Uphill Season Pass

UTAH OLYMPIC PARK UPHILL PASS POLICY
(subject to changes)

New this 2024/2025 Winter season the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) proudly offers season passes to enjoy this unique terrain. This pilot program is aimed at providing our community with the opportunity to experience and enjoy this mountain terrain and support the mission of our foundation.  

Be aware that the UOP and Eccles Olympic Mountain Center is not a ski resort, but rather an athletic training facility. We therefore operate this facility differently from other ski areas. It is your responsibility to understand and abide by the policies outlined below.  This is a backcountry environment, and all participants need to be prepared for all backcountry and avalanche conditions and to self-rescue.  The use of our facility is at your own risk. 

 

Please expect UOP staff to check your pass on the hill. Passes are required for any skiing and snowboarding activities on UOP property, and it is your responsibility to display your pass clearly (armband) for UOP Staff. 

 

Day passes are not available for uphill travel. 

 

Hours of operations: No Activity during night hours (4 pm – 8 am) only scheduled athletic training by our resident Ski Mountaineering Program is allowed before or after normal operating hours.  No activity is allowed when the Park is closed at our front gate. 

Uphill Pass Hours: 8 am – 4 pm* 

*Before or after these times you must be a member of PCSS Master Ski Mountaineering Program and in their scheduled practice times.   

Uphill passes are good for human-powered travel on the mountain, they are not valid for lift access. 

 

WINTER UPHILL TRAVEL ROUTES – North and South 

Access to the North side route is from the overflow parking lot by the snowmaking pond. Follow ‘UPHILL TRAVEL’ markers towards the Game Changer chairlift. Follow the pathway around the backside of the lift and up the North side (Lookers Right) of the ski run.  After you pass the chairlift, please stay behind the fence line on the travel road and off the main ski run.  you will be climbing the Lower Mountain Bypass trail. 

 

Access to the South side routes is from the overflow parking lot.  Head west on the pavement past the swing up gate until you see the ‘UPHILL TRAVEL’ signs on the left and the trail veers up behind the bobsled track to the road crossing and up the mountain at the Lower Moose Puddle trail entrance. 

 

During operating hours Uphill Travelers are required to stay on the approved uphill routes.
See new uphill routes on the Trail Map. Uphill Travelers are prohibited from entering closed terrain at any time. It is the user’s responsibility to know what terrain is closed. Please check “Mountain Conditions” page on our website at https://utaholympiclegacy.org/mountain-conditions/ for any updates .

 

UOP is private property and reserves the right to close terrain at any time for any reason. 

 

 

WINTER UPHILL TRAVEL RESPONSIBLITY CODE 

Skiing (a term which includes snowboarding, sledding and all other forms of sliding on snow), whether uphill or downhill, involves inherent risks that cannot be eliminated. However, there are a few rules of conduct that can decrease the risk involved. When traveling within ski resort boundaries, follow the Skier’s Responsibility Code and follow these additional guidelines for uphill travel: 

 

ALWAYS 

• Travel uphill only on the designated route during operating hours. 

• Stay to the edge of ski trails; do not hike or stand in the middle of a trail. 

• Observe posted signs, warnings and trail closures. 

• Be alert for & yield to downhill skiers. Downhill skiers and boarders have the right of way. 

• If you travel in a group stay in a single file line and do not ski next to your friends on the uphill route. 

• Yield to and/or avoid all ski area machinery. 

 

NEVER 

• Stop in high-traffic zones, where you are likely to obstruct a trail or where you are not visible to downhill traffic. 

• Hike, stand or otherwise position more than two people side-by-side across the fall line. 

• Bring your dog in the ski area during operating hours, 6am – 10pm 

 

RESTRICTIONS 

• No dogs during operating hours. 

• No sledding/tubing at any time. 

• Stay off all training trails, where a winch cat is working, and where snowmaking is in progress.  

• No uphill travel if avalanche mitigation is in progress.  You must wait at the base area until flashing lights are turned off. 

• Use approved routes to access terrain during operating hours: Bear Hollow, Bear Hollow Ridge, and Lower Mountain Bypass. Up-tracks are defined by the users and should follow a generally marked path up the mountain.  UOP does not set or maintain a specific up-track. 

• Use routes defined on map to access parking lot.

• All uphill traffic must yield to downhill traffic and all machinery. 

