Industry News
It seems almost every ski resort in the country is making upgrades, improvements, or expanding its terrain at this time, or at least is planning to. This is great news for the ski industry and skiers who have seen a record number of skier visits since the pandemic. Those numbers prove that the ski industry is strong and growing in the United States which allows ski resorts to make these investments and plans.
Powder Mountain, Utah, has announced plans for a massive expansion making it the largest ski resort in North America. Powder Mountain announced in March that it has agreed to purchase 2,390 acres of skiable terrain in an area known as Davenport on the northeast side of the resort. The additional terrain gives the resort a total of 12,850 acres of skiable terrain. The expansion requires two new lifts to be constructed to access the new terrain. The plans then had to go through an approval process which sometimes can turn into a long-drawn-out process.
The Cache County Council voted 4–3 to allow Powder Mountain to bypass the usual zoning rules during the construction of its new Lighting Ridge and Raintree lifts. This will enable the lifts to be installed in time for the 2024-25 season which was said to be “critical” by the resort’s chief development officer, Brooke Hontz. One of those lifts will service terrain that will be private to members of the ski resort. It is part of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings’ recent acquisition of a controlling stake in the resort, to turn it into a luxury private and public skiing destination. Hastings plans to restrict access to more than 2,000 acres of previously public skiing terrain, making it available only to private members with membership fees ranging from $30,000 to $100,000.
The private terrain will be accessed via the previously public Mary’s and Village lifts and a new Raintree lift. Raintree, which connects to newly acquired territory, is one of the four new lifts Powder Mountain wants to build this summer. All are part of $100 million in new investments Hastings pledged after investing in Powder Mountain. The new lift infrastructure will add 900 acres of lift-served and 147 acres of hike-to access, for a total of 1,047 acres. Lift installation will begin this summer with plans to be operational for the 2024/25 season. The additional 2,390 acres will expand private homeowner offerings and the new terrain will feature 1,766 ft of a vertical drop. It will provide over 980 acres of glade skiing and several cut runs. The terrain is located near the village and is a natural extension of the existing private offering.
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Parcels will start at $2 million which is not within an average person’s budget. However, that is part of Hasting’s overall plan. The money generated by the private properties and access to private terrain will help subsidize the costs of operating a ski resort. The cost of a $30,000 membership at Powder Mountain might sound extremely expensive at first, but considering it costs $400,000 to become a member at Yellowstone Club, Montana, that price seems a lot more reasonable. Also, the costs of homes in Aspen, Colorado, and Alta, Utah start around $3.5 million which is less than what is being asked at $2 million a parcel at Pow Mow.
With the approval of the construction of Powder Mountain’s new Lighting Ridge and Raintree lifts and the acquisition of the Davenport area in March, Powder Mountain will be the largest ski area in North America with over 12,000 total acres. Skiers will also have exclusive access to some of the best powder skiing anywhere in the U.S. which is also known for never being overcrowded. This approach to solving the financial struggles within the ski industry could be the future business model for ski resorts in the future.
For more information visit Powder Mountain’s website.
