Snowbasin facts for kids

Snowbasin Resort
Late season in June 2005
Location	Mount Ogden Weber County, Utah, U.S.
Nearest city	Ogden
Coordinates	41.216°N 111.857°W
Vertical	2,959 ft (902 m)
Top elevation	9,350 ft (2,850 m)
Base elevation	6,391 ft (1,948 m)
Skiable area	3,000 acres (12.1 km2)
Runs	104 20% easiest 50% more difficult 30% most difficult
Longest run	Elk Ridge 2.9 mi (4.7 km)
Lift system	11 Chairs: 9 - 1 tram - 2 gondolas - 2 high speed quads - 4 fixed-grip Surface: 2 - 1 Magic carpet - 1 surface tow (tubing hill)
Lift capacity	14,650 skiers/hr
Terrain parks	3 1 superpipe
Snowfall	350 inches (890 cm)
Snowmaking	600 acres (240 ha)
Night skiing	No
Website	Snowbasin Resort

Snowbasin Resort is a ski resort in the western United States, located in Weber County, Utah, 33 miles (53 km) northeast of Salt Lake City, on the back side of the Wasatch Range.

Opened 81 years ago in 1939, as part of an effort by the city of Ogden to restore the Wheeler Creek watershed, it is one of the oldest continually operating ski resorts in the United States. One of the owners in the early days was Aaron Ross. Over the next fifty years Snowbasin grew, and after a large investment in lifts and snowmaking by owner Earl Holding, Snowbasin hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic alpine skiing races for downhill, combined, and super-G. The movie Frozen was filmed there in 2009.

Rep. Gerald Ford at Snow Basin in 1967

Snowbasin is located on Mount Ogden at the west end of State Route 226, which is connected to I-84 and SR-39 via SR-167 (New Trappers Loop Road).

History

Snowbasin is one of the oldest continuously operating ski areas in the United States. Following the end of World War I and the Great Depression numerous small ski resorts were developed in Utah's snow-packed mountains, and Weber County wanted one of their own. They decided to redevelop the area in and around Wheeler Basin, a deteriorated watershed area that had been overgrazed and subjected to aggressive timber-harvesting.

Lands were restored and turned over to the U.S. Forest Service, and by 1938 the Forest Service and Alf Engen had committed to turning the area into a recreational site. In 1939 the first ski tow was built and in service at the new Snow Basin ski park. In 1940, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crew built the first access road to the new resort, allowing easy access for the general public. Since that time, Snowbasin has continually grown to its present size.

Pete Seibert, founder of Vail, led a partnership which bought "Snow Basin" in 1978, but ran into financial difficulty in 1984. The area was sold that October to Earl Holding, owner of Sun Valley in Idaho.

2002 Winter Olympics & Paralympics

Because it was to serve as an Olympic venue site, the U.S. Congress passed the Snowbasin Land Exchange Act in 1996 as part of the Omnibus Lands Bill. The act transferred 1,377 acres (557 ha) of National Forest System lands near the resort to the private ownership of Snowbasin, and identified a set of projects that were necessary for the resort to host the Olympic events.

During the 2002 games Snowbasin hosted the downhill, combined (downhill and slalom), and super-G events. The spectator viewing areas consisted of a stadium at the foot of the run, with two sections of snow terraces for standing along both sides of the run. The spectator capacity was 22,500 per event; 99.1 percent of tickets were sold, and 124,373 spectators were able to view events at the Snowbasin Olympic venue. During the 2002 Winter Paralympics, Snowbasin hosted the Alpine Skiing events, including downhill, super-G, slalom, and giant slalom.

Images for kids

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  Men's super-Gat the 2002 Winter Olympics

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  2002 Winter Olympics