You can spend decadesdelving into the place you live and keep finding more. Utah’s national parks are well-trod turf for me. But I took a seven-day road trip to rediscover them—in winter. The otherworldly landscape of Southern Utah is transformed. Yes. It’s cold. Yes. It snows. Who thinks of hiking up the Virgin River in Zion National Park when it’s 50 degrees and the water’s edge is rimmed with ice? Well now, hopefully you will. Follow my trail with our detailed guide to winter in the national parks (“Explore the Mighty 5 in Winter”) With planning, decent gear, plenty of weather-dictated improvisation and a healthy dose of internal fortitude, you too can witness these wonders without the main drawback in warmer times of year, the crowds.
Oh, Right. Crowds. During peak seasons, the line to get into Arches spills out into the highway, and, up north, the highways become a parking lot nicknamed the “Red Snake.” It has become a universal lament. I don’t blame the many, many visitors drawn here from around the globe to experience our mountains and red cliffs—heck, I’m one of the folks spilling the tea. But it does become wearisome and it’s an easy kvetch.
It was with this in mind that we asked writer Tony Gill to tackle the thorny issue of transportation in the Wasatch (“Big Trouble in Little Cottonwood”). The gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon appears to be moving forward, but the plan has plenty of detractors and has generated more than a lot of confusion. We all agree that winter traffic on Utah Highway 210 is untenable but is a Gondola the answer? We don’t know. But hopefully, our look at the history, the players and the uncertain future will give you some ammo for your next dinner-party debate.
Joining a multi-level marketing (MLM)company is not a requirement for living in Utah. It only feels that way. MLMs or “direct-sales” ventures are big business here and prominent features of the state’s cultural and physical landscape. Interstate 15 through Utah County is lined by grand, spacious buildings emblazoned with marquee signs celebrating the largest MLMs in the state—DoTerra, Young Living, Nu Skin, Younique, LifeVantage, and the hits keep on coming. We’ve all been hit up on social media with a “Hey Girl!” from a former high school classmate who is “reaching out with this AMAZING miracle product!” Unfriend. MLM girlies are always hustling and almost every Elder on your mission did a stint selling solar panels or pest control after he got home.
Why, pray tell, is Utah such fertile ground for MLMs? The culture within the ward houses likely plays a part. The LDS faith promotes industriousness and self-reliance. Young return missionaries easily morph into a fleet of pre-trained, often bi-lingual salespeople who are no strangers to knocking on doors. After marriage, LDS women are encouraged to build loving homes and, for many, hawking essential oils can earn pocket change (and break up the monotony). The Church also provides a built-in community (and weekly meetings) to recruit “downline” sellers. For one reason or another, some LDS folks are particularly susceptible to some of the sleazier schemes. In fact, Church leaders have admonished members to avoid being “too vulnerable to the lure of sudden wealth.”
Meanwhile, Utahns in high places have a history of looking out for these companies. Many MLMs peddle health and dietary supplements with unproven effects, unevaluated by the FDA. How is that legal? Thank the late Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who championed the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act which legitimized the sale of supplements and limited FDA oversight. Meaning, that if a company gets too bold with its claims, the FDA cracks down by sending them a strongly worded letter.
Despite the blessing of the U.S. Government, some MLMs have a nasty reputation for their business practices. For example, LuLaRoe was the subject of LuLaRich, an Amazon Prime documentary. The series shows how the LDS founders of MLM apparel company, LuLaRoe, used deceptive recruiting practices—preying largely on women who shared their religious beliefs—and saddled them with mountains of unsold, and often unwearable, inventory and massive debt. (Sales reps are not directly employed by the companies and often have to buy upfront the product to sell.) The model particulars might differ slightly from company to company, but it usually involves committing sales reps to market and sell products directly to consumers and to also recruit “downline” reps who pay a commission to their “upline” rep with every sale. Kind of like a pyramid.
Still, the direct-sales industry brings in a lot of money to the state, accounting for 2.2% of the annual earnings in Utah in 2020. Ten of the largest MLMs headquartered in Utah (surveyed in 2020) made $10.3 billion in sales, the majority of which (about $6 billion) was made overseas. Those profits do not trickle “downline,” however. Those 10 Utah companies had 21,500 independent sales reps in Utah whose median earnings (before expenses) ranged from only $70 to $3,000 per year.
