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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 renovate an old Midway house on Main Street and turn it into a shop, although she was not entirely sure what she would sell. Whatever it was, it had to embody Judy, who also had a prolific sweet-tooth. Mandy radiates love through…

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 her so much.” Her encouragement pushed him to share his work beyond his sketchbooks and into the public eye. These days, Guy paints bold murals and creates unique commissions that…

“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 draws a bow. Deep in the Wasatch Mountains, about as far from a road as he can be, an archer seeks his quarry. Male deer, known as buck, are elusive and take to remote elevations when hunting…

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 kites that come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, all while keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground. But others yearn for a little more adventure; these are the athletes who find happiness in large power kites as they…

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 the invention of gunpowder in 9th century China, it was inevitable that target shooting would eventually evolve from using archery tackle to 10th century fire lances to our modern…

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 a particular scene to mind: Classified, says to Skipper, “This is difficult for me to say.” Skipper interrupts with, “Is it Osteoporosis? You’ve just got to lean into the…

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 1700s. In 1776 the first recorded biathlon competition took place along the border dividing Norway and Sweden; it was between patrol companies. The first biathlon club, the…

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 a length of old speaker wire, that spent 10 years in a corner of the garage, as the antenna, and likely powering it all from a roof-mounted solar panel.  Such are the caricatures of amateur (ham) radio…

“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 through our town from Montana to Prescott, Arizona, they were compelled to stop and take a look around. The Heber Valley possesses some very attractive attributes for a company based around readiness: a culture of preparedness,…

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 enjoying the priceless 360-degree view of snowy mountains and grassy valleys. Removing skis from their backs they tackled a technical ski descent down one of Utah’s most imposing mountains. Would anyone believe…

Archery is one of the fastest-growing sports in the Heber Valley - especially with the kids.

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 views. With big smiles, the children point at distant, abrupt mountains wrapped in cliff bands. Everything around them is visible. Looking past Mirror Lake far below, they spy the Duchesne River drainage filled with…

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 sun sets? Then what view draws our gaze? When were the Big Dipper and the Milky Way discussed as treasured views from the valley floor? I can step out onto my lawn in central Heber and look up to see both of these on cold,…

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 to Midway on New Year’s Day 2016. A characteristic widely shared in our community, Jim’s desire to connect with nature represents an outdoor way of life we all want to preserve in the Heber Valley. Likewise, he wanted…

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 new clothing brand that’s designed to represent the outdoor lifestyle of the Heber Valley. To help “light the flame and scale as fast as possible,” Adam participated in Wasatch High…

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 water. With me were my nephews; it was their father who was at the helm. We all had crew duties — on a sailing vessel everyone is employed and there are no idle hands. From time to time, I see others sailing on Deer…

(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 a grin. “I would ride to work, then grab some groceries, and after dropping the groceries at the house, go mountain biking at Coyote Canyon.” Eric more or less set the bar for getting around by bicycle. He…

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 or break an outing. If you left your bike pump in the garage and are already at the trailhead with under-inflated tires, it might leave you scrambling for a way to salvage the ride. If you hiked six miles down Uinta’s…

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 have determined where I can ski safely. It snowed last night. The sun is coming up and I’m high above the Heber Valley. I’m with my ski buddies, out for a backcountry ski tour. We’re on alert for avalanches…

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. I made five laps that night, each its own brand of winter fun. While we live in a mecca for winter sports and activities, many of us aren’t “winter” people. For some, the thought of tearing up the backcountry on a pair of skis is as…

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 Creek drainage, we can see the white rocks that make up the backside of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. And to the east, we’ll find the behemoth mountains of the Uintas. Living in this idyllic valley of ours, we have all heard…