Park City Mountain Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Park City Mountain Resort |
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The Resort's Eagle Race Arena in January 2007
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 Park City Mountain Resort
Location in Utah
Park City Mountain Resort
Location in the United States
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| Location | Park City, Utah, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°39′3″N 111°30′27″W / 40.65083°N 111.50750°W |
| Vertical | 3,200 ft (980 m) |
| Top elevation | 10,026 ft (3,056 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,900 ft (2,100 m) |
| Skiable area | 7,300 acres (11.4 sq mi; 29.5 km2) |
| Runs | 324 7% easiest 49% more difficult 44% most difficult |
| Longest run | Homerun, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) |
| Lift system | 41 Gondolas: 4 Chairs: 32 - 6 high speed six packs - 9 high speed quads - 5 quads - 8 triples - 4 doubles Surface: 2 - 3 magic carpet |
| Lift capacity | 31,000 skiers/hr |
| Terrain parks | 7 1 superpipe 1 minipipe 6 natural half pipes |
| Snowfall | 355 inches (29.6 ft; 9.0 m) |
| Snowmaking | 500 acres (2.0 km2) |
| Night skiing | No |
| Website | parkcitymountain.com |
Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) is a super popular ski resort located in Park City, Utah, in the western United States. It's about 32 miles (51 km) east of Salt Lake City. This resort is often just called Park City by skiers and snowboarders.
Park City is a training spot for the U.S. Ski Team. They practice on special courses for slalom and giant slalom. The resort was even a host for the 2002 Winter Olympics. During the Olympics, it held the snowboarding and alpine giant slalom events.
The resort first opened in 1963. Since then, it has become a huge attraction for skiers from all over the country. It also provides many jobs for people living in Park City. In 2014, a company called Vail Resorts bought the resort. They connected it with the nearby Canyons Resort using a special gondola. This made Park City Mountain Resort the largest ski resort in the United States that you can reach by lift!
Contents
History of Park City Mountain Resort
From Mining to Mountain Fun
Park City Mountain Resort first opened its doors on December 21, 1963. Back then, it was called Treasure Mountain. It was started by United Park City Mines, which was the last mining company left in Park City. The resort was built with help from the government to bring new life to the town, which was struggling economically.
When it first opened, the resort had the longest gondola in the United States. It also had a double chairlift, a J-bar lift, and buildings at the bottom and top of the mountain. There was even a nine-hole golf course for summer visitors.
The Skier's Subway Adventure
In the early days, skiers could take a unique ride called the Skier's Subway. This special train took them almost 2.5 miles (4.0 km) deep into the dark Spiro Tunnel, which was an old mine tunnel. From there, skiers rode a mining elevator, called a "hoist," 1,750 feet (530 m) up to the surface. This brought them to the Thaynes Canyon chairlift, giving them access to the whole mountain. Even today, over one thousand miles (1,600 km) of old silver mine tunnels are hidden beneath the slopes of Park City and its neighbor, Deer Valley.
Growing and Changing Names
The resort changed its name from Treasure Mountain to the Park City Ski Area for the 1966–67 season. Then, in 1996, it became what we know it as today: Park City Mountain Resort. The resort grew a lot over the years. It now includes eight peaks and nine bowls, with 3,300 acres (5.2 sq mi; 13.4 km2) of skiing area and sixteen chairlifts.
Park City Mountain Resort isn't just for winter sports. In the summer, you can enjoy an alpine slide, an alpine coaster, zip-lines, and many hiking and biking trails.
Park City and the 2002 Winter Olympics
Park City Mountain Resort played a big role in the 2002 Winter Olympics. It hosted several exciting events. These included the men's and women's giant slalom for alpine skiing. It also hosted the men's and women's parallel giant slalom for snowboarding, and both the men's and women's snowboarding halfpipe events.
The resort's Eagle Race Arena and Eagle Superpipe were used for the Olympic competitions. Temporary stadiums were built at the end of each race course. These stadiums, along with standing areas, could hold 16,500 people. Almost all tickets for events at the resort were sold, with 95,991 spectators attending. What's cool is that 96 percent of the resort stayed open for regular skiing during the games. This made it the only Olympic venue where visitors could leave and come back in!