That could explain why some MLM reps come across as aggressive and pretty desperate when they DM you on social media.
So, maybe, the next time an MLM girlie or solar sales bro emerges from the past with a sales pitch, why don’t we let them down easy?
Hotel bars have often been dismissed as mingling spaces for out-of-towners and peacocking opportunities for the new hire to impress their ancient CEO. But as Salt Lake becomes inundated with sleek new lodgments left and right, hotel bars join the ranks of our increasingly acclaimed nightlife scene. Between rooftop lounges and hidden alpine watering holes, these five hotel bars in Salt Lake are topping locals’ lists of places we’d like to spend a Saturday night.
Van Ryder—
Le Meridien. Photo courtesy of Van Ryder.
Van Ryder—Le Meridien
Located in a new mixed-use development called The West Quarter, Van Ryder is a rooftop bar inside Le Meridien hotel. Inside, moody decor and polished wood accents convey an air of maturity juxtaposed by furry loungers and modern LED rope lights. The covered patio is the real star, where you can take in mountain views gathered around afire pit. The modest menu offers casual fare with a sophisticated twist, with standouts including Pork Belly Bao and Short Rib Poutine. Van Ryder’s cocktail offerings are equally delicious, with favorites like The Butch Cassidy and Ride or Die.
European-inspired brasserie Laurel Brasserie & Bar offers a grand experience without the lavish price tag. The dual-sided bar overlooks the city and its bartenders whip up refreshing takes on classics using local spirits. Offered daily from 3-5 p.m., Laurel’s happy hour is a worthy mention with half-priced items like heirloom tomato tartlet, burrata, cheese platters and pigs in a blanket.
Drink like an outlaw at the same watering hole Butch Cassidy frequented in Wyoming. No need to head up North, the 1890s bar was moved from Thermopolis and restored in another notorious Utah man’s hideaway—Sundance Resort. The cabin-like bar is a perfect place to heal your bruised body and ego after an epic yard sale, and its spacious patio offers sweeping alpine views. Visit Owl Bar on a weekend for live music from national and local talent. Another tip: Get the Dirty Fries.
Two words: Mountain. Views. St. Regis’ flagship bar embraces Park City opulence in every sense. Leather seats pull up to a mahogany bar where a hand-painted mural depicts the mining town’s rich history. Stop in for an après-ski whiskey and a selection of raw bar items. Of course, any mention of St. Regis would be incomplete without a tip of the hat to the 7452 Bloody Mary. Combining the usual ingredients with green apple, celery juice and wasabi powder, it’s no wonder the resort churns out over 150,000 bloodies every year.
There’s no denying the fun in a good-old-fashioned drinking game. With a beer in your hand, even a four-hour game of Catan becomes bearable. So if you’re in the mood for some competition with cocktails, consider these bar games found at breweries, dive bars and pubs.
Trivia at Bewilder Brewing: Test your brainpower at Bewilder Brewing’s Trivia night hosted every Wednesday.
Breaking Bingo at Bar Named Sue: Try your luck at winning a bingo jackpot at Bar Named Sue. Their breaking bingo event occurs every Thursday and offers a cash prize of up to $3,000.
Board Game night at Level Crossing Brewery:Every Tuesday night, Ales and Allies brings in 120 board games free to use with your crew.
Mario Kart Tournament at Piper Down: Show off your Mario moves at a tournament hosted every Monday at 7 p.m.
It’s summer and it’s snowing outside of the Tower Movie Theater. There are bundled up couples wearing earmuffs and sipping hot chocolate at tables arranged in front of the theater. Two giant nutcrackers guard the Tower’s entrance and the marquee above reads “The Nutcracker, Dec. 1 to 24.” But don’t panic, not climate change at work. It’s just another Hallmark Channel Christmas movie being filmed in Utah.
Dozens of Christmas (or holiday adjacent) movies and counting have been filmed in Utah, many are low-budget affairs for the assembly line of films that air each season on Hallmark’s “The Countdown to Christmas.” But why Utah? State incentives for film and television production, homegrown crews, great locations and an easy jaunt from L.A. are a recipe for holiday cheer.
