sixteenth September 2025
Hollywood icon Robert Redford, actor and creator of Utah’s Sundance Resort and Movie Pageant, has died at 89 in his beloved mountain dwelling — PlanetSKI pays tribute to his life and legacy. UPDATED
Robert Redford’s publicist, Cindi Berger, mentioned the actor died at his dwelling “at Sundance within the mountains of Utah – the place he beloved, surrounded by these he beloved.”
“He can be missed significantly,” Berger mentioned, including that the household are requesting privateness.
Obituaries and particulars have been posted throughout the web.
Right here at PlanetSKI we keep in mind him for his love of snowboarding, the atmosphere and the mountains.
Redford grew up within the seashore city of Santa Monica, however the mountains in Utah was his dwelling of selection.
He acquired the ski resort of Timp Haven in Provo Canyon within the 1960’s and launched the Sundance ski resort in 1969.
He named the resort after the movie character that made him well-known in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Child.
The Owl Bar within the resort has an oak bar that had been commissioned by the true Butch Cassidy.
Redford found it in Wyoming, had it restored and transported to Utah.
PlanetSKI was final within the resort of Sundance in January 2020.
Although we have now skied there many occasions over time together with again in 2002 once we ran into the person himself at lunchtime.
PlanetSKI’s James Cove was in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah, overlaying the 2002 Winter Olympics for BBC Information.
James was with BBC Information Sport Correspondent, Daneila Relph, and the BBC’s legendary LA Correspondent, David Willis.
Cove, Relph, Redford & Willis. Picture c/o PlanetSKI
“He was essentially the most unassuming and modest man you could possibly hope to satisfy,” mentioned James.
“I used to be within the queue for the self-service at lunchtime and there was Robert Redford proper by me and lining up like everybody else.
“I congratulated him on his fabulous resort and we spent the time merely speaking about snowboarding and our shared love of the mountains.
“Bob talked about his favorite runs and the creative choices of Sundance, and I simply enthused in regards to the number of nice snowboarding terrain and very good powder that day.”
The bottom space of Sundance nestles within the bushes on the foot of the mountain.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
The buildings are wood and ooze appeal.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
With spots to loosen up after snowboarding.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
“The ethos of Sundance is to convey artwork and nature collectively with a view to improve each of them,” mentioned the resort’s advertising supervisor, Abby Brock.
“Individuals come right here to flee from the norm and to expertise one thing totally different and to search out their inner-self.
“There are locals from much less well-off backgrounds and the wealthy and well-known alike,” she added.
Abby Brock, Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
The resort has had an Arts Centre because it’s early days.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
Individuals had been studying pottery and there have been examples of the glass blown and the jewelry made.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
Within the base buildings there have been images of The Sundance Child himself together with his kids.
He based the Sundance Movie Pageant, which takes place yearly in Utah since 1978.
In 2020 he was not concerned within the everyday working of the resort, however his daughter Shauna was inventive director whereas his grandson Conor was absolutely concerned on a day-to-day foundation.
There are performs, musical occasions and a bunch of creative actions.
Native People come to recount their life tales.
And make hats.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
It truly is a ski resort like no different and the native ski hill to the areas of Zermatt and Halfway.
It’s not enormous, with simply 4 lifts and a free tow rope for newcomers.
Sundance Piste Map
However off the lifts is a number of the greatest in-bounds terrain on this a part of the mountains – steep, deep and difficult.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
And often there may be barely a soul round
My information for the day again in 2020 was Max Jensen.
A Yorkshire lass who is aware of Sundance and certainly the entire of this a part of Utah just like the again of her hand.
We hit the groomers, the steeps and soaked up the spectacular surroundings.
Sundance Resort, Utah. Picture © PlanetSKI.
Robert Redford was additionally a eager environmental campaigner.
In 1975 it was introduced {that a} energy plant could be inbuilt Utah.
He described it as a possible catastrophe and invited CBS Information’ 60 Minutes to the state to debate the difficulty, which resulted within the plans for the facility plant being scrapped.
“Anytime anyone voices a priority in regards to the high quality of life that we’re going to be main we’re known as environmentalists. And if that’s so, I’m an environmentalist,” he mentioned throughout an interview on the present.
Redford established the Institute for Useful resource Administration within the Nineteen Eighties, which aimed to convey folks collectively from totally different sides to search out compromises that might be useful for the atmosphere.
In 1989 Robert Redford organised the Sundance Symposium on on International Local weather Change.
After which in 2015, he addressed the United Nations, urging them to “take motion now on local weather change”.
In 2020 Robert Redford bought Sundance:
“As stewards of this distinctive place, it has all the time been my imaginative and prescient that the Sundance Mountain Resort could be a spot the place artwork, nature, and recreation come collectively to make the world a greater place – now and sooner or later,” mentioned Redford in an announcement.
He saved his property on the sting of Sundance and it’s the place he handed away peacefully.
RIP The Sundance Child.
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