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Show Plan foirsees skier overload A recently completed comprehensive comprehen-sive plan for forest management indicates in-dicates demand on Wasatch Mountain Moun-tain range ski resorts will exceed capacity in 10 years. Previously, it was estimated by forest officials that skier demand would outstrip resort capacity by the year 2005. Updated estimates, however, cite 1995 as the date when skiers will exceed the ski resorts ability to move them up the mountain. moun-tain. The plan would allow some, but not all, ski areas to expand. It states that other boundaries may be expanded ex-panded later if new environnmental assessments recommend expansion. The management guide for Wasatch-Cache National Forests allows ParkWest to expand onto 80 acres east of the Wasatch Crest. Chairlifts, however, must remain below the crest to minimize visual impact, according to the plan. . The plan also would allow Snowbird to expand into Scotties Bowl, but without facilities. Snowbird's plan to expand into the White Pine region of Little Cottonwood Cotton-wood Canyon was denied, pending environmental assessment. In Big Cottonwood Canyon, Solitude can expand onto 85 acres north of Twin Lakes. A request by that resort to move into Silver Fork will be evaluated separately. The guide states that forest manners believe Big and Little Cot tonwood canyons have as much traffic traf-fic as they can handle during the winter. Until a capacity is determined, determin-ed, the report concludes that no additional ad-ditional parking spaces will be made available near Big and Little Cottonwood Cotton-wood canyon resorts. However, ad-ditional ad-ditional mass-transit spaces will be provided. A new study of the biological, physical and human carrying capacity for Mill Creek and Big and Little Cottonwood canyons should be made by a coalition of local, state and federal officals, the guide states. The Forest Service acknowledged the idea of connecting Park City, Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird with six ski lifts, called Interconnect. In-terconnect. Three of the lifts would be on forest land. The plan requires that all landowners involved must approve before the Interconnect is built. Helicopter skiing would be permitted permit-ted in some areas but banned from certain high-use cross-country ski routes, including parts of Big Cottonwood, Cotton-wood, Catherine's Pass, Twin Lakes, and the forest's seven s wilderness areas. The forest management plan places emphasis on cross-country skiing and backpacking. Trailheads will be reconstructed or developed that serve both summer and winter uses. Restrooms, parking and transit tran-sit service will be established there. |