|
|
|
Sport
Salt Lake City’s climate and location make it a perfect base for outdoor recreation. Activities include hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding in the canyons, rafting on the nearby rivers and, of course, skiing at the famous ski resorts nearby. Salt Lake is considered one of North America’s finest ski destinations and hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 2002.
Wasatch Touring (tel: (801) 359 9361; website: www.wasatchtouring.com) is a speciality outdoor retail and rental store that rents kayaks, cross-country ski gear and other equipment. Utah Ski and Golf, 134 West 600 South (tel: (801) 355 9088; website: www.utahskigolf.com), also hires out bike, golf and ski equipment.
Utah has five professional sports teams based in the city, which offer all year-round entertainment. Visitors should contact the individual sports organisations for seasons, schedules and ticket information. The baseball team is the Salt Lake Stingers (tel: (801) 485 3800; website: www.stingersbaseball.com), who play at Franklin Covey Field, 77 West 1300 South, from April to mid-September. The men’s basketball team, Utah Jazz (tel: (801) 325 2500; website: www.nba.com/jazz), plays from October to May, while the women’s basket team, Utah Starzz (tel: (801) 325 7827; website: www.utahstarzz.com) holds court from May to August. Both teams play at the Delta Center, 301 West South Temple (tel: (801) 325 2000; website: www.deltacenter.com). The Utah Grizzlies hockey team (tel: (801) 988 8000; website: www.utahgrizz.com) plays from October to April at the E Center, 3200 South Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City (tel: (801) 988 8888; website: www.theecenter.com). The Utah Blitzz (tel: (801) 401 8000; website: www.utahblitzz.com) currently play at Rice-Eccles Stadium, 451 South 1400 East, from April to September, while a new soccer stadium is being built for this United Soccer League team.
Fishing and hunting: Four Seasons Flyfisher’s (tel: (435) 657 2010; website: www.utahflyfish.com) offers fully outfitted, full- and half-day fly-fishing trips on local rivers, for beginners and experienced fishers alike. Smoketree Troutfitters (tel: (801) 261 4479; website: www.smoketreetroutfitter.com) offers similar trips, while Red Elk Outfitters (tel: (801) 763 9036; website: www.redelk.com) has customised fishing, hunting and wildlife tours.
Fitness centres: Metro Sports Club, ZCMI Center, Suite 109, 36 South State Street (tel: (801) 364 8803), has a gym, fitness classes, pool, sauna and steam room. The Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center, next to the Utah Olympic Oval, 5662 South 4800 West, is open to visitors, offering a gymnasium, fitness room, swimming, tennis, aerobics and other activities.
Golf: Salt Lake City Golf (tel: (801) 485 7730; website: www.slcgov.com/publicservices/golf) operates eight golf courses in the area. South Mountain Golf Club, 1247 East Rambling Road, Draper (tel: (801) 495 0500), is a championship links-style course, which is open to the public. Stonebridge Golf Club, 2400 South Bangerter Highway, West Valley City (tel: (801) 908 7888; website: www.golfstonebridgeutah.com), is a Johnny Miller signature design course with a Scottish links layout. The city’s newest course is Thanksgiving Point, 3003 North Thanksgiving Way (tel: (801) 768 7401; website: www.thanksgivingpoint.com/golf), designed by Arnold Palmer. Fees for 18 holes range from US$22 for city courses to US$78 for peak times at private courses.
Resorts: Among the nearby resorts offering both skiing and winter sports and summer recreation are Park City Mountain Resort (tel: (435) 649 8111; website: www.parkcitymountain.com), Solitude Mountain Resort (tel: (801) 534 1400; website: www.skisolitude.com) and Snowbird (tel: (801) 742 2222; website: www.snowbird.com).
River and outdoor trips: Several outfitters offer river-rafting trips between May and September. Dinosaur River Expeditions, Park City (tel: (435) 649 8092 or (800) 345 7238; website: www.dinoadv.com), has one- to five-day river trips in the area. High Country Rafting (tel: (801) 224 2500; website: www.highcountryrafting.com) offers two-hour raft trips down the Provo River. Hatch River Expeditions (tel: (435) 789 4316; website: www.hatchriver.com) leads whitewater rafting trips throughout the state, while Park City Rafting (tel: (435) 655 3800; website: www.parkcityrafting.net) offers mild whitewater trips. Holiday Expeditions (tel: (800) 624 6323; website: www.bikeraft.com) offers rafting, mountain biking and ranch trips.
Tennis: There are many parks with tennis courts available free of charge, located throughout the city, such as Lindsey Gardens, 600 East 1000 South, Rosewood, 1200 West 1300 North, and Warm Springs, 900 North Beck Street. The Utah Tennis Association (tel: (801) 268 0505; e-mail: info@utahtennis.com) can provide further information.
|
|
Sport