Park City Mountain Resort — Skiers line up after fresh snow

Published: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008 12:21 a.m. MST
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Week 5 of series on Utah's signature ski runs.

Signature Run — Jupiter Bowl

Jupiter Area is considered the most extreme terrain at Park City Mountain Resort, and Jupiter Peak is one of Park City Mountain Resort's most iconic images. Jupiter includes multiple bowls and shoots but is most well-known for its main bowl, aptly referred to as Jupiter Bowl. On a powder day, skiers and riders line up to be the first to experience Jupiter. Most make a beeline directly for Jupiter Bowl to enjoy fresh tracks the entire way down to the lift. Jupiter Bowl is a double-black diamond bowl located to skier's right off the Jupiter lift. Skiers and boarders can drop in at any point to enjoy extreme or a more mellow pitch, but it's all worth the wait. Out of town visitors and locals alike enjoy bragging rights after a few laps off Jupiter Lift. The Jupiter Bowl run is 3,600 feet long and drops 1,100 vertical feet. This is also one of the drop-off points for Ski Utah's six-resort interconnect tour.

No. 1 Run — Hidden Splendor

Out of 106 runs at the resort, it's hard to choose just one. Likely the easiest to access and one of the most scenic runs on the mountain and thus one of the most popular is Hidden Splendor. Skiers and snowboarders can get to the run from any one of five lifts — Silverlode, Bonanza, Motherlode, Thaynes and Pioneer. Hidden Splendor is located to skiers' right off the Silverlode Lift. It gently slopes down to the right with big, beautiful evergreen trees scattered about. It then takes a bit steeper albeit short pitch down. Staying to the left, it connects to Mel's Alley, weaving through a tree-lined avenue where skiers/riders could drop off onto a variety of slopes including blues and blacks. Otherwise, continuing straight, it eventually winds down through gorgeous scenery to the Silverlode Lift, a high-speed six-pack that whisks you back to the top to try it all over again. This is an intermediate run that is 11,800 feet long and drops 1,900 feet.

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Top 10 Runs

1. Hidden Splendor; 2. Motherlode Meadows is a double black run that is accessed off the Moderlode lift and was newly gladed this past summer, which opened some great powder-filled tree runs; 3. Tycoon is an advanced intermediate run that is accessed off McConkey's lift and is a long sloping run that is tree-lined and offers a 360-degree view of the mountain; 4. Silver King is a black diamond run reached off the Ski Team lift that is long, steep and deep and is on of the most run and underutlized runs on the mountain; 5. Double Jack is a black diamond run accessed off the Thaynes lift that can, on occasion, be groomed corduroy smooth or left as a great mogul run; 6. Sitka is an intermediate run accessed off the King Con lift and is considered a perfect cruising run; 7. Creole is an intermediate run accessed off the Town lift and run from unloading point down to historic Main Street in Park City; 8. King's Crown is a terrain park with an advanced rating and is accessed off the PayDay lift (the park has been ranked as one of the No. 1 terrain adventures in the country); 9. 10th Mountain is a black diamond run accessed off Pioneer lift and is a run lined with aspen trees and has great powder stashes; 10. Powder Keg is an advanced intermediate run accessed off the Silverload lift and is a great bump run with a gradual pitch.

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Justin and Edward Bieber stand atop Jupiter Bowl at Park City Mountain Resort. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News
Justin and Edward Bieber stand atop Jupiter Bowl at Park City Mountain Resort.