OGDEN — Steve Fisher loved his first visit to Snowbasin Ski Resort during last year's Dew Tour competition.
"It was just a really refreshing, new mountain," said the snowboarder who lives in Breckenridge, Colo. "I loved Ogden, the city, the half-pipe was great — everything went incredibly smooth, and there were tons of fans."
Which is why he's thrilled about the decision of Dew Tour officials to not only return to Snowbasin, but also to hold the season-ending event — the Toyota Championships — at the resort that welcomed the world's alpine skiers during the 2002 Olympics. The championships will be held from Feb. 10 to 13 at Snowbasin, which is just outside Ogden and straddles both Weber and Morgan counties.
"I am really, really excited," Fisher said. "It was definitely one of my favorite stops last year."
Officials from Alli Sports, Snowbasin and the Utah Sports Commission will announce the decision today.
"We're delighted to have it back," said Kent Lyons, general manager of Snowbasin. "We think it's good recognition for Snowbasin and the state and certainly northern Utah."
Officials were overwhelmed with positive feedback from both athletes and fans after last year's first-ever stop in Utah. Thousands flocked to the resort's mountainside to watch the new generation of snow sports. In addition to half-pipe, the Dew Tour features slope style snowboarding and skiing and big air competitions. The stop in Utah was the only one that included female competitors.
"We thought last year's event went really well," Lyons said. "This recognizes that (Snowbasin) is interested in the sports that appeal to the younger generation."
Not only will the Winter Dew Tour crown its champions on the hillsides of Snowbasin, but fans will get to see more tricks from the athletes they love.
The resort will build a 22-foot half-pipe this winter, as opposed to the 18-foot half-pipe that was used last year on the tour.
Jeff Robbins, CEO of the Utah Sports Commission, said they'd been working to bring the Winter Dew Tour championships to Utah as soon as everyone saw how successful the event was last winter at Snowbasin.
"You don't have to sell that we have the best snow," he said with a laugh. "We have good snowboarding and skiing here. That's a pretty easy sell."
But what Snowbasin did in hosting the event was prove that the resort, city and state could host one of the fastest growing new sporting events with relative ease.
"We're very excited," he said.
e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com