The Tour of Utah at Snowbird Resort
Sat Aug 11 2012
6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Stage 5 – Finish
Road Race - Saturday, August 11

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort is as famous for its grueling climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon for cyclists as it is for its world-famous powder for skiers. The Tour returns for a fifth consecutive year for the Queen Stage of the week, a 100-plus mile road race with close to 12,000 feet of climbing. The final climb on this day could decide the overall winner, challenging cyclists with 8-12 percent gradients from Sandy City up Little Cottonwood Canyon - 3,000 vertical feet covered in the final six miles to the finish at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.

Snowbird, Utah is in the heart of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Little Cottonwood Canyon, one mile down canyon from Alta. Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort averages approximately 500 inches of low-density, "dry" Utah powder annually. And long before skiers discovered the powder paradise, miners discovered their own treasure within the rugged confines of the glacial canyon. The history of Little Cottonwood Canyon dates back to the 19th Century, when a soldier in the U.S. Army first prospected for silver in 1869.

Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort opened in December of 1971 with three lifts, the Tram, the Lodge at Snowbird and the Snowbird Center. In 1986, after three years of construction and renovation, an enlarged Cliff Lodge opened its doors to the public. The Cliff is among the finest resort hotels anywhere with a world-class health spa, conference center and the world’s largest privately held collection of oriental rugs. The 11-story atrium, which connects the original building with the new wing, offers a spectacular view. Snowbird has also fostered a reputation for its environmental stewardship, for which it also has been awarded numerous prestigious awards.

www.snowbird.com