Canyons Resort is scheduled to open Friday, Nov. 25 and Mike Goar, the resort’s managing director, said this year’s Opening Day will be a little different.
“We’re not opening terrain on natural snow yet,” he said. “The natural snow will be adding to the product and the quality. We’re going to open more terrain than ever on manmade snow. That’s the big news right now.
“That’s going to help us get some terrain open this year that we normally would not have opened on Opening Day.”
Per a Canyons release Tuesday morning, the resort had 41 inches of snowfall and counting and opening weekend single-day passes are priced at $59 for adults and $35 for juniors and seniors. Season passes are on sale as well.
Canyons is scheduled to open the winter season Friday morning and Goar said the two-base gondolas the Waldorf Gondola and the Canyons Cabriolet Gondola are expected to be up and running. According to Goar, lifts that are expected to be open Friday are: Red Pine Gondola, Saddleback Express, High Meadow, Short Cut and the Orange Bubble Express.
According to a Canyons release, “skiers and snowboarders will have at least 2,300 feet of vertical terrain to explore on opening weekend.”
Being able to gradually build upon its production of manmade snow, the resort’s skiers and snowboarders will be able to ride down to the bottom of the resort and won’t be forced to take a gondola ride down, Goar said.
Along with work during the offseason on trail improvements to existing terrain, Goar said the newest feature at the resort will be two new Zip lines. The “Winter ZipTour Adventure” is scheduled to be running on Opening Day. The Zip lines are open to everyone and those tickets can be purchased at the ticket office at the resort; Zip line tickets also include a gondola pass.
ZipTour prices range from $20 to $90; $20 for the shorter span of the two, $90 for two rides on each of the lines (including two rides on Short Cut Lift).
Per a release from Canyons, “the advanced zip line is suspended 140-feet above the ground, stretches more than 2,100 feet with a 10-percent grade and flies across the canyon between Lookout Peak and Red Pine Lodge. An intermediate zip line stretches 800 feet with an eight-percent grade and offers a tree-top ride through the Red Pine area.”
“Everybody thought those were just summer attractions,” said Goar. “In the middle of the ski day, you can just pull up, kick out your skis, do the whole tour back to where your skis are and then go skiing again.”
Goar added the Red Tail Grill restaurant has expanded and will feature more indoor seating and will serve a full menu. Another addition is a large deck and outdoor area for the winter for the Spring Concert Series, which is located in the center of the Canyons resort village.
“It’s going to be a terrific winter,” he said. “I can’t wait to get it all kicked off.”
The resort is scheduled to open Friday at 9 a.m.