Photos courtesy Deer Valley Resort

Olympic ski legend and Deer Valley’s iconic ambassador Stein Eriksen has died. The Norwegian champion known for his impressive coif, impeccable ski technique and eponymous lodge passed away quietly at his Park City home on Sunday, December 27, 2015, surrounded by family.  He was 88 years old.

Stein was one of the most recognized names in the ski world for more than 60 years. The first alpine skier to win triple gold at a world championship, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and ambassador and father of freestyle skiing, Stein Eriksen parlayed all that he knew and loved about the sport into an incredible career that spanned almost six decades and changed the face of alpine skiing worldwide.

He was one of the few athletes able to successfully turn his passion for skiing into a lifetime career. He served as Director of Skiing for more than 35 years at Deer Valley Resort and lent his name to the internationally-renowned luxury hotel, the Stein Eriksen Lodge.

“Stein Eriksen was the vision behind the development of the Lodge that carries his name. His celebrity charisma created a special ambiance whether within the Lodge, our restaurant or out on the mountain, that was warm and inviting,” noted Dennis Suskind, President of Stein Eriksen Lodge. “He was a real friend and will be missed.”

Bob Wheaton, Deer Valley president and general manager said, “He was a true inspiration and we are honored to have had him as a part of the Deer Valley family since the resort’s inception…His presence on the mountain will be profoundly missed.”

Born December 11, 1927, a handsome Stein shot to fame at the 1952 Oslo Olympic Winter Games, where he took the gold and silver medals in the giant slalom and slalom events, respectively. Two years later he went on to win three gold medals at the World Championships in Åre, Sweden in 1954, making him the first alpine skier to win the world championship ‘triple gold.’ Almost immediately after the Olympics, Eriksen moved to the US to teach Americans to ski “like Stein”; first at Sun Valley, Idaho, then Michigan’s Boyne Mountain, Heavenly Valley, Calif., and Sugarbush, VT. A reporter for the Saturday Evening Post in 1967 described Sugarbush’s ski school director: “He is easily the most flamboyant figure in U.S. skiing. . . . He has blond hair and blue eyes, and his dazzle could not be greater if the colors were reversed”. Every Sunday afternoon Stein swan dived 30 or 40 feet over the Sugarbush exhibition slope at speed (on his usual 220-centimeter skis), into a forward flip, an aerial maneuver credited as the forerunner of the inverted freestyle aerials. Stein taught at Aspen and Snowmass, Colo., before Utah’s brand-new Deer Valley Ski Area welcomed the dashing pioneer in 1981. 

Eriksen was awarded the Knight First Class honor in 1997 by His Majesty the King of Norway as a reward for outstanding service in the interest of Norway and the Royal Order of Merit for his contribution to the world of sports and his commitment to the people of his homeland. In recognition of his pioneering spirit and contribution to the early development of the ski industry, Stein received the Pioneer Award from the Intermountain Ski Areas Association (ISAA) in 1998. Eriksen served as an Olympic Ambassador at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, at time that coincided with the 50th anniversary of his Olympic medals. Eriksen was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Hall of Fame in 2013. In April of 2015, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Utah Sports Commission. Eriksen was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Ski Tourism by World Ski Awards in 2015.

Stein was a frequent celebrity on Deer Valley’s slopes, posing for photos, kissing the ladies and available for hire as a guide. In 2007, Eriksen, then 80, suffered a significant health blow when he collided with a 9-year-old boy on Deer Valley’s Lost Boulder run. He was sent to the hospital for surgery on a broken wrist and collarbone but reports said he had trouble waking from the anesthesia. Up until then, Stein had never worn a helmet. Five years later, he spent a week in the hospital for “neurological symptoms.”

While he continued to greet guests in the lodges of Deer Valley over the last few years, his presence on the slopes waned. Now, it is gone altogether but it will never be forgotten. Stein Eriksen is survived by his wife of 35 years, Francoise, son Bjorn, three daughters, Julianna, Ava and Anja and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by son Stein Jr.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Stein Eriksen Youth Sports Opportunity Endowment. A private memorial will be held for family followed by a celebration of Stein’s life, details are TBD.

