A History of Sports in Salt Lake City

A History of Sports in Salt Lake City


Skiing in Salt Lake City's mountains started in the early 1900's when hardy miners from the Scandinavia countries used their skies to get around the camps in winter. Using a single tall pole like an oar, they strapped on their eleven-foot-long wooden skis and rowed themselves through the snow.

Thirty years later Alf Engen, a raw-boned ski jumper from Norway, ventured into the mountains, gazed at the snow-shrouded granite cliffs, and exclaimed, "What a place!" Within two years the transformation from mining the mountains to skiing the mountains took place and the winter sports evolution of Salt Lake City was under way.
From "Salt Lake City's Winter Sports Evolution", Olympian, March/April 1995 by Lee Benson

The Salt Lake City region has a long history of hosting major sporting events:


Major Sporting Events Hosted in Salt Lake City

1995
  • National Alpine and Freestyle Championships
  • Para-ski National Championships
  • Eco-challenge Team Races, International Invitational
    		•  1994
  • World Cup Alpine Ski Competition, Slalom/Giant Slalom
  • United States Freestyle Ski Championships
  • World Figure Skating Championship Tour
  • Utah Winter Games
  • National Fencing Championships
  • National Collegiate Basketball Playoff Games
  • National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships
  • Utah Winter Special Olympics, International Invitational
  • National Basketball Association Playoff Games
    • 1993
  • International Professional Tour Alpine Ski Competition
  • Papa-Ski National Championship, International Invitational
  • Utah Winter Special Olympics, International Invitational
  • National Basketball Association All-Star Game
  • North American Champion Series
  • National Collegiate
  • Basketball Association Playoff Games
  • Utah Winter Games
  • USA Junior Freestyle Championship Series
  • World University Games, Gymnastics Trials
  • United States Gymnastic Championship
  • Utah Special Olympics International Invitational
    		•  1992
  • World Ski Alpine Competition, Women's Slalom/Giant Slalom
  • North American Championship Series, Freestyle
  • Prestone Cross-country Sprint Race
  • USA Junior Freestyle Championship
  • Utah Winter Special Olympics, International Invitation
    • 1991
  • International Professional Tour Alpine Ski Competition
  • Grundig World Cup Mountain Bike Race
  • Utah Winter Games
  • Utah Winter Special Olympics, International Invitational
  • Women's International Bowling Congress
    		•  1990
  • World Cup Alpine Ski Competition, Women's Slalom/Giant Slalom
  • Cross-country World Cup Competition
  • International Boxing Competition
  • International Gymnastics Competition
  • USA National Figure Skating Championship
  • FIS Continental Cup Race, NOR-AM, Downhill
  • Luge Challenge Clinic


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