While the rest of my group went skiing, I ventured out to learn more about the Winter Olympics that were held here in 2002.

Utah Olympic Park was built ahead of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. During the 2002 Games, the Park hosted bobsleigh, skeleton, Luge, Nordic Ski Jumping, and Nordic Combined events. Today, the venue is an active Official U.S. Olympic Training Site providing a training center for Olympic and development level athletes.
Before learning about the Olympics, I thought it best to learn more about the sport of skiing. Located in the visitors' center are two museums, the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the George Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum. The Ski Museum contains more than 300 trophies, medals, uniforms, scrapbooks, skis, boots, photos, films and other collectibles that span some 70 years in the career of the Engen family. It also highlights Utah's rich ski history and the Wasatch Range, along with efforts made by the U.S. Forest Service to help develop Utah's ski resorts, and an exhibit on Utah's winter weather.[

Alf Engen was a Norwegian-American skier. He set several ski jumping world records during the 1930s and helped establish numerous ski areas in the western United States. Engen is best known for his ski school at Alta in Utah and as the pioneer of powder skiing. His collection was interesting and informative.

I really enjoyed the ski fashions through the years exhibit. It was fun to listen to the other museum goers proclaim, "Oh man, I had those boots!"

The 2002 Winter Olympic Museum, includes athletic equipment used during the games, Olympic medals (and a display on how they were created), costumes and puppets used during the ceremonies, many of the officially licensed pins produced for the games, a photo op at an Olympic torch mounted in front of a large photo of the cauldron, along with video clips and other memorabilia.

After exploring on my own, I paid $10 to join a guided tour. I was so glad I did because our guide, Patrick, took us to watch the North America Cup Bobsled Races.




We were allowed to hang out in Turn 12 where the sleds go by at 80+ miles per hour. Exciting stuff.
I was very lucky to have caught these two images. You really can't blink or you miss them.

This is the view from the K120 Nordic Jump. During the summer, they run water down it for summer ski jump practicing. It was scary just looking down it. What an incredibly interesting and informative day! A must-do in Park City.