“I love everything about this proposal. This is exactly why we were created and is exactly our purpose.”-Mike Ostermiller, Utah Military Installation Development Authority board member.

It sounds like Sundance Mountain Resort will be getting a new hotel.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Sundance Mountain Resort plans to build a sixty-five-room inn. They applied for funding from Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), which helps with the development of land that benefits military members.

Yesterday, MIDA approved this proposal, meaning tax-payer money will be used to build the hotel, albeit not the whole $35 million price tag. The MIDA funds will be going towards “the hard costs associated with Sundance Inn construction.” As part of the deal, Sundance will be adding benefits to veterans. The lodging will be free for wounded veterans, and the building will be ADA-accessible. Sundance will also be creating a veteran’s program, allowing those who served a place to unwind and heal.

This isn’t the first time that the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) has been involved with a ski resort development. They’re developing the base village around what was known as Mayflower Resort. The terrain around this development will ultimately become part of Deer Valley Resort.

The $35 million hotel is a joint partnership between Sundance Mountain Resort and Utah County. This move is Sundance’s next step in becoming Utah’s next destination ski resort. Since Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners bought the ski resort from Robert Redford in 2020, they have spent millions to modernize the ski resort. This has included adding new chairlifts, a terrain expansion geared toward beginner and intermediate guests, and more.

The $35 million hotel will still need private investment to move forward, although that seems more likely with this news.

Image Credits: Sundance Mountain Resort

Can you guess what ski resort has the fastest chairlift in the state of Utah?

Despite the lack of ritz and glamour compared to its relatively nearby competitors, the answer is Brighton Resort. On December 8th, Brighton opened up the new Crest 6 chairlift. While I was in Utah for vacation, I decided to take the UTA Ski Bus up to Brighton to check the new Doppelmayr D-Line high-speed detachable six-pack chairlift out on its opening day.

Here’s what I liked about the chairlift: it’s fast, carries more riders, and is modern. The trip to the top only takes 5.3 minutes, an improvement compared to the former’s ride time of around 6.5 minutes. This thing feels like riding a roller coaster, dashing up the mountain. While this resulted in a cold ride up when I went, it’ll feel nice on those Spring days. It can carry 2400 guests per hour, an upgrade from the 1200-1400 people per hour that the Crest Express could carry. The chairlift also features innovative tech like a loading conveyer that’s easy to ride and a video board that displays various notifications.

I have one key problem with this new chairlift though: the journey to reach it from Milly is going to suck. You see, the old Crest Express had two loading mazes: one on the Milly Chalet, while the other was located next to the end of the Majestic Access trail.

With the lift shack now located on the side closest to the Majestic Access trail, there’s now only one lift maze area, which is right next to Molly Greens. In addition, to reach this trail from the Traverse, it appears as though there’s an incline under the lift line (pictured below). From what I saw, you’ll now need to garner a lot of speed to avoid skating across a little hill, and then skiing over to the lift maze.

Overall, the Crest 6 is an overdue replacement for the Crest Express, with modern technology and more capacity than its predecessor. However, reaching it from Milly is going to be a little bit more tricky for those who like to traverse between Brighton’s peaks.

Image Credits: Ian Wood

On December 14, 2022, Thomas Elbrecht was backcountry skiing with his dog in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah when he heard 35-year-old Travis Haussener calling for help. A 200-foot wide, 2 foot-deep avalanche avalanche caught him, covering his everything but his head and one arm. Elbrecht heard the calls and found the man, helping to save his life.

Now Elbrecht, a Unified Fire Authority firefighter, is set to receive the Carnegie Medal, the highest honor for civilian heroism in North America. Each recipient will receive a financial grant, with nearly $45 million being given out since Andrew Carnegie established the Carnegie Hero Fund 119 years ago.

Upon hearing the calls, Elbrecht followed Haussener’s tracks to the bottom of the avalanche debris. He then hiked up to the man and managed to dig him out of the snow. Due to multiple major injuries, including a broken thighbone, Haussener was unable to return to safety, and Elbrecht couldn’t move him alone. Instead, Elbrecht called for the authorities and alerted them to his position, created a makeshift splint with a ski pole to stabilize Haussener’s leg, and built a small shelter to protect the injured man from the cold.

Over the next several hours, Elbrecht stayed with the injured Haussener. He kept the man dry and warm, swapping out wet clothes for dry spares. A responding rescue helicopter was unable to land because the slope was too steep and the trees were too dense, but a ground crew of two rescue personnel eventually found the duo. More than seven hours after initially being found, Haussener, with the help of Elbrecht, was moved to a toboggan, then to a snowmobile, and finally to an ambulance. Haussener spent several days in the hospital, but was okay in the long run.

