Skiing in Utah is a rapidly growing industry that contributes greatly to the country's economy. Skiing begins in the state as a recreational activity enjoyed by only a few, but since the 1930s, it has grown into a large industry, which creates thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars in revenue.
The ski industry adds a lot to Utah's economy, particularly the tourism industry, which includes several outdoor activities throughout the year, such as hiking, trekking, mountain climbing, and mountain biking. The seven major ski resorts of Utah, Alta, Brighton, Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbird, Solitude, and Sundance, are located in the Wasatch Range; but there are six others scattered throughout the state: Beaver Mountain, Brian Head, Eagle Point Ski Resort, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, and Wolf Mountain.
Video Development of skiing in Utah
History
Pre-war (1900-1930)In the early nineteenth century, skiing began as a way for people to move from one point to another, especially, in the snowy winter with limited mobility. The first people to use skis were trappers, miners and mountain residents. In mining cities like Alta, which on average receive five hundred inches in snow per year, skiing is an important means of transportation.
As ski progresses, it becomes a popular recreational activity. All through the Wasatch Range, ski clubs and paths created, which attract skiers, hikers, and climbers. The Wasatch Mountain Club, founded by Charles T. Stoney in 1912, was the first of the most successful clubs. Skiing expeditions across the Wasatch mountains near Park City, Brighton, and Alta were organized and the first tour group was established. During the late 1910s and 1920s, Wasatch Mountain Club began to expand their extended tour group to Ogden.
During the 1920s, the ski tour industry continued to grow. Short trips lasting from two to four days are very popular in the Brighton area. Initially, due to the extreme nature of the sport, public opinion about skiing describes it as dangerous, mostly due to skiing and cold and handmade cold weather clothing. Later, after equipment and clothing were repaired, public opinion about skiing also increased.
In the 1930s, sport evolved and professional jumping skiing was held. Becker Hill began holding professional meetings that attracted thousands of viewers. Attention from this incident triggered the expansion of other ski areas, such as Rasmussen Farm at Parley's Canyon and Ecker Hill. In 1937, the national ski jumping championship was held at Ecker Hill, after Utah Ski Club and Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce raised thirty five hundred dollars for the event. Between eight and nine thousand spectators attended the Championship.
The New Deal provides public assistance programs such as the Civil Conservation Corps that builds highways to ski resorts, such as Alta and Brighton. Also at this time, the first incline is made. This new highway and improved technology expanded the ski industry even further, and more work was created, which reduced the impact of the Great Depression.
In 1938, the first ski lift was built by businessman Joe Quinney and his colleagues in the hope that it will transform the ski industry in Utah. During the first year, the elevator was disrupted by problems and only operated sporadically, but later modifications greatly increased the lift allowing beginners and experienced skiers to climb up and down the mountain with ease. Other resorts such as Brighton, Snow Basin and Cache Valley soon followed and added their own ski lifts. The efficiency of the elevators pushes the advancement of other new ski discoveries, such as poles, adjustable bindings, seal leather climber, ski wax, waterproof clothing, and eyeglasses.
In the 1940s, skiing in Utah expanded drastically. In 1914, only a few people were skiing and there was no modern resort, but by 1940, it was noted that over 190,000 had visited ski resorts in Utah. The ski lift-serve era came to Park City with local ski enthusiasts Otto Carpenter and Bob Burns built the ski lifts and cottages that warmed up at Snow Park Resort in 1946. The resort operated on weekends and public holidays until it closed in 1969. The site of Snow Park Resort is now the Deer Valley Resort.
In 1941, when the United States entered World War II, demand for skis and other recreational activities declined. Many, but not all, ski resorts are converted into training camps for paratroopers and special rescue groups from the US military. The resort provided for recreation is usually used for alpine skiing.
Alpine skiing is increasing in popularity and more competition is created. For example, Alta started the famous Snow Cup tournament in 1940 and Snowbasin hosted the US National downhill slalom and a joint skiing championship in 1947. The 1948 Winter Olympic Team of the United States included a large contingent of Utah skiers.
During the latter part of the war, winter recreation soars in popularity once again and ski resorts often operate at full capacity. Alta and Brighton themselves received 44,000 skiers during the winter of 1944-45. After World War II, state officials promoted the slopes of Utah more than ever, producing the movie "Ski Aces" which is shown to millions of people across the United States. This movie is the first wide-reaching official advertising campaign. The state government is doing research at the moment which concludes that winter sports recreation earns two and a half times more revenue than summer recreation which causes more money spent on advertising. In the 1960s, the Utah Travel Council claimed that "Utah has some of the best ski fields in the world." The Board makes the brochure ads the best labels and made like "Romantic Alta" and "Beautiful Brighton."
"Ski Utah"
D. James Cannon, known as Jim Cannon, first came up with "Ski Utah!" brands, who hang out with ski enthusiasts and drive the Utah tourism industry. Shortly after, he created the slogan "The Biggest Snow on Earth" - a phrase that was eventually printed on Utah's license plate in 1985. The Travel Board exhibited these ski slogans across countless billboards across the state and made advertisements featured at the conference extreme sports in Los Angeles, Oakland, Chicago, and New Jersey. "Ski Utah!" brands captured more than four percent of the ski market, and by the end of the century, it increased to a market of 5.5 percent. In 1972, tourism was classified as the second largest industry in Utah and generated nearly $ 209 million annually for the state.
