Utah spends millions on ads for skiing

Utah's ski industry is hoping for the best, despite an economy that is currently anything but hopeful.

As this year's ski season opens, local resorts have poured millions into improvements, and state tourism officials have kicked off a multimillion-dollar national advertising campaign to try to lure visitors to "the greatest snow on earth."

"The ski industry is not going to be totally immune from an economic downturn," said Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty. "But there are still lots of reasons for us in the ski industry to be optimistic."

Utah has seen record numbers of skier days for the past several years, and that may bode well for this year's season, he said. "Last year was the fifth all-time record in a row, so the momentum is really strong."

He added that because of Utah's ease of access to its ski resorts and their close proximity from the airport, the local ski industry has a leg up on resorts in places like Colorado and Wyoming that often require more time and expense to reach.

To keep pace with the competition, nearly every Utah ski area has invested in some measure of improvements for the 2008-09 ski season, said Ski Utah communications director Jessica Kunzer.

Beaver Mountain, located east of Logan, plans to make $300,000 in improvements to the lodge and add seating to better accommodate guests. Brian Head Resort, in southern Utah, is finishing up a major expansion that started last year.

Brighton Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon has built a $1.5 million day lodge, while The Canyons Resort in Park City is scheduled to install a new lift and gondola during the 2008-09 season to go along with other planned upgrades.

Deer Valley Resort has invested $8 million in on-mountain improvements for this season, including upgraded snowmaking and maintenance equipment. Park City Mountain Resort spent $10.5 million on improvements, including a new high-speed chair lift, terrain enhancements and renovation of the Mid-Mountain Lodge.

The resort is also offsetting 100 percent of its power consumption from renewable energy sources by purchasing 13.9 million kilowatts of renewable energy credits that would eliminate nearly 19 million pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions annually.

At Powder Mountain, restaurants in all three lodges have been renovated, and the prices of night lift passes have been reduced to attract more visitors. Snowbasin Resort, near Huntsville, made improvements to beginner terrain, and Solitude Mountain Resort has announced $7 million in lift upgrades.