UOP expanding with the help of helis

Utah Olympic Park expansion construction flying forth on Saturday. Photo: Carl Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Initially constructed to host the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) is flexing its construction muscles again in expanding existing acreage to accommodate even more closed-circuit winter snowsports training.

Snowsports is the operative word rather than just ‘skiing’ since the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation (UOLF) President and C.E.O., Colin Hilton, while fostering familiar, fan-favorite sports, is always open to ideas surrounding whatever is the next big thing in the Olympic Movement.

The UOP is one part of a trifecta of venues in Northern Utah which includes the Utah Olympic Oval and the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. All three operate under the administrative umbrella of the UOLF.

On Saturday, a helicopter hoisted cement components into place on the steep mountainside. The current mountain expansion is an athlete-focussed project which will provide enhanced opportunities for Utah’s ski and snowboard teams, expanding their seasons locally and increasing the quality and quantity of training options. It comes in the form of one new chairlift, three new ski runs and an extensive, modern snowmaking system.

It’s a collaboration between regional teams like the University of Utah, the Park City Ski and Snowboard Team, and Romark, as well as winter sports organizations in planning, fundraising, and education. Although the UOP, an official United States Olympic and Paralympic (USOPC) Training Site, is accessible to the general public for many year-round activities, skiing is not one of them.