PREFACE This Mountain Resort Master Development Plan (MDP) is intended to be the guiding document for future development at Nordic Valley Ski Resort. Illustration 1 is a visual representation of the process on which this document is based. First, an overall resort vision and guiding goals were determined based on market needs, resort niche and long-term outlook. These vision and goal statements help inform the entire process; that is, to help answer questions such as, What’s important to our guests?, What makes our resort special?, and Where should we invest our time, money and resources? With a vision and goals established, the next step is to inventory existing conditions at the resort to identify existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and constraints. This is critical information that goes into the resort planning phase. Details are collected such as the number of lifts and their conditions, the square footage of guest service spaces and how many parking spaces are available. Physical resources are also inventoried to help identify ideal locations to develop or to avoid due to environmental sensitivity. The next phase of the MDP process is to analyze existing capacities of various facility components to determine imbalances within the operation. Collectively, this analysis leads to the identification of improvements that would bring existing facilities into better balance, help the resort prioritize projects and help the resort to operate more efficiently. Accomplishing these goals will result in a well-balanced resort, which provides an adequate array of services and experiences to satisfy guest expectations for a quality recreation experience. The results of this process are documented in this MDP. Planning and Design Nomenclature Throughout the document are text boxes like this one, explaining the various planning and design concepts that are utilized throughout the MDP process. – A – 2018 Master Development Plan This MDP is divided into five chapters, plus several appendices: Chapter 1—Introduction: provides a summary of Nordic Valley’s location and market, statement of the plan vision and goals, and summary of the master plan projects. Chapter 2—Site Inventory: inventories physical resources in the Upgrade Plan area. Chapter 3—Existing Conditions: describes existing resort facilities for both winter and summer, and evaluates the current balance of resort operations and facilities. Chapter 4—Upgrade Plan: describes the proposed upgrades and improvements to the experience at Nordic Valley. Chapter 5—Public Input: summarizes the processes and outcomes of public outreach efforts about the Nordic Valley Plan to-date. Chapter 6—Glossary: provides a glossary of terms used throughout this document. Appendices A–E: includes important considerations and background including design criteria, Forest Service direction, project website details, and additional specifications tables. – B – Illustration 1. The MDP Process – C – CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE—INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 A. Purpose of a Mountain Resort Master Development Plan ......................................................... 1 B. The Process: Vision to Implementation .......................................................................................... 1 C. Resort Background ............................................................................................................................ 3 1. Location ....................................................................................................................................... 3 2. History ........................................................................................................................................... 3 3. Market Niche ............................................................................................................................... 4 D. Current Industry Trends ..................................................................................................................... 5 1. Operational Efficiency ............................................................................................................... 5 2. Enhancement of Existing Ski Experience .................................................................................. 6 3. Expansion of Non-Skiing Opportunities ..................................................................................... 7 E. Plan Vision and Goals ....................................................................................................................... 7 F. Applicable Forest Service Policy and Direction ........................................................................... 9 1. Wasatch-Cache Forest Plan: Management Area Prescriptions ........................................... 9 G. Master Development Plan Summary ........................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER TWO—SITE INVENTORY ........................................................................................................... 13 A. Topography ...................................................................................................................................... 13 B. Slope Gradients ............................................................................................................................... 14 C. Aspect ............................................................................................................................................... 15 D. Soils and Geology ........................................................................................................................... 16 E. Vegetation ....................................................................................................................................... 17 F. Hydrology ......................................................................................................................................... 17 G. Fish and Wildlife ............................................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER THREE—EXISTING CONDITIONS .............................................................................................. 19 A. Summary of the Existing Guest Experience ................................................................................. 19 B. Existing Lift Network ......................................................................................................................... 20 C. Existing Terrain Network .................................................................................................................. 21 1. Terrain Variety ............................................................................................................................ 21 2. Terrain Distribution by Ability Level .......................................................................................... 22 D. Existing Resort Capacity ................................................................................................................. 24 1. Comfortable Carrying Capacity ............................................................................................ 24 2. Density Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 25 A. Existing Guest Services Facilities, Food Service Seating & Space Use Analysis ...................... 27 1. Guest Services ........................................................................................................................... 27 2. Space Use Analysis ................................................................................................................... 27 3. Food Service Seating ................................................................................................................ 29 B. Existing Parking Capacity ............................................................................................................... 30 C. Existing Resort Operations .............................................................................................................. 31 1. Ski Patrol/First Aid ...................................................................................................................... 31 2. Snowmaking .............................................................................................................................. 31 3. Grooming ................................................................................................................................... 31 4. Night Skiing ................................................................................................................................ 31 5. Maintenance Facilities ............................................................................................................. 31 6. Infrastructure and Utilities ......................................................................................................... 32 7. Culinary Water and Waste Water Treatment ........................................................................ 32 8. Mountain Roads ........................................................................................................................ 32 – i – 2018 Master Development Plan D. Existing Resort Capacity Balance and Limiting Factors ............................................................ 33