Jason Dyer of Snowbasin...the host with the most
In 1980, I was able to attend the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and lived in the back of a van that I had built to be insulated and warm. My first day there, I met a man that was setting up lights for the light show he was to put on for the awards ceremony on Mirror Lake. Eric Heiden won five medals there in speed skating, Liechenstein was well represented, and of course, the Miracle on Ice, the Americans against the Russians in the semi-finals. These were just some of the highlights that I was able to see directly or have exposure to. The snow however was not the highlight, as snow had to be trucked in for many of the ski events.
The next winter Olympics in the USA, was held in Salt Lake City and the downhill event was held north of Salt Lake, in a resort north called Snowbasin. I wondered if the Austrians, the powerhouse of Olympic skiing, had anything to do with picking this site for their own advantage. Wild rugged peaks, baby powder snow upon snow, expert runs to burn the thighs, and a lodge that would rival anything in Austria. Snowbasin should have a second name that hails from the best mountains of Austria.
The lodge of Snowbasin has the Mana{energy} to be used as a stress relief spot for any maxed out Wall Street executive. Just sit there, watch the skiers go by, have some of the great food and apple cider, move to the plush lounge when the body says move, sit back and enjoy the numerous fireplaces, and wonder what it was like to be part of the building crew. Take your children just to see this lodge and start a family tradition that could span a century. Forget that you came here to ski or come here on a rainy day when you wonder what there is to do.
Back to what Snowbasin is about. It is about a ski resort that has not really been discovered, even though the 2002 Winter Olympics were held here. 33 miles, that is the distance from Salt lake, 3,000 vertical feet, that is the ski slope drop, 3,000 acres, that is the snow land to play on, 3pm, that is when your thighs will say stop. A Dyer was there, as in Jason, the marketing dude of the Basin of Snow, showed us around, and of course we saw the moose at the entrance. Go there to ski, but go there fresh, go there knowing that the Austrians must have had something to do with the downhill being held here. Stand at the gate, lean forward, wait for the start, 3,2,1 go. Hear the echos of the cowbells, the hoots, the whistles, as you can try to ski the same slope that was used for the downhill. Can you make it from top to bottom without stopping? Without excessive turns? Out of breath, of course, this was the course the Austrians must have loved.
Jason said this could be my ski locker on our next isit to Snowbasin
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