PARK CITY, Utah – I blew my first opportunity to spend time in Park City. It was back in 2008 and I had traveled to the Wasatch with some friends to chase some snow storms. While the majority of the trip was a success, the evening before our planned day in Park City ended with me in the ER learning about my a.c. joint separation. I wish I could say that it resulted from getting sendy in the backcountry, but it may have had more to do with elevated levels of debauchery and a road sign collision. Fret not, no motor vehicles were involved. As it turned out, snowboard legend Travis Rice would be in Park City the next day filming for one of my all time favorite shred flicks, “Community”, and my friends were fortunate enough to see some of the action firsthand. I wasn’t, so there’s that.Fast forward a dozen or so years and with a slightly better grasp on adulthood I pulled into town for a trip to PC that I had no intention of blowing. The week looked brilliant, with perfect weather and far more miles of trail than I could ever possibly hope to see over the course of 5 days. Leading up to my trip I often caught myself glancing at Park City on Trailforks, and every time I found my eyes glazing over at the sheer volume of trail that surrounds the community. Utah presents all manner of recreational opportunities, and perhaps none more so than those involving two wheels.Driving through town I was struck by how beautifully manicured this place was. Murals covered the roads, buildings of all shapes and colors lined the streets, and very expensive bikes were draped across very expensive cars. It’s clearly a community that wears its love of the outdoors on its proverbial sleeve, and when you look at the mountains that surround this town on all sides, you realize how contagious that love can be.
