The Problem with the Wasatch

[gorgonzola]

Ever been to Cedar City? It's pretty awesome.

oh there are plenty of nice places in utah, but SLC/L-BCC area is not for me

 

[Harvey]

I'd rather live in Bergen County.

I would for real.

 

[MarzNC]

June 23, 2022

Officials blast Little Cottonwood gondola as ‘boondoggle,’ call on UDOT to start over with canyon plan

Local Salt Lake County leaders raise serious misgivings about a gondola proposed for Little Cottonwood Canyon that would ferry skiers up the ever-congested canyon to Alta and Snowbird.

www.sltrib.com

" . . .
Snowbird General Manager Dave Fields, who attended the rally, pushed back, saying doing nothing is not an option.

“That is what’s been happening for the last couple of decades. And we’ve worked with UTA to create more buses and incentivize carpooling,” Fields said in an interview. “But what UDOT is looking at is a transportation solution for this canyon for the next 30 years going out to 2050, and with another million people living along the Wasatch Front, that congestion and demand for recreation in the canyons is only going to intensify.”

UDOT narrowed its alternatives to buses and the gondola last year when it released a draft environmental impact statement (EIS), which garnered some 14,000 public comments. The agency expects to release its final EIS this summer, with a decision by winter.
. . ."

 

[MarzNC]

This is part of what prevents me from attempting to move out west. There's just a lot more competition when it comes to even being able to get to the ski area. At most eastern ski areas, as long as you get there early, you get free and relatively close parking. As far as the Wasatch goes, they need to either build the gondola or greatly increase bus service in the canyon, possibly with dedicated lanes.

Where have you skied in the west so far? There are plenty of mountains that aren't on Ikon/Epic without long lift lines on weekends or parking issues. However, driving distances tend to be longer between population centers in comparison to the northeast. Also the alternative mountains tend to have fewer high-speed lifts.

SLC/Ogden and Tahoe are relatively unique situations, along with the Front Range of Colorado. The ski resorts are close to large metropolitan areas so that there are large numbers of day trippers, as well as plenty of powder hounds who fly to ski advanced/expert terrain.

 

[raisingarizona]

June 23, 2022

Officials blast Little Cottonwood gondola as ‘boondoggle,’ call on UDOT to start over with canyon plan

Local Salt Lake County leaders raise serious misgivings about a gondola proposed for Little Cottonwood Canyon that would ferry skiers up the ever-congested canyon to Alta and Snowbird.

www.sltrib.com

" . . .
Snowbird General Manager Dave Fields, who attended the rally, pushed back, saying doing nothing is not an option.

“That is what’s been happening for the last couple of decades. And we’ve worked with UTA to create more buses and incentivize carpooling,” Fields said in an interview. “But what UDOT is looking at is a transportation solution for this canyon for the next 30 years going out to 2050, and with another million people living along the Wasatch Front, that congestion and demand for recreation in the canyons is only going to intensify.”

UDOT narrowed its alternatives to buses and the gondola last year when it released a draft environmental impact statement (EIS), which garnered some 14,000 public comments. The agency expects to release its final EIS this summer, with a decision by winter.
. . ."

I gotta agree with this. Most people have no conceptual idea of 50 year long population growth projections. Doing nothing or as little as possible isn’t going to work out so well. We’ve seen this over and over again with human behavior, our resistance to change and trying to plan for the future. Same old same old.

Then again, we also struggle to understand the impacts we’re going to see with climate change. Another million in the SLC valley is gonna be tough to sustain if the climate science is correct.

 

[Benny Profane]

Well then, you need ten more mountains, if that's the case. At least. Right now, there's just too damn many skiers, so, devising even quicker ways to get them to the hill will just mean way too many skiers on the hill, to the point when they'll have to limit sales and visits. They put a new road in to get to Snowbasin for the Olympics, and that turned that place from a sleeper into the mob scene I experienced the Saturday I was there. A line all the way to the parking lot for the gondola. It was absurd. I also sat in an hour long traffic jam to get to Deer Valley on a Friday. Early. There's just too damn many people. Denver and SLC have been growing like weeds.

 

[raisingarizona]

I skied to the car most days @ Song.
Parked within <1 min hike to the lift @ Lab.
EZ peazie.
The hills aren’t that high but if ya get some lake effect the snow’s as light and fluffy as the stuff in the Wasatch.

It sounds like you have a good thing going on up there.

 

[MarzNC]

Found another source for info about the growth of SLC.

Salt Lake City Metro Area Population 1950-2022

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Salt Lake City metro area from 1950 to 2022. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

www.macrotrends.net

 

[x10003q]

And, very bad air. Winter smog is frequent. And now the evaporation of the lake is making the air toxic.
I swear, I'd rather live in Bergen County. Well, no, wait, not really, but, you get the point.

Bergen County has plenty of water and 2 monster ski areas.

 

[tirolski]

It sounds like you have a good thing going on up there.

No complaints.
Other than when it rains on the snow or when ya wanna play golf.
It’s just finally starting to dry out a bit again.
It’s one of the best places around when it’s dry.
There’s lots of nice fish too.