Name: Plugging the Thaynes Shaft with a New Method by Brian Buck and Davey Jones
Start: 2026-10-21
End: 2026-10-21

Re-opening in the 2025-26 winter season, the new mid-mountain restaurant features sweeping views of Gad Valley and an expansive patio for outdoor seating. Located at the top of the Mid-Gad chairlift, the space features 355 indoor seats and an additional 90 patio seats—all on a single level. At The Nest, guests will find a range of American and internationally influenced cuisine served buffet style.

The Nest at Snowbird

The Summit is Snowbird’s newest year-round guest facility located atop Hidden Peak at 11,000 feet. Just a few steps from the Aerial Tram, The Summit is accessible for any tram passenger whether on foot, skis, bikes or boards. Once inside The Summit, guests can choose to dine on either of the two levels, each providing different views of the surrounding Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The food at The Summit is just about as pure as the wind-driven snow for which Snowbird is famous. You won’t find any hot dogs, hamburgers or fries at The Summit. Instead, Executive Chef Shane Baird has built a menu of healthy organic dishes based in French rotisserie traditions with subtle hints gleaned from the secret recipes of a Rocky Mountain barbeque pitmaster. Open for snacks, beverages and lunch, The Summit also has a full selection of local microbrews that add to a uniquely Utah dining experience.

The Summit At Snowbird

Cold drinks during hot Tram laps. Whether you need a quick snack, full-blown meal or just a frosty beer to celebrate the end of a legendary day, The Birdfeeder has got everything you need in the center of all-things Snowbird. Quickly swoop in for fire-grilled favorites like burgers and sandwiches. For Snow-Birds that peck at healthier alternatives, The Birdfeeder also offers a scrumptious vegetarian burger made to order as you choose. The Birdfeeder Menu

The Birdfeeder

Get subie with it. The Subie Shack is a custom-built food trailer offering delicious bites just steps away from the lift. When hunger strikes, stop at the Shack and enjoy breakfast options like a yogurt parfait or açaí bowl, and lunch options such as healthy poke bowls, protein bowls or a mouth-watering hot BBQ short rib sandwich. Thanks to our friends and partners at Subaru, the Subie Shack is a 100% outdoor dining experience, perfect for those looking to avoid the indoors and grab food on the go. Located on the Plaza Deck, come check it out on your next weekend visit to Snowbird. Subie Shack Menu

Subie Shack

Easy as pie. Tram Car Pizza, located on Level 2 at the Snowbird Center, is your one-stop pizza shop. Choose from a menu of favorite food items, cooked on-the-spot, in quick fashion. Sometimes you just don’t have an hour to spend eating, especially on those epic pow days. Stay fueled up on pizza slices that will get you back on the mountain energized.   
  
Daily specials including slice and drink combos are always on the menu along with a wide array of fountain, energy and hydrating drinks. Order pizza by the slice or a whole pie to eat-in or take-out from this eatery. Tram Car Pizza is open late, 7 days a week for après dining.  
  
[**Tram Car Menus**](https://stgsnowbirdmedia.blob.core.windows.net/snowbird/uploaded/dining_pdf/tram_car_pizza_menu_21.pdf)

Tram Car Pizza

All photos by Outdoor Project Contributor, Brant Hansen

| **Pros:** Tram access. Long descent. Vistas. Flowy. **Cons:** None. **Congestion:** Moderate **Preferable Season(s):** Spring, Summer, Fall **Day-Use/Parking Pass Required:** Not Required **Dogs allowed?:** No | **Total Distance:** 8.20 mi (13.20 km) **Terrain Difficulty:** BLUE **Trailhead Elev.:** 10,960 ft (3,341 m) **Net Elev. Gain:** -2,965 ft (-904 m) **Trail Uses:** Biking **Trail type:** One-way/Shuttle |
| --- | --- |

Big Mountain Trail is a newer addition to the mountain bike trails at Snowbird resort. Although the trail is accessible by climbing a number of fire roads or other trails, Snowbird’s tram makes those options seem more like punishment than anything else. This gorgeous, fast, flowy, endless descent is suited for nearly any mountain bike. The views from the top are breathtaking, and the scenery as you descend will leave you in awe. The work Snowbird has put into the trail becomes immediately apparent with rollers on the straightaways and well built ladders over the marshy areas. You'll also encounter the occasional natural, but mellow, rock garden.

