The White Pine Touring company recently signed a new contract with Park City Municipal for winter access to the city’s golf course and other properties through the spring of 2025.
The contract grants White Pine Touring access to city land in order to provide 25 kilometers of cross-country skiing trails and snowshoe opportunities to locals and visitors.
The contract was officially signed by White Pine and Park City Municipal in August and runs from November 15th 2020 to April 1st 2025, with an option of a five-year extension through 2030.
White Pine takes over the space occupied in the summers by the pro shop at the Park City Golf Course on Thaynes Canyon Drive and has had a relationship with Park City to provide winter trail access at the golf course since 1981.
Park City Trails and Open Space Coordinator Logan Jones says the city’s partnership with White Pine is a huge benefit for the community.
“It’s a huge asset to the whole community because they're typically the first place to have snow and the last place to have snow that offers cross-country skiing,” Jones said. “Given the location of the golf course, it just works so well to hold snow being up near the base of Iron Mountain and the resort there. It gets a lot more shade and it lasts a lot longer than the snow out in Round Valley.”
Jones said White Pine has always been a strong supporter of youth sports groups in the area and has offered discounts to local ski teams as incentives to get them on the trails. This season, locals who live within the Park City School District boundaries will also enjoy a discount to their track passes to the tune of 31-44% depending on their choice of pass.
Jones added that with the influx of new arrivals to town in 2020, he would not be surprised to see White Pine and other winter sport organizations busier than ever as people look for opportunities to socially distance in the outdoors.
“I foresee a lot of them being really busy this winter helping out all these newcomers to town that moved here this summer,” he said. “We saw all of the bike shops out of mountain bikes this summer and I foresee the same thing potentially happening with cross-country skis this winter.”
Another new addition to White Pine’s offerings this year is extended trails into the recently purchased Armstrong Ranch Open Space at the foot of Iron Mountain. Jones says this adds another several kilometers of trail accessible from the golf course.
“We weren’t able to get it as long as we were hoping,” said Jones. “Our goal was to try to get it around three [kilometers]. We tried to make kind of some options so you could easily do some loops up in the hillside there so it kind of really makes it worth your while crossing the street and going over there.”
In addition to trails at the golf course and the Armstrong Open Space, White Pine will also have 14 kilometers of cross-country skiing trails at the McPolin Farm and surrounding open spaces along State Route 224. All trails are for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing only. Fat bikes are not allowed.
For more information on White Pine Touring’s winter offerings or to purchase your winter track pass, click here.
