Photo courtesy Snowbird Resort

Richard Daniel “Dick” Bass, Everest mountaineer and Snowbird Resort co-founder has reached the “eighth summit.” The Oklahoma native passed away in his Dallas, Texas, home Sunday, July 26, 2015, at 85, and the sentiments and Facebook comments continue to pour in.

“I remember Mr. Bass standing in the lift line on Peruvian just a few years ago, greeting all of his guests. What an honor to have known Snowbird in the Dick Bass era – may it continue in his spirit,” commented Andrea Korval.

“RIP To the legendary Dick Bass. He changed the sport of skiing forever for the better. His death is a great loss to so many who have had their lives changed by one great man. I am thankful for having met him several times and for him having given me “lifetime piano privileges” in the resort. I was lucky to know ragtime music, one of his favorites. He inspired me to ski, to play music, and to appreciate a beautiful canyon. Thanks Dick!” posted Ron Rubin.

And Roger Thomas lovingly wrote: “Dick, the world will never see another soul like you. Thanks for all the adventures of yours that you always shared with us, and thanks even more for creating SnowBird, the place that we’ve all had so many of our own adventures at! I hope the powder is always deep and fluffy for you in your adventures in the next realm!”

Bass made history when he tackled the highest points on each of the seven continents, finishing his journey of the “seven summits” by conquering Mount Everest at the age of 55. He had partnered with Ted Johnson in 1971 to develop Snowbird Resort and was the sole owner until he sold a majority interest to Ian Cumming last May. Bass had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis but lived a long rich life surrounded by loving fans and family.

“The Snowbird family is mourning the loss of a great man who changed so many of our lives for the better,” said Snowbird President Bob Bonar, who worked for Bass since before the resort opened.

Snowbird is set to premiere their new Hidden Peak Lodge this season; something Bass championed for nearly two decades. It’s sad that he wasn’t able to live to see this stunning addition to the world-famous ski area. It will be no surprise if they dedicate the building to him.

Bass is survived by wife Alice, four children and 13 grandchildren, as well as five step-children and 11 step-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be Friday, July 31, 4 p.m., at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas, Texas.

Treasure Mountain, Park City Ski Area, Park City Mountain Resort, PCMR. Now Vail Resorts has put a new name on the 50+ year-old ski area’s business card- Park City Mountain. The rebranding (the first since the mid-1990s) will go full-bore public in a week or so.

Colorado-based Vail finally got their mittens on PCMR in 2014 after acquiring the lease on (The) Canyons Resort in 2013 and is in the process of linking the two into a single property. The lift line for the new Interconnect Gondola is already in and foundations are being poured for the lift towers.

“Unveiling our new brand will mark a historic day for Park City Mountain. The ambitious $50 million capital improvement project to connect Park City and Canyons to create the largest resort in the U.S. is well underway and we are excited to share the new identity of the combined resort with our community,” said Bill Rock, the chief operating officer at PCMR (PCM?). Notice the missing “The” in his statement.

Park City Ski Area became PCMR when Powdr Corp. moved onto the property in 1996. The new owners were out to play nice with snowboarding, just like USSA did when they started calling themselves the United States Ski and Snowboard Association rather than the United States Ski Association.

So now Park City Mountain Resort becomes Park City Mountain and Canyons becomes ‘Canyons at Park City.’ Are we confused yet? The Vail Resorts statement said it would “continue to maintain the unique history and atmosphere of the two base areas with differentiated marketing for the diverse hotel and hospitality experiences.” Um, okay. Not really a whole lot of differences between the two areas that would need preserving but whatever.

VR plans to release more details at a public party July 29. A new logo and a redone trail map will also be unveiled.

I don’t care how you spin it. “Vacationers loved the warm weather this winter”; “Still so much to do”; “Plenty of great snowmaking” our Utah ski season was less than epic. And the numbers don’t lie.

The Utah winter of 2014-15 registered a total of 3,946,762 million skier days, down about 5 percent from last season and shy of Utah’s five-year average of 4,037,349. But Utah wasn’t the only state to take a hit.

Nationally, skier days were down by about 3 million, a 5 percent decrease from the previous season. It didn’t help that California floundered in the snow department. The drought in the Far West (California and Pacific Northwest) caused more than a few resorts to close early. Ironically, the northeast saw unprecedented amounts of snow and cold temperatures that led to a drop in skier visits. Guess those easterners don’t know how to ski powder.

According to the National Weather Service, Utah’s annual snowfall was nearly half of our average. Luckily, snowmaking kept things buoyant and alive. By comparison, total snowfall during the 1976-77 winter season was equivalent to this year, but skier days dropped 53 percent.

“Utah’s resorts did an outstanding job, both getting the word out about early season snow conditions and ensuring that guests had an exceptional (?) experience all winter,” says Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty.

March ‘15 conditions photo by Ryan Freitas

Total Utah statewide skier days for the past 10 years: 

*The National Ski Areas Association defines ‘skier days’ as one person visiting a ski area for all or any part of a day or night for the purpose of skiing/snowboarding.

**In May of 2015, skier days were adjusted slightly for the 2013-14 season from 4,161,585 to 4,148,573 due to a reporting adjustment from one of Utah’s resorts.