SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A new high-speed gondola is set to be built this summer to connect two Utah ski resorts and create one of the largest ski areas in the country, Vail Resorts Inc. announced Monday.
The lift connecting Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort is the key part of $50 million in investments planned at the two resorts ahead of the 2015-16 ski season. Other plans include making two other lifts bigger and faster, building one new restaurant and upgrading two others, and improving snowmaking.
It will be a transformational makeover that will give skiers and snowboarders a much better experience, said Bill Rock, Park City Mountain Resort chief operating officer. The projects are pending approval from city and county officials in Park City.
“Putting the two resorts together has been the vision for a long time,” Rock said. “It’s great for our company, it’s great for Park City, and it’s great for Utah skiing.”
Vail bought Park City Mountain Resort in September for $182.5 million, resolving a messy legal battle between Vail and Powdr Corp. that threatened to cancel the ski season. Vail began leasing and operating Canyons in May 2013.