Canyons

Today was our last day skiing/boarding the Canyons.  What a treat.  This is the first time we have ever gone to the Canyons.  I have never been a fan of Park City.  I don’t really like the mountain.  Although I do like Deer Valley, the whole vibe but snow boarding is still a no no.  One of the last holdouts for no snowboarding is Deer Valley the others being Alta,Snowbird and Mad River Glen. I admit it is hard to board and ski on the same mountain.  Different traversing makes way for more accidents.  Alas.

The Canyons happens to be the third largest mountain in North America.  The other two are Vail and Whistler.   The far left side of the Canyons is an area called the Colony which eco-friendly.  Won many awards because of it.  Beautiful homes among the trees and trails.  Fantastic tree skiing with bumps all around.  Incredible surroundings. 

Presently, The Canyons is for sale.  Lots of speculation out here on who is going to buy it.  The present owners sold off their other 6 properties and the Canyons it the last left.  The Talisker Company (who owns Deer Valley) is supposedly going to buy it but there were some glitches through the courts.  In the long run, if Talisker bought The Canyons they could actually connect Deer Valley to the Canyons.  When you ski up to the last lift in the Canyons, far left, you can see Deer Valley.  Will Deer Valley then open to boarders?  Who knows.

There is a lot of real estate being built in the Canyons.  An entire mountain that is connected to the Canyons will possibly be developed this year for more skiing/boarding.  This would expand the Canyons to be perhaps the largest mountain in North America.  Lots of cranes are around and many homes as well as condos to sell.  Yet, I believe they are a little late to the party.

For us, the beauty of Utah is how many flights leave daily from NYC  to SLC.  Also, your flight generally makes it.  Whereas Aspen can be a nightmare.  Only if the gods are with you, do you make it in with out any hassle to Vail and Aspen.  Utah is pretty much a no brainer and the mountains ( Deer Valley, The Canyons and Park City ) are each five minutes apart and only about 40 minutes from the airport.  It is pretty sweet.

I am going to keep an eye on the real estate up here.  There is no doubt in my mind that 10 years from now this area will be bigger than the Vail/Beaver Creek area but as I said earlier, they are a bit late to the party.  Whoever ends up owning the property is going to probably want to get a better deal than the original $100M that has been on the table.  Prices will most definitely drop in order for them to finance the completion of all the new properties.  I suspect at least a 30% (if not more) deduction in price over the next few years.   There is also a need to put money into the property from the restaurants to the lifts.  High speed chairs would be a big help and also some new runs to make it easier to get down the mountain from high traffic areas.  All costs money and right now I don’t see a lot of cash flowing in based on the economy. 

I am looking forward to returning to the Canyons.  Really nice mountain with lots of potential down the line.
Will be an interesting place to watch over the years to come.