No matter what happens a day pass will still be an arm & leg for the locals…
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Oh yeah!…………….Oh no!
posted 4 hours ago
Heck yeah! Develop it! I would love to see this. As long as we can still use it for the hiking, lakes, etc…I’ll all for more skiing/snowboarding. More land means less waiting in line.I know there are a few tree huggers out there that will disagree…but this is an excellent idea.
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molympics
posted 4 hours ago
Ownership insists such an expansion wouldn’t conflict with any current uses of American Fork Canyon.Because a developer is a car salesman plus, they’re going to make a lot of money (which a capitalistic society approves) and they’ll do and say what it takes to make that money. It’s not about being a “tree hugger”, it’s about NOT developing our communities and community land for the chosen few. It all sounds good until you have to deal with the traffic on your commute, the people wandering and driving through your neighborhood. The “entitled” who paid for their experience and you’re getting in the way. Oh no, fur shure.IMHO
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kwb42
posted 2 hours ago
That’s a very selfish attitude, and we WON’T still be able to use it for the hiking and lakes and etc. Not unless you like hiking gravel roads underneath ski lifts through land that’s been torn apart. Not sure what the point in that is.
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Earljr
posted 2 hours ago
No, it won’t change a thing. Except the road will be so crowded, they will limit the number of cars on the road, so we will have to take a shuttle. They will have to add parking at the top and bottom. All that, and it doesn’t even snow any more.
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tontwins
posted 47 minutes ago
What lines are you talking about exactly? I’ve had a season pass at Snowbird and Alta for five years and besides a few holiday weekends I never wait more than a few minutes. The skiing in mineral Basin is Mediocre at best… Just a gimmick for tourists
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Shane M.
posted 4 hours ago
Stop expansion now. In the end this will only lead to development of American Fork Canyon. Can’t we leave at least one or two canyons along the wasatch front free of development. The only ones that truly benefit from development of the canyons are corporations ie.. Ski resorts and developers who will see there pocket books grow while those living in these areas will see increased traffic, pollution, noise etc… Last thing we need is more private land (which only the rich can afford) and development in our canyons.
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B Man
posted 4 hours ago
As a snowboarder living in Highland I like the idea, it would be so easy for me to get up on the slopes I would even consider a season pass.
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Powderhound
posted 1 hour ago
Why don’t you go up now…free of charge…and ride! its their for you my friend! It would only take you an additional 20 mins to go up to the bird via LCC if you want a tram ride up.
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Or get a split board and earn your turns
report as abuse
.HatchetPacker
posted 4 hours ago
Be interesting because that would be kind of south facing slopes. Very little snow pack. I need to see a map. Sundance will start crying!
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.snengineer
posted 4 hours ago
yeah that kind of confuses me too, I know the area well and its rare to have good powdery snow conditions on these slopes they are wanting to develop, and being much more sensitive ecologically to development.
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They want to use it mainly for the tram into snowbird via AF Canyon
They would see a huge gain over other resorts that currently have people from the highland/american fork/alpine areas going to them, because they would be able to go up the canyon and hop on a tram, yeah that sounds great,
but the negative consequences by far out weigh the unrealistic idea.
They would see a huge gain over other resorts that currently have people from the highland/american fork/alpine areas going to them, because they would be able to go up the canyon and hop on a tram, yeah that sounds great,
but the negative consequences by far out weigh the unrealistic idea.
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Powderhound
posted 1 hour ago
Resorts are becoming more and more summer recreation places. Snowbird went to the county and amended a zone changes consistently for over 17 years since entering Mineral Basin, to allow for roller coasters, zip lines, guided atv, horseback riding, etc. IMO it would totally destroy the canyon. Where can we go for a mountain wilderness experience anymore. The whole wasatch is littered with trams, chairs, slides, telephone lines…Can we at least have one that is true wilderness?
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snengineer
posted 4 hours ago
“Any proposals that Snowbird has do not limit current user groups of American Fork Canyon” According to Snowbird snowmobilers are not a user group, anyone who ATV’s, mtn bikes or camps on the north east half of the canyon are not user groups either. If your going to swap land swap land at an equal *value* (meaning equal in value in every way but monetarily).BTW the areas Snowbird are trying to privatize in AF canyon are some of the best for back country winter use in the Wasatch front.If you want AF canyon to turn into how the Salt lake county canyons are managed then sit back and watch, If you want to keep freely recreating responsibly in AF canyon then please join in the discussion.
