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SKI AND RIDE 2002 OLYMPIC VENUES
Live Your Olympic Dreams on a Self-Guided Tour of Utah's 2002 Venues
Utah's Olympic Winter Games have come and gone, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the "thrill of victory, the agony of defeat", just as many athletes did.
You may have seen it on television - the"bluebird" blue skies, shimmering blankets of white snow, craggy mountain peaks, forests of fir and pine, winding cross-country ski trails, faster-than-imaginable bobsled and luge tracks, death-defying downhill courses, super-sized halfpipes and more. What remains in Utah is not only the lasting spirit of the Games, but world-class training facilities for the athletes of tomorrow, and marvelous everyday venues for visitors to enjoy. Most of the 2002
Olympic Winter Games venues remain open to the public, for you to experience firsthand. Take the self-guided Olympic Tour and create your own gold medal memories. Check it out:
Death Defying Downhills
Snowbasin Resort, 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, was the site of the 2002 Olympic Downhill and Super G events. Skiers and riders can take the magnificent downhill courses on themselves. A European-style start house, log with copper trim, greets adventurers at the start of the Men's Downhill (on the Grizzly run) and Ladies' Downhill (on the Wildflower run). Sharpen your edges before you venture down, though - the start, at about 9,250 feet, is over 70 percent grade (depending on the snow conditions at the time) and boasts a continuous 3,000-foot vertical drop. The views of the Great Salt Lake, surrounding mountain ranges and Ogden valley are spectacular from top to bottom.
What's Curling?
Remember the ice skaters sweeping their brooms madly in front of a stone gliding across perfectly smooth ice? The ancient Scottish game of curling is always a marvel to people - and both challenging and fun to try. Interested parties can enjoy a curling lesson or demonstration in Ogden at the Ice Sheet. Visit utahcurling.com for more information.
Switch-Five-Forty
Dinner Roll, anyone?
See if you can mimic Jonny Moseley's famous "Dinner Roll" maneuver while coming down the moguls on Deer Valley Resort's Champion run. (Or see if you can just handle the moguls on the course, period.) Though skiers are not permitted to go off Deer Valley's skyscraper-high aerial jumps for obvious safety and sanity reasons, they can ride on a chairlift directly over the White Owl run that saw American Joe Pack grab the silver medal in the freestyle aerials. And spectators can watch world-caliber flying competition during the World Championships freestyle events at the resort, Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2003. Skiers can also challenge themselves on the 2002 Olympic Winter Games slalom course (Know You Don't) at Deer Valley.
Skinny Ski
Cross-country skiers can enjoy the breathtaking terrain at Soldier
Hollow, about a half-hour drive from the town of Park City, or Sundance
Resort. What made this course so spectator-friendly during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games was its unique layout, where much of the terrain is visible from the starting line. Nestled up against the mountains in Wasatch Mountain State Park, 16 miles of trails and a beautiful new day lodge await anxious skinny-skiers.
People Really Can Fly
People really can fly at Park City's Utah Olympic Park, via bobsled or the Nordic jumping ramps! Believe it or not, these sports are accessible to the public. The Utah Olympic Park was the venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games bobsled, luge, skeleton and Nordic jumping events. The park is currently taking reservations for its public four-man bobsled rides, Nordic jumping programs, and Learn to Bobsled, Learn to Luge and Learn to Skeleton camps. For those not willing to be quite so daring, enjoy a park tour or browse through the new Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center and Alf Engen Ski Museum. For more information visit utahathleticfoundation.com. .
Round and Round We Go
The Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Salt Lake City is open to the public with skate time, clinics and lessons. Take a whirl around the track. For more information visit utahathleticfoundation.com. .
"Mardi Gras, UT"
Park City (a.k.a. Mardi Gras, UT according to The Atlanta Constitution-Journal) was touted as Olympic Celebration Central during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and without a doubt continues to live up to the title. While touring all the Olympic venues you won't want to miss Park City's historic Main Street, where thousands of people came together to party in the name of friendly competition.
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