While it’s the “Greatest Snow on Earth” that attracts most people to Utah’s many ski resorts, summertime activities in the mountains are growing in popularity and resorts around the state are doing their best to cash in.
At the beginning of the year, Snowbird announced plans to build a zip line that would descend 11,000 feet from Hidden Peak, across Peruvian Gulch and down to the Gad-lift base area, for a total ride of 2.75 miles. The goal of the zip line is simple: to attract more summer business. It was met with immediate disapproval from conservation groups such as Save Our Canyons, who oppose what they call the “Disneyfication” of the mountains.
“It’s no secret Save Our Canyons takes exception with amusement-park facilities in the canyons. It’s inappropriate,” the group’s executive director, Carl Fisher, told The Salt Lake Tribune in January. “It’s not Alpine recreation, rather a ride that provides thrills, not natural resource-based recreation.”
After a series of city council hearings and several meetings of the Mountainous Planning Commission, plans for the Snowbird zip line have been put on hold. But resorts’ desire — and need — to attract summer visitors has not been put on hold in the least.
“We support anything that the resorts want to do to expand amenities and opportunities,” said Paul Marshall, Ski Utah director of communications. “As the resorts expand and grow to attract the summer market, we are on board.”
As Snowbird general manager Bob Bonar told the Mountainous Planning Commission earlier this year, the resort sees the zip line as an appropriate way to “engage the growing segment of summer and non-skiing users seeking natural recreation,” the Tribune reported.
Bonar also pointed out that several resorts already offer zip lines, including Park City and Sundance, as well as the Utah Olympic Park. But despite this and Snowbird’s commitment to offset any environmental impacts — for example, the resort pledged to plant 10 trees for every one removed during the installation of the line — conservation groups would not be swayed.
“Many of those groups want no infrastructure at all. That’s a hard ask,” Marshall said. “Anything the resorts are doing now is highly studied. They’re not going to put in any infrastructure without considering the environmental impact. With growth in tourism and the population of Salt Lake City, you need to offer new amenities.”
Summer amenities serve not only to attract non-skiers interested in other mountain activities such as hiking, biking and camping, but to provide a reason for regular winter visitors to come back in a different season. And while most resorts can operate on just the profits of winter business — some resorts, including Alta and Brighton, close completely during the off-season — there is certainly an economic benefit to staying open year-round.
“I think the resorts are doing a good job capturing that business,” Marshall said. “I think they’re seeing opportunity. There are potential revenue streams in the summer.”