Though many people access the Park City Mountain Resort ski area via the Town Lift, the main base area is actually about half a mile north, at the Resort Center. This is where the main resort parking lot is, and from here, lifts can get you to various points on the mountain.

Four six-passenger high-speed lifts, two high-speed quads, six triple chairs, and four double chairs carry up to 28,400 skiers per hour high onto the eastern slope of the Wasatch Range. More than 100 trails range in length from 0.25 to 3.5 miles (16 percent easier, 45 percent more difficult, and 39 percent most difficult). Four terrain parks and a super-pipe are part of Park City’s successful effort to attract snowboarders.

Experienced skiers and boarders can enjoy the powder in five open bowls near the top of the mountain—a total of 650 acres. The total drop is 3,100 feet in elevation from the top of Jupiter Bowl to the Resort Center.

Blue runs dominate the lower and mid-mountain. Intermediate skiers and boarders will appreciate the hillside full of blue cruisers off the King Con high-speed quad; even beginners can get a nice long run from the mid-mountain (it’s easy to get to by riding first the Town Lift, then Bonanza) by following the Home Run trail back to the Town Lift base.

The Jupiter and McConkey’s lifts ferry expert skiers and boarders to a series of steeper bowls. Actually, the lifts get you to only a couple of areas near the bowls; after debarking the lifts, many people hike along the ridges to find just the right run down.

For skiers and boarders who like a structured approach, the Park City Mountain Resort website has a pretty slick planning feature (www.parkcitymountain.com/winter/pmt) that will help you select the best runs for your ability and energy level.

Mountain hosts are posted around this sprawling resort, helping visitors find their way back to the Town Lift base or over to the challenging Jupiter Bowl area. In addition to the Mountain History tours, the resort offers special two-hour ski or snowboard tours for teenagers. Teens can join up with “Ride Guides” Fridays at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the top of the Bonanza lift.

Park City ski area and the adjacent resort village offer night skiing, a ski school, rentals, ski shops, ice-skating, and restaurants (three are on the slopes).

Skiing at Park City Mountain Resort is one of several outdoor activities that people with disabilities can learn with the help of the National Ability Center (435/649-3991 voice or TDD, www.discovernac.org), located on the edge of town. The center provides special equipment and instruction at affordable rates, offers programs to people of all ages, and is open for summer programs as well.