It’s super awesome to see this kind of effort awarded. If anyone deserves recognition, it’s people like Thomas Elbrecht.

Related: Northern Escape Heli Skiing Awarded ‘World’s Best Heli Ski Operation’

Image Credit: Unified Fire Authority via Facebook

Guests at a Chinese ski resort recently went through a traumatizing experience.

The South China Morning Post reports that a chairlift stopped rapidly due to a malfunction, leading to the chairs rapidly swinging with passengers onboard. The ski resort wasn’t specified by the Post, but it’s located in western China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The resort was able to safely evacuate everyone that was on the chairlift. The ultimate cause of the malfunction was abnormally cold weather.

Image/Video Credits: South China Morning Post

Sugarloaf, Maine’s largest ski resort, is closed today, December 19, due to major road and infrastructure damage. Yesterday’s storm, which left hundreds of thousands of people without power along the East Coast, damaged the mountain, parts of the resort’s village, and roads leading to and around the resort.

Sugarloaf has not yet released an estimate on when they will reopen, but an update is at some point today. Carrabassett Valley Police posted an image of a washed out Route 27, the road leading to Sugarloaf’s access road, at the Redington Bridge near Tuft’s Pond Road North. The police department requested early this morning that nobody attempts to access Sugarloaf at this time.

Other posts show water rushing over the major roads throughout Carrabassett Valley, washing out the bank along the side of Route 27. The nearby Carrabassett River can be seen rushing nearby, and water flows can be seen flowing towards ski cabins.

Farmington, Maine, home to the University of Maine Farmington, the small Titcomb Mountain, and one of the major routes to both Sugarloaf and Saddleback (which is also closed), can be seen suffering from major flooding in posts made to Facebook. Some images show what appear to be washed out sheds, near fully covered vehicles, and water up to the top of street signs and the large McDonald’s sign in town.

If you’re in an area affected by this storm, please stay safe! If you’re at Sugarloaf, stay dry and try to avoid driving anywhere. If you’re not at Sugarloaf, don’t try to go. Road closures will certainly prevent you from getting there, and road conditions will likely make any drive unsafe.

It’s sad to see all of this damage throughout New England. Hopefully these mountains, including Sugarloaf, Saddleback, and Sunday River, can get things repaired quickly, and hopefully some snow will hit the ground in the near future so the East Coast ski season can get going once again!

Related: One Of Sunday River’s Roads Washes Out Due To Heavy Rain

Image Credit: Carrabassett Valley Police Department via Facebook

Over the past couple of years, one of the ski resorts that has been on the rise is Nordic Valley in Utah. Located near the city of Ogden, it added a huge terrain expansion during the 2020-21 season. However, the ski resort has been dealt a bad hand for this ski season.

Last week, Nordic Valley announced that the Apollo chairlift, which accesses the majority of the terrain at the ski resort, will be closed for “an undetermined period of time.” The Apollo chairlift suffered a mechanical breakdown back in March and has been closed since then. While dealing with the repairs, Nordic Valley’s maintenance team discovered further issues with the chairlift. With this being an older chairlift, finding the parts took an extended period of time due to the required customer engineering and manufacturing.

In response, Nordic Valley has acquired two Alpina Sleds to carry guests up to the Nordic Express and potentially to the top of the Apollo terrain pod. Each one of the Superclass 1.2L twin-tracked utility snowmobiles will be able to carry eighteen passengers. These people movers will be able to move 200 people per hour. I’m not gonna lie, those things look pretty sick.

It’s not all bad news for Nordic Valley though. They added two hundred parking spots, and two new trails to the Nordic Express terrain pod. Currently, Nordic Valley is open for the season with two trails and two lifts.

The ski resorts around Ogden are in a precarious situation. Snowbasin is an awesome ski resort, but it’s too expensive to visit unless you are a season/Ikon passholder. Powder Mountain just announced its plan to become a semi-private ski resort and has become more expensive this year (outside of night skiing tickets). Wasatch Peak Ranch’s future is in question after a judge ordered that the private ski resort stop construction and halt real estate sales.

Then there’s Nordic Valley. It’s an affordable ski resort with impressively cheap lift ticket deals and a brand-new terrain pod. What currently holds it back is the Apollo chairlift, which is the only way to reach the Nordic Express pod under normal circumstances. I’m a big fan of the place, and the Ogden skiing community needs this place to succeed.

My ultimate viewpoint is Nordic Valley’s future success depends on replacing Apollo. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fixed-grip or high-speed detachable chairlift, Apollo needs to be replaced within the next few years.

