Location: The resort is 32 miles east of downtown Salt Lake City and 6 miles south of the I-80 junction to Park City.
Lifts: 14 lifts—two gondolas, eight quads, one triple, one double and two surface tows.
Base: 6,800 feet, and the summit is 9,990 feet.
Skiable acres: 3,625 acres with 132 runs—14 percent beginner, 44 percent intermediate and 47 percent advanced.
Lift passes:
All-day $59
Half-day $45
Children $31
What it's known for: The best word to describe The Canyons is "surprise." Stuck in limbo for years under the label of ParkWest and Wolf Mountain, it wasn't until new owners took over in 1997 that The Canyons blossomed. Consensus is that if you haven't visited The Canyons in the past four years, then you won't recognize the place. Today, it is listed as the fifth largest ski area in the country.
The Canyons has some great powder runs.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News |
If you go: Don't be afraid to do a little exploring. What you find may surprise you—even if you consider yourself a resident skier. Even longtime staff talk about finding something "new" on almost every outing. For some, it's become a game to find new areas and see what new runs await them around the corner. It's possible because of the rapid expansion of the resort.
Once confined to the lower slopes, The Canyons immediately began reaching mountaintops. Two years ago it opened its highest peak—Ninety-nine 90—and last year it opened Peak 5. This year it will open its eighth mountaintop. Among the more popular runs are "94 turns" (advanced), "Boa" (intermediate) and "Meadows" (beginner). A favorite area for locals is "Escapade Woods," which can be reached off the Tombstone lift and off the north-facing runs off "Cloud 9." It's protected, tree lined, has a great fall line and is not well traveled. Opening soon will be the "Cabrilot," an open-air gondola that will carry skiers from the lower parking lot to within a few steps of the enclosed gondola leading to the top of the mountain.
Best-kept secret: While the mountain is open for exploration, few realize the Grand Summit Resort Hotel and Sundial Lodge are in full service and offer amenities never before expected at a resort that was once a "locals" stop. This would include such things as five-star lodging, health spa, yoga classes, professional messages, jetted tubs and heated indoor swimming pool. Better still, there is now fine dining prepared by a world-class chef at the Cabin and after-ski snacks at the newest stop—Doc's.
For more information visit The Canyon's Web site at www.thecanyons.com.
