SNOWBIRD, Utah (ABC4) – A fresh coat of deep snow awaits fellow skiers and riders Monday morning as Snowbird opens its gates for the first time following the early closures that took place at the beginning of the pandemic.
To ensure health and safety, the resort has launched Operation Stay Safe: a comprehensive plan built to make certain that Snowbird guests, employees, and community remain safe and healthy while enjoying the mountain all season long.
All guests will be expected to comply with Snowbird’s COVID-19 guidelines, including physical distancing and required face coverings.
“After months of waiting, we are pleased to welcome our community back to Snowbird,” shares Snowbird President and General Manager Dave Fields. “I’ve never been more excited for a ski season. This one will look like no other, but we hope that by working together, remaining positive and continuing to adapt, we can get back to the joy that skiing and riding provides.”
Guests will have access to runs off Gadzoom, Mid-Gad, Chickadee, and the iconic Aerial Tram, providing top-to-bottom skiing and riding across acres of open terrain, conditions permitting.
Additional measures that have been taken with the health and safety of Snowbird guests and employees in mind include the expansion of Snowbird’s grab-and-go food offerings across the resort, an additional 15,000 square feet of indoor space, extended maze designs that account for lateral spacing, new ticket pick-up boxes and more.
According to snowbird.com, the history of Little Cottonwood Canyon and the town of Alta dates back to the 19th Century, when a soldier in the U.S. Army first prospected for silver in 1869. The tiny minerals he stumbled upon quickly evolved into a massive industry attracting fortune-seekers who would otherwise never step foot in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
The site goes on to say, Snowbird opened in December of 1971 with three lifts, the Tram, the Lodge at Snowbird, and the Snowbird Center. The Inn (then called the Turamura) was constructed in 1972, The Cliff Lodge west wing in 1973-74, and The Iron Blosam in the fall of 1974.
The last three years at Snowbird have been some of the most transformative since the resort opened in 1971. Beginning with the construction of The Summit in December of 2015, an expansion of the Creekside Day Lodge, renovations to the Cliff Lodge, and expanded snowmaking, Snowbird’s commitment to improving the resort have continued. As of the summer of 2018, the most recent projects include the renovation to the Snowbird Center by adding guest space and restrooms, a new network of bridges to allow for easier access to The Cliff Lodge, Snowbird Center, and Lower Village, and a new restaurant in the West Wing of The Cliff Lodge.
