A private ski resort in Utah, Wasatch Peaks Ranch, is planning to open this upcoming winter(21-22 season). They recently launched a website, but not much has been added to it yet.
In spite of the scant details, the developers hope to create one of the largest ski resorts in Utah, along with two Tom Fazio-designed golf courses. Seven hundred and fifty housing properties will be built within a ten to fifteen-year time frame.
The first phase of the development will open fifty-five percent of the terrain with two Leitner-Poma Detachable Bubble Chairlifts that will open during the 2021-22 season. When complete, the resort will boast one of the largest vertical drops in the western United States at 3600 feet along with 3000 acres of varied intermediate and advanced terrain. The peak of the lift-accessed ski terrain will be around 9500 feet.
The terrain looks very similar to its neighbor Snowbasin Resort. The key though is that this will be a private ski resort, so no lift tickets will be available to the public.
Private Ski Resorts in the United States have had a rocky history. On the one hand, there’s the Yellowstone Club in Montana, which has become the residence for many of the rich and famous. Private Ski Resorts on the East Coast have been less lucky, as both Plymouth Notch and the Hermitage Club in Vermont have switched between being open and closed for decades. Plymouth Notch is currently for sale, while Hermitage Club had a successful 2020-21 reopening season following them being in bankruptcy court for a couple of years.
