The Utah ski industry has seen a lot of shakeups this year. From Vail’s purchase of Park City Mountain resort, to Solitude being sold to Deer Valley, and the Cummings buying Snowbird – the face of Utah skiing is forever altered. But for the 2014/15 ski season, there won’t be a whole lot of physical updates at Utah resorts. Even so, there’s always something new, and Ski Utah compiled the highlights of what we can look forward to when we slap our skis on snow come winter.
First, the terrain. Alta spent all summer upgrading the Corkscrew run near the mountain’s base. This notorious bottleneck has been re-graded and widened to make it easier for intermediate skiers to get down to the Wildcat Base from the Collins Lift. Also, the cat track that splits High Rustler has been regraded as well, for an uninterrupted descent down “High Boy.”
Wolf Mountain Resort near Eden has a new name. The re-branded Nordic Valley Resort was acquired in 2014 by Skyline Mountain Base, LLC. The new owners are significantly upgrading the resort with new trails, a makeover of the skier services barn, year-round events and more. Mapping and cutting of new trails will add 700 to 800 vertical feet to the current 1,000-foot ski hill.
Eagle Point in the Tushar Mountain near Beaver is expanding their Park Lab Terrain Park, created by ParkFab. It will offer 12 new features with progressions for all levels. These will include several features from the Campus Rail Jam, which will complement Park Lab’s existing 30’ Junkyard Satellite Dish, 20’ 6” Single Barrel Rail and 10’ Launch Rail, creating one of the largest terrain parks in the region. Also, Eagle Point is installing a new surface lift for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders. The new Tushar Peaks Surface Lift will serve Southern Utah’s steepest black diamond runs: Delano Drop, Satisfaction, Donner’s Descent, Missing Linc, Runaway Carter and Vertigo. Previously, these tree-lined runs were accessible only by hiking or occasional snowcat service.
Southern Utah’s other ski resort, Brian Head, is replacing the existing Giant Steps lift, reducing the ride time to the top of Giant Steps Mountain from 12 minutes to just 5 minutes.
If any of these Utah resorts are going to be your haunt this season, then get excited! For more information, on new restaurants and other ski resort updates, visit skiutah.com.