In 1945, Phil Jones began skiing at six years old at Magic Mountain Ski Area in Twin Falls, Idaho. The ski area was owned and operated by his father, Claude Jones. He left Twin Falls to attend Denver University and race for their ski team.
In 1960, he attended the University of Utah for a short time and taught skiing for the Brighton Ski School in 1961. He then taught skiing at Sugar Bowl in California from 1962 to 1964. Afterward, Phil was hired as a full-time ski teacher at the newly opened Treasure Mountain ski area in Park City, Utah. Phil went on to become a Co-Director, Assistant Director, and Director of the Park City Ski School.
From 1965 to 1968, Phil was a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Demonstration Team. From 1968 to 1970, he served on the PSIA-Intermountain Division Board of Directors and was Vice President, Chief Examiner, and Certification Chairman. In 1970, Phil was appointed Vice President of Resort Operations at Park City Mountain Resort, and was named the Mattias Garcia Ski Instructor of the Year in 1971. In 1981, he was appointed as Park City's President and General Manager, holding that position for 16 years before leaving in 1997. Afterwards, he joined Snow Valley and served as President and General Manager until 2006.
Phil is a past member of the Utah Tramway Board, past President of the Utah Ski Association, and former Vice Chairman of the National Ski Area Association. He was designated a National Lifetime Membership of PSIA in 1968, was a co-founder of the Veterans Ski Instructors Alliance, and was a charter member of the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library Ski Archives Advisory Board. In 2002, he was honored by the Veterans Ski Instructors Alliance at the annual Veteran Instructors Reunion held at Deer Valley.
