How Sundance’s 3D Map Brings Utah Skiing Into Focus

There’s something about unfolding a crumpled paper trail map on a lift — tracing your finger down a run, debating what’s open, trying to orient yourself against the ridgelines in front of you. That ritual isn’t going anywhere. But a few Utah resorts are quietly redefining how we see the mountain before we even click in.

Sundance Mountain Resort just launched an interactive 3D trail map, and it’s kind of wild. Built in collaboration with Legend Guides, it’s not your typical flattened-out topographic sketch. You can orbit the terrain, tilt the view, and literally fly the line of a trail before skiing it. It’s not replacing the real thing — it’s giving you a new way to study it.

Sundance has always been a little different from its Wasatch neighbors. It’s smaller, more soulful, more handmade. It’s the kind of place that feels like a community before a corporation. Maybe that’s why this upgrade works — it’s not about turning skiing into a screen experience, it’s about getting a deeper sense of place. You can see how light hits the east face in the morning, where tree density shifts mid-slope, and how that one sneaky cat track connects to the next ridge.

Utah’s been buzzing with these kinds of updates. Powder Mountain’s tech-driven expansion continues to redefine what an independent resort can do, and Snowbird’s own 3D integration gives skiers a detailed look at terrain that’s always been larger than life. Together, it feels like the state’s resorts are building a digital twin of the Wasatch — a living map of what makes these mountains so good in the first place.

There are limits, of course. A 3D render can’t capture the sound of skis carving corduroy in the morning, or the sudden quiet after a storm cycle. No camera, app, or rendering engine can replicate the feel of wind funneling through a canyon. But when tech gets used right — when it helps you see more and plan smarter — it’s worth celebrating.

Sundance’s new map won’t change skiing. It just gives us a sharper lens on what we already love.