vail Resorts purchased the property and combined it with the adjoining Canyons Resort. The result is the largest ski resort in the US.
As with most of my first few days on the slopes, I start low on the hill and move my way up. After a couple days the hot tip is to start early and get as high up the mountain as your skill allows.
The Red Pine Gondola got me up into some great warmup runs, and soon I found myself heading higher into Saddleback Express territory.
I found the staff consistently efficient and helpful. Sometimes I will follow my nose when skiing, but eventually I will need some directions, usually when the posted trail maps are out of sight.
The grooming of the runs was pretty consistent, although there was little overnight snow during my visit. The annual average snowfall totals an inch a day; 365” is a great yearly average.
The sheer size of Park City Mountain Resort is the best antidote for any possible boredom. With over 300 runs, half are my preferred blue rated category.
As with most ski resorts, the hot tip is to plan your lunch earlier or later than other folks. That said, the throughput was manageable. I dropped into Tombstone for BBQ, and also checked out Miners Camp for some hearty fare.
With the Epic Pass, intrepid folks can enjoy unlimited skiing across a jaw dropping number of properties owned by Vail Resorts, including some I recall from my days skiing on the East Coast: Vail, Beaver Creek, Whistler, Breckenridge, Heavenly, Stowe, Mount Sunapee, Crested Butte, and many others. The company has invested more than $600 million in capital improvements across its portfolio in the last 6 years.
Park City Mountain Resort has done a commendable job of building on the reputation it built during the 2002 Olympics.
More information about Park City Mountain Resort here.
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