Utah resorts offering hiking, biking and more

What does a ski resort do when the snow melts, the flowers bloom and attire turns from parkas and ski pants to shorts and T-shirts?

Change hats . . . go from a winter resort to a summer retreat.

Following is a list of 10 things to do when the snow melts.

Alpine slide. There are three here in Utah — Snowbird, Park City Mountain Resort and Utah Olympic Park. Each is different; each has its own personality. On this ride it is the driver who is in the driver's seat. Meaning, of course, the driver can go as fast or as controlled as he or she chooses.

The slide at Snowbird was built on the resort's ski instructional slope, which is located between the main tram building and the Cliff Lodge and is easily accessible from the resort.

It is 1,300 feet long, includes nine turns and involves the use of a sit-on-top sled with wheels and a handle in the center that controls the speed.

The slide at Park City starts about midmountain and winds and drops across meadows and through patches of aspens to the base area. At 2,300 feet, it is considered one of the longest slides in the world.

The slide at the Olympic Park is very different from its two cousins. Park management hired a company from Germany to design the 3,116-foot-long slide. The two big differences are the track is stainless steel and the sleds are larger and heavier.

Zipline. Here, again, the three with slides also offer ziplines — Snowbird, Park City Mountain Resort and the Utah Olympic Park.

Riders are strapped into a harness, connected to a sliding rigging and hooked onto a cable. The next thing they see is the gate swinging open and the ground suddenly fall away as they slide down the cable at speeds ranging from 30 to 60 mph.

The ZipRider at Snowbird is a 1,000-foot-long, twin-cable ride that runs over the slide.

Park City Mountain Resort was the first to offer the thrill ride. Its ZipRider opened with two cables but was then expanded to four.

The Olympic Park has two different rides — the Ultra and the Xtreme Ziplines. The Xtreme Zip, considered the world's steepest zipline, runs from atop the K120 ski jump hill to the base. The ride reaches a maximum speed of 55 miles per hour with a 435-foot vertical drop at a 33 percent grade. The Ultra has a gentler slope.

Hiking. It is possible to hike the slopes at all 13 of Utah's ski resorts.