Nordic Valley Brings Lift Back To Life; Other Utah Resorts Tweak Terrain, Lodges
In keeping with a modest off-season, Utah's off-brand resorts focused summer work on terrain, parking lots and lodge construction.
The exception is Nordic Valley, where the resort lost its 100-year-old main lodge building to fire and its bottom chairlift to mechanical failure in January. The 300-acre, 1,700 vertical-foot mountain limped along with snowmobile transport delivering skiers and riders to the upper mountain, replacing the Apollo chairlift, and a temporary building serving as the base lodge.
This summer, lift company crews spent the summer working all around the troubled Apollo chairlift to successfully bring the 54-year-old fixed-grip double into service. Soup-to-nuts repairs included a new gearbox, drive shafts, and bearings -- plus a replacement counterweight and anchoring system.
For now, skiers services will run out of temporary quarters at the base area while ownership decides on a permanent solution. Nordic Valley is part of the Power Pass network, which is headlined by Utah's Brian Head, Colorado's Purgatory and Arizona Snowbowl.
Speaking of Brian Head, the southernmost and highest ski and snowboard mountain in Utah has spent its time and money this summer adding three new trails for beginners and intermediates. A new glade run has been cut between Navajo and Maryland Parkway on the predominately green Navajo Mountain side of the resort.
Nearby, Eagle Point has followed their neighbor's example by giving skiers and riders 12 and under unlimited free season passes -- just like the Power Pass does for Brian Head and it's nine U.S. resorts.
At Utah's northernmost mountain, Beaver Mountain finished up a two-year project that produced the new 25,000 square-foot Marge's Cabin base lodge. Food and beverages, retail, rentals, ski school, lockers and ticket sales all will be housed there. Also at Utah State's home hill will be more than 100 additional parking spots.
South of Salt Lake City near Provo, Sundance Resort continues a multi-year makeover after its sale by Robert Redford in 2020. With most of its chairlift system revamped and upgraded, management turned its attention to building a new lodge at the base of Jake's lift.
The Mountain Camp Day Lodge will house lockers, ticket windows, ski school, rentals, patrol and food and drink. It will also locate next to the upper parking lots, further tweaking a tight parking situation at Sundance.
