Utah’s ski industry is about to have it’s biggest year ever, at least in terms of infrastructure upgrades. What does this mean for everyday skiers? More of everything – more lifts, more terrain, and more lodges. According to SkiUtah, over $100 million in on-mountain capital improvements will debut at Utah’s 14 resorts. Of course the big news is Vail’s takeover of Park City Mountain Resort and the merger with Canyons, creating the biggest ski resort in the United States. Thanks to Vail’s entry in the Utah market, the Epic Pass allows locals to ski for less than they ever have before. It’s definitely an exciting time to be a resort skier in Utah. Here’s a few highlights of what’s new at Utah resorts this year.
PCMR and Canyons Merge
7,300 skiable acres. That’s the combined terrain of Canyons and Park City Mountain Resort which is now one single mega resort known simply as Park City. Vail’s Epic Pass is only $619 for adults, allowing season-long access to this massive resort. This here might be a game changer for the Utah ski industry.
Deer Valley Transforms Solitude Mountain Resort
The other big merger in Utah ski-land is Deer Valley’s purchase of Solitude. The results will be evident this season with on-mountain improvements like the new high-speed quad Summit Express chairlift, which replaces the old double chair. The new quad also realigns the lift, putting the loading station lower on the mountain. To accomplish this, a new ski trail was cut near the top of the Apex lift to allow skiers easier access to the Summit lift.
Snowbird’s Mount Baldy Facelift
When you step off the Snowbird Tram this season, you won’t recognize the top of Mount Baldy. After years of planning and a summer of construction, the new Summit Lodge will open to the public. The building will house a restaurant, ski patrol office (TBD), gift shop, and conference space. Plus, the structure will offer the best view from a building in Utah with a 360-degree, mountaintop panorama through giant windows.
New Lifts
Along with Solitude’s upgrade to the Summit lift, other Utah resorts have new chairs to unveil as well. Park City will debut the Quicksilver Gondola, which connects PCMR to Canyons. It’s an eight-passenger gondola that will connect the two mountains from the bottom of the Silverlode lift on the Park City side to Flat Iron on the Canyons side. In addition, Park City is upgrading the King Con lift to a six-person, high-speed chairlift. Plus, the Motherlode lift will go from a fixed-grip triple to a detachable, high-speed quad.
New Ski Resort
It was supposed to open last year, but now Cherry Peak Resort really is spinning the chair lifts this winter. This Northern Utah resort is the state’s newest and will have three triple chairlifts accessing 1,265-vertical feet of numerous terrain options including a 1.25 mile-long run. A three-story day lodge will have all the amenities, and an impressive snowmaking infrastructure will allow this low-elevation resort to stay open during lean times. Cherry Peak Resort is located in the north Cache Valley, 15-miles from Logan.
With all the above, there’s the usual snowmaking upgrades, new places to eat, etc. For more on those improvements, visit SkiUtah.com for a more comprehensive list.
It’s a good time to be a skier in Utah, to wax up those boards, pray for snow, and get ready, because winter really is coming.