Image Credits: Nordic Valley, Alpina Snowmobiles

Arc’teryx Equipment recently announced a three-year partnership with the Natural Selection Tour, the backcountry freeride snowboard competition co-founded by Travis Rice. According to a press release from the company, as a part of the partnership, Arc’teryx will act as the Official Outwear Sponsor of the competition beginning in 2024.

“I am super excited to see Arc’teryx partner with Natural Selection for the next three years. This event is all about highlighting progression, style, and pushing the boundaries. This aligns so well with Arc’teryx brand values around product design. I believe this partnership is the ultimate opportunity to continue to elevate snowboarding.” – Natural Selection Rider and Arc’teryx Athlete Elena Hight

Throughout the first season of partnership, Arc’teryx is set to outfit the entire Natural Selection crew. Riders and behind-the-scenes crew will be given gear to help the safely and comfortably organize, prepare, host, and compete in this year’s competitions.

“The crew that produces Natural Selection Tour events are some of the burliest in snowboarding. Often located deep in the backcountry, our venues are chosen for the terrain, snow conditions and what will be best for snowboarding, never for comfort or ease of access.

With that we rely on gear that will keep the crew warm and dry for intense 12+ hour days; setting up the venue, building features and running all the production gear. Arc’teryx is built for the conditions we work (and play) in and we’re thrilled to work together in the years to come.” – Natural Selection Tour COO Liam Griffin

The 2024 Natural Selection Tour will take place in three stages, the Natural Selection DUELS, the YETI Natural Selection Selkirk Tangiers, and the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. The DUELS are set to begin in late February, with locations in Colorado, Switzerland, British Columbia, and Japan.

Related: Opening Scene To This Japanese Snowboard Film Is Brilliant

Image Credit: Natural Selection Tour via YouTube

After a major terrain expansion last winter, Mt. Shasta Ski Park has begun work on another major addition. However, this one isn’t quite as popular with guests.

Earlier this month, the California ski resort announced its plans to add a twenty-foot Virgin Mary statue at the top of Douglas Butte. This project was a shared goal of owners Ray Merlo and Robin Merlo. Ray passed away in 2020, so Robin has decided to press forward with these plans to honor his memory. Construction began earlier this year and is expected to be completed next summer.

Some locals aren’t as enthused about the plans. They believe the ski resort should keep religion out of the skiing and riding experience, and that it would take away from one of the best vista spots at the ski resort.

As is tradition when something controversial happens, a Change.com petition was created to stop construction. The petition currently has over 1900 signatures. A key thing to note that is inaccurate from this petition though is that they claim that the ski resort is on National Forest land. That isn’t true, as the land is privately owned by the ski resort.

Ed Valenzuela, who’s a Siskiyou County Supervisor, challenged locals concerns in a statement to the Los Angeles Times:

“It’s on private property. It’s a private business, It’s the holiday season. I have better things to think about than a statue going up on private property. The people that are against it, their response would be then don’t go to the ski park.”

In terms of the current conditions at Mt. Shasta Ski Park, they have yet to announce an opening date for this winter but hope to start spinning the lifts soon.

Image Credits: Mt. Shasta Ski Park

Start spreading the news, because it is shaping up to be a season full of new capital improvements at New York ski resorts.

In Ski NY’s 2023-24 capital project announcement, they detailed the major projects that are happening across the Empire State. This includes new chairlifts, snowmaking upgrades, and major renovations.

Here are the biggest improvements coming to New York ski resorts this winter. But first, here are some honorable mentions:

• Bristol Mountain opened up a year-round freestyle training facility. Called the Greater Rochester Amateur Athletic Federation (GRAFF) Summer Aerial Freestyle Training Site, it includes one of the few water ramps in the country. Other improvements include a redesigned skier bridge on the Milky Way trail, along with widening and making snowmaking upgrades to the Upper North Star trail.
• The Hickory Ski Center is getting ready to reopen this season for the first time in years thanks to an investment from the Indy Pass and us here at Unofficial Networks.
• Maple Ridge began a three-year, $3 million snowmaking project. The first phase, which happened this summer, resulted in the installation of a new snowmaking pipe system, which will increase their snowmaking capacity by up to 39%.
• Plattekill widened and added snowmaking to the I Think I Can trail. Other improvements include a new maintenance building, new decking for the base lodge, and new demo gear.
• The Windham Mountain Club went through a luxury-focused rebrand. New restaurants are opening across the ski resort, which includes an Italian Alps-themed dining facility around the mid-mountain area.