After controversy, delays, zoning battles, the doors finally open to Hidden Peak’s crown jewel Dec. 26, 2015. The Summit was part of Dick Bass’ and Ted Johnson’s vision when they first founded Snowbird in 1971, but it’s not so easy building things on federal land. Forty-four years later, the 23,000 square foot “The Summit” opens for year-round dining and epic views.

The lodge replaces the old patrol shack and outhouse at the top of Hidden Peak. Patrollers not only have a headquarters fitting of their mountain stature but guests can finally have a viable option for dining during their ski day. They won’t have to traipse down steps and feel like they’re eating in somebody’s basement (The Birdfeeder in the Tram center) and they won’t have to fight for a Formica butt disk in the vintage Mid-Gad Restaurant.

Now, there’s The Summit with indoor and outdoor seating for breakfast and lunch, 360-degree vistas, a retail outlet, a Snowbird information kiosk and fancy bathrooms all accessed from the top of the Aerial Tram- with or without skis. The buffet itself will feature authentic French rotisserie cooking in addition to the usual ski fare. There is space for private dining, weddings and meetings upstairs on the second level.

Photo by Matt Crawley

The day lodge is a cog in the extensive $35 million capital investment project for 2015 that also involved a complete overhaul of the Cliff Lodge rooms. I was fortunate to be invited to test drive a new room this month. Gone are the funky windows between the shower and the bedroom. They were Dick Bass’ invention; demonstrating his desire for guests to see the Canyon from any place in your room.

Personally, I miss the window but I can see how it might be awkward for families. The new rooms have an executive-stay feel with clean lines, neutral colors and a soft, supple bed. The WiFi works without issues, and even on the fourth floor all’s quiet. Really, that’s all you need after a hard day of ripping The Bird.

Photo by Matt Crawley

The official grand opening of The Summit will take place on Saturday, Dec. 26, at 10 a.m. Foot passenger Aerial Tram tickets on Saturday, Dec. 26 cost $17 per person.

Photo Courtesy Park City Mountain

With one swift smack, two Park City resorts become one. The new Quicksilver Gondola is fully functional, linking Park City to the Canyons and signifying a proverbial -if not literal- end to Vail Resorts’ campaign in Utah. And by “campaign” we mean like in medieval days- a series of inter-related military battles that lasted years and was part of an over-arching strategic plan to conquer a country.

Park City has been conquered and the course of ski history has changed forever. December 18, 2015, ushered in the age of Vail Resorts, giant interconnected skiways, epic prices ($122 for a lift ticket, $10 slices of pizza) and another notch in the One Wasatch belt. Quicksilver not only creates the largest ski resort in North America – connecting the former Canyons Resort to Park City- but it’s an instrumental move in the plan to join all seven Wasatch ski areas using chairlifts and a network of trails. If One Wasatch happens it will create the North American equivalent of a European ski experience with 18,000+ acres of terrain, more than 100 lifts, accessed with one lift ticket.

For now, Quicksilver brings together ‘just’ 7,300 skiable acres, which of course you would never do in a day but it sounds cool. We also hope that means even if skiers and riders flock to Park City in droves, the slopes will never feel crowded. Something tells me, however, it still won’t make a difference at the Red Pine Gondola over MLK (the only way to the base for beginners). “On this historic day for our company, the debut of the Quicksilver Gondola connecting the two mountains brings to life one of the most ambitious capital projects undertaken at any resort in industry history,” said Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts, said at the christening. VR started the project as soon as the snow melted this year. The 8.5- minute ride over the northern ridge of Park City was part of a $50 million capital improvement design that included leveling the old Snow Hut restaurant and erecting Miners Camp- a modern, wall-to-wall windowed retreat with 500 indoor seats, daily specials, flatbread pizzas, Mediterranean dishes and local drafts on tap ($9!).  

With 16-30 inches of snow forecast for this week, riders should be able to enjoy test-driving the Quicksilver over the holidays. As for One Wasatch, it could take years for someone to figure out a way to connect Solitude and Alta without pissing off snowboarders and causing another lawsuit.