Deer Valley Resort sees gondolas as a transportation option that could eventually link the three base areas: Snow Park, Silver Lake Village and Deer Valley East Village.
And, ultimately, possibly link Deer Valley with other places in the Park City area.
As discussions continue throughout the community about the prospects of building some sort of aerial transit system, likely relying on gondolas, Deer Valley is crafting blueprints for internal routes effectively connecting the three base areas. But the resort also sees the possibility of becoming a stop on a broader network and intends to design its own route in a manner that could connect with other lines, if they were to someday be built.
Deer Valley on Tuesday held two community workshops focused on a development concept at the Snow Park base. The events, held at the Lodges at Deer Valley, drew a combined 250 people. The crowd appeared to be a mix of full-time Parkites and people who own vacation properties in Deer Valley. The attendees listened to a presentation by Deer Valley and spent time studying plans and talking to representatives of the resort.
The concept of a gondola system has been an intriguing aspect of the discussions about the future of the three Deer Valley bases since two of them — Snow Park and Deer Valley East Village — are slated for major development. The concept is even more notable with the possibility City Hall could eventually also pursue some sort of aerial transit. Deer Valley has described a concept within the resort of a gondola linking the Snow Park base, Silver Lake Village and a location known as Park Peak, which is close to Bald Mountain and in the area where a route serving Deer Valley East Village is envisioned.
Timelines are not clear and an extensive amount of study would likely be required should a communitywide network involving a series of stations on public and private lands be selected. Funding mechanisms for construction, as well as operations and maintenance, and precise routes are some of the topics that would need to be addressed in detail before development moved forward. The parties that may be involved also would need to be finalized, with the possibility of an aerial transit system bringing together City Hall, the County Courthouse, state transportation officials, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain.
Deer Valley at the event on Tuesday described that it is designing a gondola terminal as part of the development concept at Snow Park that could become a part of a citywide network. According to Deer Valley, the terminal would be set in a location that could line up with a route between Snow Park and Old Town. A gondola stop in Old Town has been seen as one of the keys to an aerial network since it would carry people to and from the Main Street core and could offer lines to Snow Park and elsewhere.
Precise routes have not been crafted, but there has previously been early study of a line running from the vicinity of the Old Town transit center to Snow Park. That concept essentially followed Deer Valley Drive between the two potential gondola stops and was part of a more extensive set of routes.
It is not certain when significant decisions will be made about the possibility of aerial transit. Government bodies and the resorts would need to reach a comprehensive agreement regarding topics like initial routes and financial matters. There has been interest within the Park City and Summit County governments in advancing work on communitywide issues like transportation as the state prepares for the 2034 Winter Olympics, which are expected to be awarded to Salt Lake City this summer. Leaders hope to tap monies that may become available in the years before the Games, as was the case prior to the Winter Olympics in 2002. The permitting process, meanwhile, could draw attention from people who live or own properties along the routes.
The supporters of aerial transit see a system as something that could reduce traffic in the Park City area, where backups on the entryways and elsewhere have long been a frustration of Parkites, commuters and visitors. A network of gondolas could nudge people out of personal vehicles and onto transit, reducing traffic and resulting in environmental benefits should vehicle emissions be cut, the supporters say.