In March 2014 Ski Utah announced ONE Wasatch, an idea to connect seven of the state's best ski areas on a single lift ticket. The idea is similar to the uber-connected mega-resorts in Europe, as One Wasatch would clock in with a whopping 18,000 acres and 100 chairlifts. But how does the One Wasatch plan measure up to the biggest ski areas across the pond? French ski expert Jérôme Folliet (@GlobeSkieur) has an interesting map comparing One Wasatch with the largest ski area in the world, Les 3 Vallées.
For decades, Utah skiers have thrown around the idea of connecting Alta, Brighton, the Canyons, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, Snowbird, and Solitude. But this is the first time that Ski Utah and all of the included ski areas are on board. Vail Resorts (the new owner of Park City Mountain Resort) has also voiced support, and for the first time in the state's history, this idea has a real possibility of happening.
The One Wasatch plan would connect all seven central Wasatch ski areas with as few as six chairlifts and as little as 1,000 new acres. All three connections would be made on 100% private land, and the lifts would be 100% privately funded by the resorts who operate them. Initial estimates are less than $30 million for all three connections, which is a steal to get 18,000 connected acres. The concept would surely bring more skiers to the Wasatch and be a boom to state tourism. It also would make for an epic day of skiing. The first of the One Wasatch connections (Park City and Canyons) could be under construction next summer, and a majority of Curbed Ski readers are in favor of the plan.
So how does it compare to Les 3 Vallées, the biggest ski resort in the world?
One Wasatch:
Acres: 18,000
Lifts: 100
Connected ski resorts: 7
Les 3 Vallées:
Acres: 25,950
Lifts: 200
Connected ski resorts: 8
And thanks to Jérôme Folliet, we have an idea of what this looks like:
How does @OneWasatch proposed linked #ski area compare to @3Vallees_france in one image. #battle #rorschach #3V1W pic.twitter.com/9kjocGNU7i
— Jérôme Folliet (@GlobeSkieur) March 25, 2014
· Les 3 Vallées [Official Site]
· One Wasatch [Official Site]
· New Map Shows How 7 Utah Ski Areas Could Become One [Curbed Ski]
· Connecting 7 Wasatch Ski Areas in Utah: Could it Really Work? [Curbed Ski]
· Which Ski Resort Has The Most Skiing in North America? [Curbed Ski]
· What It Means To Ski in a Vail-Dominated World [Curbed Ski]
· Vail Plans to Connect PCMR and Canyons in Summer 2015 [Curbed Ski]
· All One Wasatch Coverage [Curbed Ski]
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