Week 7 of series on Utah's signature ski runs.

Signature run — 94 Turns

One of the more interesting features of this run is how it got its name. A skier can start at the top of the run and make 94 wide giant slalom turns and be at the bottom. This is an expert run that is accessed off the Ninety Nine 90 Express, a high-speed quad, that runs to the top of the Ninety Nine 90 peak, the highest point at the resort at an elevation of 9,990 feet. The run starts at the right off the lift, then winds under the lift and down a tree-lined lane. Midmountain it connects to either Aspen Grove or Talus Garden. It is especially challenging because it starts off from the highest lift, at the highest point and offers a long run to the bottom.

No. 1 Run

Boa is a run that dates back to when the resort first opened and it was called Park West. It is an intermediate run that is accessed off the Super Condor Express. It is broken into two parts — Upper and Lower Boa. It is a good cruising run that winds down a valley and is one of the longer runs at the resort.

Top 10

1. Boa; 2. Cloud 9, an intermediate run accessed off Tombstone Express that runs along a tree-lined ridge; 3. The Pines is an expert run accessed off Saddleback Express that is, as the name implies, a run cut down through the pine trees; 4. Charlie Brown is a double black run that takes off the Ninety Nine 90 Express and heads down a steep face, eventually linking with Red Pine Chutes; 5. Canis Lupus is an expert run that is a natural halfpipe with banked walls and whoop-de-doos around every turn, accessed off Super Condor Express and takes off from Upper Boa; 6. Chimera is an expert run that is a narrow shot under the chair and is accessed off the Dreamscape lift; 7. Aplande is an intermediate run that is long and challenging and is accessed off the Super Condor Express; 8. Super Fury is an expert run accessed off the Short Cut and Golden Eagle lifts and runs down to the base of the Sun Peak Express; 9. Silverado is a long, mellow run that is also accessed off Short Cut and Golden Eagle lifts and is rated expert; 10. Massacre is a steep run made for expert skiers and is accessed off the Sun Peak lift.

History

The resort, then called Park City West, opened in 1968, five years after Park City Mountain Resort, with three double-chair and four rope tows and an uphill capacity of 3,300 skiers per hour. The name change to ParkWest came with the sale of the resort in 1975. Four years later, the resort opened the doors to the ski industry by being the first to allow telemark skiers on its slopes. In 1995, the resort was sold and once again the name was changed — to Wolf Mountain. This was also the year that the resort became the first in Park City to allow snowboarders.

The real growth came in 1997, when the American Skiing Company purchased the resort and changed the name, again, to The Canyons, and began the first stages of a $500 million expansion program. It was always known that some of the best skiing could be found on the upper mountain slopes, and that's the direction the new owner headed.

The resort opened under new ownership in December 1997, after a busy six months, which included building a new lodge, Red Pine, a gondola and several high-speed quad lifts.