Ski & Snowboard News / Lots of new at Utah ski areas
Nov 14, 2024 11:45AM ● By Harriet Wallis
Photo credit: Chris Pearson / Ski Utah
Improve, modify, fine-tune, and build. Here are some highlights from the local resorts you're most likely to visit.
ALTA fine-tuned terrain off the Collins lift and built two covered conveyors in the beginner area. The conveyors look like giant caterpillars and carry learners up the gentle slope.
At BRIGHTON, Milly will be open for the popular night skiing. Great Western and Snake Creek have enhanced snowmaking. Brighton also adds hybrid electric snowcats, an electric truck, and an electric snowmobile In its commitment for sustainability.
DEER VALLEY is expanding. It adds 300 new skiiable acres, 3 new chairlifts including its first 6-person chair, and 500 more parking spots off U.S. Route 40 which will reduce the traffic that previously has had to go through Park City.
NORDIC VALLEY opens for the 2024-25 season after suffering a devastating fire last year. The Apollo chairlift was overhauled and in operation. Temporary skier services buildiings are in place. More permanent facilities are on the agenda for the future.
PARK CITY MOUNTAIN expands it snowmaking in the Canyons Village area to offer more early season terrain.
At POWDER MOUNTAIN, while much terrain is designated for homeowners, it adds new lifts and an additional 900 acres of terrain for the public. An open-air museum and sculpture park are on the agenda.
SNOWBASIN renovated its popular Becker Chairlift from a fixed-grip triple chair to a detachable quad. It will cut the wait time in half and speed skiers to the top in 6 minutres. The original Becker was installed in 1986. Snowbasin also improved and widened trails in the Family Zone.
SNOWBIRD'S beloved original red tram cabin gets a new life as year-round outdoor patio dining and après-ski. The original Wilbere Chair is now a quad chairlift with improved access to it.
SOLITUDE fine-tuned its parking reservation system and reduced the number of days – from 61 days down to 45 days -- when reservations are required. The cost of mid-week parking is cut in half, and vehicles with 3 or more continue to park free. It also enhanced its snowmaking.
SUNDANCE The Mountain Camp Day Lodge opens with lockers, a ticket office, ski school home base, and gear rentals right next to the recently expanded resort parking with 110 new parking spaces. It also made improvements in the Jake's Lift area, realigned a road to eliminate skiers crossing it, and added a new beginner run. Sundance continues the major construction of a 63-room inn in the base village that's scheduled to open in 2025-26.
Looking back at last season, Nathan Rafferty, President and CEO of Ski Utah, announced that last ski season ended with 600” of snow and 6.7 million skier visits. “This firmly secures the 2023–24 season as the second-best in Utah’s history, showcasing the allure of Utah’s unparalleled winter sports destinations and The Greatest Snow on EarthⓇ.”