Major Terrain Expansion at Brian Head Resort, UT, Gets Approved

Just because ski resorts close winter operations during the summer it does not mean that there is not a lot still happening in the industry. It is the time of the year when ski resorts make plans for the following ski season while still running summer operations on the mountain as well. This is the critical time when ski resorts around the country expand terrain, make upgrades, and improve infrastructure around the resorts. On May 28, Brian Head Resort in Utah received approval from the Brian Head Town Council for its big expansion plans. Brian Head first announced the collaboration with Aspen Meadows in 2023.

The 850 new acres of skiable terrain and 1,800 acres for a 2,000-acre ski-in, ski-out community could make it the seventh-largest ski resort in the state. According to a report from ABC 4 Utah, the Brian Head Town Council approved the annexation of nearly 1,800 acres for a new real estate community named Aspen Meadows. The expansion will also feature seven new fixed-grip and detachable high-speed lifts, a new hotel, a ski lodge, two base villages, a community park, and an ice-skating rink. “Together, we will advance our purpose of giving people the freedom to ski while expanding both our winter and summer operations in the future,” Marilyn Butler, Brian Head’s general manager, said in a news release.

The expansion is expected to be fully built out over the next three decades. Plans for developing the new trails had already been made and trail cutting began in May. The expansion would be located northeast of the 650 acres where the Brian Head is located now. The expansion would give Brian Head a total of 1,500 acres making it the seventh largest resort in the state in terms of skiable acreage. The first lifts for the expansion are expected to be added by the 2024-25 season.

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Established in 1964, Brian Head Resort offers access to 650 acres of lift-served trails with an average annual snowfall of nearly 360 inches of Utah powder. Brian Head Resort is located approximately three hours from Las Vegas and about four hours from Salt Lake City. The resort features a ski and snowboard school, terrain parks, and tubing. Brian Head boasts the highest base elevation in Utah at 9,600 feet and was the first ski resort in Utah to open this season. During the 23/24 season, Brian Head offered lift tickets for as low as $19 with kids 12 and under skied free all season long.

Aspen Meadows will allow skiers and snowboarders to park near the Aspen Meadows lodge and will be surrounded by restaurants, rental services, and other resort services. The ski runs will wrap around individual residences and will be part of a gated community. Aspen Meadows will include hiking and biking trails and will be the world’s first bike-in neighborhood. Flint Decker, president of the Aspen Meadows Group, called the expansion a legacy project.

When Burt Nicols and Homer Vasels founded Brian Head in 1964, they envisioned the development of the Aspen Meadows area as part of the resort in the future according to Decker. “That 30-year master plan of the project of Aspen Meadows is what Burt always envisioned sitting on top of that bulldozer back in the ‘60s,” Decker said. The development will be similar to The Colony at White Pine Canyon on The Canyons side of Park City Mountain Resort, Decker said.

For more information visit Brian Head’s website.