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John@sneekee
posted 4 hours ago
SNOWBIRD is a class act. Mr. Robert Redford should have some competition. The AF canyon option makes lots of sense…it takes lots of traffic off I-15 and 2-15 for those in UTAH county that want to go to Snow Bird.Redford really shouldn’t have the monopoly lock on skiing in Utah county.You couldn’t ask for a more responsible company than snowbird.
Responsible? Are we talking about the same corporation that wanted to put a roller coaster in little Cottonwood Canyon recently?
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A more responsible company than the one who is lying to thousands of people?
Sneaking behind backs so they can get away with something that they know is dishonest?
Keeping the truth from someone is the same as telling a lie…
Snowbird is very wrapped up in a big lie right now.It wouldn’t take a large enough load of traffic pressure away from those areas, but it would add a substantial amount of traffic to the last part of untouched wilderness in the Wasatch.
Sneaking behind backs so they can get away with something that they know is dishonest?
Keeping the truth from someone is the same as telling a lie…
Snowbird is very wrapped up in a big lie right now.It wouldn’t take a large enough load of traffic pressure away from those areas, but it would add a substantial amount of traffic to the last part of untouched wilderness in the Wasatch.
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This reminds me of the Lift Ogden gondola project that was in discussions a few years ago. I hope it doesn’t meet the same resistance.Development is going to happen and I think it makes sense to make resorts accessible from the Wasatch Front when possible and keep the hotels in the valley.
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There are already no trespassing signs up Mary Ellen Gulch and Mineral Basin. Snowbird is swooping in and closing access to public lands. They only care about their winter profits, not about the people who use American fork Canyon during the summer for hiking, camping, fishing and motorized recreation. Say goodbye to the close, safe, family getaway spot that many people grew up with. It’s as good as gone unless the public fights this.
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Kwight
posted 3 hours ago
I used to enjoy going up to Mineral Basin and Mary Ellen Gulch. I have camped in those areas since I was 11 years old and have taken my older children to those areas as well. There was nothing quite like driving my Jeep to Mineral Basin and having the quiet backcountry to enjoy. That all changed when the lift was constructed in Mineral Basin. I have not been back since then. Colorado appreciates my tourism $$$ now as they have a better stance on protecting these back country areas for the public to enjoy. I only wish Utah could take a look at what Colorado is doing to preserve the wilderness rather than turn it into a back country super highway for those who have deep pockets to enjoy.
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It’s free if you’re willing to pedal your bike….
As long as you pay them to do so.
Hiking and bike riding on bare slopes under ugly ski lift towers is not the same thing.
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It sure seems like coming down through Alpine would be much less environmentally demanding then coming through the mouth of American Fork Canyon. I like the idea of south side access to Snowbird but the devil is always in the details.
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“…the small town community feelings will become more like Park City.” And the downside of this is…Funny, because this is likely a progressive, liberal-leaning group that really wants to “protect” the environment and doesn’t give a darn about AF, CH, or the respective residents. So hypocritical that “progressives” are often so anti-progress. Expanding Snowbird would only improve the economy of these cities and the overall well-being of the residents. Does that mean some people may feel out of place and out of their “small” town? Sure, but it’s a free country and they can move to another small town.
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I think people have the right to fight for a small town which they’ve grown up in and come to love. It’s wrong to think its alright for business to all of a sudden come in and develop and destroy anything that was once natural and beautiful. I would hate a sudden wave of people invading my town causing congestion. Expanding snowbird would increase the cost of recreation up the canyon, increase the amount of people up there, increase the noise. Not once have I seen a business like snowbird not charge you for things that you could do for free otherwise. Why do you think Snowbird is trying to get this passed so fast without any of the local town leaders even knowing about it. All they care about is money and although they claim it would be good for the environment then tell me how going up a hillside cutting huge strips up a mountain and clearing it of all trees would help the environment? Those who have lived in Utah county for a while have come to love AF Canyon and would hate to see it developed. We have come to love the places we live and would hate to see them be drastically changed into a park city like community. I guess for someone who is new around here just doesn’t and never will understand.
