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Thomas "Racer Tom" Hart during his ongoing attempt to break his own Guinness world record for "Greatest vertical distance skiing downhill in one year (male)" during the 2024-2025 ski season.

Photo supplied, Snowbasin Resort

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Thomas "Racer Tom" celebrates skiing 8 million vertical feet during the 2024-2025 ski season.

Photo supplied, Thomas Hart

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Thomas "Racer Tom" Hart receives a 2025-2026 Snowbasin Resort season pass while celebrating with Snowbasin employees on Sunday, April 13, 2025.

Photo supplied, Thomas Hart

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Thomas "Racer Tom" Hart during his ongoing attempt to break his own Guinness world record for "Greatest vertical distance skiing downhill in one year (male)" during the 2024-2025 ski season.

Photo supplied, Snowbasin Resort

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Thomas “Racer Tom” Hart of North Ogden has spent the better part of his retirement on the ski slopes — and setting world records in the process.

Last year, Hart broke the Guinness world record for “Greatest vertical distance skiing downhill in one year (male).” The record of 2,133,742 meters, or 7,000,468 feet, however, was not long for this world as Hart himself would officially reset it — recording 2,594,866 meters, or 8,513,340 feet and 10.72 inches, between Nov. 30, 2023, and Nov. 30, 2024.

And as the 2024-2025 ski season comes to a close, Hart’s set his sights on a higher mountain — resetting the world record one more time and recording 10 million vertical feet.

As of Thursday evening, April 17, Hart was at 8,232,320 vertical feet — most of it being skied at Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville — with the aim of skiing 10 million vertical feet by May 31.

Contrasting his first season attempting the record with this season, Hart told the Standard-Examiner things have gone a little bit smoother, especially when it came to getting into the right lift line.

“The path is a little more clear and I know what I’m doing,” he said. “I never encountered a lift line more than five minutes at Snowbasin, which is just amazing.”

He added that he had no special loading privileges or pass to get on lifts more quickly.

“I did see some longer lines at some lifts during busier days, but I just simply didn’t go to those lifts,” he said. “I literally was never caught in one of those big lines.”

Additionally, Hart said a lack of injury and illness along with Mother Nature aided him throughout the ski season.

“We had a good amount of snow this year, but not day after day of snowfall like we did two years ago,” he said. “That made it wonderful for skiing when it snowed that much, but it made it difficult for the resorts to get things open and it posed many challenges associated with lots of snow. This year was a good year, but not a banner one, for snow, so that makes it good for big vertical skiing.”

With Snowbasin now closed and the pursuit of 10 million vertical feet still in play, Hart said he is now skiing at Snowbird until they close and will move on to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in California and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado until all of the ski resorts in the west have closed for the season.

“I’ll keep skiing until those resorts close down just to continue piling on that record — that’s my goal,” he said.

He said he’s unaware of anyone else trying to pursue the record at this time.

Hart said, after this record attempt, he’s unsure that he’ll make another.

“Last year, I didn’t think I was going to go after it again, but I have big vertical in my blood,” he said. “I definitely will be getting a lot of vertical, I just don’t know that I can top, especially, what I did at Snowbasin. I averaged 57,000 vertical feet every day for the 134 days I was at Snowbasin. It’s just really hard to top that. … It’s been a great year for big vertical skiing and I don’t know that we’re going to see that again next year.”

Still, he said he’s been especially motivated by friends and others around him throughout the ski season.

“I have a wonderful support system and they’ve encouraged me,” he said. “Employees at Snowbasin have just been wonderful. I always tell them I’m living proof that their encouragement works. Also, I can’t forget about the other guests — the skiers and snowboarders at Snowbasin. They’ve been very, very encouraging. It’s been a wonderful experience this year.”

Hart said, for the time being, he’s not focused on any other potential world record attempts or other noise.

“I would say I’m living life 1 million vertical feet at a time,” he said. “Right now, I’m just focused on 9 million vertical feet and then I’ll be focused on 10 (million) and hopefully I can do more than 10 million.”