Project Overview

The Forest Service is responding to an application submitted under the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 and Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011 (SAROEA) by GTR to implement projects from their accepted Master Development Plan (MDP). In the MDP, GTR identified a need to improve the recreational experience and address shortcomings in their terrain offerings and operations in order to remain viable in the competitive destination skier/rider market.

To address the growth in the Idaho and Wyoming skier markets and to meet increasing guest expectations, GTR must continue to develop and improve its terrain and guest services offerings. These developments are in direct response to evolving consumer demands and the competitive regional and destination skier markets. 

The CTNF, through acceptance of GTR's MDP, has identified a need to:

• Provide additional undeveloped, minimally maintained lift-served terrain and additional traditionally cleared alpine trails to enhance terrain variety and skiing experiences at GTR.
• Enhance the skiing experience for various ability levels of guests, by providing an appropriate learning progression in an uncongested beginner area and increasing the quantity of beginner, intermediate, and advanced-intermediate terrain to meet current and anticipated public demand.
• Improve skier circulation across the mountain through improvements to the efficiency of the lift and trail network and by providing more reliable and consistent snow coverage in key areas. 
• Improve base area, guests services, operational facilities, and on-mountain services to meet the ever-increasing expectations of the local, regional, and destination skier markets.
• Expand alternative and non-winter activities to provide a variety of recreational options to guests and to more effectively utilize existing infrastructure during non-winter months.  

The Proposed Action consists of four primary project components, which are summarized in the following list. Full details for each of these project components can be found in the Scoping Letter, available in the Project Library page of this website, and Proposed Action figures are provided at the bottom of this page. This list includes refinements to the Proposed Action since scoping that will be fully analyzed in the DEIS. (Note: the Proposed Action Figures do not include refinements made since scoping. The DEIS will contain fully updated maps.)

• Special Use Permit (SUP)/Operational Boundary Adjustments for the South Bowl and Mono Trees Areas, including required Forest Plan Amendments.
• Lift Additions, Replacements, and Realignments, including the new Crazy Horse and North Boundary Lifts, upgrading and realignment of the Shoshone Lift, replacing and upgrading the Dreamcatcher Lift, the new Palmer Platter Surface Lift, and the realignment of the existing Papoose carpet.
• Terrain and On-Mountain Infrastructure (within the existing SUP area), including terrain development, glading and grading, elimination of old and unnecessary roads and the construction of new ones, installation of 57 acres of additional snowmaking coverage, and the construction of two new restaurants, a yurt, a ski patrol facility, two warming cabins, and one basic warming hut.
• Non-Winter and Alternative Activities, including the construction of summer recreation trails (hiking, downhill biking and multi-use trails), other summer activities like a canopy tour/fly line, zip line, aerial adventure course and re-location of the disc golf course, and alternative winter activities like a snowtubing facility and expansion of existing Nordic, snowshoeing, and fat biking offerings.

Detailed instructions on how to submit comments for any/all component(s) of the Proposed Action are provided at the end of the Scoping Letter in the Project Library page of this website