SOLDIER HOLLOW — The future has marched straight into the present for the Olympic legacy that Soldier Hollow always hoped to leave.
Construction is on schedule for a Dec. 15 completion date of a rugged trestlewood day lodge, intent on capturing the romantic Old West flavor, the unconquerable spirit of pioneers settling the Wasatch Front, the participation of local recreationists and the discretionary spending power of well-heeled destination skiers.
One day after reaching the completion deadline, Dec. 16, the lodge and 27 kilometers of trails will be open to the public. They can traverse the same tracks where Olympic athletes will race for cross-country and biathlon medals in the 2002 Games.
Most exciting to Howard Peterson, executive director of the Soldier Hollow Legacy Foundation, is realizing a vision of reaching out to local kids and giving them a chance to become interested in an Olympic sport.
"Our dream of bringing in kids at two bucks a head for trail access, training sessions and equipment will come true," said Peterson, leading a tour of the lodge like a beaming father showing films of his first baby's first steps.
"That's one of the primary things making this whole Olympic effort worthwhile, creating this kind of legacy for the kids. By the middle of December, it won't be a promise, it'll be a fact."
"It's been an enjoyable battle watching this all come together," said Courtland Nelson, executive director of the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. "Right now, I think, is our first time to pull our heads up, look forward and back at the same time and really realize how far we've come."
What Soldier Hollow comes to Dec. 16 is a "soft opening." The lodge and trails will receive guests. But the main shindig will be Jan. 5 with an official building dedication, various bigwigs swapping speeches and photo ops. Then a Community Day will be held Jan. 6, the same day cross-country/biathlon competition begins at Soldier Hollow for the Utah Winter Games.
Meantime, no need letting a great new building sit around. The first group to use the facility will be 200 students from Rocky Mountain Middle School in Heber, who'll split visits over Dec. 22 and 23.
What they'll see is a structure reflecting a lot of thought and heritage.
"Most of the materials pay tribute to the surrounding area," Peterson said.
Prominent among them are enormous trestlewood trusses comprising load-bearing structures. The wood was garnered from pylons submerged around 1902 in the Great Salt Lake to support the Lucine Cutoff trestle.
The wood gained remarkable properties from decades soaking in the lake's salts and minerals.
"It cured the wood, making it almost as strong as steel. You know it's that heavy when you try lifting these beams," Peterson said.
Trestlewood also is being used in the board-and-batten siding and ceiling finish wood, offering a form of fireproofing. Another property of trestlewood: It's flame-retardant.
"In fact, this stuff won't burn. It'll just turn black," said Robert Franson, construction and operation specialist for the Division of Parks and Recreation.
Rock for the 32-foot high fireplace dominating one end of the great room comes from the Brown's Quarry near Peoa.
"They call this stuff sunrise sandstone," Franson said.
Fitting, since an entire wall of trapezoid windows surround the fireplace, facing east to catch morning light.
Both a 16-by-16-foot area around the fireplace and the entranceway are natural stone slate. The rest of the 5,300-square-foot first level is carpeted, with the great room offering seating for 112 patrons to sip hot drinks or work out the kinks from a day on the trails.
The opposite end of the first level is rental-retail and large, handy bathrooms with easy-access, airport-style entries immediately upon entering the front door.
"Most resort lodges you have to walk downstairs to rest rooms. We don't want to make you go through the trouble," Peterson said.
The 5,500-square-foot lower level includes two lavatories, toilets and showers. These facilities offer a businessman the chance to stop off for some serious schussing, clean up and head for the office.
"We're trying to make this as conducive to as many types of people as we can," Peterson said.
That's why there's also a family room where an adult can hang with a toddler too young to take to the tracks.
A 1,900-square-foot deck and poured patio underneath afford additional seating for relaxation or a bite.
Food services will be one limited aspect of the lodge's first winter. It will offer hot and cold drinks, muffins and sandwiches. But the full kitchen offering soups, pastas and vegetarian fare won't be up and running until the second season.
While Soldier Hollow tested its competitive side last winter during national and international events, one addition this year is a 4-kilometer beginner-friendly loop.
"It's something we learned looking at other resorts — Canmore, for instance, in Calgary, had only tough competition terrain from the '88 Olympics and it hurt business," Peterson said.
A former U.S. cross-country team coach, Peterson led a task force scoping 25 resorts from New Hampshire to California, as well as the likes of Innsbruck, Austria, site of the 1976 Olympics.
"We stole the best ideas from everyone. Everywhere we went, people were happy to help. Their feeling is, the more they help us, the more they build the sport, which helps everyone," Peterson said.
Eventually, Soldier Hollow will include a new 36-hole golf course; group camping facilities accommodating approximately 200 persons, and 25 additional kilometers of cross-country trails.
"These 25K will be for your average yahoo like me. We want everyone to have a chance to enjoy this place," Nelson said.
E-mail: gtwyman@desnews.com