Filmed in Salt Lake City, this NBC Christmas special, starring James Stewart, became a household classic in Utah following its premiere on Dec. 21, 1980. Featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the short tells the tale of an elderly widower who relies on his daydreams and faith to get through a lonely Christmas.
Better Off Dead (1985)
Starring John Cusack, this teen romantic comedy tells the story of high school student and avid-skier, Lane Myer, who is suicidal after his girlfriend breaks up with him just before Christmas. The ski scenes including the finale “K2 Race” against the film’s bad guy were filmed at Snowbird, Alta and Brighton Resorts.
The Housewives of the North Pole. Photo Courtesy of Peacock.
The Housewives of the North Pole (2021)
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, Kyle Richards, and Breaking Bad actress, Betsy Brandt, star as a type-A duo who battle for the neighborhood title for Best Holiday House Decorations. The Housewives of the North Pole was filmed in locations around Salt Lake City and Ogden.
Good Luck Charlie, it’s Christmas! (2011)
Based on the popular Disney Channel original series, Good Luck Charlie, this festive film follows the Duncan family’s road trip. Idiocy strikes when a woman and her daughter get separated from their family during the holidays. The production filmed in Salt Lake City’s Gateway Mall, the Salt Palace Convention Center and in St. George.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Who knew that one of the filming locations for the Grinch’s mountain top redoubt is right here in Utah? The film adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen, was filmed at Solitude Mountain Resort, where the powdery peaks provided the backdrop while mean old Mr. Grinch plots to ruin Christmas for all the Whos in Whoville.
Switched for Christmas, Photo Courtesy Hallmark.
Switched for Christmas (2017)
A Hallmark Channel regular until she left the network in 2021, Candace Cameron Bure filmed many films for Hallmark in Utah. Notably, Switched for Christmas, the story of twin sisters who swap lives until Christmas Day. In doing so, each woman gains a deeper perspective and appreciation of what she has. Filmed in downtown Salt Lake, Federal Heights and the Utah State Fair Park
During the holidays as a kid, I was dragged to theatrical productions of The Nutcracker, It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, but never once did I get to pelt Ebenezer Scrooge with garbage while the character was on stage. But, during a performance of The Lord of Misrule, audience members’ throwing garbage on stage is actively encouraged.
Audience disruption is among the key features of this Christmas play, and for the chance to disrupt the action on stage, audience members make charitable donations during the performance. It’s sowing Christmas chaos for a good cause. Oh, and the tickets are free.
“The Lord of Misrule: An Interactive Play” (courtesy The Lords of Misrule Theatre Co.)
The Lord of Misrule is coming to Salt Lake City’s The Beehive, a venue in the vegan diner Mark of the Beastro, (666 S. State St., Salt Lake City) for five nights only, starting this weekend:
December 22, 2023 at 8 p.m.
December 23, 2023 at 8 p.m.
December 24, 2023 matinee at 2 p.m.
December 26, 2023 at 8 p.m.
December 27, 2023 at 8 p.m.
The origins of The Lord of Misrule
According to the theatrical company, “The Lord of Misrule” dates back to an ancient Christmas tradition called Saturnalia, during which “A beggar is crowned the Lord of Misrule to preside over drunken mobs and Christmas parties. The Lord of Misrule would often make demands of local gentry.” Typically, they would demand more alcohol to keep the party going, and “If the gentry failed to meet the demands, the Lord of Misrule would incite a riot…Basically, forced Christmas Charity.”
The modern version of The Lord of Misrule keeps the absurdity to the stage and audiences willingly donate money to charity to influence how actors perform their scenes.
The first Lord of Misrule production was in winter of 2019, as a reaction to the closing of the Road Home in downtown Salt Lake City. The show raised money to help transport people from downtown to the new Road Home location in South Salt Lake, so they wouldn’t have to make the journey on foot in the middle of winter.
Even though the modern tradition began in 2019, audiences will never see the same performance twice, thanks to the clever and chaotic mechanic of audience disruption and challenges for the actors.
How does audience donation/disruption work?