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“Ownership insists such an expansion wouldn’t conflict with any current uses of American Fork Canyon.” … Right, because everything we can do in American Fork Canyon we can still do in Little Cottonwood, right? Bullpucky, Snowbird, don’t give us a glass of piss and tell us it’s lemonade. Can we keep just one canyon along the central Wasatch front undeveloped please?
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Why do we need another ski resort expansion? Haven’t enough of our mountains been taken over by our of state tourists? There are so few true wilderness places left in Utah, of which this area is one. Can’t we be left just one area that isn’t spoiled by tourists, the roar of machines, and electric lights everywhere? This article days the people of AF were happy about this expansion. This is an inaccurate representation. Most people I have talked to about it are livid or worse clueless about what is going on. Why do the parties involved with this expansion feel the need to keep the citizens in the dark? Other cities besides AF are going to be impacted by this decision yet they haven’t been involved in the process! The outdoors should be equally shared by all, not monopolized by a few greedy corporations. The skiers already have enough land. Let those of us who enjoy other ways of recreating keep or wilderness!
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Utah County needs to have a voice! There is no reason snowbird should be able to do something that affects THOUSANDS of individuals living in the local area, with out any say from them.
Its down right dishonest what they are doing.This is a battle that is being fought with money, and its sad to see how far they have already come.The big question is why change american fork canyon? Why develop it further when all it will do is cause permanent harm to the area, they claim they want to help so that their future generations can enjoy American Fork canyon, but really they just want their future generations to enjoy their money, and they don’t want us, our children, and our grandchildren to have any say in what is going on.Why change something that is loved so much already, and take away everything that is loved about it?
Its down right dishonest what they are doing.This is a battle that is being fought with money, and its sad to see how far they have already come.The big question is why change american fork canyon? Why develop it further when all it will do is cause permanent harm to the area, they claim they want to help so that their future generations can enjoy American Fork canyon, but really they just want their future generations to enjoy their money, and they don’t want us, our children, and our grandchildren to have any say in what is going on.Why change something that is loved so much already, and take away everything that is loved about it?
American Fork Canyon is one of the few remaining areas, along the Wasatch Front, that had escaped the influence of commercial development. Why are we even entertaining compromising the beauty and serenity of this area when there are enormous amounts of land that have already been developed for skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking? I want this area left alone so I can continue to enjoy it with my children and their children well into the future.
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Let’s keep one Canyon undeveloped… I enjoy going into AF in the winter and summer. Snowbird has plenty of land as is. As I recall the last four ski seasons due to low snow many areas were closed at Snowbird… AF is south facing…. Say they expand into AF and say we need the north side…. Always expanding…
report as abuse
Mountain Accord has only been an entity for 18 months. In the beginning they were concerned with just SL county, Wasatch County and Summit Counties. These are the only counties listed on their website. As soon as a proposal to swap lands with Utah county hit the table, representatives from UTAH COUNTY should have been invited to participate. They were not. There is a vote for recommending this land swap in less than a month. When asked to postpone this vote so Utah County interests could have time to study it, they said no because this has been in the works for a long time. What has been in the works for a long time? To invade Utah County without representation? They are trying to push this through without letting anyone have the time they need to study the impact this will have on Utah County. This goes agains their own charter! The geographic area is listed as:4 Geographic Area
The geographic area for Mountain Accord includes portions of Salt Lake County, Summit
County, and Wasatch County. It is bounded on the west by the existing transportation
backbone in the Salt Lake Valley (Salt Lake International Airport, TRAX, and I-15), on the east by
Park City, on the north by Parley’s Canyon, and on the south by Little Cottonwood Canyon.This geographic area DOES NOT INCLUDE UTAH COUNTY! How can they legally make recommendations for Utah County when their original vision and charter (and requests for grants from the State of Utah) did not include Utah County?What’s going on in Mountain Accord?
The geographic area for Mountain Accord includes portions of Salt Lake County, Summit
County, and Wasatch County. It is bounded on the west by the existing transportation
backbone in the Salt Lake Valley (Salt Lake International Airport, TRAX, and I-15), on the east by
Park City, on the north by Parley’s Canyon, and on the south by Little Cottonwood Canyon.This geographic area DOES NOT INCLUDE UTAH COUNTY! How can they legally make recommendations for Utah County when their original vision and charter (and requests for grants from the State of Utah) did not include Utah County?What’s going on in Mountain Accord?
