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Skiers descend a slope in Snowbasin, Weber County’s ski area, in this undated photo. Snowbasin officials announced plans to upgrade the resort on Thursday, September 21, 2021.
Photo supplied, snow basin
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This undated photo, taken from a ski slope, shows Earl’s Lodge at Snowbasin and Weber County’s main car park to the right. The area around Earl’s Lodge is to be converted into a “resort village” according to the expansion plans announced on Thursday, September 21, 2021.
Photo supplied, snow basin
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Skiers descend a slope in Snowbasin, Weber County’s ski area, in this undated photo. Snowbasin officials announced plans to upgrade the resort on Thursday, September 21, 2021.
This undated photo, taken from a ski slope, shows Earl’s Lodge at Snowbasin and Weber County’s main car park to the right. The area around Earl’s Lodge is to be converted into a “resort village” according to the expansion plans announced on Thursday, September 21, 2021.
Snowbasin has quietly planned big changes.
Now the operators of the Weber County ski area are advancing. They unveiled ambitious plans this week to build a 300-room hotel on the Snowbasin property, add new retail offerings, and modernize some of the lifts that carry skiers. Part of the work is already underway and the hotel construction should be completed by the end of 2024.
“These new developments put us on our way to becoming the world-class resort destination envisaged for Snowbasin,” said Davy Ratchford, general manager of the resort. The planned improvements will be the most significant upgrade to the resort since the changes made prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics, he said.
Snowbasin is a big draw for local skiers, he said. But the resort’s operators are now looking to increase the attraction of skiers from outside Utah and around the world. The addition of the hotel – to be built by Club Med, which operates resorts around the world – is an important part of that effort.
Picture supplied, Snowbasin
This rendering shows some of the planned changes in Snowbasin, Weber County’s ski area. Snowbasin officials announced plans to upgrade the resort on Thursday, September 21, 2021.
Powder Mountain, another Weber County ski area, offers a range of accommodations for skiers, including cabins and townhouses, but none of the three ski areas here currently have a hotel. Nordic Valley is Weber County’s other ski area.
The new Club Med Hotel is to be built on the site of the Old Day Lodge and the Wildcat parking lot southeast of Earl’s Lodge and the main complex of the Snowbasin Resort. According to Snowbasin, the work should begin in 2022 and be completed by the end of 2024.
“It’s a new building. It will certainly be a complement to Northern Utah, ”said Ratchford.
Planned developments are also planned around Earl’s Lodge, the main focus of Snowbasin off-piste activities, including space for restaurants, shops, accommodations, and more. Work on the “Resort Village”, as it is called, is slated to begin in 2025. The ground floor space is tentatively reserved for retail while the second floor space is reserved for accommodation, possibly condominiums, although Snowbasin representatives have not finished working these details out.
In the longer term, perhaps in the next 20 to 30 years, resort operators are considering additional changes, adding a sprawling complex of accommodations north of Earl’s Lodge, in what is now the parking lot and extensive grounds. East West Partners supports this element of the plans.
Ratchford did not provide a dollar number for the planned improvements, but said the scope was equivalent to the upgrades that preceded the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Snowbasin, privately owned by the family of the late Earl Holding, who acquired the resort in 1984, was a venue for alpine skiing events during these Olympics.
A PATIENT COMPANY
Ratchford said planning had been in earnest for about two and a half years prior to this week’s announcement, although such an expansion has been under consideration for years. “We are a very patient, methodical and well thought out company,” he said.
However, part of the work is already in progress. The car park has been expanded by around 435 spaces and the Middle Bowl Triple, one of the many lifts in the Snowbasin, is to be replaced before the end of the year. Further lifts are to be built or expanded and a new area for beginners and learners is to be developed.
Officials in Weber and Morgan counties approved some of the Snowbasin development plans in the early 2010s, paving the way for the planned upgrades. However, some items have yet to be reviewed and approved by the district officials. Part of Snowbasin’s vast terrain extends into Morgan County.
Snowbasin’s plans have caused a stir in the ski community. “The feedback has been exceptional,” said Ratchford.
However, developments in the Ogden Valley area can be a sensitive issue and more input will be sought at two briefing meetings scheduled for next week. Advance booking is required and the Snowbasin website says the meetings are already fully booked.
Club Med offers all-inclusive packages at its resorts, including multi-day packages for international travelers. Ratchford also sees the planned hotel as attractive for short-term visitors from the region.
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