The show’s program contains a list of 69 (of course there are 69) challenges for the actors. Any member of the audience can “order” one of these disruptive challenges by making a charitable donation during the show either with cash or Venmo.
For example, an actor could be forced to perform their scenes while doing physical challenges like squats or planking, or they may have to affect an accent, chug water or end every sentence with “Daddy.” As more and more of these challenges are piled onto the characters throughout the show, the more their “real personalities” bubble to the surface for the audience to see. By the third act, the show has likely and delightfully gone completely off the rails.
This year, the charitable donations given during productions of The Lord of Misrule will benefit Our Unsheltered Relatives, an organization that prepares fresh, hot meals for the homeless population on Rio Grande every weekend. The funds will help purchase healthy ingredients, kitchen equipment, and other operational costs.
On certain nights of the show, donations will also help fund Alternative Arts and Music Program (AAMP), which works to improve arts access by providing free or no-cost resources and classes to Utah’s independent performance artists, with a focus on alternative art and communities who are underrepresented; as well as help cover the costs of friend of the show Pidgin Green’s gender-affirming surgery.
R.J. Walker, Creative Director, The Lords of Misrule Theatre Co. for “The Lord of Misrule: An Interactive Play”
What is the show about?
As Creative Director, R.J. Walker puts it, The Lord of Misrule is a crass interpolation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but it is also so much more than that.
The main action of The Lord of Misrule concerns televangelist character Lucas Karol. Karol purports to heal the “sick,” perform “exorcisms,” and, while doing this, collects donations from his faithful followers in exchange for performing these miracles. It all happens on his daytime TV show, Scriptures Unscripted. Then, as the play’s summary puts it, “during Pastor Karol Presents: A Christmas Carol, a rowdy mob hijacks the show and the Pastor, his wife, and his special guests are forced to obey the orders of the Lord of Misrule who is leading the mob while performing their Christmas pageant…Will Pastor Karol’s church survive this hostile yuletide takeover?” This year, The Lord of Misrule has an all trans/non-binary cast.
Oh right, I almost forgot about the garbage throwing! During the show, there’s a trash can in the middle of the stage, and there’s a big surprise that happens if a member of the audience manages to sink a basket in the garbage can by throwing their trash on stage.
It is that time of year when we get together and clink glasses with family and friends and cheers to the holidays. Our schedules get a little busier with the plethora of gatherings during these months where food and drinks are always the center of attention. Whether preparing dishes for hosting folks or needing to bring something for everyone to share at a party, this festive appetizer is sure to be a crowd-pleaser! The saying, “We eat with our eyes first,” definitely holds merit. We go all out for decorating our homes with holiday cheer, so why not our dishes? Turn an easy caprese salad into a gorgeous holiday “wreath” to brighten up any table. Fresh green herbs, such as basil, completely “pop” on top of red tomatoes that lie on a bed of fresh and creamy mozzarella slices. Buon appetito e salute!
Caprese Salad ‘Wreath’
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into ¼ inch slices
4 medium tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic Reduction
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
1. To assemble, arrange the mozzarella on the bottom of a serving platter in a circular form (like a wreath). Top the mozzarella with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. To make the balsamic reduction, add the vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until thick and reduced by half. About 15 minutes depending on your desired thickness. The balsamic will also thicken as it cools. (Note: It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.)
2. Drizzle the mozzarella and tomatoes with your desired amount of balsamic reduction and olive oil. Decorate the Caprese “wreath” with the basil leaves on the bottom and/or over the top.
A frequent point of pride you might hear from a longtime Utah resident is, “At least we have seasons!” This is technically true. Spring and fall are brief and summer is too hot but, boy, can we do winter. While some locales wear a fresh coat of snow well, others commit to a full transformation once the temperatures drop. Take, for instance, the Midway Ice Castles, which emerge every winter like the Northern Lights, seemingly out of thin air. While enough to stand on their own, the Ice Castles are just one of Utah’s winter wonderlands that you’ll find outside of traditional ski resorts. Some you can see in a day, but others provide a full weekend of winter activities.