New Ownership and Big Changes
In 2014, Vail Resorts bought the base area of Park City Mountain Resort. This included the resort's name and all the improvements made to its ski runs. Vail Resorts paid $182.5 million for it. This purchase meant that Vail Resorts would combine Park City Mountain Resort with the nearby Canyons Resort. The plan was to merge them during the summer of 2015, ready for the 2015–16 ski season.
Park City Mountain Resort Under Vail Resorts
After Vail Resorts bought Park City Mountain Resort, they added it to their EPIC season pass program. This pass lets skiers visit many different resorts. In 2015, the two resorts, PCMR and Canyons, were officially merged. A new gondola called Quicksilver was built to connect them. This gondola runs between the bottom of Silverlode at PCMR and a spot below the top of Iron Mountain at Canyons.
Other improvements were made too. The King Con lift was upgraded to a faster six-person chairlift. The old King Con high-speed quad chairlift was moved to replace the Motherlode triple chairlift. These changes helped make sure there wouldn't be too much waiting at Silverlode and King Con with all the new skiers coming from the connected Canyons side. The former Canyons Resort base area is now called the Canyons Village at Park City. The entire combined resort now operates under the single name of Park City Mountain Resort.
Park City Mountain Resort has its own ski schools, but also hosts many private ski schools. In 2017, these different clubs joined together to form one big group: the Park City Ski & Snowboard Club.
In 2018, a new high-speed quad chairlift replaced the High Meadow lift at Red Pine Lodge. In 2019, another new fixed-grip quad chairlift called "Over and Out" was built. This lift makes it quicker to get from the Tombstone and Iron Mountain areas back to the Canyons Village base. The ride takes about five and a half minutes.
Ski Patrol Strike in 2024-2025
Starting in December 2024, about 200 ski patrollers at the resort went on strike. They were asking for higher wages. In response, Vail Resorts brought in patrollers from other resorts to help out. The mayor of Park City supported the striking patrollers. She asked Vail Resorts to work things out and "conclude negotiations and end the uncertainty."
Park City Mountain Resort Facts
These facts are from the 2015–16 season, after Park City merged with Canyons Resort.
Mountain Details
- Base elevation: 6,900 feet (2,103 m) (This is how high the bottom of the mountain is.)
- Summit elevation: 10,026 feet (3,056 m) (This is the height of the highest point.)
- Vertical rise: 3,100 feet (945 m) (This is the difference between the top and bottom.)
- Total mountain peaks: 8
- Total skiable area: 7,300 acres (29.5 km2) (That's a lot of space to ski!)
- Average Annual Snowfall: 365 inches (930 cm) (About 30 feet of snow each year!)
Ski and Snowboard Trails
- Total Trails: 348
- Beginner trails (easiest): 15%
- Intermediate trails (more difficult): 54%
- Expert trails (most difficult): 31%
- Terrain Parks: 4 (Areas with jumps and features for tricks)
- Superpipe: 1 (A very large halfpipe for snowboarding)
- Minipipe: 1 (A smaller halfpipe)
Lifts to the Top
Park City Mountain Resort has a total of 41 lifts to take you up the mountain!
- Gondolas: 4 (Enclosed cabins)
- Chairs: 32 (Open seats)
- 6 high-speed six-person chairs
- 9 high-speed quad (four-person) chairs
- 5 quad (four-person) chairs
- 8 triple (three-person) chairs
- 4 double (two-person) chairs
- Surface lifts: 2 (Like T-bars or platters)
- Magic carpets: 3 (Moving conveyor belts for beginners)
Mountain Directions (Slope Aspects)
- North-facing slopes: 43%
- East-facing slopes: 29%
- West-facing slopes: 24%
- South-facing slopes: 4%
(North-facing slopes often hold snow better!)
Summer Fun at Park City
When the snow melts, Park City Mountain Resort turns into a summer adventure park! The Payday lift stays open to take you up the mountain. From there, you can enjoy an alpine slide and an alpine coaster.
Many restaurants are open during the summer, often with live music and other fun activities. The resort also has its own hiking and mountain biking trails. These trails connect to the larger Park City area trail system. You can also try miniature golf, a climbing wall, and trampolines with harnesses for big jumps.
The Crescent, Payday, and Town lifts offer rides for hikers and mountain bikers from the Park City Mountain Village base. From Canyons Village, you can use the Red Pine Gondola and Short Cut lift. Most trails are great for families and not too hard. Most mountain bike trails are for intermediate riders, with a few tougher ones for experts.
