Our fine brothers and sisters in Utah need our help, as does the sensitive and beautiful watersheds of the upper Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. The proposed Utah SkiLink seeks to connect The Canyons resort above Park City to Solitude, at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon and it threatens some of the best backcountry terrain in the lower 48.
The project is riddled with problems, including the prospect of increasing traffic in the Cottonwoods by offering Salt Lake-based skiers an easier, faster way to access The Canyons. Opponents of the SkiLink believe folks who once drove Interstate 80 will now take the much shorter route to Big Cottonwood Canyon, then use the SkiLink to travel up and over into Summit County and The Canyons resort. Anyone who has driven in either of the Cottonwoods know they are narrow, avalanche prone, and generally nasty in storm conditions.
The SkiLink sets a dangerous precedent, as real estate developers have introduced a House bill (HR 3452) to compel the US government to sell off 30 acres of federal land, without completing an environmental impact assessment (as mandated by the National Environmental Protection Act), and against overwhelming local opposition. The 2003 US Forest Service management plan expressly forbids ski area expansion into adjacent lands which are of recreational value–and anybody who has toured in the Cottonwoods knows it is fantastic, world-class terrain. Developers are attempting to characterize the SkiLink as a “transportation plan” and not a ski-area expansion (thereby circumventing the above provision)–something the Forest Service and several local governments characterized as a misrepresentation of the facts on the ground.
Check out the full story and sign the petition HERE. Black Diamond and 80 other snowsport/outdoor brands oppose the project. A recent study conducted by the State of Utah, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, and the Forest Service determined that 94% of local residents are opposed to the expansion. Take a sec to sign the petition, like the Stop SkiLink Now page on Facebook, and spread the word. If this were our backyard, we hope our friends in Utah would stand shoulder to shoulder with us in opposition of another bad idea hatched by the greedheads. Resist!
