Skiers, snowboarders and frequenters of Canyons Village had their first glimpses at a proposed multi-million-dollar project that would link the south end of the resort and the Red Pine area.
Park City Mountain hosted an open house on Thursday to showcase its preliminary plans for a new 10-person gondola, which would replace the existing Sunrise lift, near Pendry Park City, should it receive the necessary approvals.
Resort staffers and Canyons Village Management Association representatives were on hand to answer community questions and alleviate potential concerns.
The project is still in the early phases with the partners focusing on public engagement with community stakeholders and government officials. CVMA board of trustees signed a development agreement to build the new gondola with the resort’s parent company, Vail Resorts, in June.
Sunrise Gondola would provide a third lift option for upper mountain access in addition to the Red Pine Gondola and the Orange Bubble Express, according to Sara Huey, the resort’s senior manager of communications. This would keep people moving and help reduce holds.
“This project demonstrates our shared goal of offering a world-class guest experience,” she said. “We anticipate a significant reduction in wait times in Canyons Village.”
The Sunrise lift is older and only provides access back down the mountain. The proposed gondola would be 6,512 feet long and riders would travel up more than 1,000 vertical feet to the area near the Saddleback and High Meadow lifts.
“As an additional option to access our mid-mountain hub — rather than waiting in the base area — it would improve flow and circulation, providing more total time on snow as skiers and snowboarders spread out across our vast resort network of lifts,” said Deirdra Walsh, the vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain, in a statement.
While there didn’t appear to be much opposition to the project this week, some skiers questioned why the gondola wouldn’t run to Tombstone. Huey said the Red Pine area serves mid-mountain and gives access to six other lifts with trails for people of all abilities.
The configuration of the lift also makes it less susceptible to wind impacts that might shut down Red Pine Gondola and the Orange Bubble Express. The new gondola could also be used to download people from the mountain at the end of the day.
Other public comments included concerns about construction impacts or the drop-off area impacting hotel guests as well as people expressing excitement for the project, saying it’s a great idea and to build it.
The Sunrise Gondola is expected to cost $27 million. The CVMA is on the hook for just more than $9 million of the project with Vail Resorts paying around $18 million.
Park City Mountain must receive approval from the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission before it can move forward with the project. Then, the second phase of establishing the lift corridor and making improvements to utilities and infrastructure starts.
The third phase includes removing the existing chairlift and installing the new gondola. Resort officials are still working on a project timeline.
It is unclear when the Planning Commission could vote on the permit.
Huey didn’t anticipate any impact on skiers during the preliminary work of phase two. She didn’t estimate when the new gondola could open but said it’s expected to be a multi-year process.
“We are committed to engagement as we work to ensure this potential project complies with applicable requirements and improves the resort experience for all guests, including locals,” Walsh said.