The debate over a $550 million gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon continues, and now some major outdoor recreation companies are weighing in.
Representatives from companies like Black Diamond Equipment and Patagonia spoke in opposition of the gondola at the Wasatch Regional Front Council meeting on May 25 in Salt Lake City. “Our stance was shaped by friends and colleagues who know and care about the area deeply and see the gondola as a local issue,” said Mason Daly representing Patagonia.
“Today we are calling on the council for a solution that preserves the landscape that utilizes infrastructure already in place to ease traffic in the area. It does not threaten watersheds, alter the natural landscape or chip away at protections granted by the roadless rule,” Daly continued. The project goes beyond just building a gondola. It has multiple phases starting with adding more buses, bus stops, and tolling through Little Cottonwood Canyon. Next UDOT wants to widen Wasatch Boulevard and create snow sheds. The last phase is building the gondola.