Utah Olympic Park
What is it? A state-of-the-art Olympic training facility, and home to the US Ski and Snowboard Teams, located in Park City, Utah. “The nearly 400 acre venue houses one of only four sliding tracks in North America, six Nordic ski jumps, a 2002 Winter Games museum, and a multitude of adventure activities.”
Why you’ll love it: Set in the picturesque mountainside of Park City Utah, Olympic Park offers year-round access to winter sports activities. In addition to their museum, extreme sports simulators and (absolutely terrifying) bobsled experience, Olympic park also allows you to sit in on the US Olympic Ski and Snowboard Team practices. For someone who is not an olympic sports enthusiast (which, how dare you) this may not seem exciting, but, we assure you, you WILL be impressed when you see the aerial skiers fly off a massive ramp, propelling them 20 meters into their air (!!!) where they land expertly in a (very deep) pool below. To see these athletes articulating every movement (in a setting where we would likely just be flailing to our deaths) is truly something to behold!
Aerial Skiers at Utah’s Olympic Park
What you need to know: While restrictions are ever-changing, because Olympic park boasts wide open outdoor viewing spaces across it’s 400 acres, it’s easy to remain distanced while watching aerial practice or checking out the freestyle ski and snowboard teams. (As a bonus, you’re nestled right up in one of the country’s most beautiful canyons) For the time being, the Alf Engen Ski Museum is open from 9am-6pm, daily. On weekends, for the low low price of $195 dollars, you are invited to risk your life (and possibly your dignity) as you scream your way down an actual bobsled track piloted by an actual bobsled professional. (Can you even fathom how much that guy loves his job?) For the slightly less death-inclined, the park also offers tubing, zip-lines, a ropes course and other season-and-covid-dependent activities.
Why we think it matters: At a time when it can be difficult to feel patriotic (re: our would-be dictator refusing to concede an election he clearly lost) Olympic Park brings us closer to a feeling of pride in our country than we’ve had in a long time. Seeing athletes whirl through the air at top speed while the flag flies high over the olympic rings is the like the reset we never knew we needed. Between the setting and the breathtaking view, it’s difficult to leave without a newfound sense of awe and wonder - a feeling we could all use, at the moment.
In their own words: Inspired by the success and momentum of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games, the (Utah Olympic Legacy) Foundation has turned its focus toward embracing, engaging and involving Utah’s youth in winter sport. From community-based recreational camps and progression-oriented development programs to its official designation as an official U.S. Olympic Training Site at the Utah Olympic Oval and Utah Olympic Park – the Foundation represents the future of winter sports in North America.
