Soldier Hollow
Encyclopedia
Soldier Hollow is a cross-country ski resort located 53 miles (85.3 km) southeast of Salt Lake City in Wasatch Mountain State Park
, Utah
, United States
. The resort was created for the 2002 Winter Olympics
, and during the games it hosted the biathlon
, cross-country skiing
and the cross country skiing portion of the nordic combined
events. Since hosting the Olympics, it has been developed as a cross-country skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing resort, while featuring mountain biking and golfing in the summer.
in 1968. Soldier Hollow's location within the state park did not carry a name until Olympic organizers coined it Soldier Hollow. This name was chosen because of its proximity to Soldier Springs, which were thought to have been used by U.S. Troops originally sent to Utah to quell a supposed Mormon uprising, in an incident known as the Utah War
. Prior to becoming a state park certain locations within the park were used for farming and grazing activities, while much of the remainder was used recreationally by locals. In the last quarter of the 20th century the state park service had been approached by private developers hoping to build luxury hotels, golf courses and other attractions within the park, but none of these plans ever came to fruition.
(SLOC) specifically for the 2002 Winter Olympics; with the others being the Utah Olympic Park
and Utah Olympic Oval
. The Soldier Hollow location was chosen by SLOC as an Olympic venue in October 1997, over several other possible locations including Sherwood Hills near Logan, Utah
. Preliminary work began soon after the venue site was chosen, but major construction didn't start until 1999. Work at the venue had been completed enough (80% complete) to host its first major event, U.S. Cross Country Championships
, on January 8, 2000. Construction on the venue's day lodge began with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 5, 2000. The lodge was completed in December 2000 and dedicated on January 5, 2001. The venue cost SLOC $22 million USD
to construct.
, cross-country skiing
, and nordic combined
events. The venue itself hosted 64,160 biathlon spectators, 99,320 cross-country spectators, and 1,794 nordic combined spectators during these events. During the 2002 Winter Paralympics
the venue hosted the biathlon
and cross-country
events.
Soldier Hollow was the furthest venue from Salt Lake City with an estimated drive time of 2-2.5 hours from downtown during the games. Because of this distance from any large population centers, a special Western Experience was created at the venue's spectator plaza to give visitors activities to do between competitions. The Western Experience included music and entertainment, a mountain rendezvous, pioneer reenactments, cowboy camps, wild mustang exhibit and American Indian displays, along with concession stands.
In order to help cut down on vehicle traffic in the local canyons during the games, and to give spectators a unique experience, SLOC reached an agreement with the historic Heber Valley Railroad
to transport spectators to the Soldier Hollow venue. A special station was constructed along the railroad tracks near the venue which would allow for two to four trains, carrying 200 passengers each, per day. The Heber Valley Railroad's numbers 618 and 75 steam-engines
, were joined by the Nevada Northern Railway Museum's
number 93 steam-engine, in pulling eight-car trains full of passengers, to the Soldier Hollow depot where they disembarked and continued to the venue entrance on a horse-drawn sleigh
.
Wasatch Mountain State Park
Wasatch Mountain State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, located in the Heber Valley of Wasatch County near Midway.Established in 1961, Wasatch Mountain State Park is Utah's most developed state park. Named for Wasatch Mountain, the park consists of , and sits at an elevation of...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The resort was created for the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, and during the games it hosted the biathlon
Biathlon at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games Biathlon were held at Soldier Hollow.-10 km Sprint:Without any misses with the shooting, Bjørndalen wins his second gold of the Games.-12.5 km Pursuit:...
, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The cross-country skiing events at the 2002 Winter Olympics were marred by drug problems. The winners of three races were disqualified after blood tests showed that three skiers had overly high red blood cell counts indicating the use of darbepoetin, a drug used to treat anemia...
and the cross country skiing portion of the nordic combined
Nordic combined at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Nordic combined at the 2002 Winter Olympics, consisted of three events held over ten days, from 9 February to 22 February. The ski jumping part took place in Park City, while the cross-country part took place in Soldier Hollow.-Medal table:-Events:...
events. Since hosting the Olympics, it has been developed as a cross-country skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing resort, while featuring mountain biking and golfing in the summer.
Pre-Olympics
Soldier Hollow is located in the southeastern-most part of Wasatch Mountain State Park, a 21592 acres (8,738 ha) nature preserve created in 1961, which became a state parkUtah State Parks
Utah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S...
in 1968. Soldier Hollow's location within the state park did not carry a name until Olympic organizers coined it Soldier Hollow. This name was chosen because of its proximity to Soldier Springs, which were thought to have been used by U.S. Troops originally sent to Utah to quell a supposed Mormon uprising, in an incident known as the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
. Prior to becoming a state park certain locations within the park were used for farming and grazing activities, while much of the remainder was used recreationally by locals. In the last quarter of the 20th century the state park service had been approached by private developers hoping to build luxury hotels, golf courses and other attractions within the park, but none of these plans ever came to fruition.
