PARK CITY, Utah — The Canyons ski area is spending millions of dollars to reconfigure the mountain and add North America’s first heated chairlift with a bubble shield that swings over passengers like a pair of orange goggles.
Ultimately, the Canyons and other resorts in Park City hope to steal market share from Colorado, which draws three times as much skier traffic. Utah’s resorts, with advantages such as double Colorado’s snowfall and a short drive from Salt Lake City’s airport, aren’t shy about making investments.
“This is the future,” said Mike Goar, managing director of the Canyons, which is owned by Toronto-based Talisker Corp., a closely held resort operator that won’t reveal how much it is spending.
When Talisker bought the Canyons two years ago for $123 million, Colorado rival Vail Resorts Inc. filed a lawsuit claiming it had a deal to buy the resort from now-defunct American Skiing Co. but lost.
