There's a name change in the directory of Utah skiing. New owners of the former Wolf Mountain, which was ParkWest before that, announced late Tuesday the new name for their resort: the Canyons.
On the heels of that announcement came the shake-up of upper-management officials at Park City Mountain Resort.But, more than name changes and management maneuvers, Tuesday's announcements could also mark a change in course for Utah skiing.
The sale of Wolf Mountain to the American Skiing Company was announced in April but only finalized last week. After official transfer of ownership, it was announced that future plans for the resort would be released this week.
Industry rumors speculate that new owner Leslie Otten plans to make the resort a world-class destination ski area - on a level with Park City and Deer Valley - through major expansion and development. That would include increasing the ski terrain and adding several new high-speed chairlifts.
Skip King, ASC communications director, said expansion plans would be released later this week. "But I can tell you that Park City is already recognized as a world-class destination ski area," King said. "What we bring to the table will only add to that reputation."
With its headquarters in Bethel, Maine, American Skiing is one of the three major giants in North American skiing, just like Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler are to the auto industry. The other two skiing giants are Intrawest Corp. and Vail Associates.
ASC owns seven resorts in the east, including Sugarbush, Sugarloaf and Killington/Pico. Wolf Mountain is its only holding out West, but it is rumored the company is trying to buy a Colorado resort.
"Certainly, the track record of (American Skiing Company), that of turning little resorts into big resorts, would indicate that the same is true for the Utah resorts. This is a very aggressive, very forward-thinking company," says Kevin Eldridge, analyst for Salman Partners, a Vancouver-based institutional research firm.
"The company needed to broaden its base. When eastern skiing is bad, and it sometimes can be, it stands to lose a lot of money. It needed a resort that was more predictable. And I can see why it went for a Utah resort. The large ski groups haven't entered the market there, yet, and there's not much there for sale, I've heard."
More changes followed Tuesday, with the Wolf Mountain/The Canyons rechristening was followed a short time later by the announced shake-up in the management of the Park City ski area, renamed this past winter the Park City Mountain Resort. The release announced the appointment of eight new top-level managers, including John Cumming replacing long-time resort president Phil Jones.
"Park City will become a very different resort over the next five years," Cumming said in the release. "Achieving our objectives of becoming the gold standard for guest services within our industry and America's favorite year-round resort will take a phased, multi-year approach."
"I think you're seeing the beginning of a transformation," said Myles Rademan, director of public affairs for the town of Park City. "It started with the name change from `Ski Area' to `Mountain Resort.' That was a big change. Now with the change in the corporate structure, it's obvious they're looking to capture more of the skiing dollars."
"The industry does need to change. The demographics are changing. How do you deal with an aging society with disposable income and time on its hands? How do you cater to this up-scale crowd? Obviously, it's services. Guest services are the key. Which, I guess, is what John (Cumming) meant when he said `gold standard for guest services.' It's coming down to where people want less skiing and destination resorts with a whole bunch of amenities."
Mark Menlove, president of Ski Utah, sees the new changes as a definite boost to Utah skiing.
"American Skiing is a young, aggressive company with a good track record. Anytime we have a major ski company enter the Utah market, it raises the whole industry to the next level. Hopefully, this will bring new people into Utah and keep those who come here coming back," he said.
Menlove adds that he sees the changes at Park City as an aggressive approach to changes and new ideas.
Some industry analysts believe the ski market is following the same course as the Las Vegas casinos - that is, introducing theme-park attractions for the entire family.
One of the first ski areas to test such a concept was Squaw Valley in California. A few years ago, the resort put in a skating rink, spa and restaurants on the mountain for after-skiing use. The attitude at the time was that such a venture would never work.
Last year, Vail followed, and the Colorado resort even expanded the on-mountain park. After skiing, resort visitors can ride a gondola to the top of the mountain, where they choose from snowmobiling, cross country skiing, tubing, sledding and sleigh rides. Or they can eat at a video/pizza shop or a high-price restaurant.
Here in Utah, Brian Head ski area introduced a snowboarding park, followed by a skier's park. This year, Brian Head plans to add a tubing area along the lines of a water-slide park.
While none of the other resorts has yet announced formal plans, the consensus is that amenities and services directed toward year-round family use will fit prominently into their future.