Alta, Wyoming — After years of speculation about what was taking so long, the environmental impact statement for Grand Targhee Resort’s ambitious master development plan has been released.
Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that earlier this week, the US Forest Service released a comprehensive draft environmental impact statement (EIS) of Grand Targhee’s master plan. The plan, which was submitted in 2018, has been under review for years due to pushback from environmentalists. Once you take a glance at it, you’ll realize why the environmental impact statement took so long to write. It’s 625 pages, with a comprehensive environmental analysis of various factors.
The original plan was a vast expansion that included three new lifts in the South Bowl area, among other spots. However, due to pushback, Grand Targhee Resort scaled back its expansion plans in the South Bowl.
Grand Targhee is eyeing an expansion of its Special Use Permit (SUP) into two areas. The South Bowl area has been reduced from its original ambitions, with only one lift proposed in this area. The expansion would grow Grand Targhee’s skiable boundary by 266 acres, with around 60 acres being developed for ski trails. This terrain is described as advanced bowl skiing. The new lift servicing this terrain would be 3,211 feet long and have a carrying capacity of around 1,800 persons per hour.
The new Mono Trees expansion would be situated between the Sacajawea and Colter terrain pods. This roughly 600-acre SUP expansion would add approximately 97 acres of intermediate and advanced-intermediate terrain. It would be serviced by a chairlift with a length of 4,222 feet and a carrying capacity of 1,800 persons per hour.
Several new lifts are also being proposed. Next to the North Boundary would be a new fixed-grip triple chairlift that makes lapping this terrain easier. This area would feature a few new trails plus several run extensions, all of which are in the current skiable boundary. The Dreamcatcher high-speed quad would be replaced with a chondola (a mix of six-person chairs and gondola cabins). On Fred’s Mountain, a new detachable lift, Crazy Horse, is also planned to make it easier to lap the upper mountain. Over in the beginner area, the Shoshone Quad lift would be replaced by a detachable chairlift, and a platter pull lift would be added to allow athletes to get more laps in. Finally, a magic carpet is planned for the beginner area.
Other portions of this plan include a 57-acre snowmaking expansion, two new on-mountain lodges, other new facilities (such as buildings for bathrooms and ski patrol), an expansion of their Nordic/snowshoeing/fat bike offerings, new hiking/biking trails, additional summer attractions, and more.
Critics of these plans, such as the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and No Grand Targhee Expansion, have raised various concerns. These concerns include the effects on wildlife, backcountry skiers losing access to terrain due to the expansion, it could change the character of the local Wydaho community, it could make living nearby more expensive, and these projects could put additional stress on the local infrastructure in Alta and Driggs (the Idaho town guests pass on their way to Targhee).
While Grand Targhee’s ultimate goal is to make these improvements and expand into Mono Trees and South Bowl, they’ve also presented the US Forest Service with a few alternative options. These include no SUP boundary expansion, expanding solely into Mono Trees, or expanding solely into South Bowl.
You can read the environmental impact statement and other documents relating to the expansion plans here.
Image Credits: Grand Targhee Resort
