Utah Ski Area Base Lodge Burns

[thetrailboss]

It's been ten years since I skied an afternoon at Nordic Valley (which was then briefly known as "Skyline Base"), but it is a neat little area that is a great feeder hill, still somewhat affordable for locals, and is trying to expand. Even though it is owned by Mountain Capital Partners, it is still considered a small locals place. So it is very sad to hear that at just shy of 2am this morning their "barn" base lodge caught fire and appears to be pretty badly damaged. They closed today and are closed until they can get ticket processing equipment in place.

They've had some bad luck as of late with the Apollo Double Chair, the main lift, breaking down for an extended amount of time and not much snow until recently. Hope things turn around.

Nordic Valley Ski Resort closed after fire destroys lodge

Early Monday morning, fire crews responded to a blaze that sparked at the Nordic Valley Ski Resort lodge in Weber County.

www.fox13now.com

 

[thetrailboss]

Fire forces closure of Nordic Valley Ski Resort

An early morning fire at Nordic Valley has forced the ski resort to shut down until further notice.

www.ksl.com

 

[kingslug]

Oy

 

[4aprice]

Another hit for a place that I believe has some potential. I believe that Nordic got approval to build a small condo village there. Wouldn't be a horrible location between SnowBasin and Powder. I also believe I may have read there is still further room for expansion too. They are in with the same group of areas as Brian Head, Purgatory. (AZ SB maybe) and some places in NM so they seem to have some backing. I think Utah could use another ski area. I hope they get the lower double up quick and make a go of it.

 

[thetrailboss]

Another hit for a place that I believe has some potential. I believe that Nordic got approval to build a small condo village there. Wouldn't be a horrible location between SnowBasin and Powder. I also believe I may have read there is still further room for expansion too. They are in with the same group of areas as Brian Head, Purgatory. (AZ SB maybe) and some places in NM so they seem to have some backing. I think Utah could use another ski area. I hope they get the lower double up quick and make a go of it.

Agreed. It is a setback for MCP. Honestly, the Apollo Double moved from "may have some limited life left" to "replace immediately". Now a base lodge is needed. Hopefully insurance can cover some of the loss, but no retail, no food, no booze, and no ticket offices is a major blow. Just when we got snow....

 

[jaytrem]

That's sucks. Sure seems like a lot of base lodges burn down. We skied there last year. Has to do the short hike to get to the new pod, but we had a great time. Hopefully they can get up and running soon.

 

[thetrailboss]

The other night I saw this video in my FB feed. I was going to post it, but now it is oddly on topic.

Apollo

“Apollo” is an homage to an aging fixed grip chairlift in Utah, that since 1970, has carried skiers up the sleepy hometown hill of Nordic Valley. For…

vimeo.com

 

[thetrailboss]

Update

Tight-knit community comes together after fire at popular ski resort

A community is coming together to try to help a beloved Eden ski resort and its mainly seasonal employees get back on their feet after a damaging fire this week.

www.fox13now.com

 

[thetrailboss]

From SkiUtah. Spelling and proper word choice is so overrated, especially in public relations.

 

[thetrailboss]

(Hopefully this is not behind a paywall)

An update on Nordic Valley. It appears that a groomer working on the night of the fire was the one who spotted the smoke and called the fire department. The article also seems to imply that the smoke detectors had dead batteries and/or were not working properly.

I was also interested in the deeper reporting about Nordic Valley. MCP does NOT own it. They are OPERATING IT for the same owners who had taken it over way back when I visited in 2014 or 2015--some French company named "Skyline Base". That company is still quite involved in the long-term plans and wants to build a big real estate development (surprise, surprise). A spokesperson discussed how this fire has no forced them to accelerate their plans for a new base building.

And the Apollo Double is still not working and is depicted with its haul rope "tied off" to allow for repair work to continue. It is long time to replace that lift.

Nordic Valley’s winter has been a disaster. Here’s what happens next.

