Salt Lake MSA Development Thread

[cololi]

I think the Oquirrh resort is a long ways off. there is also a planned ski resort on the west side of Bear lake near Garden City. This is probably a pie in the ski type of proposal, but it does have a bit of traction, meaning it is in the land assembly and design phase.

I know of some land owners and developers that are very serious about developing a ski area on the east facing slopes of the wasatch due east of the Bountiful/Farmington area (skyline drive area). The resort would be accessed from the wasatch back, which requires a major investment in a long road, but it can be done. I have skied in the area via snowmobile in the last two winters and the snow quality is typical Utah. The terrain is very similar to the Canyons, but the base would be about 1,000 feet higher (7500 feet) and the snow is much more consistent due to the lake effect pipeline that flows over the Bountiful bench. The owners have about 10 years of snow surveys that indicate an average of 450" at the top and about 400 at the base. The failure of the largest investment companies may put this off for a few years, but I think this has a very real chance of happening.

The Cottonwoods will not see any new resorts, but expansion is a very real possibility. Alta wants to expand, and owns the land to do it, onto the north side of LCC. This includes Grizzly Gulch and the Emma Ridge. Brighton has long wanted to expand into Snake Creek Canyon and eventually down into the Midway area. Both the Canyons and Park City Mountain Resort are trying to acquire land that is between the two resorts and expand onto it. Deer Valley is aggressively pursuing private property on and around the peak called "10420" on the south side of Gaurdsman Pass. SLC is trying to purchase as much land in Big and Little Cottonwood canyon watersheds to protect water quality and as been very successful in stopping a lot of development in the canyons. They thwarted two major propsoal by not granting access or purchasing land in Cardiff Fork and on the north side of BCC, which would have resulted in PCMR having a base in the canyon. Solitude is unlikely to expand, although the top of Silver Fork has always been desired by them. Powder Mt. is probably looking at the largest expansion and provide direct access to Cache Valley.