Big Mountain Trail Mountain Bike Ride

This casual self-service restaurant is the perfect place for a quick lunch or snack before jumping back on the mountain. Be sure to try the ramen or rice bowls, freshly-made burgers and sandwiches and a large offering of fresh vegetables and gourmet salads and house-made chili. Stop in for coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda and beer. The custom carousel-shaped salad bar serves an abundance of gourmet prepared salads, dressings, local and regional selections and fresh-baked breads. Our signature ramen or rice bowls include your choice of broth and savory protein, such as garlic beef. Other Rendezvous specialties include our fresh grilled burgers, teriyaki chicken sandwiches, foot-long hot dogs, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Gluten-free options are available. Cafeteria-style seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Rendezvous

The local watering hole. A Snowbird institution. The Tram Club is the center of our local universe. Where else can you rub elbows with ski pros and out-of-town celebrities? Restaurant & Bar Specials Daily and weekly specials. Catch the big game at this sports bar on one of 14 TVs. Serving beer, wine, cocktails and après-ski specials year-round. \*Must be 21 years of age or older to enter the Tram Club.

The Tram Club

Join local guides on trails in and around Snowbird to step into the mountains. A variety of options are available including group hikes (3-4 miles), private tours (4-10 miles based on your preference), and Wellness Wednesdays (1-2 miles focused on mindfulness). Advanced reservations are required for all guided hikes. We recommend bringing a long-sleeved layer, a hat, good hiking or athletic shoes, sunscreen and a backpack with a bottle of water and snacks.

Guided Hikes at Snowbird

An on site child care facility in Alta, Utah, that cares for children from 2 months old up to 12 years old.

Alta Children's Center

Visit Salt Lake

Salt Lake is the place where the Wasatch mountain peaks frame city streets. Sure, Salt Lake's famed for our winter powder ([four legendary ski resorts](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/skiing-snowboarding/) just 30 minutes from downtown), but that's just one season's story. Summer brings families [hiking through wildflower meadows](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/) before cooling off at a Jazz game or the Gateway fountains. Autumn paints our mountain canyons in gold, perfect for morning strolls that end at local coffee shops. Spring? That's when you might spot baby bison on Antelope Island before heading to the Eccles Theater for a Broadway show. Our soaring Wasatch Mountains rise dramatically from downtown Salt Lake, creating a place where every day offers both natural wonders and urban energy. And while we sit perfectly between the [national parks](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/state-national-parks/) with Yellowstone's geysers and Utah's red rock country, the real magic happens right here, where everyone can [discover the history](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/plan-your-visit/about-salt-lake/) of the city as they find their own rhythm between mountain adventure and city life.

Sports Salt Lake

Park City Museum and Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History will host a lecture called Plugging the Thaynes Shaft with a New Method given by Brian Buck and Davey Jones on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 5-6 p.m. held at the Education and Collections Center located at 2079 Sidewinder Drive. More information can be found at www.parkcityhistory.org.What do skier subways, underground caverns, huge foam blocks, underground waterfalls, and the highest building in the country all have in common? Why, the Thaynes mineshaft of course. Brian Buck, Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History, and David Jones, Utah Division of Oil, Gas & Mining (OGM) will describe how all the above relate to the Thaynes mineshaft. It played a one-of-a-kind role in worldwide skiing history with a subterranean skier train carrying skiers 2.5 miles into a repurposed mine tunnel where they rode a mineshaft elevator cage straight up 1,700 feet to the surface, which exceeds the elevator lift of the highest building in the country by almost 500 feet! They will also describe how conventional engineering approaches to closing this collapsing shaft would not work because of groundwater flowing into the cavern caused by the shaft collapse and how the construction team came up with a new method using custom-made foam blocks. This project brought national attention to the Thaynes shaft and the unique approach to safely close it.Brian has degrees in Geology and Geological Engineering. His career has been with the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, Getty Mining Company, JBR Environmental Consultants, and Stantec Consulting. All of his 49 years of professional experience has largely involved working with the mining industry in the U.S. West. Since his retirement, Brian has focused on studying the history of the Park City mining district. He joined the local Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History committee in 2016 and has been the Project Manager for their major construction projects for the last five years. Brian has presented a number of mining history lectures for the Park City Museum and written Way We Were Articles for the Park Record regarding mining.Davey Jones grew up in England and obtained a B.S. in Geography from Durham University in 2008. He moved from England to Utah in 2014. He began his career working in flood modelling, producing flood models and running risk matrices on UK postcodes to aid the insurance and re-insurance industry in assessing property flood risk. In 2015, with his move to Utah, he moved into consulting where his primary focus was the production of FEMA flood maps. In this role, he also carried out a number of field inventories of mining districts for Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas and Mining’s (OGM) Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP). Davey moved over to work for the AMRP in 2018 as a Project Manager where he has worked on several reclamation projects, including the Defense Related Uranium Mines project, which is a multi-agency project spearheaded by the Department of Energy. He has worked on reclamation projects all over Utah including the Wasatch Front, Oquirrh mountains and in the Moab area. He was OGM’s Project Manager for the closing of the Silver King Coalition Mine shaft in 2023 and the Thaynes shaft in 2025.This calendar listing is brought to you by NowPlayingUtah.com, Utah's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Utah Cultural Alliance.

Plugging the Thaynes Shaft with a New Method by Brian Buck and Davey Jones

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