Photo courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort/Dan Campbell Photography.
I love fall mornings when you wake up and find clouds hanging low on the mountains and once they lift, snow-covered peaks are revealed. One such morning happened recently and happily coincided with a plan to hike Mt. Baldy near Crested Butte, Colorado, with friends. The views from the top were stunning, and we started getting the itch for winter sports in the town we call home.
It seems like our neighbors to the west in Utah have winter on their minds as well, especially as it was recently announced that Vail Resorts acquired Park City Mountain Resort. That is huge news, especially since Vail Resorts has indicated they plan to bring the Canyons and Park City ski experiences together to create the largest mountain resort in the United States.
The acquisition immediately brings the resort onto the Epic Pass, which now offers access to 22 resorts, including Canyons in Park City; Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; and Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Tahoe. While groups can’t always take advantage of ski passes such as this, it demonstrates the scope of Vail Resorts. However, wouldn’t it be fun and to hold a series of meetings that brings the same people together in various ski towns linked together by the same ownership or pass? It sure would help the cost of skiing and be unique.
In other ski resort news from Utah, Nordic Valley Resort (previously known as Wolf Mountain) was acquired this year by Skyline Mountain Base, LLC and is being significantly upgraded with new trails, year-round events and more. Mapping and cutting of new trails adds 700 to 800 vertical feet to the current 1,000-foot ski hill and will be accessed by snowcat this winter. The first lift could go in as early as next summer.
Cherry Peak Resort is opening approximately 15 miles from Logan and is the first new ski resort to be built in the state in 33 years. Cherry Peak features three triple chairlifts and will have ice-skating, tubing and night skiing in addition to the usual ski area offerings. Maybe I’ll be spending some time in Utah this winter!
