Taking the Kids: How to chase your own Olympic gold

Speed or figure skating. Alpine or Nordic skiing. Ice hockey, snowboarding, bobsled or luge. What’s your favorite sport as the Winter Olympics get under way in Beijing?

I’m not talking about your favorite sport to watch. I’m talking about where you can take the kids and try an Olympic sport at Olympic venues in the United States, perhaps even getting the chance to meet former Olympians.

Take, Utah, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Winter games. Park City played an outsized role, hosting nearly half of the competitions. Park City Mountain, the largest single ski and snowboard resort in the United States, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park hosted major competitions in 2002.

Meanwhile, historic Main Street, with its restaurants and bars, was where everyone went to celebrate. Chat up a local about their experience then. The largest crowds ever for an Olympic Winter Games (a record that still holds today) filled the venues. The U.S. team won 34 medals. Today, some 50 Olympians train in Park City throughout the year.

Try the champion mogul course at Deer Valley or the Olympic Half Pipe at Park City Mountain – if you dare. Those 16 and older can ride the bobsled on the Olympic track at Utah Olympic Park ($195). Take a guided tour to the top of the world’s highest Nordic ski jumps or visit the Olympic museum.

You can Ski with an Olympic Athlete at Deer Valley Resort (kids must be at least seven and you can have up to six in your group, splitting the $1,400 half-day cost). It’s the 70th anniversary of Stein Eriksen winning gold and silver in the Oslo Olympics.

“I remember each family I’ve skied with. I feel honored they allowed me to be a part of their vacation,” said Shannon Bahrke, an Olympic freestyle skier and medalist in the 2002 and 2019 Winter Olympics, who has also co-founded Silver Bean Coffee. She added the best part is seeing their skills progress beyond what they thought possible. “Skiing is such a magical sport and bringing that joy and feeling of conquering fears is what I live for,” she said.

At Deer Valley’s luxe Stein Eriksen Lodge, each child will get a gold medal during the Olympics. Guests can pose on a special podium to take a photo with a cardboard cutout of Eriksen, who served for decades as Deer Valley’s director of skiing. (Certain packages include a $300 Delta e-gift card after your stay.)

Cross-country ski or tube at Soldier Hollow in Wasatch Mountain State Park, about a 25-minute drive from Park City. It was built specifically for the 2002 Olympic cross-country events. Skate on “the fastest ice on earth,” or learn to curl Friday nights on the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, less than an hour’s drive from Park City.

Even those snow destinations not directly related to winter Olympics are joining the fun. The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail boasts the largest screen in Vail, Colorado, at the Remedy Bar. Watch events there with special cocktails and eats. Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado, is hosting an Olympic Passport to Fun program to celebrate the upcoming winter Olympic season. Winter Olympian and silver medalist Todd Lodwick now heads up The Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center.

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