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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Utah's solution to ski traffic snarl1? Build the world's longest gondola2
People come from all around the world to ski Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon4 and its bucket list resort Alta, a fixture5 in skiing lore6 since 1939.
"Oh my gosh the terrain7 here is just absolutely massive," says Kate Rath.
Rath and fellow skier8 Ali Scheifley are standing9 on Alta's razor thin High Traverse, choosing their line, about to plunge10 down the steep and deep Greeley Bowl.
"We're both ripping some new skis today and we're actually very pleased," Scheifley says, beaming.
This little powder Narnia exists not even 10 miles up from the Salt Lake valley. These high alpine11 peaks and cliffs often get the deepest snow in the world, this winter is no exception - Alta has reported close to 450 inches so far this season.
The getting is good, assuming, that is, you can easily get up here.
Skiing is exploding in popularity
Skiing is definitely having its moment in America.
Whereas just 10 years ago many in the industry were hand-wringing over predictions that their sport's main clientele was "graying out," the exact opposite appears to have happened. Last year, the industry raked in billions and resorts from Colorado to California reported continued increases in ticket and pass sales, especially as the pandemic brought more interest in outdoor recreation.
Utah, a state long famous for its fluffy12 — and abundant — powder, could easily be labeled the epicenter of the boom. Last year was a drought year and still its resorts — including Alta — set records for skier visits.
But there's a downside to success. Skiing has become so popular that getting to resorts from cities like Denver or Sacramento or Salt Lake City can often mean sitting in hours of gridlock traffic. In Utah, where tourism brochures used to brag14 that skiers could land at Salt Lake International and be on the slopes within an hour, the news these days is dominated by stories of hours-long commutes15 to the resorts in the nearby canyons16.
The state's out-of-the-box plan to fix that? A proposed $550 million gondola linking the Salt Lake valley to Alta and adjoining Snowbird. It's igniting all sorts of debate, even about the future of skiing in a warmer world.
The "Red Snake" becomes grimly familiar
A few thousand feet below the stunning17 vistas18 of Alta's High Traverse, near the bottom of Little Cottonwood canyon, is where the dreaded19 "red snake" can come into view. That's what locals call the seemingly endless line of thousands of red tail lights idling along route 210.
On a big powder day, or a busy weekend, it can sometimes take more than three hours just to travel the windy, two lane, 8-mile road.
"Where we live, we couldn't get out into the street," says Kurt Reichelt, recalling a recent holiday weekend that coincided with big storms. "Everybody and their brother was trying to get up here."
Reichelt and his buddy20 Brian Cardello, who are retired21 and originally from Stowe, Vermont, gave up trying to ski those days.
"We take the bus and while we're waiting, we see so many cars with single drivers, I mean, nobody's carpooling," he adds.
Utah's normally efficient public bus system is currently hobbled due to a reported driver shortage. It's clear some people are giving up waiting for busses that either run less frequently or no longer stop at certain park-and-rides near the canyon's entrance.
"There are just too many people," Cardello says. "And it's not [just] here it's everywhere."
Many blame discount season passes like the Ikon, which is good at Alta and Snowbird, or the Epic13 from Vail Resorts, which allow skiers to bounce easily from one resort to the next, and also chase the best snow between states.
A push for a gondola as a green alternative to driving
In the last 20 years, the number of skiers visiting Utah resorts has nearly doubled, from 3 million to now close to 6 million, according to Ski Utah, an industry trade group.
"We have the same infrastructure22, the same road that we had 20 years ago," says Mike Maughan, general manager of Alta.
And in a state that relies heavily on ski tourism — last year the industry raked in close to $1.4 billion — there's pressure to fix the mess in the canyon.
Enter the gondola, which the Utah Department of Transportation estimates would move roughly the same number of skiers and commuters up Little Cottonwood in an hour — a thousand — as the road does on a rare, traffic-free day.
"The gondola is going to travel at a constant speed," Maughan says. "So when the road surface becomes slick, it's not going to slow down because it's snowing."
