Industry News
Vail just bought Park City ski resort last week for $182.5 million. Â What many of us missed in the announcement is that they stated that they will be connecting Park City ski resort to the Canyons ski resort (also run by Vail).
When these two ski resorts connect, it’ll create the largest ski resort in the USA.
The Canyons has 4,000 skiable acres.  Park City has 3,300 skiable acres.  Combined, they’d have over 7,400 skiable acres making it the biggest ski resort in the USA and the 2nd largest ski resort in North America behind Whislter Blackcomb’s 8,000 acres.
Vail’s acquisition of Park City will also put the “One Wasatch” plan into warp speed. Â One Wasatch plans on connecting all 7 of the Park City area, Big Cottonwood area, & Little Cottonwood area ski resorts. Â This would essentially create an 18,000 acre ski resort in Utah.
One Wasatch would involve building a 4 chairlifts.  One chairlift up Alta’s Grizzly Gultch to Solitude and another lift up Solitude’s Honeycomb Canyon to meet the the Grizzly Gultch chair.  Then a 2 chairs would be built in the Guardsman Pass zone between Park City and Brighton, one chair to each respective ski resort.
Once these 4 chairs are in place, you’d be able to ski between all 7 ski resorts, all 100 lifts, and all 18,000 acres all on one pass. Â
There are already 3 connects available in Utah’s Wasatch: Â Park City to Deer Valley, Brighton to Solitude, and Alta to Snowbird.
What do you think? Â Do you like the Park City-Canyons connect? Â Do you like the One Wasatch idea?
Don’t do it!!
Alta and snowbird have many loyalists who just don’t care to ski anywhere else. With the one Wasatch plan a good majority are going to want to be in the Alta snowbird area and only add to those people who are there. I feel it will make those such resorts even more overcrowded than they all ready are. Sure combine park City to canyons. But don’t connect the cottonwood to the park City range.
I love the One Wasatch idea. I definitely want to see this play out…