The Canyons Village at Park City Mountain Resort could be getting a needed lift capacity upgrade.
TownLift reports that the Canyons Village Management Association, Inc. (CMVA) voted on June 19th to sign a joint funding agreement for the construction of a new ten-person gondola. This new gondola is projected to have a length of 6,512 feet and a vertical rise of 1,103 feet.
If it gets the necessary permits, the new gondola will replace the Sunrise chairlift, which is located next to the Pendry Hotel. The current chairlift starts around the hotel and ends at the start of the Raptor Way trail. Seeing that this only travels a couple of hundred feet and services a few trails, it wasn’t an attractive option for most guests. This new gondola would start around the same location and end right next to the top terminal of the Red Pine gondola.
The new gondola will cost around $27 million. The CMVA is planning to cover more than $9 million of the cost, while Vail Resorts would foot the rest of the bill. The timeline for the project has yet to be announced.
The Canyons Village Management Association said the following in their June 19th statement:
“Park City Mountain and CVMA are pleased to be moving forward together toward this important future investment. A future gondola will enhance the Canyons Village experience and contribute to the operation of a world-class resort. Today’s CVMA board vote was one step in a process we are excited to continue as we partner to reimagine Canyons Village as a world-class destination.”
According to Sara Huey, who is the senior manager of communications at Park City Mountain Resort, the new gondola is still in the early planning stages, and will need a variety of permits:
“Park City Mountain leadership is meeting with local government staff, community leaders and residents to ensure our application complies with applicable requirements and improves the guest experience for all guests, including locals.”
This isn’t the only lift project going on over at the Canyons Village. According to the Park Record, the gondola cabins for the Red Pine Gondola are being replaced this summer, with the first 29 of them already being installed. The other 26 cabins will be replaced in September. Back in December, Parker Malatesta from KPCW reported that numerous cabins couldn’t load passengers due to the doors not properly locking and unlocking.
These moves will help with the congestion issues that happened over at the Canyons Village at peak periods. Last season, huge lift lines formed due to the inactive gondola cabins.
While this proposed gondola could help with crowds in the Village, I do wonder if Sunrise’s location will deter people from using the new gondola.
Most people get to the Canyon’s base area via The Cabriolet. The Cabriolet’s top terminal is located right next to the Red Pine Gondola. To the right of the Red Pine Gondola is the Orange Bubble Express, which is a short walk. The current distance from the Cabriolet to the Sunrise chairlift is .2 miles. This frankly isn’t much walking, but with ski boots, it’s not the most enjoyable experience.
While I do see the lines for Red Pine being slightly reduced due to the next cabins and eventual gondola, I do expect most people to still use the Red Pine Gondola and the Orange Bubble Express. So if this gondola project happens, making the longer walk seems like the best way to avoid the crowds.
On August 3 from 4-6 p.m., Park City Mountain and CVMA will be hosting a community open house to discuss the plans with locals. Click here to register for the event.
Images from Facebook courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort
