Hole Lotta Love
Meet Mandy Wright, owner of Midway’s, Judy’s Donuts, as she tells a story of family more than she does of baked goods or the smell of freshly ground espresso. Mandy loves her mother, Judy Mantlo, like an unstoppable force, and for years desired to honor her in a public way. In 2016, she decided to […]
Art That Moves
Guy Adam Skocki wasn’t always sure about turning his art into a business. Creativity is one thing—contracts, deadlines, and invoices are another. Still, art has always demanded something deeper from him. It’s more than talent—it’s who he is. “Laura inspires my art,” Guy said, holding up a Marvel-style superhero portrait of his partner. “I love […]
Responsible Harvest.
“In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen […] in reality, the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination.” – Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. President A hunter in the brush […]
SORRY. CAN’T. KITES. BYE.
You can’t buy happiness but you can buy a kite and that’s pretty close Kitesurfing Quote You might be wondering how a kite can make you happy – well I guess that would depend on the person and the type of kite. Some folks find joy and relaxation in flying your typical single or multi-lined […]
The Wild West.
The American West has always been synonymous with firearms. Many ranchers carried a rifle or a pistol for defense against whatever might threaten their livelihood. Shooting at targets for sport gave ranchers, citizens, and lawmen a time and place to safely hone their skills. However, the pass-time dates beyond the foundation of our country. With […]
Meet Dr. Tagge.
Otorhinolaryngology. Otorhinolaryngologist. These two words are terms most of us don’t associate with our common everyday vocabulary. However, once you know their meaning, you’ll realize we talk about both quite often, especially if you have kids. On that note: if you’ve seen the animated movie Penguins of Madagascar, trying to pronounce the words may bring […]
Biathlon
The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The sport is rooted in the skiing traditions of Scandinavia, where early inhabitants revered the Norse God, Ull, as both their ski and hunting God. Initially, the combined skills of skiing and rifle marksmanship were developed for the region’s militaries during the […]
Amateur (HAM) Radio
As you are reading this, there is probably someone, somewhere in the Heber Valley, talking through their radio to another radio operator somewhere else in the country. This thought may conjure up an image of a gray-bearded man hunched over a microphone in a poorly lit, damp basement, turning knobs on a mysterious box; using […]
Fieldcraft Survival
“We don’t get to pick the time, place, or how an emergency happens. We just get to choose how prepared we are for it.” Austin Lester, Fieldcraft Survival It was not on a whim that Fieldcraft Survival moved to Heber Valley this past year. In the summer of 2020, while the training team was passing […]
Girls Rule
Several winters back, Jennifer Thorne climbed the north ridge of Mount Nebo through waist-deep snow until she crested its 11,861-foot-high summit. During a time of year when most folks are cuddled up in front of a fire with a good book; Jennifer and two of her friends stood atop the highest mountain in the Wasatch […]
Ready. Aim. Shoot.
Archery is one of the fastest-growing sports in the Heber Valley – especially with the kids.
The Western Uintas
A couple and their two kiddos stand on the summit of Bald Mountain — located in the Uinta Mountains, Northeast of Heber, just off of the Mirror Lake Highway. At ground level, the mountain appears to be just a pile of boulders, but from the family’s elevation of 11,947 feet, the magnificent peak offers incredible […]
Dark Skies
Heber Valley – it’s not only a breath of fresh air but also a growing city where one can still see trillions of stars. In our heavenly mountains, views are priceless. Most of them require the sunlight to see: the Wasatch Mountains, Deer Creek, and acre after acre of open pastures. What happens when the […]
Preserving The Outdoor Way Of Life
Opening the door to his newly-acquired commercial space at 350 S. Main Street on a cold February day in Heber, Jim looked around and whispered, “What am I going to do here?” Retracing family roots in the hope of creating a better connection to the outdoors, Jim Roach moved his family from Salt Lake City […]
Adam Posaki is Berspar
At just 17 years old, Adam Posacki honed Bergspar’s simple fashion and clean look. The burgeoning clothing company’s inspiration stems from Adam’s experience moving here four years ago, when the beauty of our valley struck him. However, beauty and vision do not start businesses — and Adam wanted to succeed. In 2018, Adam launched a […]
Make A Splash On The Reservoir This Summer
I remember being little and sitting on the mesh trampoline between the two hulls of my older brother’s catamaran. Looking out onto the rippled water of Deer Creek Reservoir, it was an experience I could not appreciate as I do now. Above me was the mainsail, full of wind. We were moving swiftly across the […]
Active Transportation
(n): a form of transportation of people and sometimes goods that only uses the physical activity of the human being for the locomotion. I laid the question down for my friend Eric. “What was it like riding your bike everywhere for a year and a half around Heber?” “I got super fit!” he answered with […]
Gear: Ready to Go When You Are
I pulled out my water filter, started pumping, and realized no water was filling my bottle. Somehow, it was just moving air! Turns out, the filter cartridge had cracked. I was now stuck deep in the Wasatch Range with no water. What we do outside is not about the gear. Admittedly, though, gear can make […]
Know Before You Snow
Safe backcountry skiing starts with weeks of weather watching. I follow the wind and the moving snow. I watch the mountain weather stations to understand what is happening where I like to ski. I take note of the observations, forecasts and advisories offered by the Utah Avalanche Center. I make my plan only after I […]
Winning at Winter
Slipping down the Soldier Hollow tubing hill at an ever-faster speed, I couldn’t help but giggle. I had never sat in a tube and gone so fast! Friends were hooting and hollering and the night was a riot. Like children drawn to birthday cake, we made our way back to the top for another serving. […]
Summit Safety
In the beautiful Heber Valley, we have the good fortune of looking out the door and viewing some of the greatest mountains in our part of the state. Looking southwest, we can see the great Mount Timpanogos, named for a Ute princess who fell asleep on top of the range. Looking west up the Snake […]