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Alta ski-area official previews major summer projects, warns of summer closures and staging impacts
Summary
A representative of Alta Ski Area summarized a slate of major summer infrastructure and safety projects on March 12, warning that trenching, lift replacement and building construction will reduce parking and could cause trail and campground closures.
A speaker who identified himself as Mike addressed the Alta Town Council March 12 with a detailed overview of planned summer projects at the Alta Ski Area, warning that construction and access impacts could be extensive.
Mike said a major summer project will replace a failing high‑pressure snowmaking line and expand the pump house by adding two pumps and underground water storage culverts. That work will require a trench across part of town roughly described in the presentation as 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep and may disrupt parking and access along the summer road. He said the work could take “most of the summer.”
Other planned projects include snowmaking line replacement from Corkscrew to Angle Station, terrain work on the High Traverse, rock- and tree-clearing at the bottom of a run to reduce hazards, a three-level expansion of the Albion Day Lodge (including employee housing), a cold storage/equipment building designed to withstand avalanches, a multi-million-dollar Sugarloaf lift upgrade to AC motors, and a contract-signed replacement and realignment of the Supreme Lift. Mike said the Supreme Lift work is scheduled to start May 15 and that crews will likely begin preparing the summer road earlier than usual.
Mike warned the council that construction staging will reduce available parking in Albion and Wildcat lots and could require temporary trail reroutes and campsite closures. He said helicopters may be used for tower work and deliveries; the ski area will attempt to base helicopter operations away from town when possible.
Council members asked about safety fencing near town recreational areas and whether trenches would interfere with a nearby park; Mike said the project team plans to fence active work areas and phase work so much of the pipe will be fused and buried within weeks of starting trenching.
Mike discussed a recent power outage earlier in the season that required prolonged backup generator use and said the ski area is also targeting upgrades to generators, transformers and parking-lot infrastructure tied to the pump-house and snowmaking improvements. He reported visitation down about 5–6% year-over-year and said early planning assumes a similarly reduced season revenue profile.
