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A couple of winters will pass before any skiing can take place, but Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort now has been authorized to build two ski lifts and associated facilities in Mary Ellen Gulch.
After months of sometimes contentious deliberations, the Utah County Board of Adjustment last week unanimously granted Snowbird's requests for conditional use permits to expand operations into the American Fork Canyon gulch adjacent to Mineral Basin, where Snowbird has had operations since 2000.
The approvals also will allow Snowbird to realign the Mineral Basin Express lift to provide better access to north-facing slopes and to develop a 30-person warming hut near its base terminal.
To assuage the concerns of American Fork, which draws its culinary water from the drainage fed by both Mineral Basin and Mary Ellen Gulch, Snowbird has agreed to do water monitoring for two years before any construction begins so that a water-quality baseline can be established.
"We have over 45 years of proven stewardship in Little Cottonwood Canyon," Snowbird President and CEO Bob Bonar said later. "The same balance, protection and in some cases recovery of the environment will be practiced in Mary Ellen Gulch."
Bonar's assurances did little to minimize some vocal opponents, such as members of the group Protect and Preserve American Fork Canyon.
"We disagree with the decision and think the [Board of Adjustment] failed to properly consider a number of factors," said group organizer Mark Allen, who previously said insufficient studies were available to assess the plan's impacts.
He said group members are considering their legal options, including appealing the decision to the state court system.
Carl Fisher, executive director of Save Our Canyons, said that last week's decisions were foreordained largely because Snowbird succeeded in 2011 in changing Utah County's critical environment zone to allow lifts and zip lines.
"[Scores] of people reacted negatively to what Snowbird wanted to do in Mineral Basin, but it was too late by then. That's why it's important to get involved in writing the land-use ordinances," he said, referring to Save Our Canyons' involvement in trying to shape ordinances Salt Lake County is preparing on its Foothills and Canyons Overlay Zone (FCOZ) and a new Mountain Resort Zone.
"It's exhausting to play 'whack-a-mole' on every project that comes up," Fisher said. "We need strong policies to protect the core of this place. A lot of people are mad about what happened, but we have to remember that what got us into this position was a lack of civic engagement at the appropriate time."
Adding Mary Ellen Gulch's 500 acres will give Snowbird 3,000 acres of skiable terrain, Bonar said.
This growth will be vital to meeting the recreational needs of a state projected to add 2.5 million people over the next 25 years, he maintained. "Our plans for improved outdoor recreation are in anticipation of managing this growth and providing adequate facilities."
Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, marketing arm of the state's 14 active ski resorts, said he is "excited that Snowbird is going to be able to expand some of their already great offerings."
He said he was fully confident the resort will live up to its pledges to be sensitive with developing Mary Ellen Gulch, noting "they've been a great steward of their land in Little Cottonwood Canyon."
Construction of the new lifts will begin once water monitoring is complete.
One will be a 6,600-foot gondola stretching from Hidden Peak to Mary Ellen Gulch. A zip line will be installed along the same corridor, Bonar said, "allowing guests to experience one of the highest elevated zip lines and unparalleled scenic views in North America."
A 3,600-foot chairlift will serve an area known as Sunday Saddle, bordering both Mary Ellen Gulch and Mineral Basin. Eventually, Snowbird expects some grading in this area to develop ski runs and construction of a warming hut capable of holding 100 people near the Sunday Saddle base terminal.
Snowbird's approvals also include a ski patrol facility on the Utah County side of Hidden Peak, a lift-operator shelter in Mineral Basin and seven avalanche-control devices in the two back bowls.
In earlier meetings, Bonar said construction materials primarily will be hauled in by truck from Little Cottonwood Canyon and then over existing dirt roads in the higher mountains. Some materials are likely to be brought in by helicopter, he added.
Lift and run configurations will be designed to avoid contact with mill tailings left by old mines in the canyons, Bonar said, noting the resort plans to develop a trail system in that area for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, snowmobiles and other motorized vehicles.
To Rafferty, one of the interesting aspects of Snowbird's plan was its emphasis on recreational activities for the summer and "shoulder" seasons of late spring and early fall.
"It's called weather proofing," he said. "It's thinking way down the road. What are we going to do if the ski seasons aren't as long. The sightseeing they can offer off the Tram would be a four-season offering."
"More and more ski resorts are thinking about these things," Rafferty added. "When you have some neat summer offerings, that's only going to diversify your portfolio."