Southern Utah’s Brian Head Resort would quadruple in size under a sprawling vision detailed today by the Forest Service. The complex expansion would encompass 1,651 acres of the Dixie National Forest along with thousands of acres of private land owned by Brian Head Resort and third party developer Aspen Meadows. The expanded ski area would also include lands owned by the State of Utah and Brian Head Town. All told, the vision could see 26 new lifts, more than 382 acres of new cut trails, 19 miles of new snowmaking lines, 15 miles of new roads and four new on-mountain restaurants. Brian Head’s Comfortable Carrying Capacity would more than triple from 4,330 guests today to 13,250. The resort says the project would accommodate a growing demand for outdoor recreation in Utah, enhance learning progression, provide connectivity between base portals and improve the overall guest experience.
Brian Head was acquired in 2019 by Mountain Capital Partners, the fast-growing collective of 13 ski areas in the Western United States and South America helmed by James Coleman. Coleman’s ambitious plan for Brian Head is not completely new as adjacent developer Aspen Meadows proposed eight of the lifts on 850 acres of private land back in 2023. Many of the lifts proposed on public land were included in Brian Head’s 2023 Master Development Plan.
Of the 26 lifts now proposed, ten would be located entirely on Forest Service land, four would straddle private and USFS lands and 12 would occupy entirely private land. Within the existing ski area, Roulette would be replaced with a high speed quad and extended to load lower on the mountain. All other existing lifts would remain. A surface tow is proposed near the existing Alpen Glow triple to serve four new trails. Higher up on the mountain, three new lifts are planned on 11,310′ foot Brian Head Peak. These would include a 4,340′ detachable quad called Dragon’s Back and a 1,400 foot jig-back tram called Peak.
In the Sid’s Peak to East Ridge expansion pod, Brian Head aims to manage hazard trees and vegetation in areas impacted by the 2017 Brian Head Fire. Five lifts in this pod would service some of Brian Head’s most advanced terrain. The longest, dubbed Summit, would be a detachable quad spanning 7,425 feet. Four other lifts in this zone would be fixed grip triples extending between 999 and 3,120 feet.
A third pod called Navajo Ridge to Dry Lakes would include four lifts ranging from surface tow to detachable quad. These installations would run near the existing Navajo Express and stretch between 558 and 4,887 feet. They would operate on public land within the Dixie National Forest and require a Special Use Permit boundary adjustment.
Finally is the Aspen Meadows to Highway 143 pod with a substantial new day skier portal called Art Village. This pod, located on private land, would include an eight passenger pulse gondola linking to Brian Head’s existing Navajo base. From Art Village, skiers could connect to numerous lifts including four conveyors, six fixed triples and a detachable quad called Long Meadows. The Forest Service notes construction on this pod could begin before or concurrent with projects on public land as it is not subject to the EIS.
If this expansion was constructed as envisioned, it would create a unique opportunity to ski 360 degrees around a huge area in either direction along numerous different aspects. “Certain new lifts and associated ski runs would play an integral role in creating a circuit of resort skiing around a base village currently unparalleled in North America,” the plan exclaims.
The Forest Service notes portions of the proposal on public and adjacent land will undergo its most stringent level of environmental review – an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Even with today’s potentially favorable regulatory climate, the review is expected to take at least three years.
At a high level, Mountain Capital Partners has shown an incredible fortitude for acquiring ski areas and dreaming up big plans. Just last week, MCP announced its intent to become the controlling shareholder of four more ski areas in Chile, bringing its total mountain count to 17. Since 2015, the company has invested more than $125 million in improvements across its growing portfolio, including new detachable lifts at Nordic Valley and Arizona Snowbowl. Last year, the company debuted a modest new Skytrac at Arizona Snowbowl and this year MCP plans new lifts at Purgatory and Sipapu, both of which are fixed grip and contain parts from older lifts. Despite its success, Mountain Capital Partners’ ambition has not always been met with realized capital projects. A similarly massive expansion plan for Nordic Valley involving public land announced in 2018 went nowhere with the Forest Service.
At Brian Head, three public open houses are planned during the initial scoping period to solicit public feedback. They are:
- Tuesday, July 29, 2025 — Brian Head Lodge, 314 W Hunter Ridge Dr, Brian Head, UT
- Wednesday, July 30, 2025 — Parowan City Office, 35 E 100 N, Parowan, UT
- Thursday, July 31, 2025 — Southern Utah University, Brian Head Room (Sharwan Smith Center), Cedar City, UT
All three will run from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
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