Snow King celebrates 80 years, looks to future with master plan
The Snow King Mountain Resort in Jackson is looking toward the future with its master plan. The resort is currently in phase 2 of the master plan, reviewing it with the Jackson Town Council and working to come to an agreement on plans for the base area. This review includes making some changes to the plan. The council said it doesn’t want a new zip line to land on one part of the mountain. The two parties are also working on coming to an agreement about the landing location of a proposed new gondola.
“Ultimately, we are hoping to replace our nearly 40-year-old Summit Lift with a new modern gondola that would take kids and families and skiers to the top of the mountain in safety and comfort,” said Ryan Stanley, general manager of the Snow King Mountain Resort.
Snow King also has to work with the United States Forest Service, which owns the land at the top of the mountain. The forest service is currently doing an environmental review of the land.
Along with the gondola, the resort is hoping to add more ski and downhill biking terrain and a planetarium and observatory at the top of the mountain.
“So it could be an educational draw for folks to go up and learn about the night sky, astronomy,” Stanley said. “And that would be unique at a ski area in the United States. So, we’re hoping to be the first to have an attraction of that sort and to get people up to the top of our mountain.”
Snow King is celebrating its 80th winter season this year. It says this master plan is part of a 10-year vision to make some changes and updates to the mountain to keep it safe and operational for the years to come.
“There’s not a lot that’s changed in the past 20-30 years on the hill and we’re really hoping to take it into the future with something that will attract people, make people happy to get kids and families skiing and recreating on Snow King year-round for the next 80 years,” Stanley said.
This master plan process is far from over. There will be more meetings with the town council, a public comment period and time to make revisions before the plan is complete.