• All uphill travelers must sign and submit a Liability Waiver  

 

ASSUMPTION OF RISK AND LIABILITY
All uphill hikers and skiers are using Utah Olympic Park at their own risk.  All uphill users are required to sign a liability waiver  and armband before traveling on the mountain. 

 

AVALANCHE MITIGATION
During avalanche mitigation work, a flashing red light will be turned on at parking lots, and trail heads. When this red light is flashing, uphill travel is prohibited.  There will also be signs denoting which routes are open or closed.  If the light is flashing the night prior, uphill users should avoid skiing the following day.  As soon as mitigation work is complete the light will be turned off and uphill travel will be permitted.  If patrol is confident control work will occur the following day, the light will be turned on the night prior to alert people that uphill access is closed the following morning.   The mountain operations team will do their best to notify the public the night prior to any avalanche control via the website at https://utaholympiclegacy.org/mountain-conditions/.  Avalanche mitigation is likely after a fresh snowfall of 4 inches or more, or during a period of high winds. 

 

WINCH CAT: FLASHING YELLOW FLASHING LIGHTS:
Some trails are groomed with a winch cat, which uses cables under extremely high tension. STAY OFF THESE TRAILS! These cables can move suddenly and change height. These cables may change angles between the pick point and snow cat and not be in direct line above or below the machine while it is working. THE CABLE CAN KILL YOU. In some cases, the cable can run as long as 4000 feet.   

 

CAUSE DISMEMBERMENT OR DEATH.
If you see flashing yellow or red lights on the trails, winch cat operation is in progress and uphill travel is prohibited on that side of the mountain. The high-tension cable used by the cat is extremely dangerous, and Uphill Travelers should stay well away from the anchor. Flashing yellow lights signify the cat and the winch anchor. 

 

BEING AN AMBASSADOR
As an Uphill Travel Ambassador, please contribute to our community by being helpful and courteous to others on the mountain. Obey all posted signage and the Golden Rule. 

 

UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS
Uphill travelers are required to stay off trails that are maintained for athletic alpine and freestyle training, specifically Olympic Hopeful and Axios. UPHILL TRAVELERS FOUND SKIING ON THIS TERRAIN WILL RESULT IN PASS REVOCATION. 

UOP is surrounded by private property.  Any access outside our marked property lines is considered trespassing and will be prosecuted. 

Please support this pilot program and alert a UOP staff member if you think skiers are on UOP terrain without passes so we can educate and protect this unique experience.  

 

DOGS
Absolutely NO DOGS are allowed within the ski area boundary during operation hours. 

 

SLEDDING
Sledding is prohibited at the Utah Olympic Park at all times. 

 

HAZARDS
STAY OFF OF TRAILS WHERE SNOWMAKING IS IN PROGRESS. These trails will have EXTREMELY volt electrical cords and high-pressure water hoses, and at times they may be just beneath the surface. They may also have very icy conditions, particularly near the snow guns. Seek an alternate route if you see any sign of snow making machines, electrical cords, or hoses.  

 

REFLECTIVE MATERIALS, HEADLAMPS, WHISTLES
It is strongly recommended that all uphill travelers utilize reflective materials on ski poles, clothing, and/or packs to heighten visibility. In addition to headlamps, flashing lights such as those commonly used on bicycles make it easier for other users as well as ski area personnel to see you and your party in low light. Lastly, a whistle can be beneficial if the need arises to send an audible warning or signal. 

 

RIGHT OF WAY
Snowmaking, grooming, and other equipment may be in use on the mountain at any time. All uphill traffic must yield to downhill traffic and all machinery. Skiers traveling at high speeds over blind rollovers present a danger to uphill travelers, so uphill travelers should take special care at junctions. It is prohibited for any skier, hiker, or person otherwise, to approach within 100 feet of grooming machines, whether stationary or moving; or snowmaking equipment, to include but not limited to fan guns, high-pressure water lines, and high-voltage electrical cables. 

 

SKI PATROL
No ski patrol services are available outside of normal operating hours. During normal operating hours, ski patrol response may be delayed or unavailable depending on operational circumstances.  Uphill users are prohibited from entering closed terrain at any time. It is the user’s responsibility to understand their own abilities and know what terrain is closed.  All uphill travelers should be prepared for any back country conditions and self-rescue at any time.