Powder Mountain, Utah, the largest ski resort in the country with over 8,000 acres of lift-served and backcountry terrain, has unveiled its new trail map for the Winter '24/'25 season. New trails map aren't usually too exciting, but Powder Mountain is debuting four new chairlifts and a semi-private model this season. See below. Powder Mountain trail map for the Winter '24/'25 season. Photo: Courtesy Powder Mountain Powder Mountain has installed two new chairlifts to access terrain that was previously reserved for the resort's snowcat skiing operation. The new fixed-grip quad on Lightning Ridge begins near Powder Mountain's main base area and will open to the public. The terrain is steep, deep, and challenging. A second fixed-grip quad has been installed in Cobabe Canyon named Raintree. It will be exclusive to residents and homeowners. Public skiers can still access this terrain by hiking, but will not be allowed on the lift. Powder Mountain has also upgraded two previously-existing lifts this summer. The aging Timberline fixed-grip double has been upgraded to a new fixed-grip quad by Skytrac, and the essential Paradise lift has been upgraded to a high-speed quad. Paradise is a major lift at Powder Mountain as it's currently the only way back up after making a full descent. The upgraded high-speed quad will reduce ride times from 16 minutes to seven minutes, according to a press release shared with POWDER . All four lifts can be seen on the new trail map embedded above. The private lifts; Village, Mary's, and the newly-constructed Raintree, are marked with light purple lines. A helicopter installs lift towers of the new Lightning Ridge lift at Powder Mountain. Photo: Ash Christensen via Powder Mountain Powder Mountain, now led by Netflix co-founder and billionaire Reed Hastings , invested $20 million into this summer's lift projects to launch the new public/private hybrid model. The initial announcement was met with intense criticism from local skiers and riders, but the noise had died down in recent months. It seems as if Powder Mountain is figuring out how to balance the thin line between catering to the public, and catering to the wealthy. Reserving two beginner lifts and constructing a brand-new advanced lift for homeowners didn't sit well at first, but expanding public access to Lightning Ridge, and upgrading the current lift infrastructure has been satisfactory for many skiers. Another decision that should please local riders is that Powder Mountain is bringing back terrain parks for the first time since 2020. "Powder was the first resort in Utah to allow snowboarding in the 1984/85 season," the resort notes via press release. "Forty years later, Powder is honoring that legacy of progression by building terrain parks at the Sundown and Hidden Lake base areas for the next generation of skiers and snowboarders." Powder Mountain has opted for colorful towers on their new chairlifts, as seen in this image of the new Timberline Lift. Yay or nay? We'll let you decide. Photo: Tristan Sadler via Powder Mountain Will a hybrid public and private model work? That remains to be seen, but the eyes of the ski industry's most popular ski resorts will be paying attention. If the model can work at Powder Mountain, it can work elsewhere. We'll see. Be the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing. From ski resort news to profiles of the world's best skiers, we are committed to keeping you informed. Submit your best clips for a chance to be featured on POWDER. Tune in and watch handpicked, high-quality ski videos streaming all day long on POWDER TV , and subscribe to our YouTube channel .
