Arizona Snowbowl announced approximately $60 million in upgrades Wednesday, June 12. This includes new lifts, trails, facilities, and night skiing and snowboarding at the resort in Flagstaff.

Officials also anticipate activities that currently aren’t offered, including mountain biking, a mountain coaster, alpine slide, zip line tours, a climbing wall and outdoor concerts, according to the announcement.

“Obviously there is a growing demand for outdoor recreation, and that is why ski areas are adding year-round activities to utilize the infrastructure on a year-round basis and respond to the demand,” general manager J.R. Murray said. “And also, the year-round activities diversify the business, so we are not so heavily reliant on winter.”

The improvements won’t be built all at once. If the plans win approval from the U.S. Forest Service, work could begin no sooner than 2021 and take 10 to 15 years to complete, he said.

Much of the expansion is aimed at easing congestion at the resort and making room for more daily visitors. Weekend crowds often result in hour-long lines for rental equipment, customers sitting on the floor in the cafeteria and other congestion.

The resort in 2012 added snowmaking to ensure it could open consistently each year, shoring up the finances. Then it built three new lifts to ensure people didn’t spend the majority of their day waiting in lines. Now it’s time to improve the other facilities, Murray said.

“Our guest-service experience is not what it should be,” Murray said. “Restaurants, dining room, restrooms, the equipment rental shop, all of those were built in the 80s and now we need to address our guest-service level and make sure that people have an enjoyable experience.”

Neither of the mountain lodges will be torn down, Murray said. Rather, the resort will either expand them or add new buildings within the resort boundary.

The management group that runs Snowbowl, Mountain Capital Partners, commissioned a study on the resort that concluded a “comfortable” capacity at the resort is 3,870 guests.

The plan aims to expand the facilities to fit 4,500 people on the hill including additional parking, Murray said.

Night skiing is being proposed for the weekends on the lower, western slope of the resort.

The resort will work with the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition to incorporate acceptable lighting fixtures for night skiing, a Mountain Capital Partners press release said. A snow tubing area is also proposed.

Sledding and tubing is not allowed at the resort now, though many visitors drive up the mountain to play in the snow when the snow play areas outside Flagstaff at lower elevations are either dry or overcrowded.

“By offering limited night skiing on 1 percent of the mountain’s skiable acreage, we’ll be able to provide additional outdoor recreation opportunities for local youth and groups,” Murray said. “This will also help to disperse crowds and traffic, as skiers stay later on the mountain.”

More lifts planned at Snowbowl

Snowbowl has six chairlifts and two conveyor-belt lifts serving 55 runs on the San Francisco Peaks.

The plan includes two new aerial lifts for beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders within the existing footprint of the resort, and five new runs.

“I’m confident the proposed improvements will enhance the experience for expert and beginner skiers alike,” James Coleman, managing partner of Mountain Capital, said in a company press release.

Coleman in 2014 announced plans to purchase a stake in Snowbowl and invest heavily in the operation.

Murray said the plans for the lifts, including their locations, are not set in stone, but are likely to include one to the north and one to the south of existing lifts. 

Forest Service must approve plan

The resort leases its land from the U.S. Forest Service, which requires the operators to submit a new master plan to guide development on the mountain.

The last plan was in 2005 and included the controversial snowmaking with reclaimed wastewater now used on the mountain and is due for an update, resort officials said.

The new plan, which will require a federal National Environmental Policy Act review, should be submitted this summer, they said, and the public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals.

Expansions and improvements on the small resort have often been met with opposition, despite the economic boost the resort provides for restaurants, hotels, rental shops and other businesses in Flagstaff.

Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.

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