By Yeti \ February 4 2016
Harriet Wallis standing in front of the infamous Gad 2 lift at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.
Photo Harriet Wallis Athlete Harriet Wallis Jan 14 2016 / Snowbird
Photo Harriet Wallis Jan 14 2016 / Snowbird
Photo Harriet Wallis Jan 14 2016 / Snowbird
Harriet Wallis standing in front of the infamous Gad 2 lift at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.
Photo Harriet Wallis Athlete Harriet Wallis Jan 14 2016 / Snowbird
Photo Harriet Wallis Jan 14 2016 / Snowbird
Photo Harriet Wallis Jan 14 2016 / Snowbird
By Harriet Wallis, the geezer gal.
Some trail names came from the silver mine heyday. Regulator Johnson and Black Jack were the names of mines. Gad Valley, Gadzoom, and all the other gads refer to a pointed mining tool used to break ore.
Names also recall the mining day's shady ladies. West 2nd South, an easy run, was named for the red light district where women were easy. Big Emma, also an easy run, was either a local madam, a local mine or a famous San Francisco madam visited by local miners.
It was a massive project to name all of Snowbird's trails before the resort opened in 1971. To get ideas, resort owner Dick Bass hosted a Naming Party, a social event where guests brainstormed for trail names. Bananas, Tiger Tale, and Harper’s Ferry came from the Naming Party according to Dusty Sackett, a local historian and former Snowbird mountain patroller who explained how many names came about.
Some trails were named for people. Silver Fox was named for Ted Johnson who bought up the old mining claims and was Bass’s Snowbird partner for a while. His hair was prematurely gray, so he was nicknamed the Silver Fox.
Johnson’s former wife, Wilma, cooked in the Alta Lodge kitchen under the tutelage of a European chef who had trouble pronouncing her name. He called her “Wilber” and the name stuck. An E was added at the end to feminize it. When Snowbird opened, she climbed tram tower 4 and christened it with a bottle of champagne. A plaque was placed on the tower to commemorate the event.
Chip’s Run was named for the son of a Bass friend who died in the Viet Nam war.
Junior’s Powder Paradise gives homage to Junior Bounous, the resort’s first ski school director and a pioneer in the ski industry who was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. Bounous, now in his 80s, is still an avid skier.
Dalton’s Draw was named for Charlie Dalton, an Alta patroller who regularly skied from Alta to Snowbird. Alice Avenue is named for Dick Bass’s wife, who he called “sweet Alice from Dallas.” Bassackwards is named for Bass himself.
The right to name some runs was auctioned off by a Snowbird-based non-profit organization that no longer exists. The Rothman family had a home in the canyon and named Rothman Way. Local resident Barry McLean named a run Barry Barry Steep.
A trail is even named for an accident. Patroller Tom Trulock cleared brush on the mountain during the summer. He fell on the chainsaw he carried and it gashed his arm. The run Tricep used to be known as Trulock’s Tricep.
Geography was also the source of names. The Road to Provo heads south, the same direction you would drive to get to Provo. Phone 3 Shot was named before cell phones existed. There was a an emergency phone on a post at the top of the run. The word shot is from the slang usage: I’m going to take a shot down that trail.
There'll be a pop quiz in 10 minutes about the trail names. Just kidding! But now that you have the inside story it's a good conversation starter on your next lift ride.
Harriet Wallis has been a ski writer, editor and photographer forever. She learned to ski on a dare when she was in her mid 30s and has been blabbing about it ever since. Read more from Harriet at Senior Skiing http://www.seniorsskiing.com/
(This information will not be shared)
4 Comments
Quentin Thomas Wells \ 7.1 years ago
Harper's Ferry and Harper's Ferry East are both named for the Harper's Ferry silver mine that was patented by members of the Thomas family in 1875. The Harper's Ferry claim was about 300 feet wide and 1500 feet long running from southwest to northeast across the face of the mountain about 100 yards south of the creek. The mine shaft (sealed after the claim was sold to Snowbird in the 11980s) is located between the two Harper's Ferry runs and both the Snowbird Tram and the Wilbere Lift pass over the old claim.
Dana Simonson \ 7.6 years ago
I seriously love these stories and am glad there's someone telling them. Thanks for the great info!
Jack Thompson \ 7.6 years ago
I guess for obvious reasons, you didn't want to mention how "Election" got it's name from/for the Japanese tourists back in the 190's.
Most recently "Anderson's Hill" has just been renamed,
"Think Young." Rumor has it that Young Chevrolet paid $10K for it.
n/a \ 7.6 years ago
Hi Jack - Thanks for your comments. Wanted to add that Young Chevrolet has been a great supporter of the ski industry for years and it's really cool that their $10k new trail name supports the Wasatch Adaptive Sports, Cottonwood Canyons and Snowbird Sports Education Foundations. Cheers.
Carolyn Chase \ 7.6 years ago
How delightful to know and what a variety of ways for naming ski slopes. Thanks so much!