My dad and brother flew out from Scotland in January to “come visit” for a week. I hardly saw them. They spent every day at Brighton ski resort from dawn til dusk. They didn’t want to risk their snowboards getting damaged on the flight, so they rented at the resort; they didn’t want to risk their rental car getting stuck in the snow, so they took the bus; they certainly didn’t want to waste precious snow time leaving the resort for food, so they ate at the resort. Each rental, each purchase – from the flight to the ski pass to the hot chocolate at the end of the long day – benefitted Utah. They paid sales taxes and resort taxes and car rental taxes and transient room taxes. And so did thousands of other skiers.
A recent Kem C Gardner report showed that, in the 2022/2023 season, $1.94 billion in non-resident visitor spending earned the state $197.9 million. Additionally, Utah skiers spent a record $694 million. They spent on car rentals, lift passes, restaurants, lessons, equipment rentals and enjoyed the “greatest snow on earth” – and huge amounts of it too.
That’s why the argument that Utah shouldn’t pay for the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola falls flat. Utah markets itself as a ski destination, and people believe it. They come, they ski, they spend. They also expect a pleasant experience, not hours of backed up traffic and road closures. The gondola represents an investment in Utah’s thriving ski tourism industry and the state as a whole. The more these visitors come and spend, the more revenue the state collects.
There’s a saying – “if we build it, they will come”. Skiers are already coming; it’s time to build the gondola. The truth is, they’ve already paid for it and will continue to pay for it year after year.