Olympic Park in Park City, UT

Olympic Park in Park City was
an unexpected treat.

The 2002 Olympics were held in Park City.

We headed to Park City in the summertime.  I'd done a little reconn, but not too much.  We'd purchased a Utah State Park pass and had about three months to fit in as many states as we could.  Olympic Park made the cut for interest, uniquity, sheer fun, and proximity.  Well, kind of proximity.  I cast a broad net.  :-)

Our first stop was the Visitor's Center, and I recommend it be yours.  They were friendly and informative.  They had a coffee shop there.  Most importantly, they gave a very valuable coupon for the Alpine Slide.  Seriously, that coupon turned one ride on an Alpine Slide into a day of fun.  I hope you are as lucky.

We switched our destination from what was supposed to be the 'best' Alpine Slide to going to the one at Olympic Park.  That was our best decision for the day.  With our coupon, we ended up spending virtually the same amount of money for four Gold Passes at Olympic Park as we would have spent buying a couple sets of four tickets a la carte for the Alpine Slide or Zip Line there or any other place.

Aerial Pool -- Of course, I missed the pool in this shot.
In my defense, that guy is a lot smaller in a camera lens.
I was so busy tracking him, I lost the pool!

This was really cool to watch.  We sat for a long time just watching skiers sidestep their way up the slope to jump off any one of the four green jumps you see there into a great pool of water.  You can buy into a novice class or a jump; there are 5 jumps in all.  The place is called the Freestyle Factory so clearly we are not the only people who think it looks like fun!

Just before the skier goes airborne, the jets kick off in the water.  The skier gets to land in a soft bubbly surface instead of smacking into a board of water.  Helps keep the smiles on.

There were three ski jumps open and in operation for people who knew what they doing.  The jumpers wore crash helmets and full neoprene suits which they'd stripped down to their waist when they weren't flying down the ski jump.  It was fun to watch the skiers soar through the air and come sliding to a stop on grass.

Our first ride was this Alpine Slide.  A mile long.  Super fun.  By the second time, the boys were zipping down.  By the third time, they were full throttle only slamming on the brakes at the last possible moment.  

For the worriers out there, I can only tell you we went zipping down -- you could even say the boys went screaming down at top speed until the very, very tippy end -- and we all came out safely and smiling on the other side.

We also enjoyed the zip lines.  There was a longer one that was for adults only, but even the shorter ones were long, high, and great fun.  Super secure plus you had the thrill of being released from being a holding barrier.  It felt a lot like being shot out!

Waiting for the door to open on the zip line.

The thrill of the ride!

We also had a great time on the ropes courses.  There were a few.  It was raining while we were making our way through the first one.  The second was larger, harder, and even more fun.  It overlooked the bobsled chute.  You could buy a ride on the bobsled.  We didn't, but watched some athletes and some joy riders come zipping down the chute as we climbed on the ropes course.

The only regret we had was that we left before close because all that running around made us hungry.  :-)    If you are near, do plan on a day of fun at Olympic Park ... and pack extra food!