2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide - 55

of Mammoth Mountain

I PUBLIC AFFAIRS

2 019
by Fran Long

Vice President - Public Affairs, FWSA

FAR WEST MEMBER COUNCILS
cover 12 states, with 10 regional councils
and more than 150 Clubs, with a
combined membership of over 55,000
skiers and snowboarders.

When the transaction closes, the 2019-20 Vail Resorts Epic Pass
will be honored at all resorts. For the 2019-20 season, Vail Resorts
will honor and continue to sell all Peak Resorts pass products, and
Peak Resorts' pass holders will have the option to upgrade to an Epic
Pass or Epic Local Pass, following closing of the transaction. Vail Resorts plans to invest approximately $15 million over the next two years
in one-time capital spending to elevate the guest experience at these
resorts.
The transaction was approved by both companies' Boards of Directors, and the Peak Resorts Board of Directors also recommends that
Peak Resorts' shareholders approve the transaction. The parties expect operations at all Peak Resorts ski areas to continue in the ordinary course of business. Upon closing, Vail Resorts plans to retain the The California Express Gondola will connect Squaw
Valley Resort to Alpine Meadows Ski Resort.
vast majority of each resort's employees.
area of Alpine Meadows. "It will be an eight-passenger gondola with a deInformation from PRNewswire
sign capacity of approximately 1,400 people per hour in both directions. In
total, the gondola will be about 13,000 feet in length. There will be two base
Sunlight Mountain Near Aspen Plans To Expand
Sunlight Mountain Resort, just south of the Glenwood Hot terminals and two mid-station terminals, connected by approximately 37 lift
Springs, is investing over $4 million dollars to add new routes, about towers. It will take approximately 13-16 minutes to take the gondola from
one base terminal to the other." - Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, August
100 acres of additional, mostly expert terrain, and a new chair lift.
In phase one, which started this summer, the trail maintenance 2017
The timeline for the California Express Gondola is currently uncrew will begin cleaning up the existing Alligator Alleys, Deception,
Defiance, Perry's Plunge and other double-black diamond terrain on known. In April of this year, Placer County and the US Forest Service
the East Ridge to provide gladed terrain in between the runs in the released its final Environmental Impact Report for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows base-to-base gondola that would connect the two reEast Ridge area.
In the 2020 off-season, they'll begin glading an additional 100 sorts. Alterra Mountain Company's proposed route along the crest of
acres of new terrain just east of Perry's Plunge which is the current the Sierra Nevada and through land designated to be part of Granite
eastern boundary. During the 2020-21 season, for those hardy folks Chief Wilderness was rejected. They instead chose the eastern-most
on the mountain, you'll be able to access it if you're willing to hike out. route under consideration, and the route most distant from designated
As part of the final phase, they'll install a new lift - the first at Sunlight wilderness lands. This was considered a substantial conservation vicsince the 1980's! The current plans are for the new lift loading station tory by Sierra Watch, who has been campaigning for years against Alto be below Perry's Plunge near Four Mile Creek and the top unload- terra developing land that Congress designated to be part of Granite
ing station above Beaujolais and Rebel. This will provide access to Chief Wilderness back in 1984.
Guests will be able to load and unload at the Squaw Valley base
beginner, intermediate, and expert runs west of East Ridge, as well as,
give skiers/riders an opportunity to lap this terrain. Prior to this in- terminal, the KT-22 ridge terminal and the Alpine Meadows base terminal. Guests disembarking at the Saddle mid-station near the KT-22
stallation, you would have to take TWO lifts.
Express top terminal on the Squaw Valley side will be able to ski or
Information from an article by Phippen Thomas & Alex Magalis
snowboard down to Squaw Valley.
The base-to-base gondola will only operate during ski and snowboard season. The gondola cabins will be removed from the gondola
"Base-to-Base" Gondola Approved
cable after it closes operations for the season in order to reduce imFrom Squaw Valley to Alpine Meadows, CA
The Placer County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved pacts on the surrounding viewshed. There are no plans currently
the "Base-to-Base" Gondola from Squaw Valley to Alpine Meadows, being contemplated to allow skiing or other non-skiing activities along
CA with a mid-station in the White Wolf property/mini ski resort in the lift route or on the White Wolf terrain, privately owned by Troy
North Lake Tahoe, California. The "Base-to-Base" Gondola will be Caldwell.
Shuttles will continue to operate in order to provide transportacalled the California Express Gondola.
The California Express Gondola will go from near the base of tion during ski season when the gondola is not running. Shuttles may
KT-22 at Squaw Valley to White Wolf (mid-station), then to the base also continue to operate during ski season in order to provide another
Far West Skier's Guide 2O19 - 2O2O

ttttt

An average of over
400 inches of snow falls
onto the 11,053 foot
summit, making the
3,500 plus acres of
skiable terrain on
Mammoth Mountain
enjoyable for all.
Snowfall was up over
30% last season nationwide. photo courtesy

2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide