Alta reports lifts, snowmaking near ready; Albion Day Lodge work slowed by sewer and soil problems

Alta town officials and resort operations reported progress on ski-lift inspections and snowmaking while describing construction delays at the Albion Day Lodge caused by unstable trench soils and a struck water line.

Mike Kwan, a speaker for the resort operations update, told the council “all of our lifts have passed their inspection and are ready for operation.” Kwan said Sugarloaf’s new motors and drives had passed a load test and that Supreme (a lift referenced in the report) “has passed its load test. It's ready to go.” He added the resort is close to bringing snowmaking online after completing waterline connections across the cross tow and finishing work in the pump house: “When we get some work done in the pump house, we'll be able to start testing that snowmaking, but we're close to being able to have the snowmaking system up and running.”

Kwan gave a construction update on the Albion Day Lodge, saying crews hoped to pour about 200 cubic yards of concrete on the roof, with subsequent pours scheduled later in the month to enable backfilling and reopening parking areas before winter. He said the equipment storage building has one more wall pour before steel erection and that crews aim to put a roof on that building before winter, “but it's kinda up to mother nature.” The resort’s target opening date remains the Friday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21.

Kwan also described complications with deep sewer excavation at the Albion site. He said crews found soils beneath the trench “were not compacted” and were caving in during a 12-foot-deep excavation, forcing installation of shoring boxes. Separately, he said a line used for fire suppression was mistakenly identified as the potable water line and hit by excavators; the break left properties on that end without water for days. Kwan reported the line has been repaired with a “new flange and new meter” and said, “hopefully, we're past that.”

Council members asked about a new raisable tow being installed at a launch area; Kwan said the previous tow did not raise and created safety and snow-removal difficulties. He said the replacement raisable tow is on site and should be installed within one to two weeks.

No formal council action was taken on the report; staff and council accepted the operational update and asked staff to monitor the remaining construction schedule and continuing snowmaking tests.

The report also noted sales and bookings through the season were tracking at or slightly ahead of last year, with Mountain Collective product sales “a little bit up,” according to Kwan.