Great Western

Описание: History

Brighton's story started in 1936 when members of the Alpine Ski Club, which would later be renamed the Wasatch Mountain Club, designed and built a "skier tow" out of half-inch wire rope and an old elevator drum. Brighton became the first tow-serviced ski area in Utah and was one of only a few operating in the nation. Two years later, in 1938, the group built a new T-Bar lift. The onset of World War II and other economic changes led to the sale of the T-Bar to Zane Doyle. In 1949, Doyle was joined by his father-in-law, Willard Jensen, and a second T-Bar was built.

Because the area had popular terrain and accessibility, it was only a matter of time before skiing got its first solid foothold in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Seven years after Alta introduced skiers to a chairlift, a group called Brighton Recreations built the first chairlift in Big Cottonwood Canyon in 1946. The single-chair lift accessed the terrain on Mt. Millicent. In 1955, Doyle and Jensen purchased the first double chairlift in the Intermountain Region. The success of the double chair was so overwhelming that a second double, the Mary lift, was soon added.

The next big step in Brighton's development came in 1987 when it was purchased by Boyne USA, a family owned corporation established in 1947. Brighton introduced its first high-speed quad in 1991. The new Crest Express replaced the Mary chair, adding more terrain for skiers. During the following summer the Great Western high-speed quad and Explorer triple chair were installed, adding new advanced and beginner terrain. Other improvements include expanded night terrain, more snowmaking, a new base lodge facility, a remodeled ski and snowboard school and the addition of state-of-the-art grooming equipment.

Milly Express high-speed quad lift replaced the Millicent lift, built in 1974, and the Evergreen lift, built in 1968. The resort also expanded its terrain park, which now goes from My-O-My all the way down Majestic Face.