Snowbird has long eyed an expansion into Mary Ellen Gulch, and on January 7, 2016, they announced a filing for a conditional use permit application with the Utah County Board of Adjustments. The application was filed on December 8, 2015. The resort calls this a major step toward resort improvement. Snowbird’s plan is to install two new ski lifts in Mary Ellen Gulch on private property, as well as a year-round zipride tour.
Back in 2011, Snowbird got approval for expansion plans from the U.S. Forest Service. Mary Ellen Gulch is located in Utah County, and the resort has come under fire from County leaders about their desire to build a new base area in American Fork Canyon. Those plans have since been scrapped, and this new proposal is a paired-down version of Snowbird’s expansion requests. The proposal also does not ask for any lift connections to lower American Fork Canyon.
In a press release, Snowbird President, Bob Bonar, says they wish to utilize their own private property in the upper reaches of upper American Fork Canyon, and have worked with the community and county leaders on the plan.
“These new lifts and the terrain they access will make the greatest improvement in the ski and snowboard experience at Snowbird since we opened Mineral Basin in 1999,” Bonar said in a statement, adding, “Mary Ellen Gulch will be an amazing addition to the year-round recreation at Snowbird.”
Alignment of the lifts, skier access to Mary Ellen Gulch, and location of the zip-lines were not clear as of this writing.
UPDATE: Snowbird created a webpage with a video about their plans for Mary Ellen Gulch. You can see it at http://utahcounty.snowbird.com/