I have been waiting, well, a decade for this. My daughter, Makena, is in fourth grade. This is a big deal because kids in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade can get a Ski Utah Passport. If you don’t know what that is, you can learn more about the Ski Utah Passport here.
“Before this year, I didn’t even know there was a passport,” she told me. “The only thing I knew was that I had been on a billboard for it once. I didn’t really understand what it meant.”
It’s true – being on the billboard was a huge highlight and very much documented for the scrapbook, but that’s beside the point.
From One Resort to Fifteen
Makena has grown up skiing at Deer Valley Resort. “I love it there,” she says. “But having the Passport means we don’t just stay in one place anymore. We get to explore!”
Some of her favorites from exploring new resorts this season have been new views and new terrain. Makena recounted for me that, “At Powder Mountain there were huge, wide-open runs that felt like they went on forever. At Beaver Mountain we caught (almost) first chair and skied perfect corduroy. At Sundance Mountain Resort the mountains (Mt. Timpanogos) looked different than what I’m used to seeing.”
As I’ve skied these resorts with her and we’ve both had fun discovering and exporing the type of terrain we like the best, views that take our breathe away, what challenges us the most and more.
Three Days at Every Resort = Freedom
The coolest part of all this is that the Passport gives these 4th, 5th, and 6th graders three days to every resort. For a ten-year-old, it doesn’t get much better than skiing with friends. In fact, Makena ranked it for us.
“If I had to rank it,” she says, “#1 is skiing with friends, #2 is skiing with my family, and #3 is skiing by myself.” With several friends also being Passport holders, and still others with resort-specific passes, the Passport has made it so Makena can strengthen her friendships and ski with friends she hasn’t in past seasons. She’s already had some epic ski adventures with more planned this season.
Snowboarders
I asked Makena what the biggest difference was having experienced different resorts. Without hesitation, her response was: snowboarders.
“I’m not used to skiing around them” she said. “They have a blind side, and one almost ran into me once. Or maybe I almost ran into them. But it’s been okay.”
Actually, it’s been more than okay. Makena has been asking if she can learn how to snowboard. “That’s something I never would have thought about if I only ever skied one mountain,” she added.
What I’d Tell a Friend
Makena told me that she’s had friends at school ask her where she skis. Having experienced the Passport, she says she’s start telling them, “We have this passport thing that lets you go to every resort in Utah, and you get three days at each one. Maybe my mom can send you the link.”
She’s not wrong. I have sent other parents the link, because I think more kids and families should know about it!
Why It Matters
In a world where people of all ages are becoming more reliant on, and entertained by electronics, Makena believes we need the Ski Utah Passport more than ever. She said, “If you’re just sitting inside playing video games all the time, you don’t really get outside. Skiing gets you fresh air. It’s good exercise. There’s no pressure...you can just ski and be in nature.”
Looks like Ski Utah’s mission with this Passport program, to foster a lifelong love of winter sports, encourage youth to develop skills, explore new resorts, and engage families in outdoor recreation, is doing just that.
