Now, here in Utah, with the dark cloud gone, that is, the legal issues between Vail (which operates the Canyons) and Park City (Mountain Resort) have been settled, we’re excited about what’s ahead. – Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah
The 2013-14 Utah ski/snowboard season was good. The hope is that 2014-15 season will be better.
And, said Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, early signs are pointing to what may well be a “record season.’’
Last week, during a downtown press conference, Rafferty looked back on the last season and talked about what’s awaiting skiers and snowboarders for this season.
Despite a less than average snowfall last year, total skier/snowboarder counts were the third highest for Utah. The record high was the 2007-08 season when 4.25 million skier/snowboarder days were counted. Last season, 4.16 million days were counted.
“Last year’s total was a 3.6 percent increase over the (2012-13) season and an 8.8 percent increase over numbers from two years ago,’’ he said.
Nationally, skier/snowboarder numbers were up. The nation has been divided into six winter regions. Five regions showed slight increases. The sixth, which includes California, was down significantly. Because of an extremely bad snow year, California resorts ended with a 28 percent drop in tickets sold.
“Now, here in Utah, with the dark cloud gone, that is, the legal issues between Vail (which operates the Canyons) and Park City (Mountain Resort) have been settled, we’re excited about what’s ahead.
“Right now reservations for this season are looking good. We had a record-breaking summer in the Intermountain Region, and that positive momentum is carrying over into winter. There’s a 7.4 percent increase in occupancy bookings November through March. With a little help from Mother Nature we’re on line for a record season.’’
He then reflected back on how national publications view Utah resorts.
In SKI Magazine’s annual reader poll, Deer Valley was rated No. 2, Park City Mountain Resort placed No. 7, Canyons Resort No. 14, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort No. 21, Alta Ski Resort No. 28, Solitude Resort No. 29 and Snowbasin No. 30.
Breaking out two of the 18 voting categories, snow conditions and access, Utah resorts dominated.
Of the top 10 listed for best access, Utah resorts placed seven — Deer Valley (No. 1), Park City Mountain Resort (No. 2), Canyons (No. 3), Snowbird (No. 5), Alta (No. 6), Solitude (No. 7) and Brighton (No. 8).
In the area of best snow, Utah resorts took five of the 10 spots — Alta (No. 2), Powder Mountain (No. 3), Snowbird (No. 5), Brighton (No. 6) and Solitude (No. 7). No. 1 was Wolf Creek, Colorado.
Deer Valley was rated No. 1 in seven of the 18 categories.
In another magazine, the University of Utah was listed as the best university for those students interested in skiing or snowboarding.
Forbes Magazine listed its Top 10 “most awesome’’ resorts. Snowbird and Alta shared the No. 2 spot and the Park City big three — Deer Valley, Canyons and PCMR — were lumped together at No. 5.
Rafferty also talked about the changes in Utah skiing.
This includes the introduction of Utah’s newest ski/snowboard resort Cherry Peak, which is located four miles south of the Utah/Idaho border in Richmond. It will open with three lifts, snowmaking, a tubing hill, night skiing and ice skating. Utah will then have 15 ski areas.
There were also some major changes in the face of Utah skiing/snowboarding. The legal battle between Talisker Land Holdings, which owns the Canyons, and PCMR was settled, which opened the door for Vail, which now operates the Canyons, to purchase PCMR.
Rafferty pointed out that Vail has sold 400,000 Epic ski/snowboard passes worldwide. That pass allows skiing/snowboarding between the Canyons and PCMR, as well as other resorts owned by Vail, which is headquartered in Colorado.
It was also announced that Deer Valley purchased Solitude. The transfer of ownership won’t take place until May 2015.
Also, Ian Cummings, past owner of PCMR, purchased majority ownership of Snowbird. Nordic Valley, formerly Wolf Mountain and before that Nordic Valley, is under new ownership and has added a new trail and upgraded customer services.
Powder Mountain is also under new ownership, and among the announced plans for the future is a ski and village area.
This coming season will also mark two anniversaries. Beaver Mountain will celebrate its 75th season and Brian Head its 50th season.
Among the summer improvements, Alta made it easier for skiers to reach the bottom of its nationally recognized Alf’s High Rustlers run through one of its most popular runs — Corkscrew.
Rafferty also told the group that skiing/snowboarding as an industry is responsible for more than 20,000 jobs and infuses $1.3 million into Utah’s economy.
As far as the start of the season, Solitude is looking at Nov. 21.