One of the largest skiing expansions in modern North American history could be coming to Brian Head Resort in Southern Utah. Aspen Meadows and Brian Head Resort announced last week that they’re planning to build a large real estate community.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, this would make Brian Head the state’s seventh-largest ski resort. Trail clearing will begin this summer, with the first lifts expected to open during the 2024-25 season.
The extensive expansion would serve a new two-thousand-acre real estate community called Aspen Meadows. This would add 850 acres of new skiable terrain, with seven new chairlifts (a mix of fixed-grip and detachable high-speed). This terrain and lifts will be open to the public.
A third ski lodge and village, hotel, skier beach, ice skating rink, snow tubing, beginner areas, and more amenities are also planned. Two maps were released that show the trails and lifts that would become part of the ski resort. The current trail network of Brian Head is on the bottom right.
The second map gives more detail as to how a gondola would access the new terrain from Brian Head’s current base area, along with the difficulty ratings of some of the new trails.
The Aspen Meadows development will be located just below Brian Head Peak, which has a peak elevation of 11,307 feet above sea level. This area is known for “its large open spaces, mature aspen and fir tree stands, rolling benches, open alpine meadows, high-altitude ski terrain, and summer grazing grounds.” Another perk of the location is its North and Northwest facing slopes, which help with snow retention and minimizing wind.
During the offseason, the new expansion would feature hiking and biking trails. It’s also close to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon Nation Park, so there’s plenty of appeal to living around Southern Utah.
Marilyn Butler, who is the General Manager of Brian Head Resort, confirmed the plans in the press release with Aspen Meadows:
“From the moment we opened on November 4, we knew this season would be special, and the Aspen Meadows vision has only added to our team’s excitement. Together, we will advance our purpose of Giving People the Freedom to Ski while expanding both our winter and
summer operations in the future.”
A. Flint Decker, who is the President of Aspen Meadows, said the following about the new community:
“Aspen Meadows is truly a special collection of alpine lands, with the perfect slope aspects for ski terrain never before seen by most visitors to this region of southern Utah. We’re proud to be a part of this new chapter in our community’s history as we share new ski terrain and resort amenities with the town of Brian Head and the guests of Brian Head Resort.”
The full expansion plans won’t be completed for thirty years, but it’s going to be pretty interesting to see Brian Head grow from a modestly sized ski resort to a giant one. If you want to learn more about the expansion, you can read the press release here. We’ll keep you posted here on Unofficial Networks on the latest Brian Head expansion developments.
Image Credits: Brian Head Resort, Mike Saemisch, Aspen Meadows
