Solitude Mountain Resort

Solitude Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Big Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, UT.

Solitude is adjacent to Brighton Ski Resort near the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. At 2000 vertical feet and 1200 acres, it is smaller than Snowbird ski resort and Alta ski resort. It is a very family-oriented mountain, with a wider range of beginner and intermediate slopes than other Utah ski resorts. It was also one of the first major US resorts to adopt an RFID lift ticket system, allowing lift lines to move more efficiently while reducing "lift poaching". It was followed by Alta Ski Area in 2007.

Solitude Mountain offers terrain for every ability level. Beginners will enjoy the runs off Moombeam and Sunrise lifts. Intermedite skiers and boarders will find chanllenge on the runs serviced by Apex and Eagle Express. Experts will delight in the runs off Powderhorn and Summit lifts. On a "powder day" nothing beats the expert runs in Honeycomb Canyon. The terrain gives you the feel of the "backcountry" with lift service.

Solitude does not attract huge crowds. There is almost never a wait for a lift and you can be among the first to "track" the snow after a big snowfall even late in the morning.

History

Robert M. Barrett, a uranium tycoon, moved to Salt Lake City and took up skiing. One day, while skiing at Alta, he was denied use of the restrooms, which were reserved for guests only. Peeved, he declared he would start his own resort. He started construction in 1956, having bought all the land in Big Cottonwood Canyon, the next canyon over from Alta.

The empty land turned into Solitude Ski Resort 33 years later with help from the DeSeelhorst family. ¹

References

[http://www.skisolitude.com/home/history.cfm skisolitude.com]

Facts and figures

* Base elevation: 7,988 ft (2435 m)
* Summit elevation: 10,035 ft (3059 m)
* Vertical rise: 2,047 ft (624 m)
* Total skiable area: 1,200 acres (4.9 km²)
* Lifts: 8 total (1 detachable quad, 2 quad, 1 triple, 4 double)
* Terrain:
** Beginner: 20% (Green Circle)
** Intermediate: 50% (Blue Square-more difficult)
** Advanced/Expert: 30% (Black Diamond-most difficult)

External links

* [http://www.skisolitude.com Solitude Mountain Resort Official Site]
* [http://www.firsttracksonline.com/solitude2001.htm First Tracks article on Solitude]