Bad Rumor Today at Alta (Sale of Interest in Snowbird to Cumming)

[thetrailboss]

SOC really has an axe to grind with anything to do with development.

Exactly. I read the article and said sour grapes--and their opposition is too late. This lodge is no surprise--it's been a stated goal for decades. Even though SOC complains, it's already been downsized to appease them. The area is already developed.


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[thetrailboss]

Snowbird update: after the deal, things are really moving forward at Snowbird. As the Tram operator said to me yesterday, he and his supervisor have "never seen this much work in one summer." This was not at all expected...I was thinking it would be quiet.

Since the ski season ended, they've done this:

*Broke ground and have made significant progress on a real summit lodge. Steel is up, they are getting ready to pour the floors. It is a nice looking building really. Pretty simple....yet stylish. No rotating floor as originally thought. This has required a lot of additional work including a few utility lines from the summit (one sewer, one electric/comm, and maybe a new water line). I only expected them to get utilities in and the foundation. Looks like they really had their sh%t in gear on this one.

*Opened a legit Big Mountain bike trail. I've only heard good things. They got approval to start building dedicated bike trails from the summit. The Big Mountain Trail on Gad Side. 7.9 miles and 3,000 vertical feet. More can be read here.



More is coming. They are working on a trail down Peruvian side.

*Something is going on in the Bookends. They've widened the cat track/traverse that they built last season over there. Now it looks like they are cutting a traverse across the top of the ridge and maybe cutting out the Hillary Step. This would mean that they could open this area with less snow and that access would be a lot better. It would also be necessary for any expansion over in Mary Ellen Gulch. The Tram operator said that the work was for a new avalauncher in that area. Boy that seems like a lot of work for that...

*Wilbere Chair work. New haul rope, new grips, and new paint on the towers. Looks good.

*New paint on Gadzoom towers.

*New paint on Mid-Gad. It also looks like they got it geared up to run in the offseason with a platform at the bottom. Maybe it was a for a wedding or for getting people to Mid-Gad lodge?

There also has been some seeding and grading of some trails over on Gad 2 and on Lower Peruvian. Looks good.

Word has it that the Tram will have some gear work in the short offseason before skiing.

Now all we need is snow .