Could Utah Build a State-Funded, Affordable Ski Area? One Resident Has a Plan
A resident of Logan, Utah, is hoping to bring a more affordable resort skiing option to the Wasatch Mountains.
Clint Richins, who grew up enjoying winter sports at Snowbasin, has proposed a solution to the ever-rising costs of skiing in Utah in the form of a publicly funded ski area. Richins, 31, has a background in finance and economics and has worked in roles in both the outdoor and health & fitness industries, not to mention as a volunteer ski patroller at Beaver Mountain.
Richins launched an Instagram page earlier this month, following Park City Mountain Resort’s announcement that they’d changed their slogan from ‘This is Your Mountain’ to ‘Larger than Life.’
His first post cited that the average age of a Utah skier rose from 40 to 48 between 2017/18 and 2024/25. Richins found himself frustrated with this metric in light of the upcoming 2034 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and the feeling that youth were no longer participating in winter sports due to rising costs.
Richins’ website, which launched shortly after, shows that the cost of a lift ticket in Utah has jumped from $67 to $329 over the last twenty years. It’s no secret that the cost of skiing has generally increased over the last two decades, not just in Utah, but across the country, making it more inaccessible (although multi-passes like Indy or Ikon do add a wrinkle to the financial equation, at least for diehard skiers who can commit to frequent trips).
The Utah Public Ski Area Coalition, as Richins has named his project, has put together a proposal for a public ski area, not totally unlike other publicly owned or nonprofit mountains like Bogus Basin, Howelsen Hill, and Gore Mountain. Richins’ vision includes several facets such as basic lift amenities, food and beverage services, phased development, resident-first pricing, and a modestly sized resort in order to keep the ski area affordable.
Under Richins’ vision, adult lift tickets at the ski area would be just $59/day for Utah residents and $139 for non-residents. Season passes would run Utah locals $750 and non-residents $1,250.
The ski area would ideally be located 30-35 miles from Salt Lake City, in a spot that didn’t depend on canyon roadways, and have a vertical drop of 2,500ft with 1,000 acres of terrain accessed by 5 fixed grip quads and a magic carpet. The resort’s season would last 110 days, with a hopeful 80,000 skier visits in the first year.
Richins has already built out an extensive financial plan for the proposed resort, including estimates for total capital, phase 1 build budget, and year one projected revenue. For phase 1 of the resort, which would allow it to open, he estimated $83.9M, with individual cost estimates for specific parts of the project, like snowmaking or the base lodge.
Based on his estimated costs and Utah’s existing tax revenue, Richins estimates that his plan would cost each Utah resident $0.56 in taxes per year (this estimate is an appropriation from existing revenue, not a tax increase, according to the website) and take 4.4% of the state’s recreation grant money, while generating $7.62M in revenue over the first year of operation.
Richins is planning to seek out help from Utah’s Outdoor Recreation Initiative, which has about $20M reserved for state recreation projects. The same fund helped to develop Utah’s only nonprofit ski hill, Snowland Ski Area, in 2025. His financial plan also outlines possible funding assistance from donors and other sources.
Richins notes on the project website that several states already have publicly owned ski areas, justified by community access and regional impact over profit. The project feels vaguely reminiscent of local efforts to purchase Mt. Bachelor from POWDR Corp, a recent effort which ultimately failed but drew considerable ski industry buzz.
Overall, Richins’ mission is to get more Utah residents on snow through more affordable access. However it shakes out, that’s commendable.
Related: Sasha Rearick Rolls Up Sleeves To Lead Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team
Leave a Reply