Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, I didn’t get to ski much, except for one week every year when my mom, dad, sister, and I ventured to Park City, Utah. I distinctly remember the 4 a.m. wake-ups for our flight to one of my favorite places. I could never sleep the night before. Driving from Salt Lake City to Park City, smelling the crisp mountain air, and walking into our usual family hotel always brought a noticeable rush of nostalgia.
Park City is the largest ski resort in the United States, with over 40 chair lifts and 330 trails. Within its 7,300 acres of skiable area, there is a variety of terrain, including intense expert runs near the top and a large expanse of intermediate runs. You can find people of all ages, with relatively equal numbers of snowboarders and skiers. The top elevation of the mountain reaches 10,026 feet, with the longest run lasting over 3.5 miles.
I remember taking lessons at ski school from a young age. Hot chocolate breaks were always a highlight. We were also given a collectible dog-tag necklace souvenir at the end of each lesson. Several of these necklaces still hang on the wall in my bedroom at my parents’ house. One year, my sister and I decided to take a snowboarding lesson. My inspiration came from watching the snowboarders do flips in the Olympics and shred past me on the mountain. My memories of the passion I felt for snowboarding that day are vivid. While it was difficult to learn at first, I knew that this was my chosen winter sport. A bonus was that the designs on my snowboards always made me feel like the coolest girl on the mountain. After switching to snowboarding, I never went back to skiing.
Some of my favorite memories from my childhood at Park City include riding the “I Ride Park City” terrain parks and the adventure trails. One year, I signed up for a terrain park camp where we got to film ourselves snowboarding with GoPros and then edit the videos. The class was mostly full of boys who were better at snowboarding than I was, but I was just thrilled to be a part of something that I thought was so cool. Park City has a collection of 12 metal sculptures called Snow Bugs around the resort. They are a mascot for the ski school, as they are featured on the souvenir dog tags, and mark the adventure trails around the mountain. My sister and I were fond of these adventure trails and became incredibly excited when we found a new Snow Bug marking a trail. I remember my dad always referred to the Snow Bug as ‘Stiff Man’ and would sing a song about them on the chair lift while banging his ski poles to the beat.
After skiing, there’s no better feeling than taking a dip in the hot tub. And later in the day, a visit to the town of Park City always excited me. There are great restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops. My personal favorite way to end a fantastic day of skiing is a treat from the well-known Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!
Park City will forever hold memories for my family and me. I look forward to returning in the future to do my favorite activities in one of my favorite places!