5. Gore Mountain: Gore’s major project this offseason was the replacement of their beginner chairlift. In its place is the Bear Cub Quad, which is double the length compared to the old chairlift. The conveyer-load quad chairlift gives beginners more terrain to check out and allows for easier access to the Sunway Chair. The new chairlift is making its debut tomorrow, December 16th. In addition, two magic carpet lifts have been added to the learning area, allowing for a simpler learning progression process.

To prepare for their major improvements to the North Creek Ski Bowl next year, they made significant snowmaking upgrades in this terrain pod.

4. Belleayre: The old Lift 7, which was a fixed-grip triple chairlift, was replaced with a new fixed-grip quad chairlift. The Overlook Quad, which opened earlier this season, has increased rider capacity and reliability. In conjunction with the new chairlift, they added a skier bridge, making access to Lift 7 much easier.

Major snowmaking improvements were also made. These included replacing 27,000 feet of snowmaking pipe, along with adding 250 HKD Impulse R5 tower guns and 5 SMI Super PoleCats.

3. Holiday Mountain: For years, the Catskills ski area appeared to be on the brink of closing. Most of the terrain and lifts across its three peaks were closed, but the ski area has been given new life thanks to new ownership. This offseason, they’ve spent millions of dollars to update the mountain. This includes restoring major snowmaking improvements, creating a new snow tubing slope, restoring neglected ski trails, updating their chairlifts, and renovating their base lodges.

Next winter, they will be installing a new chairlift, which they acquired from a ski resort in Virginia. Click here to learn more about all the projects they’ve worked on this offseason.

2. Holiday Valley: They’re celebrating like they’re in New Orleans this winter at Holiday Valley, as they have opened a new chairlift. The Mardi Gras Express was replaced this offseason with a high-speed six-pack chairlift, providing Holiday Valley with more capacity and further modernizes its lift fleet.

Other improvements included a new PistenBully 600 groomer, upgraded snowmaking equipment, a renovation of John Harvard’s restaurant, and room renovations at the Inn at Holiday Valley.

1. Whiteface: Probably the biggest chairlift project in New York this past offseason was The Notch. This high-speed detachable quad chairlift starts at the Bear Den base area, has a mid-station on the Borren trail, and the top terminal drops riders off next to the Legacy Lodge. The lift allows beginners to make their next steps toward big-mountain skiing. It also gives more tenured skiers and riders a reason to park at the Bear Den base area, as they can now reach the upper mountain much easier from that side. This chairlift made its debut last weekend.

The Bear Den Learning Center also saw some updates. The Cub Carpet lift was reoriented to make it easier for beginners to reach. In addition, the Falcon Flyer triple chairlift received some updates.

Other additions include a haul rope replacement and new grip hardware for the Cloudsplitter Gondola, 150 new high-efficiency snow guns with water/air lines, and two new PistenBully 600W snow cats.

Image/Video Credits: Whiteface Mountain (Featured Image), Holiday Valley (Header Image), Gore Mountain, Belleayre, Holiday Mountain

According to the editors and correspondents at Travel + Leisure, Deer Valley is the best ski resort on the planet.

This week, Travel + Leisure shared a list of their picks for the twenty best ski resorts on the planet. Their picks are all over the globe and include ski resorts in North & South America, Europe, and Asia.

Here are Travel + Leisure’s picks for the twenty best ski resorts in the world:

1. Deer Valley, Utah
2. Verbier, Switzerland
3. Aspen Mountain, Colorado
4. Big Sky Resort, Montana
5. Courchevel, France
6. Stowe, Vermont
7. Niseko, Japan
8. St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria
9. Park City Mountain Resort, Utah
10. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
11. St. Moritz, Switzerland
12. Telluride, Colorado
13. Sun Valley, Idaho
14. Portillo, Chile
15. Mont-Tremblant, Canada
16. Bormio Ski, Italy
17. Cerro Catedral, Argentina
18. Les Deux Alpes, France
19. Kitzbühel, Austria
20. Whistler Blackcomb, Canada

First off, where the hell is Mount Sunapee? All jokes aside, it’s not a terrible list. Deer Valley at number one always makes ski bums and snowboarders (especially snowboarders) roll their eyes, but it makes sense for Travel + Leisure, which is a magazine that targets luxury travelers. The big names make the list, but there are a few omissions. For Utah, I think any of the Cottonwoods’ ski resorts are better than Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort. I feel Stowe’s a bit high, and maybe shouldn’t be on the list in general. Sure, it’s got the history and great terrain, but it’s also got traffic and that East Coast ice. In Europe, not having Zermatt is a bit surprising too.

Click here to read Travel + Leisure’s reasoning behind their picks.

Image Credits: Kitzbühel (Featured Image), Ian Wood (Header Image), Phillip Goldsberry