Haha please, have you been at snowbird in the summer ever?!? They authorize mountain biking and hiking and all sorts of mountain activities. It sounds like a great idea to distribute crowds in the winter and will hardly change a thing in the summer… Gimme a break people.
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yes I have, its extremely limited and unless you pay the price of admission its almost completely limited.
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“Ownership insists such an expansion wouldn’t conflict with any current uses of American Fork Canyon”I would sure like that statement explained. Especially after they closed Mineral Basin’s access to motorized vechicles. I used to be able to enjoy that.Also, the cost to go up American Fork Canyon is currently $6 per carload for a weekend. Snowbirds website invites you to their property right now for a reduced rate of $44 PER PERSON per day.
That right there will limit access to most people who use the canyon right now.
Also, Snow Bird has made commitments in the past in order to get deals done, then broke those commitments later on after things were settled. This molestation of American Fork Canyon cannot be ignored if anyone has in interest in the canyon.
Also, Snow Bird has made commitments in the past in order to get deals done, then broke those commitments later on after things were settled. This molestation of American Fork Canyon cannot be ignored if anyone has in interest in the canyon.
Keller W.
posted 10 hours ago
It will just be enjoyed by more people now. And one tram and possibly one lift is hardly massive construction and development.
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jodthetoad
posted 10 hours ago
I would appreciate it if you would leave our horseback trails out of this mess. What a shame. AF canyon is an awesome ride!
Fiffer
posted 8 hours ago
It’s time for the “not in my back yard” people to get a pair of skis or a board, then just go have a little fun on a slope most of us would have never been on in the first place.
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Shawn P.
posted 5 hours ago
“Most of us would have never been on” is key here in that I have been skiing a American Fork Canyon since I was 16 years old I am 46 and still enjoy skiing American Fork Canyon for the solitude. It’s a wonderful place to get away from crowds… at snowbird or any other resort. Developing the area would diminish its beauty and appeal. Strap on some xcountry or snow shoes and enjoy being away from it all.
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jthops
posted 7 hours ago
This is such a bad idea in every way. This is nothing more than SnowBird building a highway (road widening, gondola, parking, etc.) to provide easy access to their resort for Utah County. I know there are several skiers that think this is a good thing, but those of you that think this are short sighted and selfish. Instead of hundreds of acres of pristine forest with no access restrictions, there will be concrete and construction remnants everywhere you turn. Access to incredible backcountry will be limited and controlled by Snowbird. If you want development and a bunch of concrete, drive 15 minutes up the road and pick a canyon. You can have all the development you want. If you think Snowbird wants what is best for us – those who live in Utah County – you are at the very least, naive..
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Mountain Accord has only been an entity for 18 months. In the beginning they were concerned with just SL county, Wasatch County and Summit Counties. These are the only counties listed on their website. As soon as a proposal to swap lands with Utah county hit the table, representatives from UTAH COUNTY should have been invited to participate. They were not. There is a vote for recommending this land swap in less than a month. When asked to postpone this vote so Utah County interests could have time to study it, they said no because this has been in the works for a long time. What has been in the works for a long time? To invade Utah County without representation? They are trying to push this through without letting anyone have the time they need to study the impact this will have on Utah County. This goes agains their own charter! The geographic area is listed as:4 Geographic Area
The geographic area for Mountain Accord includes portions of Salt Lake County, Summit
County, and Wasatch County. It is bounded on the west by the existing transportation
backbone in the Salt Lake Valley (Salt Lake International Airport, TRAX, and I-15), on the east by
Park City, on the north by Parley’s Canyon, and on the south by Little Cottonwood Canyon.This geographic area DOES NOT INCLUDE UTAH COUNTY! How can they legally make recommendations for Utah County when their original vision and charter (and requests for grants from the State of Utah) did not include Utah County?
The geographic area for Mountain Accord includes portions of Salt Lake County, Summit
County, and Wasatch County. It is bounded on the west by the existing transportation
backbone in the Salt Lake Valley (Salt Lake International Airport, TRAX, and I-15), on the east by
Park City, on the north by Parley’s Canyon, and on the south by Little Cottonwood Canyon.This geographic area DOES NOT INCLUDE UTAH COUNTY! How can they legally make recommendations for Utah County when their original vision and charter (and requests for grants from the State of Utah) did not include Utah County?
