Seek Solitude

An upscale family-owned ski area is becoming one of Utah’s hottest destinations.

The Robb Report, September 1998

Copyright 1998, Dale Leatherman

    "This is the right place," Mormon pioneer Brigham Young told followers when he reached Utah’s Great Salt Lake Valley. Nearly 150 years later and for entirely different reasons, the International Olympic Committee echoed Young’s judgement, naming Salt Lake City the host of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

    Alas, those of us who make yearly pilgrimages to ski the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City feel as if the proverbial cat is out: Utah’s fantastic skiing is no longer our little secret.

    Granted, it’s not like nobody knows. Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbird and Alta are world-class ski resorts attracting thousands of skiers. What the locals (and I) fear is that all of the area’s secrets will be revealed, such as the treasure of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

    A half hour’s drive up the canyon road from Salt Lake City is Solitude Mountain Resort, a 1,200-acre ski area with a wealth of varied terrain, an average annual snowfall of 450 inches, and short lift lines. Locals have always felt they owned the place because out-of-towners were put off by the lack of restaurants and places to stay. Aside from a few cabins and bed-and-breakfasts, the only commercial lodging was a small, spartan motel at Brighton Ski Area, another local favorite which is linked to Solitude by the scenic Solbright Trail.

    The demographics of Big Cottonwood Canyon changed in December 1996, when Solitude Mountain Resort opened the European-style Village at Solitude, a ski-in, ski-out pedestrian center with Creekside Condominiums and the elegant, 46-room Inn at Solitude. The opening marked Solitude’s tasteful transition from a day ski area to an upscale year-round resort. . . .(more)

Contact me to read the rest of this story and discuss second rights or a rewrite. daleatherman@cs.com