Snowbird Stepping it up
SNOWBIRD SKI AND SUMMER RESORT: Snowbird's snowmaking department used the summer to expand the resort's snowmaking capacity to include the Regulator Johnson run on the upper mountain. The resort's terrain parks went through a major expansion during the 2002-03 season, and it's not over yet. Plans for The Baby Thunder Terrain Park for the season call for the addition of more features. The intermediate terrain park on Big Emma will expand with the addition of more rails, a mailbox, tabletops and jumps. To enable an earlier opening of the halfpipe and intermediate terrain park, the halfpipe was constructed of dirt. Snow permitting, the Big Emma Terrain Park and nearby halfpipe will open by late December. In conjunction with Utah's Backcountry Awareness Week, Snowbird will host the first annual Backcountry Weekend Jan. 23-25, 2004. A fundraising dinner with a silent auction and backcountry presentation begins the weekend at Snowbird, and two days of classes, demonstrations and entertainment follow. Class topics include snow pack prediction, backcountry access points, equipment information and backcountry preparation. The resort has added a Kids‚ Freeride camp to its Mountain School camps, providing kids the opportunity to improve their big mountain riding and sharpen their skills in the more technical park and pipe. Half of the camp is devoted to mountain riding and the other half to park and pipe. The camp features a night spent eating pizza, watching a movie, and discussing new gear with a high profile skier or rider. Lunch is included every day, and an avalanche presentation and video sessions are also scheduled. Youth ages 10-17 are invited to participate in the camp, which runs Feb. 18-20, 2004. A new handle tow has been installed on Snowbird's Big Emma run. The handle tow will expand Snowbird's beginner terrain and enable skiers and riders in the early stages of the sport to enjoy more of Snowbird's 2,500 skiable acres.