socialmedian: Forget chairlifts, I'll take the bus

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Forget chairlifts, I'll take the bus

Source: observer.guardian.co.uk

Nov 08, 2009

Summary

Powder Mountain in Utah is vast but has just four lifts, so skiers have other ways to get up the slopes

In raw acreage, there are few ski areas in North America that compare to Powder Mountain, a sprawling resort near Ogden, in northern Utah, that offers five mountains and almost 3,000 hectares (7,000 acres) of terrain. Though less well-known, it is larger than Vail or Jackson Hole. Yet Powder Mountain is old-school and underdeveloped, with only four chairlifts to serve its ample supply of alpine bowls. Harder to see are the helicopter, two caterpillar-tread snowcats and fleet of buses that help move droves of skiers and snowboarders uphill each day.

"It's kind of planes, trains and automobiles here," said Rod Kelly, a manager at Powder Mountain.

Chairlifts are the main form of uphill transport at most ski areas. Each day at Powder Mountain about 20% of the visitors elect to use one of the area's other means of getting around – be it a $125 helicopter ride or a free bus pickup after skiing off a back bowl.

Snowcat rides, which motor 450 vertical metres up a flank

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