First an arterial lift breaks, then a fire burns its historic lodge, bar and ticket booth. Plus, a landscape-changing village development is on the horizon. Can Nordic Valley Resort survive its disastrous winter?

www.sltrib.com

 

[2planks2coasts]

MCP isn't having a good season. Hesperus isn't going to open at all as their main lift is out of service as well.

 

[thetrailboss]

The definition of insanity right here….

Apollo is Ready!! - Nordic Valley Ski Resort

The Apollo Lift is ready to go for the 24/25 season! Check out the updates throughout this project and get the first runs now!

www.nordicvalley.ski

 

[2planks2coasts]

The definition of insanity right here….

Apollo is Ready!! - Nordic Valley Ski Resort

The Apollo Lift is ready to go for the 24/25 season! Check out the updates throughout this project and get the first runs now!

www.nordicvalley.ski

I'm starting to wonder about the viability of MCP as a company. They just bought Valle Nevado and took control of Sandia Peak, but they announced that Hesperus won't open for 24-25.

 

[thetrailboss]

I'm starting to wonder about the viability of MCP as a company. They just bought Valle Nevado and took control of Sandia Peak, but they announced that Hesperus won't open for 24-25.

My thoughts as well. I heard MCP’s CEO on a podcast and he sounded like a cool guy. But with the news about Hesperus and the complete shitshow at Nordic I have to wonder if they have now overextended themselves. The Valle Nevado is a HUGE resort on its own.

As to Nordic, they’ve already rebuilt it at least once. Hiring “experts” to rebuild it again does not change the initial problem—IT’S OVER 50 YEARS OLD! Every season at least one kid falls out of a chair because there are no safety bars. It needed to be replaced 10 years ago. Building a multi-million dollar six pack and trail pod completely isolated from the rest of the area and requiring a ride on a now broken double or snowmobile is asinine.

Here’s an article about Hesperus. The decision to just not open seems pretty vague. I’d think having it as a going-interest would be important. Any resort closed for more than one season is hard to reopen.

Hesperus Ski Area to remain closed through 2024-25 season

The bullwheel at Hesperus Ski Area will sit idle through the 2024-25 season, pass-holders were informed Tuesday. The one-lift wonder ski hill west of Durango has long been considered a quaint communit...

www.durangoherald.com

 

[kingslug]

Bought Valle nevado....the place is huge!
Hope they don't screw it up!

 

[thetrailboss]

The latest on Nordic Valley: https://www.ksl.com/article/5120329...ear-round-resort-say-work-could-start-in-2025

 

[4aprice]

Wow, the locals are not very keen on the village aspect. I think it's in a very good location sandwiched between Snowbasin and Powder. There also Pineview Reservoir for boating and I know there is golf in the valley. Might be a really good place to break into the Utah real estate market especially for those not wanting to be in Salt Lake proper but close enough to the airport to be convenient. Somewhat similar to our situation in Granby over in Colorado (which we are very happy with)

 

[Former Sunday Rivah Rat]

I just don't envision Nordic Valley as a destination resort. They should focus on new lift infrastructure and trails first.

 

[4aprice]

I just don't envision Nordic Valley as a destination resort. They should focus on new lift infrastructure and trails first.

Doesn't have to be a destination resort to be a good place to live or a good investment. Eden as a location is pretty good between Powder and Snowbasin. The skiing at Nordic itself is just a bonus. I haven't seen their master plan but IIRC (what I read in the past) there are plans or further expansion and the there is certainly a lot of undeveloped mountain above the current layout. It will be interesting to see what they build and what they ask. I think If I were heading Utah I would like it there over Ogden or the Salt Lake Metro and certainly cheaper then Park City

 

[thetrailboss]

I just don't envision Nordic Valley as a destination resort. They should focus on new lift infrastructure and trails first.

What? You think having the main double chairlift operational is important?

I will never understand the thinking (or lack thereof) in adding the 6-pack uphill of the double. That was dumb. And not replacing the double this season when it has broken down consistently the last few years is equally dumb.