At Sundance Mountain Resort on Monday, Chad Linebaugh stood mid-mountain amid what he would consider to be some of Utah’s best beginner skiing each winter.  It’s in what he would call the Wildwood pod, 50 acres of beginner runs that skiers can lap endlessly. Linebaugh, Sundance Resort’s p resident and general manager, proudly pointed out the bowls and chutes on the upper mountain that cater to more advanced and adventurous winter athletes — all of which is shadowed by the near 12,000-foot-tall Mount Timpanogos, which was still dusted with snow at the end of June.  A Sundance skier for decades, Linebaugh knows the mountain as well as anyone. As he explained the nooks and crannies skiers can access through each lift, he gestured to pockets of best-known terrain under the highest point of the mountain, including the iconic Bishop’s Bowl.  “I love all the Utah ski resorts,” Linebaugh said. “But, I’m just saying, we have one of the most beautiful backdrops.” Linebaugh wore a nametag highlighting his 30-plus years of service working for the resort. He, like many of the 900 Sundance employees, is an avid skier and a believer that the resort is “for everyone,” but especially for lovers of nature.  Preservation of natural landscapes is what Sundance was founded for, he said. It’s what his late friend Robert Redford kept as a backbone from the start of the famed actor/director’s purchase of land that became Sundance Mountain Resort.  But from humble beginnings to becoming a world-class resort and skiing destination, Sundance Resort has experienced a dramatic evolution over the years. This year, that journey comes to fruition with the completion of a multi-phased expansion project.  Next, Linebaugh pointed out at the bare skeleton of what will become Electric Horseman, a new high-speed chairlift that’s part of Sundance’s largest upgrade to date. The lift is nestled in the Wildwood ski area and will provide access to the entire mountain, Linebaugh said. The double-blue run known as Storyteller snakes down the ridgeline from the highest point of the mountain at Sundance Mountain Resort. Credit: Photo courtesy of Sundance Mountain Resort Electric Horseman is named for the 1979 western and romance flick, “The Electric Horseman,” directed by Sydney Pollack and featuring Redford and Jane Fonda. Linebaugh said the lift is aptly named first due to its tribute to Redford and, second, because it hints at the high-speed velocity (an approximately 6-minute ride) in which it propels skiers up 1,850 vertical feet.  It’ll provide access to tons of new lapable terrain for advanced and intermediate skiers alike. Linebaugh said crews are on schedule to finish by his hopeful winter ski season opening day of Dec. 4. “When this lift is in, you’ll be able to ski 100% of our mountain, all 600-plus acres, from these two high-speed chair lifts,” Linebaugh said, pointing to Red’s Lift and what will become Electric Horseman.  What could only once be accessed with a ride up Red’s Lift will, this upcoming season, be skiable via Electric Horseman. From the top of Red’s Summit at 8,250 feet, skiers can take Storyteller. That double-blue run, Linebaugh said, is rated as such because it’s “not quite black diamond,” but not completely blue either.  Heading down Storyteller, which snakes along the ridge of the mountainside and provides views of the entire canyon and ski resort, skiers can hop off onto new terrain and carve down not-yet-named bowls and chutes.  Naming the chutes and bowls that drop off Storyteller is soon to come. Linebaugh said it’s like naming children and something that needs to be done with consideration and care. Though, because his team is waiting to christen chutes one, two and three, he said there is an opening for nicknames to stick.  “We want to ski it and kind of see what it’s like and let that inspire us,” Linebaugh said.  The goal of expanding terrain, Linebaugh said, is not only to provide greater access to skiers who already know and love Sundance Resort. It’s also to draw in new crowds.  Day trippers from Park City, visitors from outside of Utah or even outside of the country, they’re all welcome as far as Linebaugh is concerned. In fact, they’re encouraged to make visiting Sundance a special occasion.  It’s what the resort is built for with about five years and $110 million in upgrades. Linebaugh said Sundance is now overly equipped to welcome the most dedicated destination skiers out there.  Sundance Resort met with SE Group, an organization of mountain planners, landscape architects and environmental analysts who tell ski resorts where, how and if they are able to expand, in 2020. The two organizations came up with an expansion plan to be executed in stages.  The first stage was to establish the front mountain chairlift known as Outlaw Express. Then came the Wildwood area expansion and snowmaking improvements. Now, the final piece of the puzzle is coming into place with the development of new terrain all accessed by Electric Horseman.  The Outlaw Express chairlift was part of the first phases of upgrades at Sundance Mountain Resort. Credit: Photo courtesy of Sundance Mountain Resort “Everything else we’ve done has been absolutely great and it’s really good, especially for beginner, intermediate skiers,” Linebaugh said. “This is the part that’s going to get expert skiers really, really excited.” Along with new terrain and the Electric Horseman lift comes upgraded snowmaking and technical improvements, Linebaugh said. And when the day is all said and done, visitors can head down to lounge at The Inn at Sundance — a boutique hotel that’s newly opened. Resort guests can also visit the art studio where pottery classes and more are held. They can head to the spa with hot pools, hot tubs and, in the summer, a walk-in cold plunge at the river’s edge. Sundance Resort is made with everyone in mind, Linebaugh said, and it shows.  “We’re entering a new level and I think it’s a level that should intrigue people to say, ‘Hey, let’s go see what’s going on with Sundance,’” Linebaugh said. The post Sundance Mountain Resort furthers expert-level skiing with new terrain, chairlift appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less