Utahn Inc.
To get more Utah interested in the development of the tourism industry, Utahn Inc. established, consisting of chambers of commerce, various hotels, transportation and tour companies, amusement parks, ski resorts, and park agents. The organization successfully promotes economic activity in the state and is largely responsible for developing the Ski Park City industry. In 1962, it helped United Park City Mines companies stay afloat and help build the Mountain Treasure Ski resort, which was eventually renamed Park City Mountain Resort. Ads are finally paying off; ski visits increased from 195,000 in 1960 to 649,000 in 1970.
Change the law
The Utah culture, which has much of its history rooted in the Mormon religion, imposes a Utah liquor law that limits the availability of alcohol. Because Utah feels they need to compete with the Colorado ski industry, they decided to draft a new liquor law for the purpose of attracting more tourists. The new law does what it is designed to do - they attract more tourists. Utah ski promoters spend over $ 50 million on advertising annually to compete with Colorado, and In 1989, Utah was ranked fourth in the Rocky Mountain area to attract most tourists to their state just behind Colorado, Arizona and Nevada ).
The Impact of the 2002 Olympics
Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Sports stated this in connection with the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake: "Far and away, the most successful Olympics, summer or winter, in history."
The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City caused an economic boom for the Utah ski industry. Skiers' visits increased 42% from 2002-2011 including 70% of the growth of skiers outside the state from 2002-2011. In total, foreign and US visitors grew from 17.3 million to 20.2 million (in 2010) and direct spending from skiers and snowboarders resulted in a 67% increase in revenues for Utah of $ 704 million in 2002-03 to $ 1, 2 billion in 2010-11. In addition, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation also distributes over $ 120 million in sports related programs and operations at the Utah Olympic Oval at Kearns and Utah Olympic Park near Park City.
Since hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics, Utah has hosted more than 60 World Cup events and 7 world championships and other sporting events. After the Olympics, Utah has been a training center for 38 world-class athletes, including 13 athletes from the state.
Maps Development of skiing in Utah
Next development
In 2013, Vail Resorts entered into a 50-year lease agreement to operate the Canyons Resort, the largest ski resort in Utah. In 2014, Vail buys the neighboring Canyons Resort, Park City Mountain Resort from Powdr Corporation. Since the acquisition, the Colorado-based resort has linked Park City with The Canyons - a plan that has been estimated to cost $ 50 million for interconnection gondola and other improvements - and created the largest ski resort in the United States, with over 7,300 acres for skiing and snowboarding.
In 2014, Ski Utah formed a project called One Wasatch. The project plans to work with seven Wasatch Range ski resorts east of Salt Lake City: Alta, Brighton, Canyon, Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbird, and Solitude. Their goal is to create the largest ski resort network in North America with 100 lifts, 750 runs and 18,000 acres to explore. Project costs are estimated at $ 30 million for new lifts and infrastructure improvements.
However, One Wasatch is opposed by a group called "Save Our Canyons" which seeks to protect the Wasatch Front from further developments that could harm the environment, especially given that both Cottonwood Canyons are the watershed for the Salt Lake Valley. One Wasatch is also opposed by the local inland ski community because Wasatch is one of the most popular locations in the United States and One Wasatch will allow access to the terrain normally required by skiers to be able to do a skiing tour to ski.
Climate change
Climate change is a global problem that directly affects the core of the ski industry. The resort has been adapting to climate change for years by implementing new technologies, such as, snowmaker, which allows the resort to stay open longer. Comparing notes since 1999, the NRDC reports that Utah has 14 percent fewer skiers in low winters in winter than with heavy snowfall; that the state costs $ 87 million in income and 1,000 jobs lost; and the future projection estimates that the ski industry will lose 27,000 jobs and $ 1 billion in revenue due to reduced snow.
Summer resort
Sometimes, some resorts can stay open until summer if there is enough snow to continue operating, most often Snowbird because of its micro climate for snow retention. With reduced snow levels, most resorts have limited operations during the summer and have invested in summer activities, including miniature golf, alpine slides/coasters, climbing walls for children, zip-line, and several hiking and biking trails.
Jobs
The Winter sports industry has proven to be an asset to Utah's economy, attracting non-residents and bringing new dollars outside the country to the economy every year. In a recent survey of PRC Associates on Skiing in Utah, they estimate that skiers and snowboarders spend about $ 1.29 billion in the 2012/13 season - a 10% increase over the previous year. Of the $ 1.29 billion spent, $ 1.1 billion was spent by skiers and non-resident snowboarders. Based on data calculated by the BEBR, the ski industry provides 18,419 direct related jobs of winter, indirect and induction during winter-related sports during February 2013.
Many of the top winter sports events came to Utah due to the world-class places built during the 2002 Olympics. As a result, thousands of extra travelers traveled here, once again creating hundreds of seasonal jobs for Utah's economy. Laura Shaw of the Utah Sports Commission, a non-profit organization created by the state to attract sporting events, estimates that winter sport events bring $ 27.3 million to the state by 2013. Events are held throughout Utah including the Park City, Salt Lake City, and Kerns.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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