Construction is currently underway on a slew of development projects at Jackson, Wyoming's local ski area, Snow King Mountain Resort. First established in 1939, Snow King may not be as well known as neighboring Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, but with 1,500 vertical feet and an ideal location downtown, it's one of our favorite community ski hills in the west. Now, after years of uncertainty about the resort's future, Snow King has announced $9 million worth of improvements this summer.
First up is the replacement of the thirty-five year old Rafferty ski lift with a new Doppelmayr fixed grip quad chairlift. The new lift will be realigned and extended 1,000 feet up the mountain in order to provide access to two new beginner and intermediate ski runs.
The ski area is also in the process of building a new base lodge on private land. Last year the ski area added $4 million in snowmaking and lighting systems, so along with a new base lodge, these improvements represent the largest capital investment Snow King has ever seen.
And like other ski areas around the country (Vail, Heavenly, Killington, Snowmass to name a few), Snow King is also looking to expand their operations into the summer. By building a mountain coaster and an aerial adventure course, the ski area hopes to attract visitors in the summer and offset the costs of potential low snow years.
Snow King is planning on a staggered schedule for unveiling the new projects. The ski area hopes that the new lift (which will service the existing alpine slide and the new aerial course) will be ready for a mid-June opening. The new mountain coaster will follow in early August and the new base lodge building is projected to open in December.
· Snow King projects moving along quickly [Local 8 News]
· Heavenly Resort Expansion Targets Summer Tourism [Curbed Ski]
· Vail To Get Huge $25M Mountain Adventure Theme Park [Curbed Ski]
· Snowmass Eyes Vail-Like Plan for Alpine Coaster, Zip Lines [Curbed Ski]