Sundance

Not to be confused with Sundance Film Festival.

For other uses, see Sundance (disambiguation).

Sundance in the fall.

Sundance
Resort

Sundance Resort in U.S. state Utah.

Sundance Resort is a ski resort located 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Provo, Utah, spanning over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch Range. Snow skiing began on the site in 1944. Actor Robert Redford acquired the area in 1969, and established a year-round resort which would later spawn the independent Sundance Film Festival and the non-profit Sundance Institute.

The mountain

Sundance Resort is heavily oriented towards advanced skiing; only three of the resort's 41 trails are marked "Easiest". Nearly 80% of the resort by area is designated "More Difficult" or "Most Difficult". The resort terrain climbs 2,150 vertical feet (655 m) up the northeast slope of Mount Timpanogos, reaching the crest of the ridge at Bearclaw Cabin. This restaurant at the resort's apex of 8,250 feet (2,515 m) provides spectacular 360° views of the surrounding landscape, and of Mount Timpanogos as it rises to a height just short of 12,000 ft (3,658 m). The mountain is serviced by three chairlifts and a handle tow for beginners at the mountain's base.

History

The ski area opened as Timp Haven in 1944 with a rope tow. It was run by the Ray Stewart family for over twenty years. Chairlifts were added in the 1960s.

Redford presumably acquired the site because his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen was from Utah, and because the couple had built a home in the area five years earlier. The resort is named after the role he played in the 1969 film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The resort of Sundance is not to be confused with the town of Sundance, Wyoming, the location from where the Sundance Kid received his name. Redford's 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson was filmed near the resort.

Panoramic view

The Sundance Film Festival, held primarily 30 miles (48 km) north in Park City, is a competition for independent film makers, which has become extremely well known and popular in the film industry and media. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, and also one of the largest in the world.

External links

• Sundance Resort.com – official site
• Sundance Film Festival – official site
• Raymond Stewart Collection – University of Utah
• Deseret Morning News – Sundance
• The Sundance Institute – Sundance.org website
• [1] – 1993 Ski Affair – Sundance