Sundance usually refers to the Sundance Resort, established in
1969 by
Robert Redford when he purchased
land from the
Stewart family, settlers and
Mormon converts. Compared to the other
ski resorts in the area (Sundance is a few miles from
Provo, Utah but is most often associated with
Park City, where the
Sundance Film Festival takes place, although Park City is about 30 miles away on
US 40) Sundance is minimally developed, with only a few wood-shingled buildings and one or two
ski lifts and no
lodge at the top of the mountain. Sundance has a few
restaurants, some
cottages and other
guest accomodations, an
open-air theatre, and a building where you can rent
skis in winter and
mountain bikes in
summer. Winter of course is largely for
skiing, but the other seasons bring
theatre,
craft vendors and
art galleries,
hiking and
mountain biking.
It's a very beautiful and peaceful place, surprisingly intimate given that it ultimately is a commercial endeavor (although the institute itself is non-profit and exists primarily for arts education and environmental programs).