Heber Valley
Midway Ice Castle. Photo Credit AJ Mellor/courtesy midway ice castles
While Park City might be the obvious choice for the winteriest of Utah’s winter wonderlands, Heber Valley might be the most wonderful. In the winter, you’ll find sleigh rides, ice skating, ice fishing, snowshoeing, snow tubing and Utah’s only ice castles.
As the story of the Midway Ice Castles (icecastles.com) goes, a father from Alpine built an ice cavern in his yard for his kids during their first winter in Utah.
It was such a success, the enterprise grew. The current iteration is a sprawling architectural marvel and the work of dozens of artists, featuring ice caverns, slides, tunnels and sculptures, weighing more than 25 million pounds. Nearby, Soldier Hollow Nordic Center (utaholympiclegacy.org) is home to a 1,200-foot-long snow-tubing hill, with multiple lanes, for some high-velocity winter thrills. It’s a must for kids and families that like an adventure they can do together. Likewise, in winter months, Wasatch Mountain State Park (stateparks.utah.gov) is open for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling through alpine terrain.
In the heart of Midway, the Midway Outdoor Ice Rink ( midwayicerink.com) at Midway Town Square is a spacious, open-air rink. In Midway and Heber, you’ll also find local outfitters who offer horse-drawn sleigh rides (rockymtnoutfitters.com) at the Ice Castles and guided ice fishing tours on Strawberry Reservoir (utahicefishing.com), which is especially scenic covered in ice and a blanket of snow.
Salt Lake City
When holiday shopping drives the crowds to Downtown Salt Lake City, anywhere you look winter magic can be found, and no visit to the Gateway Mall or City Creek Center is quite complete without a little holiday treat. People strap on skates and sip hot cocoa while taking the sights and sounds of the season at Gallivan Center Ice Rink (thegallivancenter.com). The outdoor public ice skating rink is open all winter long.
The Holiday Window Stroll at The Grand America. Photo courtesy of The Grand America.
A staple on the list of seasonal sights is The Grand America (grandamerica.com) in the heart of Downtown. Seemingly overnight, the hotel is decked with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights (70,000 strands of lights, to be exact) and the pièce de résistance is the window displays. As visitors progress from window to window on The Holiday Window Stroll, artists tell a beautifully intricate visual story with Christmas themes.
Northern Utah
A little north of Salt Lake City, discover a mix of winter adventure and small-town holiday charm. Tour Bountiful, all lit up for holidays while taking a spin on the Ice Ribbon (southdavisrecreation.com)—a 520-foot ice loop. Further north in Ogden, the Ogden Christmas Village (christmasvillage.ogdencity.com) illuminates downtown with North Pole-inspired cottages, lights, entertainers and fireworks at the Ogden Amphitheatre. The centerpiece of the season is the Ogden Electric Light Parade on Washington Boulevard.
Fireworks above the Ogden Christmas Village. Photo courtesy of Visit Ogden.
Beehive Distilling Bar Manager Caspiel Sjöström shows us a sustainable and delicious use for your holiday orange scraps. Combine peels with some sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon, and voilà, you have a warming spiced syrup that’s a perfect addition to any stiff drink. Inspired by his love for local products and nostalgia for holidays at home, Sjöström combines his orange syrup with Beehive’s Desolation Rye Whiskey and Waterpocket’s Notom Amaro. Once added to a cinnamon-smoked glass, the resulting concoction is an indulgent spin on a classic winter favorite.
Photo by Adam FinklePhoto by Adam Finkle
The Hanukkah Orange
What’s Inside:
1.5 oz Waterpocket Notom Amaro
.75 oz Beehive Desolation Rye Whiskey
.25 Spiced orange syrup
2 Dashes ango bitters
2 Dashes orange bitters
Garnish with an orange peel and toasted cinnamon stick
DIY Spiced Orange Syrup
Combine equal parts sugar and water in a pot, add orange peels, vanilla extract and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer, strain, chill and serve.
Stir all ingedients until well combined. Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with an orange slice and toasting cinnamon stick.
Go Behind the Scenes at Beehive Distilling
Beehive Distilling offers tours for just $5 a head on Thursdays and Saturdays. Learn about their distilling process, taste products, and maybe even get a peek of their live-in mouser, Gimlet. Visit beehivedistilling.com for more info.
