"New" Ski Area Opening In Utah and Lift Tickets are Free

A “new” ski area is coming to Utah, but it won't have a fleet of high-speed quads, gnarly slopes, or a sprawling base lodge. Instead, Snowland has the humble goal of making skiing safe and accessible for the small town residents of Fairview.

“It's just going to be a quaint, little, really attractive community gathering place,” said Brent Lange, an avid skier and chair of the nonprofit behind the ski area, Snowland Foundation Inc.

According to Lange, the plan is to open Snowland on December 6, 2025, with two rope tows. During its first year of operation this coming ski season, tickets to ride the ski area’s two runs will be free. Eventually, they’ll cost around $20, Lange said.

Two local schools—Wasatch Academy and Snow College—will have access to Snowland during the week. The hill will be open to the general public on Fridays through Sundays.

Keep reading to learn why Snowland technically isn't new.

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You may have noticed the quotes around “new.” Snowland, technically, isn’t new. Rather, it’s poised for a revival after once serving as a gathering place for Fairview winter enthusiasts.

It was initially founded by Jerry Nelson, a local teacher, in 1967, but he closed the ski area in 1980 because of insurance costs and permitting issues. Snowland’s permit through the Manti-La Sal National Forest was taken over by Wasatch Academy, a boarding prep school just south of Fairview in Mt. Pleasant.

Snowland hasn’t operated as a traditional ski area in years. Still, Fairview locals ski and snowboard there in the winter, driving up the winding State Route 31 to make car-assisted laps. That’s proven treacherous, though, with close calls and sometimes crashes on the road.

Lange would see the traffic and the cars making U-turns near Snowland during his visits with his ski buddy Chris McCandless, who has a cabin in the area. After doing some research on Snowland’s history, the two decided to bring the ski area back to life about a year ago. In part, the goal with reopening the lifts at Snowland was to make the road safer and less congested.

Snowland Foundation Inc. was established in June of this year. So far, the nonprofit has received a $1 million grant from the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, alongside several in-kind contributions. 

Wasatch Academy has donated the cabin constructed by Jerry Nelson at Snowland. It also agreed to transfer its permit to the burgeoning ski area. Lange added that Snowbird has lent the nonprofit a snowcat for use next winter while it raises the money to buy its own.

Future plans include the construction of a new Doppelmayr surface lift, two yurts, and new restrooms, as well as renovations for the Nelson Lodge. The total budget is about $3.8 million. The goal is that the ski area will be fully operational by 2027.

“We've raised a million, and we have about another two million in applications out right now,” said Lange, who also serves as the chief development officer for the museum complex Thanksgiving Point, and has spent his career working at nonprofits. According to Lange, the nonprofit model will help Snowland remain affordable.

“It allows us to seek grants and public support that is a donation, so that, therefore, we can keep prices down and keep them reasonable,” he said. 

Reviving a ski area, of course, isn’t easy. Lange has spent the past month working on securing insurance. The rope tows need to be restored. Snowland doesn’t have WiFi yet. The permit with the Forest Service will have to be amended to allow many of the planned improvements. What about the eventual ticketing system? 

“Chris nor I will take any claim to doing, you know, all the work,” said Lange in a nod towards the all-volunteer board of Snowland Foundation Inc. that has 16 members. “This is a lot of effort from a lot of people.”

Related: Mt. Cheeseman, NZ, Throws In The Towel on The 2025 Ski Season

This story was originally reported by Powder on Aug 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Powder as a Preferred Source by clicking here.