For the week of December 17 - 23, 2003

Soldier Mountain opens for skiing on Thursday

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By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

The Soldier Mountain ski area, north of Fairfield, will open Thursday, Dec. 18, to snowboarders and skiers.

Resort manager Larry Davenport said the mountain has 20 inches of natural snow at the base and 3 feet at the top. The resort doesn’t make any snow.

"We have more snow than Baldy," Davenport said. "I was on the cat all weekend packing it down."

Lifts will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Adult lift tickets are $30. Tickets are $20 for skiers age 7 to 17, $24 for college students and $20 for skiers age 62 to 69. Children under 7 and adults 70 and older ski free.

Soldier is offering a two-for-one promotion called the Buddy Pass on Thursdays and Fridays. "We don’t care if you buddy up in the parking lot," Davenport said.

There are two new powder runs on the north side of the mountain where the southwest winds load the slopes.

"They are extensions of existing Dare Ya and Double Dare Ya," Davenport said. "Also, we’ll have cat skiing up within a week of opening, we hope."

Snow cat skiing to the top of Smokey Dome at 10,095 feet offers skiers 3,500 feet of vertical skiing access.

A day of cat skiing costs $175 per person, including lunch. Half a day, starting in the morning is $75.

"We have 1,550 assigned acres of cat skiing," Davenport said. "It’s a dream. If a group shows up at 10 a.m. and wants to go half-day, we’ll work with them. We’re flexible."

There are two chair lifts at Soldier and a handle tow that offer skiers access to 1,400 vertical feet of skiing. On the mountain there is also a 15-acre terrain park with jumps and rails.

This year the resort will host a total of four races: two downhill races, a giant slalom and a super giant slalom race.

Re-opened after being closed for two years, the resort’s restaurant and bar will open at 8 a.m. to serve breakfast, and will serve drinks and hors d’oeuvres and show ski videos until 5 p.m.

 

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