Ogden area ski resort creates plan to expand

SNOWBASIN — On the backside of the Wasatch Mountain range sits some of the prettiest country in the world. Just east of Ogden, nestled in the top of those mountains, is Snowbasin Ski Resort. Part of what makes Snowbasin so stunning is that, despite its beauty, visitors aren't overwhelmed with crowds.

There is an abundance of wildlife.

There are lonely trails and untouched powder. There are forests and wetlands and terrain that looks like maybe no one has been there before.

In fact, the Ogden Valley and the mountains that surround it are more alluring because they appear nearly untouched.

It is a place that offers countless recreational opportunities coupled, almost ironically, with the chance to shed the chaos of a city.

"We think it's basically the best day ski area God ever invented," said Wallace Huffman, director of Sun Valley and Snowbasin resorts and resort development.

And that, in a nutshell, is about the only problem with Snowbasin: If it lacks one thing, it's a place for visitors to stay. No overnight lodging means the resort is limited, and it remains a little brother of sorts to the ski areas to the south, which do offer overnight lodging.

Knowing the limits of the current facilities, the owners of Snowbasin began developing a plan to expand several years ago. They started with a comprehensive study of the area. How much of the land they owned was forest, wetlands or geologically impossible to develop?

They came up with a plan that they believe won't be completely realized for decades. But it includes in the short term a second entrance to the terrain skiers love that doesn't create more traffic on the Ogden Canyon road. The plan also includes a golf course, shops, restaurants and, of course, hotel facilities.

"We split the (skiing) crowd by bringing half of them down the Strawberry side," Huffman said.

The plan has been submitted to the Weber County Commission and will be in the public comment period in mid-July. The resort straddles Weber and Morgan counties, so resort officials are now working with Morgan County the way they worked with Weber for the last two years.

Huffman said resort officials were very cognizant and tried to be very respectful of what residents of the Ogden Valley saw as the area's future.

When they started asking residents, they found no shortage of opinions.