Unlike last year, Park City Mountain’s parking lot was empty over the summer. In advance of the 2022-2023 ski season, the behemoth structure of a new chairlift sat in pieces in the Mountain Village parking lot, awaiting construction as part of the resort’s chairlift upgrades meant to ease on-mountain congestion and increase uphill capacity. Now that chairlift is doing what most of us always wish we could: permanently relocating to Whistler.
That’s right, two new chairlifts intended to shorten base-area lift lines—a six-pack chairlift slated to replace the little-used Eagle and Eaglet lifts and an eight-pack chair intended to upgrade the frequently slammed six-pack Silverlode Express—are headed to the vaunted British Columbia resort to replace Blackcomb’s Jersey Cream Express and Whistler’s Fitzsimmons Express.
The story of Whistler Blackcomb’s new chairs started with a successful appeal in 2022 by four Park City residents. The appeal led City Planning Commissioners to determine the resort’s lift proposals were not included in the mountain upgrade plan as part of the resort’s 1998 development agreement. Originally the lift upgrades had been granted administrative approval by former Park City Planning Director Gretchen Milliken, but the planning commission determined upon hearing the appeal the plan didn’t meet the requisite criteria for such approval, rendering the upgrades subject to a planning commission vote.
“We continue to disagree with the decision the Park City Planning Commission made in overturning our permits for Eagle and Silverlode, and our appeal is currently pending before the district court,” says Park City Senior Manager of Communications Sara Huey. As of publishing, the appeal of the appeal was still awaiting resolution.
Sitting in limbo, Vail Resorts—owner of Park City Mountain—decided not to let a couple of perfectly good chairlifts go to waste and shipped them north of the border as they iron out the details locally in Park City. One of the primary issues at hand concerned parking at the resort. The Planning Commission deemed Park City’s outlined paid parking system wouldn’t adequately mitigate the increased demand the new lifts would cause, a point Huey disagreed with based on last season’s implementation of paid parking at the Park City Mountain Village base area.
“During the 22/23 winter season, an average of 63% of cars parking in the Mountain Village surface lots had four or more occupants, and that jumped to nearly 70% on weekends. Park City Municipal confirmed that they saw a reduction in overflow and cutting through neighborhoods surrounding our base area. In addition, High Valley Transit reported a 20% region-wide increase in transit ridership over the winter ski and snowboard season,” says Huey.
The SNAFU hasn’t totally derailed Park City’s lift upgrade plans. Red Pine Gondola in Canyons Village has all-new cabins for this season, a welcome addition as the moribund state of non-functional gondola cabins last season left guests peeved despite cheeky signs promising replacements were on the way. Vail Resorts also reached a joint funding agreement with the Canyons Village Management Association for a gondola with 10-person cabins from the base area to the mid-mountain Red Pine Lodge, replacing the Sunrise double, which had essentially only served to take hotel guests to the base area.
Canyons Village sits in unincorporated Snyderville, so the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, rather than Park City, will have jurisdiction over this lift upgrade plan. Recent experience with the relatively new Quicksilver Gondola and Over and Out Chairlift suggest the resort won’t run into the same types of delays along the 36-month timeline to get the Sunrise Gondola operational.
Skepticism surrounding resort plans is often warranted, as changes on the mountain are frequently felt downstream in the community. That said, increasing base area uphill capacity is possibly the most skier-centric move Park City Mountain could make outside of ditching the multi-resort mega pass, which frankly isn’t going to happen. Locals have been clamoring for exactly the type of upgrade the Sunrise Gondola represents, and a similar move at the Park City Base Area would do wonders to help spread skiers out across the resort’s significant terrain.
More skiers are coming, whether there’s new infrastructure to accommodate them or not. Incentivizing skiers to use public transit while helping them get up on the hill faster on powder days is something the community should seemingly get behind.
The Sun Rises on a New Gondola
The Sunrise Gondola will whisk skiers 1,100 vertical feet in 10-passenger cabins from the south end of Canyons Village up to Red Pine Lodge at just over 8,000 feet. The new gondola will help alleviate base area pileups that plague powder days while providing additional access to higher-elevation terrain, which is increasingly important for early and late-season operations as climate change encroaches on both ends of winter with higher temperatures.