What’s going on in Mountain Accord?
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Keller W.
posted 8 hours ago
Creating a tourist trap…
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eldonparke
posted 1 day ago
“Ownership insists such an expansion wouldn’t conflict with any current uses of American Fork Canyon”I would sure like that statement explained. Especially after they closed Mineral Basin’s access to motorized vehicles. I used to be able to enjoy that.Also, the cost to go up American Fork Canyon is currently $6 per carload for a weekend. Snow Birds website invites you to their property right now for a reduced rate of $44 PER PERSON per day.
That right there will limit access to most people who use the canyon right now.
Also, Snow Bird has made commitments in the past in order to get deals done, then broke those commitments later on after things were settled. This molestation of American Fork Canyon cannot be ignored if anyone has in interest in the canyon.
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Keller W.
posted 1 day ago
It will just be enjoyed by more people now. And one tram and possibly one lift is hardly massive construction and development.
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nopolitics
posted 12 hours ago
read the whole proposal they are talking about a lake and cabins and multiple lifts.
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I would appreciate it if you would leave our horseback trails out of this mess. What a shame. AF canyon is an awesome ride!
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Fiffer
posted 1 day ago
It’s time for the “not in my back yard” people to get a pair of skis or a board, then just go have a little fun on a slope most of us would have never been on in the first place.
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“Most of us would have never been on” is key here in that I have been skiing a American Fork Canyon since I was 16 years old I am 46 and still enjoy skiing American Fork Canyon for the solitude. It’s a wonderful place to get away from crowds… at snowbird or any other resort. Developing the area would diminish its beauty and appeal. Strap on some xcountry or snow shoes and enjoy being away from it all.
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jthops
posted 1 day ago
This is such a bad idea in every way. This is nothing more than SnowBird building a highway (road widening, gondola, parking, etc.) to provide easy access to their resort for Utah County. I know there are several skiers that think this is a good thing, but those of you that think this are short sighted and selfish. Instead of hundreds of acres of pristine forest with no access restrictions, there will be concrete and construction remnants everywhere you turn. Access to incredible backcountry will be limited and controlled by Snowbird. If you want development and a bunch of concrete, drive 15 minutes up the road and pick a canyon. You can have all the development you want. If you think Snowbird wants what is best for us – those who live in Utah County – you are at the very least, naive.
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utah15
posted 1 day ago
We don’t want Snowbird in American Fork Canyon. The road capacity is over maxed now. I won’t want to compete for road space with New Yorkers paying $200.Look what Snowbird has done to Little Cottonwood Canyon? The locals are priced off the slopes for high paying out of state skiers.Snowbird has soaked up all the road capacity in Little Cottonwood Canyon kicking the locals to the curb.
There is not unlimited recreation use in American Fork Canyon. The Forest Service makes millions off ski ticket taxes, but that money goes to $100,000 Forest Service employees.
snowbird is not a good fit for American Fork Canyon. They don’t have a good track record in Little Cottonwood Canyon where traffic is horrific.
No to Snowbird and the billionaire owner’s plan for dollar for him at the expense of the locals. Yes to local using local canyons.
American Fork Canyon is maxed out now. The congestion will be 10 times worse with Snowbird in there.
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Bronwen L.
posted 14 hours ago
Don’t let Snowbird or anyone else do this. It will be hugely regretted. It makes no sense, changing the environment of a relatively pristine and undeveloped canyon for more south-facing ski slope acreage when Snowbird never seems overcrowded anyway. It’s not going to cut much–if any–time off the ski commute for northern Utah Co. skiers, think about it! You get on I-15 in AF or on 92 and you are up Little Cottonwood in 1/2 hour. Think about how long it currently takes to get to Tibble Fork from those same areas of the county. Probably longer.
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Here is what makes me frustrated about this:A few weeks ago, there was a proposal on the USDA Website about a proposal that Snowbird wanted to expand their ability for Avalanche Control and Expansion of their land lease, so they could develop in American Fork Canyon.It seems that the little coverage that is happening now is almost too late to stop Snowbird from essentially commercializing the area and turning a fantastic WILD backcountry spot into another tourist trap. It’s not that ski resorts are evil or wrong, but we already have completely developed BCC, LCC, Park City, near Wolf Creek @ Powder Mountain to the point where there are few places you can hike without seeing the tacky mountain condos/resort hotels.
