The superpipe is back at Park City Mountain resort. It’s like a halfpipe, only the walls are twice as high at 22 feet, and it’s 700 feet long.

Part of what makes the superpipe unique is that Park City Mountain has carved it into the dirt already on the mountain. Most other halfpipes are built up from the ground and made entirely of snow. 

Jake Kiejko is the snow surfaces manager at Park City Mountain. He’s also been the project manager for the development of the superpipe.

The project started, he said, when Park City Mountain signed a contract with The Snow League to host its second season World Championship event.

Kiejko said they were given an “ambitious” early-season date to have the pipe ready before the competition.

“That got us in snow services going, ‘Well, maybe we should be doing some dirt work to alleviate some of the water needed and some of the time needed,’” Keijko said.

“Dirt work,” Keijko said, “is excavating the existing dirt on the mountain to better suit our needs for final winter builds.”

The pipe was designed by Pipe Cutter and Terrain Park Specialist Eric Rosenwald. He created a modeling program and wrote his own code using a LiDAR scan, a 3D representation of the area from a laser imaging machine, to design the pipe. 

Rosenwald also operated the machine that cut the pipe into the dirt once the modeling was ready.

Traditional halfpipes are made by plowing and carving snow into the right shape. Because of the early season deadline from The Snow League, and the nature of Utah’s snow, Keijko explained that this would require a lot of water for snowmaking. 

But because this superpipe has a dirt foundation, it will only need to be filled in with snow. Based on snowmaking for previous superpipes, Park City Mountain estimates this design will cut water usage by half. 

Park City Mountain Senior Communications Manager John Kanaly said this will allow them to distribute snowmaking resources across the rest of the mountain. 

“We’re bringing the superpipe back,” Kanaly said. “It has been here in the past, but this is a way of bringing it back and making it much more of a permanent feature that we’ll be able to bring back year after year.”

The Snow League may have been the catalyst, Kanaly said, but the superpipe isn’t just for that competition.

Kiejko explained that halfpipe riding has become less popular in recent years. Part of that is because of how expensive traditional halfpipes are to build and maintain. The size of the average halfpipe makes it a hard sport to learn, too. 

“Here at Park City Mountain we want to be at the leading edge of halfpipe and transition riding in general,” Kiejko said.

They already have “Pipetopia,” home to the beginner friendly mini-pipe and several terrain parks, which Kiejko said help lower the barrier to entry for learning the sport. Building the superpipe in a sustainable way will help reduce the cost of maintaining a competition size pipe at the resort in the long term, too. 

The superpipe will be open to the public as soon as it’s completed, and Kiejko and Kanaly said they hope it will be a place for local athletes to train just as much as a stage for elite competitions.

“A main goal is to not let halfpipe riding fade away and to lean into it and try to keep that discipline in the sport alive,” Kiejko said.

The post ‘Superpipe’ back at Park City Mountain bigger than ever appeared first on Park Record.

The Utah Avalanche Center’s 33rd annual Backcountry Benefit is just around the corner. Ticket prices for the fundraising event will start increasing Aug. 1 until the event on Sept. 10.

The first Backcountry Benefit was held in 1993 after the death of skier Roman Latta. A few months after Latta, a young Black Diamond employee, was killed in an avalanche there was a funding cut to the Utah Avalanche Center. Black Diamond Equipment had recently moved their headquarters to Salt Lake City and they quickly worked to support fundraising efforts.

In the three decades since then, Black Diamond has continued to sponsor the annual Backcountry Benefit as it’s evolved into a large source of funding for the Utah Avalanche Center. The benefit has become known throughout the community as a way to come together and celebrate the start of the season, while supporting the center and its lifesaving work. 

This year, the Utah Avalanche Center wants to bring the focus of the Backcountry Benefit back to the original “why.”

The unusual 2025-26 winter season brought extreme avalanche danger. Four fatalities occurred in one week. The Utah Avalanche Center is working hard going into this season to raise awareness for safety measures. Part of that, organizers say, is strengthening the winter sport community.

Laurel Vincent, communications lead for the Utah Avalanche Center, said the 2026 Backcountry Benefit will still be a party, but with an added emphasis on building up life-saving community bonds. Something as simple as knowing where your party is on the mountain can save someone’s life, she said.

“[The Backcountry Benefit] is a homegrown effort,” Vincent said. “It’s community built and driven.” 

As always, the community can connect with nonprofits, industry representatives and education initiatives, but this year the benefit is promised to be “sport-agnostic.” The backcountry is just as dangerous whether you’re on skis or a snowmobile, so the center wants to emphasize that this event and this community isn’t just for skiers and snowboarders.

The money raised through the Backcountry Benefit keeps every part of the Utah Avalanche Center running. Forecasters employed by the U.S. Forest Service and the essential staff that keep the nonprofit on track are all supported by the benefit. The website and hotline used to share the forecasts and awareness initiatives wouldn’t be possible without community donations, either. 

In addition to supporting the Utah Avalanche Center, this year’s Backcountry Benefit will also support the National Ability Center. Attendees can bring used gear to the event which will be collected and donated to the National Ability Center. Tickets for the Backcountry Benefit can be purchased through the Utah Avalanche Center’s website. For more information on Roman Latta’s story and the history of the Backcountry Benefit, visit here. 

The post Utah Avalanche Center to hold 33rd annual Backcountry Benefit in September appeared first on Park Record.

Park City Mountain resort hosted the 21st annual pond skimming event mid-mountain near the Red Pine Lodge on the Canyons side Saturday and Sunday, April 15th and 16th. The event spanned two days due to a tear in the pond’s tarp, causing the pond to drain. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

The post PHOTOS: 21st annual Pond Skimming appeared first on Park Record.

The Town Race Series slalomed on C.B.’s Run at Park City Moutnain Resort Monday afternoon, March 13, 2017. Locals were able to sign up and participate in the event. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

The post PHOTOS: Town Race Series appeared first on Park Record.

Skiers and snowboarders from at least three different states convened at Park City Mountain Resort to participate in the USASA Big Mountain West Series Championship halfpipe and slopestyle courses. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

The post PHOTOS: King of the Wasatch appeared first on Park Record.

Park City Mountain Resort, after postponing opening day from Nov. 18th to Nov. 26th, finally opened their slopes to locals and vacationers Saturday morning, Nov. 26, 2016. The PayDay Express and First Time lifts were up and running, with runs such as Home Run and Turtle Trail open to skiers and snowboarders. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

The post PHOTOS: Park City Mountain Resort’s Opening Day 2016 appeared first on Park Record.