SNOWBIRD TUNNEL: Easy Access to the Backside
Construction on the 595-foot tunnel at Snowbird will be complete on August 21, 2006. The first of it’s kind in North America, the magic carpet conveyor lift will transport skiers from Peruvian Gulch to Mineral Basin.
Construction on a new high-speed quad, which will replace the original Peruvian lift, will also be completed on August 21, 2006. The new lift will unload near the mouth of the tunnel. At this point, skiers can access higher elevations of Peruvian Gulch and Chip’s Run, or they can board the conveyor lift to access Snowbird’s backside. The new quad and conveyor lift have yet to be named.
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“The old lift really under utilized the terrain,” said Julia Partain, Snowbird Communications Coordinator. “We wanted to take skiers up further to ski more of Peruvian and make the backside more accessible. We’re hoping [the new quad] will take the load off the tram quite a bit.”
The tunnel was constructed in an effort to provide access to the backside of resort for intermediate skiers and for various environmental reasons.
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“The tunnel is a fast way to distribute skiers all over the mountain,” said Partain. “It will open up terrain for those who were afraid to ski the higher parts of Mineral Basin. We’ll also be able to run more efficiently by running the tunnel the tram can’t run due to winds.”
Snowbird also took into concern the visual impact a top lift terminal on the mountain. By creating a tunnel, the view from the valley was preserved and excessive ridge top grading was avoided.
“We want to be as environmentally friendly as possible,” said Laura Schaffer, Snowbird Director of Public Relations. “By keeping the lift below the ridge line, we protected Gorilla Pass from any grading.”
Save Our Canyons, a local environmental conservation group, wasn’t thrilled about the idea of blasting a tunnel through the mountain. “We had never seen anything like it,” said Lisa Smith, Save Our Canyons Executive Director. “Before, we’d seen resorts cut down trees to build ski lifts. Now, they’re actually changing the face of a mountain to serve skiers needs. We were concerned about them building [the tunnel], but once we found out it was on private land, we decided to work with them to create the most environmentally sensitive project possible.”
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