Did you know that Walt Disney himself headed up a project to build a Disney-branded ski resort? Disney’s Mineral King Ski Resort was one of Walt’s very last projects – so what happened? Watch the video below to find out.
Read More Here: How Walt Disney Tried And Failed To Build The Best Ski Resort In California
Walter Elias Disney, better known as Walt Disney is known for his pivotal role as one of the founders of the American animation industry– not the American ski industry.
Related: Arapahoe Basin Expansion Mostly Approved By USFS
Originally, the plan for Disney’s Mineral King Ski Resort included 14 ski lifts, a 3,600 vertical drop to the valley, and a completely self-contained alpine village accessed by a four season road. The cost for that road– $25 million dollars.
Mineral King Valley | Photo Credit: HikingMike
At first, federal, state, and environmental groups backed the plan to build the costly road and $35 million dollar resort but years of permitting procedures, environmental opinions, and Disney’s untimely death in 1966 likely doomed the project.
- The resort would have been bordered on three sides by Sequoia National Park, offering tree skiing among the biggest trees in the entire world.
California governor, Ronald Reagan likely dealt the deadly blow that would ultimately kill the idea. In 1972, Reagan removed part of the plan for the all season access road and instead recommended, “Alternate access methods” that included a train to the ski area. He later added that those multiple methods would “better serve the needs of both conservation and recreation.”
Along with Reagan’s non-commitment to building the vital road, The Sierra Club reversed their support of the ski area in Mineral King Valley after Disney’s death. The group would later tie up the idea in California state courts.
The Alpine Village @MineralKing | Photo Credit: Yesterland
In 1978, the plan was officially pronounced dead when Congress added the Mineral King Valley to Sequoia National Park’s land holdings.
Looking back, it’s a definitely a good thing Disney’ ski area was never fully realized. Today, Sequoia National Park boasts the worst air quality of all national parks and is one of the most visited national parks in the country. Adding a ski area to the equation would likely have exacerbated these problems. That said, we can still dream of the epic Sequoia tree skiing that could have been…
Fun Fact: Walt Disney first tried to buy Mammoth Mountain. A deal was nearly done but collapsed in the 11th hour due to a disagreement over equity.
More indeed information on Disney’s Mineral King Ski Resort can be found in the video below.
