Vail Resorts, which now operates the neighbouring ski areas of Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons in Utah, have published details of their plans to merge the two to create the largest ski area in the US (and second largest in North America, behind Whistler Blackcomb) for next winter, 2015-16.
The newly merged area, which will have 7.300 acres of terrain (about 1000 less than Whistler Blackcomb) does not yet appear to have an official name, although the new information released to the media has been under the name 'Park City Mountain' rather than ' Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) and Canyons Resort' so it is not yet clear if Vail will market the combined area under this one name giving it two 'bases' at PCMR and Canyon's like Heavenly's California and Nevada bases, or if it will keep the two resorts as separate entities of equal value and different names as at present.
The two ski areas will be linked by a new 8 passenger gondola connection, along with the new King Con Express Six-pack and Motherlode Express Quad chairlifts at a cost of over fifty million US dollars (around £30m) for the 2015-16 season.
The combined area will feature 300+ trails served by 38 lifts and have seven terrain parks, six natural half pipes, one super pipe and one mini pipe.
Last season the largest ski area in the US title was claimed by both Powder Mountain, also in Utah, claims 'over 7000' acres, although only about a third of it lift accessed, and by Big Sky in Montana, which since it absorbed the former Moonlight Basin ski area, claimed 5750 acres.
Opening day for the new Park City – Canyons ski area will be November 20th, 2015