The state's preferred plan — according to a recent environmental impact study — would involve stringing a cable on towers 260 feet above the road, with gondola cabins attached that could hold 35 skiers. Cabins would depart every two minutes from the mouth of the canyon, where a large parking structure and terminal would need to be built.
The estimated cost is listed at $550 million, though it's widely thought that number will go up if construction moves forward.
"It is a big idea," says Maughan, who figures it'd be one of the longest gondolas23 ever built in the world.
Opponents call it "a highway with only two off ramps24"
Everyone agrees the current traffic situation is unworkable. But it's also clear that building a massive new piece of infrastructure in a polarized America today won't be easy. So far there appears to be a lot of local opposition25.
Early one morning before work, Matt Palmer was getting in his car after some backcountry "dawn patrol" laps. He was at park-and-ride at the mouth of the canyon where bus service has been temporarily suspended.
"I see it as a revenue builder, a little gold star for the government to say we put this gondola in and we've brought even more tourists," Palmer says.
Further north at a bus stop along Wasatch Blvd., skier Jake Nemmits says getting to the resorts on big powder says is rough.
But a gondola?
"I think it's kinda farcical when meanwhile we could just fund a lot more of the ski bus and maybe look for another lane," he says.
Last Fall, after the state formally announced its preferred alternative, Salt Lake city and county councils of governments both passed resolutions in opposition to a gondola. County councilman Jim Bradley, a longtime environmentalist, is pushing the state to improve its existing bus service with dedicated26 bus lanes and EV busses. He also supports tolling27 and tighter traction28 controls, especially for rental29 cars which some days account for half of the vehicle load.
These are more practical and sustainable, Bradley says, and a gondola in his view would threaten the pristine30 nature of the canyon.
"We don't know how long this snow is going to be in our Wasatch hills," he says. "With climate change, which is real, we could have good days and bad, good years and bad years. and we may not need the capacity that they claim a gondola could provide."
Gondola opponents say building it would be like making a highway with only two off ramps to two private ski resorts.
A desperate plea to do something
Back at Alta, GM Mike Maughan bristles31 at that characterization. He says there are well over 100 private businesses — and scores of homes and condos — in Little Cottonwood. It's not just Alta and the Snowbird resorts. Gondola proponents32 are also quick to point out that the canyons are already developed with a huge amount of infrastructure, including the Snowbird tram and luxury resorts.
While the gondola would for sure help the private resorts, Maughan says there's a clear public benefit as well. It would move more people and be a lot cleaner than what exists now, idling traffic.
"It's like any other public works throughout the nation, whether it's a bike trail in some rural community or a tunnel somewhere," Maughan says. "Only certain people use those public improvements but they're paid for by everybody."
Maughan says Alta has been pushing for more busses and improved service for years. A new parking reservation system has helped crowd control some but not enough. (Nearby Snowbird down the canyon does not require reservations).
The state's final decision on the gondola is expected later this winter.
收听单词发音 |
1
snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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gondola
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| n.威尼斯的平底轻舟；飞船的吊船 | |
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transcript
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| n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书 | |
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canyon
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| n.峡谷，溪谷 | |
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fixture
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| n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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skier
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| n.滑雪运动员 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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alpine
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| adj.高山的；n.高山植物 | |
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fluffy
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| adj.有绒毛的，空洞的 | |
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epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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brag
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| v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的 | |
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commutes
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| 上下班路程( commute的名词复数 ) | |
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canyons
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| n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 ) | |
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stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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vistas
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| 长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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buddy
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| n.（美口）密友，伙伴 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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infrastructure
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| n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施 | |
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gondolas
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| n.狭长小船( gondola的名词复数 )；货架（一般指商店，例如化妆品店）；吊船工作台 | |
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ramps
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| resources allocation and multiproject scheduling 资源分配和多项目的行程安排 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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tolling
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| [财]来料加工 | |
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traction
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| n.牵引；附着摩擦力 | |
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rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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pristine
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| adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的 | |
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bristles
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| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
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proponents
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| n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 ) | |
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