Sundance isn’t Utah’s biggest alpine resort, nor the flashiest, not by a longshot. It has no high-speed lifts or terrain parks or even a halfpipe. Sundance is an unresort, and that’s why it shines.

The arts-and-recreational community created by actor/director Robert Redford and designed to minimize impact on the environment, is perhaps the original eco-resort. The Provo River flows through the heart of it, and the village is difficult to discern in the woods beneath 12,000-foot Mt. Tipanogos, the tallest peak in the Wasatch Range. Lifts are powered by the wind; recycling is practiced with vigor; newer buildings are green; soaps, table accents and glassware are made on the premises.

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Five miles up a winding, narrow canyon, 6,000-acre Sundance seems elusive and exclusive, yet it’s neither. By day, it’s popular with Provo-area families and students, but when the locals leave, the resort is a hideaway for those with means. It’s intimate, cozy, peaceful, quiet and easy on the senses. Rough-hewn buildings, connected by meandering paths through the woods, blend with their surroundings; the comforting scent of woodsmoke permeates the air; background noise is limited to the gurgling river, the murmuring breeze and the occasional calling bird. It’s a sigh-producing, soul-soothing experience that’s ideal for those who pine for gentler times.

The terrain isn’t as vast as that at other Utah resorts, but within

the boundaries is a bit of everything for every level skier or rider. The pace is as slow as the three chairs, and because traffic is light, powder stashes stay stashed for days after a storm. Most visitors can easily entertain themselves for two or three days and up to a week, especially if combined with a daytrip or two to one of the Park City resorts, just 45 minutes away. Or make Sundance a mid-vacation escape from one of Utah’s bigger resorts: Ticket prices and the lack of crowds make it worth the effort.

Sundance has the usuals: a base lodge, a few restaurants, a grocery-deli, a bar, the General Store (which inspired the Sundance Catalog), suitably rustic cottages, a fitness center (in a yurt!) and an intimate spa. Setting it apart are the unusuals: a Nature Center, with guided naturalist hikes; a gallery, with rotating shows; a screening room, where, of course, Sundance Film Festival movies are shown; the Sundance Institute's summer film labs, an artistic think tank; and the Art Shack, where guests can take two-hour classes and create their own souvenirs.

And for the record: The resort isn’t named for the Redford and Newman classic, but for the way the sunlight dances off the craggy peaks.

Vacationers who want to taste the region's wide variety of skiing, riding and off-mountain activities may want to consider staying in nearby Salt Lake City.

Summit elevation: 8,250 feet
Vertical drop: 2,150 feet
Base elevation: 6,100 feet

Expert: +++
Advanced: ++++
Intermediate: ++++
Beginner: +++
First-timer: +++

Dining: +++
Apres-ski/nightlife: +
Other activities: +++

Address: R.R. 3, Box A-1, Sundance, UT 84604
Area code: 801
Ski area phone: 225-4107
Reservations: 800-892-1600
Information: 225-4100
E-mail:
reservations@sundance-utah.com
Internet: www.sundanceresort.com

Number of lifts: 4—1 fixed quad, 2 triples, 1 tow
Snowmaking: 25 percent
Skiable acreage: 450 acres
Uphill capacity: 1,500 per hour
Parks & pipes: none
Bed base: About 325 (resort); 17,366 (Salt Lake City)
Resort child care: No
Nearest lodging: Walking distance
Adult ticket, per day: $35-$45 (06/07)