Utah is a major international center for alpine skiing, with 15 resorts across the state. The 2002 Olympic Winter Games were the inspiration for a young local racer, Ted Ligety, who went on to win two Olympic gold medals. Each of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic venues – Snowbasin Resort, Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort – remain active today. With strong racing programs at regional clubs, academies and the University of Utah, the region attracts athletes from around the world for training. Utah is also the home of Olympic Champion Lindsey Vonn and Paralympic Champion Chris Waddell.

Biathlon is a growing sport in America, with the Olympic and Paralympic venue of Soldier Hollow a major development and competition site. The 30-point range is a regular training center for the national team, and a frequent stop on the IBU Biathlon World Cup tour. The venue was the site of the 2022 IBU Youth and Junior World Championships, and will hold a Para World Cup in 2023 along with an IBU Biathlon World Cup in 2024. Youth initiatives that grew out of the 2002 Olympics continue to flourish with young athletes discovering the sport through programs at Soldier Hollow.

The Utah Olympic Park bobsleigh track remains a global showcase venue and the site of World Cup competitions today. It is a regular training center for national and international athletes. The local track was the inspiration for Utah native Steve Holcomb, who grew up sliding there and went on to win Olympic gold and two silver medals. Since the track opened in 1997, Team USA has seen a resurgence in bobsleigh, winning 13 medals. Presently the sport is contested as four-man, two-man, two-woman and women’s monobob, with the possibility of future Paralympic inclusion.

The cross-country site at Soldier Hollow was one of the most popular in 2002. Today, Soldier Hollow remains a valuable national and international venue, a frequent site of national team training camps and U.S. Championships. In 2017, Soldier Hollow played host to the FIS Junior World Championships. In 2022, it served as the finale for the national collegiate ski championships where the University of Utah won its 15th title. Soldier Hollow will also hold a Para Cross Country World Cup in 2023. The venue is located near Midway, and is a part of Utah’s Wasatch State Park.

Known as the Ice Sheet at Ogden for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the Weber County Sports Complex in Ogden will be the epicenter of curling. Located just 45 minutes north of Salt Lake City, the venue is located in the heart of the Olympic city of Ogden, a short drive from the alpine skiing venue at Snowbasin. With the gold medal success of Team USA in 2018, curling has gained popularity with a host of youth and adult curling programs around the state. Learn to Curl programs are offered through the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, providing an opportunity for youth and adults.

Figure skating has long been a popular winter sport in Utah, with clubs on ice rinks around the state. Hometown hero Nathan Chen, who grew up in Salt Lake City, won an Olympic gold medal in 2022 and has helped to ignite a greater wave of popularity for the sport in Utah communities. Much as it was at the 2002 Games, figure skating will be showcased in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City at Vivint Arena. The professional arena is the home to the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the region’s most popular sports and entertainment venues. 

Utah was a vital region in the formation of freestyle skiing and remains a global hotbed. The FIS Freestyle World Cup at Deer Valley Resort in Park City is a favorite for athletes and fans. Utah played host to the FIS Freestyle World Championships three times, most recently in 2019 together with the Snowboard World Championships. Deer Valley’s annual World Cup attracts thousands of fans, with nearby Park City Mountain another prominent venue in the sport. Olympic champions Joss Christensen and Alex Hall, along with moguls gold and bronze medalist Hannah Kearney, call Park City home.

Ice hockey is one of the most popular events in the Olympic Winter Games, as is sledge hockey in the Paralympic Winter Games. Ice hockey is a favorite event for Team USA fans. At the 2002 Winter Games, ice hockey and sledge hockey were contested at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, which continues to serve as the home of the Utah Grizzlies, a professional ice hockey team in the national ECHL. The popular multi-purpose arena is a community-owned center for sport, arts and entertainment and located just a short distance from the central core of Salt Lake City.

Long track speed skating features distances from 500 to 10,000 meters on a 400-meter track. Known as the fastest ice on earth, the Olympic Oval in Kearns has become one of the most notable in the world. Utah has a rich heritage, ignited through a trio of 2002 Olympic gold medalists Chris Witty, Casey FitzRandolph and Derek Parra. Today the Olympic Oval is the base for gold medalist Erin Jackson and world record holder Brittany Bowe, as well as homegrown medalist Casey Dawson. It’s a regular stop on the ISU World Cup tour, as well as the headquarters of US Speedskating.

The sliding track at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City has helped build a strong legacy for the sport of luge in Utah and across America. Today, the 17-turn Utah Olympic Park track, which opened in 1997, attracts athletes from around the world for the FIL World Cup and other competitions. The track serves as a catalyst in bolstering youth programs in Utah along with a thriving local luge club with strong passion for the sport, developing local athletes who now compete for Team USA. Utah is also the home of Olympic luge medalist Chris Mazdzer. 

Utah provides a solid footprint for the unique Winter Olympic event of nordic combined, which matches cross-country skiing with ski jumping. With world-class Olympic venues at both Soldier Hollow (cross-country) and the Utah Olympic Park (ski jumping), Utah has long been the training base for the U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team, which won four Olympic medals in 2010. The region is also a regular stop on the FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup tour and was the site of the 2017 FIS Junior World Championships. Park City is also the home of Olympic champion Billy Demong.

The discipline of skeleton saw its Olympic rebirth on the Utah Olympic Park sliding track at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Newfound fans were bolstered by three Team USA medals, including two gold. One of those athletes who was inspired was Utah’s own Noelle-Pikus Pace, who went on to win world championship gold and an Olympic medal at Sochi in 2014. The 1.335 km Utah Olympic Park track features 15 turns with an excellent layout for spectators. It has continued to play host to IBSF World Cup skeleton events, as well as providing training and introductory programs for youth.

Set amidst gorgeous Utah redrock, the ski jumps at the Utah Olympic Park continue to serve as an important training and competition venue, regularly playing host to international competitions. The HS100 normal hill and HS134 large hill, were among the first venues to open – nearly a decade before the 2002 Winter Games. Today they are part of the largest ski jumping complex in America, with smaller jumps for very vibrant youth and development programs. Park City is also the hometown of world champions Sarah Hendrickson and Lindsey Van, who grew up inspired by the 2002 Winter Games.

Short track speed skating features races from 500 to 5,000 meters held on an 111-meter track. The event was just 10 years old at the time of the 2002 Olympics when Vivint Arena in downtown Salt Lake City came alive on the skate blades of Team USA’s Apolo Ohno. He won gold and silver medals in 2002 and went on to win Olympic gold in 2006 and 2010 before concluding his career with eight Olympic medals. Utah is the home base for the US Speedskating Team and a frequent stop on the ISU World Cup tour at the Olympic Oval. Youth programs provide an opportunity for the next generation.

Snowboard was one of the most exhilarating events from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, igniting a generation of excitement for the sport in Utah and across America. The 2002 Olympic venue of Park City Mountain has continued its legacy in snowboarding, playing host to regular FIS World Cup events and FIS Snowboard World Championships, including the showcasing of new Olympic events of slopestyle and big air. In 2014, Park City native Sage Kotsenburg took gold in the Olympic debut of slopestyle. With its expansion of events since 2002, snowboarding will likely be contested over multiple venues.