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SALT LAKE CITY - Utah has long boasted "The Greatest Snow on Earth," its residents often bragging about how accessible the state's ski resorts are.
A couple of weeks ago, a group of hard-core skiers wanted to put an even finer point on that. So they set out to ski all 14 of Utah's ski resorts on the same day.
March 15, 2:30 a.m.: the bleary-eyed group met in the lobby at Brian Head Resort in southern Utah. By 3 a.m. -- with headlamps shining brightly -- they were off on their first run of what would be a very long day.
You get to the first mountain and put your headlamp on. You're skiing in the dark, and it's like, wow, this is crazy.
–Chris Pearson
Chris Pearson was one of those ambitious skiers.
"You get to the first mountain and put your headlamp on," he said. "You're skiing in the dark, and it's like, wow, this is crazy."
It is a little bizarre when you think about it -- skiing from one end of the state to the other. The group of 14 started in Cedar City and carved turns all the way up to northern Utah in about 17 hours.
"At each resort, we picked out a run that would be the most accessible to us to be able to get up a lift and back down to the van as quickly as possible," said Pearson.
In order for this to happen, the resorts had to be ready for the group, everyone needed a lift ticket, the gear had to be loaded and unloaded into and out of the van very quickly and precautions had to be taken to make sure no one got lost.
We had a buddy system going since there was 14 of us. It was, don't lose your buddy, make sure everyone's in the van, and if there's a rest-stop break, make sure everyone's in the van before it takes off.
–Catherine Killfoil
"We had a buddy system going since there was 14 of us," said skier Catherine Killfoil. "It was, don't lose your buddy, make sure everyone's in the van, and if there's a rest-stop break, make sure everyone's in the van before it takes off."
This ski-every-resort-in-one-day feat was last accomplished in Utah in 2009, when there were only 13 resorts. With an additional resort opening this year, this group was formed to do it again. They reached the 14th and final resort just before 8 p.m., and once again the headlamps were back on.
"I think when it was all over, it was a 'phew,' like let the air out, we did it," said Pearson. "We take a little bit of pride in what we have done."
Killfoil said it was worth the rush. "Very rewarding," she said. "I think I was the only one who had their ski boots on the entire day, and ripping them off my feet felt really great."
Not only did this trip help promote Utah's ski industry, it was also a fundraiser for charity. The skiers helped raise $16,000 for the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
But will they do it again? If a 15th resort opens, they said, maybe.