Resort development
The Soldier Hollow venue was one of only three which was built and designed by the Salt Lake Organizing CommitteeSalt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002
The Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 was the organization responsible for the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City, USA....
(SLOC) specifically for the 2002 Winter Olympics; with the others being the Utah Olympic Park
Utah Olympic Park
The Utah Olympic Park is a winter sports park built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and is located east of Salt Lake City near Park City, Utah, United States. During the 2002 games the park hosted the bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, ski jumping, and nordic combined events. It still serves a training...
and Utah Olympic Oval
Utah Olympic Oval
The Utah Olympic Oval, an indoor speed skating oval built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, is located southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games. Inside the facility the 400-meter skating track surrounds two international sized...
. The Soldier Hollow location was chosen by SLOC as an Olympic venue in October 1997, over several other possible locations including Sherwood Hills near Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
. Preliminary work began soon after the venue site was chosen, but major construction didn't start until 1999. Work at the venue had been completed enough (80% complete) to host its first major event, U.S. Cross Country Championships
USA Cross Country Championships
The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as well as acting as the selection race for the IAAF...
, on January 8, 2000. Construction on the venue's day lodge began with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 5, 2000. The lodge was completed in December 2000 and dedicated on January 5, 2001. The venue cost SLOC $22 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
to construct.
2002 Winter Olympics & Paralympics
During the 2002 games Soldier Hollow hosted the biathlonBiathlon at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympic Games Biathlon were held at Soldier Hollow.-10 km Sprint:Without any misses with the shooting, Bjørndalen wins his second gold of the Games.-12.5 km Pursuit:...
, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics
The cross-country skiing events at the 2002 Winter Olympics were marred by drug problems. The winners of three races were disqualified after blood tests showed that three skiers had overly high red blood cell counts indicating the use of darbepoetin, a drug used to treat anemia...
, and nordic combined
Nordic combined at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Nordic combined at the 2002 Winter Olympics, consisted of three events held over ten days, from 9 February to 22 February. The ski jumping part took place in Park City, while the cross-country part took place in Soldier Hollow.-Medal table:-Events:...
events. The venue itself hosted 64,160 biathlon spectators, 99,320 cross-country spectators, and 1,794 nordic combined spectators during these events. During the 2002 Winter Paralympics
2002 Winter Paralympics
The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to March 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated....
the venue hosted the biathlon
Biathlon at the 2002 Winter Paralympics
Biathlon at the 2002 Winter Paralympics consisted of six events, three for men and three for women.-Medal table:- Medal summary :Men* 7.5 km** Sitting** Standing** Visually impairedWomen* 7.5 km** Sitting** Standing...
and cross-country
Cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Paralympics
Cross-country skiing at the 2002 Winter Paralympics consisted of 32 events, 20 for men and 12 for women.-Medal table:- Medal summary :The competition events were:*2.5 km: - women*5 km: men - women*10 km: men - women*15 km: men - women...
events.
Soldier Hollow was the furthest venue from Salt Lake City with an estimated drive time of 2-2.5 hours from downtown during the games. Because of this distance from any large population centers, a special Western Experience was created at the venue's spectator plaza to give visitors activities to do between competitions. The Western Experience included music and entertainment, a mountain rendezvous, pioneer reenactments, cowboy camps, wild mustang exhibit and American Indian displays, along with concession stands.
In order to help cut down on vehicle traffic in the local canyons during the games, and to give spectators a unique experience, SLOC reached an agreement with the historic Heber Valley Railroad
Heber Valley Historic Railroad
The Heber Valley Historic Railroad is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRR carries over 94,000 passengers a year....
to transport spectators to the Soldier Hollow venue. A special station was constructed along the railroad tracks near the venue which would allow for two to four trains, carrying 200 passengers each, per day. The Heber Valley Railroad's numbers 618 and 75 steam-engines
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, were joined by the Nevada Northern Railway Museum's
Nevada Northern Railway Museum
The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicate to the preservation of the railroad....
number 93 steam-engine, in pulling eight-car trains full of passengers, to the Soldier Hollow depot where they disembarked and continued to the venue entrance on a horse-drawn sleigh
Sled
A sled, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle with a smooth underside or possessing a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners that travels by sliding across a surface. Most sleds are used on surfaces with low friction, such as snow or ice. In some cases,...
.
The resort today
The resort has been developed as a cross-country skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing resort during the winter months, while featuring mountain biking and golfing in the summer. It is owned by the State of Utah and managed by the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation, who also manages the surrounding state park. It also home to Soldier Hollow Charter School.External links
- Soldier Hollow Resort - Official website
- Ski Utah - Resort Profile