The new Silverlode Express and Eagle lifts at Park City Mountain that were approved this week are expected to be well-established routes up the mountain by the time of the 2034 Winter Olympics.
The role they may play in the Games, though, is not yet known.
The Winter Olympics were mentioned during the difficult discussions that culminated in the Park City Planning Commission approval of the lift upgrades on Wednesday, but the Games were not one of the key issues.
As Park City Mountain, Winter Olympic organizers and Park City officials eventually begin detailed planning for the Games, the upgraded Silverlode Express and Eagle lifts could be of consequence.
The Eagle lift, essentially located at what will be the resort’s Games competition venue, would need to be addressed as the resort and the organizing committee craft those blueprints. The Silverlode Express lift is well outside the terrain where the competition venue will be put, but it could nonetheless be vital during the Games, as skiers and snowboarders navigate around the venue. The vast majority of the Park City Mountain terrain is expected to be open for recreational skiers and snowboarders during the Games, as it was during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
“Utah 2034 is supportive of the lift upgrades at Park City Mountain as it provides a better experience for winter sport guests to our Olympic and Paralympic region. It’s too far out to the Games to speak specifically about the impact on Games operations,” the organizing committee said after the approval in a response to a Park Record inquiry.
Four years ago, during an earlier round of talks about the lift upgrades and before the Games had been awarded to Salt Lake City, the possibilities for the lifts during a Winter Olympics were mentioned. A leading winter-sports figure in the state at that time provided input to the Park City municipal government regarding the topic.
The president and CEO of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Colin Hilton, submitted written input in support of the upgrades in 2022. He addressed the Eagle lift, saying an upgrade “would improve the capabilities of Park City Mountain to host a venue for a future Olympic Winter Games.”
Park City Mountain is identified as the venue for snowboarding halfpipe, snowboarding slopestyle, freestyle skiing halfpipe and freestyle skiing slopestyle.
The detailed designs of the Games venue — those that will be the basis of any necessary permitting — will likely not be crafted for several years. By then, the resort and the organizing committee will be able to draft the plans, taking into account the upgrades.
The Planning Commission approval on Wednesday involves replacing the existing Eagle and Eaglet lifts with a six-passenger lift and installing an eight-passenger lift as a replacement for the current six-passenger Silverlode Express lift.
There appeared to be broad support in the community for the upgrades as the Planning Commission prepared to cast a vote, with backers saying the improvements would better manage the flow of skier and snowboarder traffic on the slopes.