DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE – The U has made the list of Best Colleges for Winter Enthusiasts from U.S. News and World Report magazine.

The U is “aptly situated for snow enthusiasts,” according to the list, which states the college is near “some of the planet’s best slopes.”

“The editor I was dealing with was very impressed with how many world-class ski resorts were nestled so close to our campus,” said U spokesman Remi Barron. “I believe that fact played a big part in their decision to include the University of Utah.”

There are seven mountain resorts that provide world-class skiing located within minutes of the main Salt Lake City campus, said Rob Jones, co-manager of the Outdoor Recreation Program at the U.

“Many students probably choose this school because of the proximity to the mountains,” Jones said. “They know that they can get a world-class education and 20 minutes later, they could be skiing.”

The Outdoor Recreation Program sees a lot of students renting equipment, not just in the winter but all year round, Jones said.

“There are 31,000-plus students here at the U, and I know we see a lot of them,” he said. “We see upwards of 10,000 of them every year renting outdoor equipment to enjoy everything Utah has to offer. There are also a ton of folks here in the summertime that are going to school and still taking advantage of everything else, from mountain biking to white-water rafting to canoeing to just going camping in the mountains.”

The U also offers skiing and snowboarding classes and clubs that provide information about safety and recreational opportunities.

“I do know that the school’s two ski and snowboard clubs, Utah Freeskier Society and the One Love Ski and Snowboard Club each had a membership last year of over 1,000 each, and each year their respective memberships grow,” said U new media specialist Andy Thompson. “The clubs offer substantial discounts on season passes to most of the resorts in and around Salt Lake and Park City.”

For more information about the benefits for winter enthusiasts at the U, check out ski.utah.edu.

By Peter Worona p.worona@chronicle.utah.edu

Read the original story at the Daily Utah Chronicle