Park City, Utah— The fate of a proposed bubble chairlift that’s part of Deer Valley’s expansion plan remains uncertain.
The Salt Lake Tribune and TownLift reported last week that the Park City Planning Commission has delayed its decision on the proposed bubble chairlift at Park Peak. Two core issues delayed the decision that was originally scheduled for April 24th: the route most beginners will take to leave the the terrain pod and its location in a wildlife corridor.
For beginners, one of the ways out of the terrain pod will be through a trail referred to as Sunnyside. However, this run, which would be 50 to 70 feet wide, is narrower than what is considered sufficient and has a 20% gradient, which is steep for some beginner skiers. Ecosign rates beginner terrain as 8-20% and novice terrain as 20-30%. Both are green circle runs, but with the proposed trail being 20% narrow at points, it could become tricky for some less-experienced skiers to navigate. Most of Deer Valley’s beginner terrain for first-timers is around a 15% gradient. In addition, reaching the terrain pod on trails like Ontario and Trump could be chaotic, as these pistes typically see a wide array of skiers.
Anne Bransford, a Park City resident who wrote a letter as a spokesperson for the Bransford Land Co., wants to see alternate routes out of their terrain pod:
“The application is riddled with serious flaws impacting skier safety and creating unnecessary disturbance within [conservation easements and sensitive land]…It is also woefully incomplete both in terms of support/fact finding and mitigations…Ski instructors, ski patrollers, and skiers of all levels informally surveyed by BLC, all agree this is far too narrow and steep for the beginner skier.”
In addition, the proposed terrain pod is in a crucial wildlife habitat. According to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, a crucial habitat is where animals that live there depend on that area of land to survive, which in this case are species like black bears, and moving isn’t an option. However, various operating Deer Valley lifts already exist in crucial wildlife habitats. Deer Valley also uses various crowd control measures, like limiting lift tickets and having Ikon passholders reserve their days on the hill.
Another concern brought up by skeptics was whether this plan would need to involve a revision of the Flagstaff Open Space Management Plan. Most of the developed terrain pods are listed as undeveloped recreational open spaces, while most of Deer Valley is classified as developed recreational open spaces.
Todd Bennett, who’s the President & COO of Deer Valley, stood by their proposal in the Planning Commission meeting, explaining to them their extensive research process to reach this point:
“We’ve looked at a number of options, but this is the right plan. It’s good to have the debate and ask the questions, but we take this very seriously. We bring in world experts to look at it, and we feel good about the alignment.”
There are still proponents of these plans, though. Ted Ligety, the legendary American skier and Deer Valley ambassador, voiced his support for these plans at the meeting:
“Getting the kids out of the base area is such an amazing experience. It’s so valuable for the experience of skiing. I’m really excited about the opportunity to take the kids out into this upper terrain that is easier to ski and have them experience a true mountain experience.”
The Doppelmayr D-Line bubble high-speed six-pack chairlift would have a capacity of 3000 people per hour, be .56 miles long, and feature a vertical rise of around 600 feet. The new chairlift would service mostly beginner terrain and connect Flagstaff Mountain to Park Peak. Ski resorts across the continent are building terrain pods at higher elevations to give novice skiers a memorable experience, and this area would fit the bill for Deer Valley. The bottom terminal would be at the intersection of the Trump and Ontario trails.
This isn’t the only example of lifts going through the wringer with the Park City Planning Commission. After initially approving two new chairlifts at Park City Mountain Resort in 2022, residents successfully appealed this ruling after showing that these new lifts didn’t follow the master development plan and that Vail Resorts didn’t detail a sufficient parking mitigation strategy. Last year, a Utah Judge upheld the appeal, but Vail Resorts is appealing that decision.
In my opinion, this is probably the least important terrain pod that’s part of Deer Valley’s new expansion. This is beginner terrain that will take a while to reach, and putting a bubble on such a short ride is frankly a head-scratcher. There are also numerous ways that guests can connect to Deer Valley’s existing terrain pods without this one. I’d rather see them take their time and get it right than rush this through. Nearly all the lifts for this expansion have been approved already (they went through a different approval process), so I’m not worried if this one takes longer.
The Park City Planning Commission’s decision is planned for May 8th. Update 5/8: According to the Park Record, the decision date has been moved to May 22nd.
Image Credits: Deer Valley Resort