Let Colorado ruin their canyons and bring in the minivan crowds (no hate to mini-van drivers here 🙂 ), but the fact that a 20-something year old is more informed and active on this attempt of Snowbird to bring more money in from ruining the well-preserved and beautiful American Fork Canyon.
I may be alone in this opinion, but let the tourists and wealthy throw their trash in their local forests and canyons, let the locals have the say on how we develop our canyons, and if we choose to not let Snowbird do so. And if anybody here wants to shred up in American Fork Canyon, there are plenty of backcountry groups that’d be happy to bring you up, including myself.
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Some perspective here…….Thirty years ago Snowbird had many residents up in arms with a proposal to expand into White Pine Canyon. Simultaneously, mining claims in AF were being bought up as this was the real prize. The White Pine move was simply a distraction. Most of the AF land adjacent to the current Snowbird boundary is held in private mining claims and there is little that can be done to stop Snowbird from using this land. What Snowbird wants is to be able to access this land from below not from above via LCC. Residents of Utah County, if you want another Wasatch Disneyland and all the circus that comes with it then support this project. If you want to keep things on the down low and leave more options open for future generations then oppose the project. It is just that simple.
scottfranco
posted 1 day ago
Snowbird, along with the Mountain Accord, and even with approval of Save Our Canyons have sneaked the land in American Fork Canyon in to the Mountain Accord deal with little to no notice to Utah County residents or city officials. The land traded by snowbird, which are mostly unusable cliffs, will give snowbird contiguous access of all of Mineral Basin down to Dutchman Flats. This will close all of that upper area to camping, riding, and any use not sanctioned by Snowbird. This is proved by the signs that Snowbird has ALREADY placed up Mineral Basin.. about 1/4 mile before their private property even starts.
PLEASE let your voice be heard! Join Protect & Preserve American Fork Canyon. Visit www.americanforkcanyon.com
Let the Mountain Accord know that sneaking in 416 acres in AF Canyon without Utah County input is unacceptable!!!
PLEASE let your voice be heard! Join Protect & Preserve American Fork Canyon. Visit www.americanforkcanyon.com
Let the Mountain Accord know that sneaking in 416 acres in AF Canyon without Utah County input is unacceptable!!!
posted 1 hour ago
posted 1 hour ago
Thanks for organizing the meeting last night. While I can appreciate any business’s desire to expand and grow I do not believe that should be done at the expense of our wilderness. The land swap and subsequent growth and expansion of services, whatever they may be or limited they may seem, do not have the best interests of the current user groups of AF Canyon as their objective. Instead they are aimed and bringing in more people, more traffic, and certainly the impetus is more revenue for Snowbird. As was stated last night we need to recognize the unique environs of AF Canyon and do all we can to rally support and protect this area from further commercialization. Yes the valley will grow, yes more users will continue to access the canyon, but it should not mean we change the nature of the canyon to suit the financial objectives of one user group. If anything, the Cottonwoods should continue exploring solutions to getting the customers up and down those canyons safely and with less pollution and hassle, not simply build another access point to garner more revenue. I was up half the night stressing over this issue and the precious resource we stand to have commandeered by others. While I understand the objectives of Snowbird and their suggestion that increased growth requires increasing access, I cannot comprehend why someone who loves the quiet wild spaces would even consider adding buses, wider lanes, parking lots, gondolas, lifts, buildings, rollercoasters, or anything to this magnificent canyon. The two thoughts are not congruent. I love Disneyland, but I also love the fact that it is in Anaheim, CA. I love and visit Snowbird both in Winter and Summer, but I also love the fact that I have to drive around the point and up the Cottonwoods to do so and that the challenges of having a large resort in a local canyon are not part of our community, nor are they a revenue generator for our cities or counties. There are things that supersede money, growth, or “access”, things that cannot be returned easily once removed or traded or sold. The tranquility, beauty and limited numbers in AF canyon will never be the same if such “progress” is allowed. Please do all you can via letter writing, calling, petitioning your elected officials and USFS contacts to prevent such a travesty from happening.
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ACOOK32
posted 4 hours ago