This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After attending the University of Utah, I became addicted to the incredible lifestyle you can create here in the Central Wasatch Mountains. There is no other place in the world that has an excellent economic growth engine with such easy access to the great outdoors.
Over the last 40 years I have watched as ski resorts and associated development expanded their boundaries and took away pristine backcountry terrain. My various crews of ski buddies have certainly enjoyed the access to new terrain with high speed lifts! But, it is time to stop building on what little backcountry exists.
The One Wasatch proposal wants to develop ski lifts over some of the best terrain left in the Wasatch. I understand the marketing perspective to attract a greater percentage of the flat to declining national ski market. However, at what cost?
All seasons of backcountry use are expanding much more rapidly than the ski industry. Let the ski resorts prosper within their existing underutilized footprints. It makes sense to maintain the backcountry balance we have now. If we keep building in the mountains, we will diminish the resource that creates our economic prosperity. Don't kill the goose that continually lays golden eggs!
Scott Reichard
Salt Lake City