Industry News
63-year-old Thomas Hart, of North Ogden, Utah, has set a Guinness World Record for the most vertical feet skied in a season with over seven million recorded this season. Hart, also known as “Racer Tom” because he wears his racing skis for most of his downhill runs, skied almost every day using the efficient lift system and 3,015 vertical rise Snowbasin has to offer to shatter the previous world record. Nearly all days were skied at Snowbasin with a handful days at Solitude and Snowbird. After Snowbasin closes, he will continue to add to his record at Snowbird, which plans to stay open until Memorial Day. As of the first part of May, he has skied 159 days and 7,274,731 vertical feet.
Hart, who moved to Utah from Minnesota when he was 35, is in his first year of retirement. Before retirement, he would ski about 50 days a year. Now he skis nearly every day. He typically arrives at the resort around 7:30 a.m. to be first in line and skis until they won’t let him on the lift anymore. He averages 40 runs per day and has done as many as 50 in a day.
Pierre Marc Jette from Canada held the previous world record in the 2014-15 season when he covered 6,025,751 feet. Although the feat is unofficial at this time, Hart has meticulously tracked his progress using two apps and has been in contact with Guinness World Records to ensure that his achievement meets all necessary verification requirements.
“I have three witnesses and I’m with at least one of them every single day, and I provide all the information to them every day,” Hart told the Standard-Examiner. “I use two apps to track my vertical, and one of the apps has every single thing you’d need to know about every single run. It has a map that shows exactly where I went, the starting elevation, the ending elevation, and my speed. There are several other requirements including photos, video, witness statements and news accounts. Every couple of days, I update my records, so I have full, detailed records of every lift I took.”
To put the feat into perspective, Hart’s journey is equivalent to:
- Skiing 1,330 vertical miles
- Five times the average distance between the International Space Station and Earth
- Conquering Mount Everest 241 times
- Skiing down the height of 3,941 World Trade Centers in New York City
- 6,400 horizontal miles (the distance from Los Angeles to Rome, Italy)
Throughout the record-breaking season, as a symbolic gesture of gratitude, Hart would kiss the ground as he passed through each million-foot increment. As he crossed over the seven-million-foot mark on April 26, he looked for a place with fresh snow for his ceremonial kiss. He ended up doing it twice as it was the sweetest milestone yet.
In an interview with KSL TV, Hart spoke about the achievement.
“In about August or September, I crunched the numbers and I thought, ‘I think I can do that’,” Hart said. “It’s fun from the very start of the day to the very end. It’s good to get down to the next lift and be the first one there. It’s better than sliced bread—let’s put it that way. There’s this wonderful feeling that’s an overwhelmingly happy feeling on the mountain every day, all day.”
As a bonus for his efforts, Hart also earned a free pair of skis from Peak Skis for skiing over four million vertical feet in the company’s annual promotion. Good thing too, because he’s going to need some new skis, or at least will need to sharpen his edges.
What sets Hart apart is not just his physical stamina, but also his heartfelt connection with the Snowbasin community. He has formed a strong bond with the resort’s employees, who have been cheering him on as he chases this record-breaking achievement.
In breaking the world record for vertical feet skied, Hart has not only achieved an extraordinary feat of physical endurance but has also exemplified the unwavering spirit of determination and passion that inspires skiers and outdoor enthusiasts around the globe to push their limits. Our sincere congratulations go out to Tom as his remarkable accomplishment serves as a reminder that with dedication, courage, and a willingness to embrace challenges head-on, anything is possible.
