The Movie Star and the Mountain: On Robert Redford’s Sundance Origin Story
I. The first time he sees it, a chord is struck inside him.
In 1954, a 27-year-old Robert Redford was driving home to Los Angeles from the University of Colorado when he impulsively turned off the main road near Salt Lake City. He encountered Mount Timpanogos, a 11,752-foot mountain in Utah, and was immediately captivated by its beauty. The sheer rock walls, snow-capped peaks, and cascading waterfalls left him in awe, stirring emotions he couldn’t fully explain. Redford felt a deep connection to the mountain, describing it as spiritually fascinating and comparing it to Everest and Yosemite. He later recalled that the sight was so beautiful he couldn’t pull himself away, and he began visiting the area frequently. At the time, a primitive ski resort called Timp Haven operated on the land. Redford’s encounter with Timpanogos marked the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the place, though he didn’t yet understand its full significance in his life.
Inspired by the mountain, Redford purchased two acres of land near Timp Haven for $500 in the late 1950s. At the time, the only structure on the property was a dilapidated chicken coop. Redford, still a struggling actor, saw the land as a potential refuge and future home for his growing family. The purchase was a small but meaningful first step toward what would later become the Sundance Resort. Redford’s decision to buy the land was influenced by a mix of intuition and practicality, as he sought stability amid personal and professional uncertainty. His wife, Lola Van Wagenen, was from Provo, just down the canyon from the land, adding a personal connection to the area. This early investment in Utah marked the beginning of Redford’s commitment to creating a home and sanctuary in the shadow of Mount Timpanogos.
In 1963, Redford faced a pivotal career decision when Bing Crosby Productions offered him a lead role in a new TV show, Breaking Point, paying $3,750 per week. The offer was later increased to $6,000 and then $10,000 per week, the equivalent of over $100,000 today. Despite financial struggles and the need for income, Redford turned down all offers. His agent, mystified, eventually quit, and many saw the decision as reckless. Redford later explained that he felt a deeper calling to return to Utah and build a home for his family. He spent months working on the land, building an A-frame house inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture. The house, completed in 1963, featured 48 tons of local rock, 8 panels of glass, and a view overlooking the mountain. Redford described it as a retreat from the so-called real world, where he could focus on family and nature.
Redford’s vision for Sundance extended far beyond a personal retreat. He bought more land over the decades, eventually acquiring 3,379 additional acres, to prevent developers from building condos in the canyon. His goal was to preserve the natural beauty of the area while creating a sustainable resort. However, Sundance faced financial challenges, requiring Redford to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from his movie earnings. Despite the success of films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which gave the resort its name, Sundance struggled to become profitable. Redford had to balance his ideals with the realities of running a business, often taking on acting roles to fund the resort. By the 1980s, he founded the Sundance Institute to support independent filmmakers, further embedding his legacy in the land and culture of Utah.
The story of how Redford found Sundance became a myth, retold in various versions over the years. Some details, such as whether he was in a car or on a motorcycle, or the exact year (1954 or 1956), became blurred as the tale was passed down. Redford himself often shared the story during the Sundance Film Festival, emphasizing that the resort’s true origins lay in the land below Mount Timpanogos, not the festival in Park City. While Redford’s retreat to build his home was short-lived—he soon returned to acting, achieving his breakthrough in *Barefoot in the Park*—Sundance evolved into a symbol of his ideals. The resort’s early years were marked by financial struggles, environmental challenges, and the tension between Redford’s vision and the practical demands of running a business. Despite these challenges, Sundance became a lasting legacy tied to Redford’s personal and professional identity.
