Show STANDARD-EXAMINE- Outdoors R 1989 SUNDAY NOV 19 OUTDOORS EDITOR: 625-426- 6 tain's general manager said he By JIM WRIGHT Standard-Examine- their hands which is lighted for night skiing is good beginner and intermediate terrain Hidden Lake which opens the resort's longest and most isolated skiing is full of Skiers were waxing their Rossignols and K2s Words like “mogul” and “fall line” popped unbidden into conversations But then the doldrums Indian summer returned and the snow began to diminish That 2 feet of base snow precious as a silver lining thinned and sweated away good intermediate runs Timberline which serves the area near the lodge and main parking lot is full of challenging expert runs and the resort’s best mogul hills Call Snowbasin had hoped to open Nov 22 in time for the Thanksgiving holi“Mother Nature always seems to fool basin “We need a couple of pretty good snowstorms to make that” Ski Utah Inc which promotes skiing in the state gushed enthusiastically about early opening dates A Nov 3 press release announced a Nov 17 opening for Powder Mountain for example Powder Mountain however hadn't made that announcement “I don't know where that came from” said Clair Van Meeteren Powder Mountain’s general manager “As soon as we have enough snow oh the slopes we'll open We don’t have any snowmaking equipment so we can’t make e snow any of that lousy We’re stuck with that good stuff that Mother Nature gives us Some years it’s good for us some years not We’ve only missed opening by Thanksgiving three or four years but this could be another one of those years” The Nordic Valley folks listened in dismay as Salt Lake City television and radio stations began announcing a Nov self-serv- man-mad- 745-351- Park City underwent a major facelift this summer installing more than $5 million worth of improvements Most notably the resort replaced the Prospector chairlift with a new high speed detachable quad lift and added a fixed quad lift in place of the Crescent opening day lift Snowmaking coverage has been open by Thanksgiving This may seem like the gilding of the lily but Park City is big and getting bigger It attracts skiers from everywhere catering with as much enthusiasm to locals and ski bums alike With more than 2200 acres of terrain 14 lifts and gondolas 83 trails and an international reputation Park City is easily Utah's biggest and most widely recognized resort Park City hosts World Cup races in November which requires snow whether nature cooperates or not So Park City is open now Park City is heavily skied of course and for good reason The Payday run one of the most famous ski trails anywhere is hammered by World Cup racin Levis alike But ers and with miles and miles of trails to choose from Park City is a must for every ski-c- r ski-ab- hand Snowbasin You have to be patient to work at Snowbasin these days The resort is waiting to hear from the Forest Service on whether it will be able to proceed with a massive planned ap- proves a land exchange Snowbasin will become a destination resort replete with condominiums lodges and golf course New lifts arc planned into the John Paul and Strawberry Bowl areas Snowbasin has also been selected as Call all-da- booth "t the Little Cat lift around Christmas McConvill said That will 4 Utah Travel Council photo Utah's JM Sttnawd-ExamoB- WRIGHT Solitude opened what it's calling a “new era in Utah skiing" Wednesday showing off its new Eagle Express to about 50 appreciative invited guests The Big Cottonwood Canyon resort laid out a spread of prime rib baked salmon and champagne to celebrate the opening of its new Fajle Express the first quad chairlift in Utah Resort officials were jolly the food was fine and the lift was wanning up for its first official passenger carrying duties S - areas offer everything from beginning slopes to advanced runs — even snowboarding areas lot Snowbasin’s skiing of course is unaffected by all the indecision With widely varying terrain ranging from steep mogul runs to wide open bowls the Basin is Northern Utah’s favorite place to ski The runs are long and challenging and offer something for everyone Wildcat Bowl one of the best ski runs in Utah is a great run when it’s groomed and an unapproachable j it’s off the beaten path it rarely sees the crowding that afflicts other resorts Even compared to nearby Snowbasin Powder Mountain is uncrowdcd And for the skier that's just fine Powder Mountain boasts some of the best powder skiing in the state Untracked powder can be found almost delight when its brimming with fresh powder Served by five lifts (including the lower beginner lift Littlecat) Snowbasin offers short lift lines uncrowded slopes and more than 1300 acres of skiable terrain Call 5 for more information 399-113- any day of the year and the Backside of the resort is fast gaining a reputation for incomparable deep powder and steep slopes The Backside is served by a shuttle bus when it’s safe to ski Clair Van Meeteren Powder Moun Powder Mountain With an average snowfall of 500 inches Powder Mountain is second to no place in Utah for snow And because Although the warm temperatures have not helped the quality of skiing it's open for skiing How many others can say that? Brighton has always termed itself as “where Salt Lake learns to ski" and it's keeping that image in mind Beginner ski packages are among the most generous anywhere and there's excellent teaching and learning terrain scattered across the resort for more information Call 532-47- Snowbird Snowbird is Utah's version of a Hunter Thompson novel Call it Fear and Loathing on the Steep and Deep Snowbird is famed for vertical skiing deep snow and aggressive skiers The advanced and expert skiing is unsurpassed Even the intermediate runs will See SKI on 2H quad chairlift in Utah debuts at Solitude that was missing was the snow Instead of carrying people in bright clothes and 205 centimeter skis it carried people in suits and ties One woman even wore high heels But maybe that's how it should have been' The Eagle Express signals a new era in Utah skiing and on Wednesday it was strictly a case of Technology on AH f high-spee- d 4 ski allow people who park at the lower parking lot to purchase lift tickets there rather than hoofing it up to the upper First high-spee- d By for more information man-mad- “We’re feeling that the Trappers operate business as usual Aside from an extensive summer grooming program Snowbasin made no significant changes from last year Ticket prices went up a buck to $20 for an y pass $16 for half-da-y Snowbasin will open a second ticket 1 Brighton has been open for skiing on e and natural snow since Nov Utah in 1998 Add to that the unanswered question of how much business will increase with the opening of the new Trappers Loop Highway and you’ve got a staff that’s anxious for things to happen venue for the Olympic downhill and Super G has created a lot of interest from people in and out of the state” But in the meantime Snowbasin will 649-811- le Brighton the site of the downhill and Super G races should the Olympics come to Loop Highway will certainly help increase our skier count" said McConvill “From Bountiful it makes the trip to either Alta or Snowbasin about the same so we're anxious to see how many Bountiful skiers we get Being the ex- tended which will allow Park City to man-mad- If the Forest Service 1 Park City “If they show up I’ll have to break out the grass skis” said Nordic’s Patricia Hogge “If I had to put a date on it I’d say Dec 15 Definitely not Nov 15” So then as a public service and moral obligation here is a preview of downhill skiing opportunities in Utah Except for Brighton and Park City which are now open for limited skiing e on snow the other resorts are waiting for Mother Nature to take a expansion for more information 1 Cozy and close to Ogden Nordic Valley operators spent the summer refurbishing the ski lodge and improving the beginner hill Patricia Hogge said a second ticket office has been installed and the ski school has been moved closer to the beginner hill The beginner hill has been regraded reducing the slope slightly The lodge has been remodeled and will now offer hot and cold food from a e line The parking lot has been expanded Nordic Valley offers night skiing on its entire operation Lift passes are among the cheapest in the state and you can ski all day and night for $15 For more information call us” said Barbara McConvill of Snow- 15 745-377- Nordic Valley day jS is hop- ing to attract more business from outside of the Ogden area thanks to Trappers Loop Highway Powder Mountain's three lifts serve widely varying hills The Sundown lift Ah that fickle Utah weather After a booming October storm dumped a couple of feet in the mountains ski resort operators began giggling and rubbing iJ Ini OBITUARIES Parade So" after a brief ceremony and ribbon cutting the Eagle was fired up and accepted its first warm backsides tknd after all that it still stalled tw:e AOaAi The lift is called a high speed detachable quad “High speed” and “quad” arc easy to figure out — this thing goes twice as fast as a conventional lift and carries four skiers to a chair The word “detachable” takes a little more explaining It works like this: The lift cable is stretched normally between giant spool wheels at both ends of the lift That’s where the resemblance stops As the chair enters the lift house the cable gnp is released and the chair is detached from the cable lt then follows an over on its maiden flight Suspended in the first chair were Lt Gov Val Oveson Salt Lake County Commissioners Tom Shimuzu and Mike Stewart and Solitude President Gary DeSeelhorsL The stalls were brief not over a minute and the lift resumed its shakedown cruise without incident Ah but what fun it would have been to listen in on the conversation in that first chair So moments later at the top of the lift it was a sheepish DcSeelhorst who was showing off the new technology to his distinguished guests 1 r ‘4j head guide through a scries of rubber tires about the size of a wheelbarrow tire that spin at different speeds These slow the chair and keep it moving without the cable By the time the lift reaches the end of its run it is scarcely moving The technology allows leisurely embarking and disembarking with a frantic rush to the top in between The quad moves at a rate of 1000 feet a minute compared to the 500 feet per minute most conventional lifts can c LIFT on 2H at-te- |