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Alex Cabrero ReportingA new hole formed in the Wasatch Mountains today after the ground shook. Don't worry, though, it wasn't from an earthquake. It was from construction crews, finally punching through the mountain to create Snowbird's new ski tunnel.
There are ski tunnels in Europe, but there isn't a single one in all of North America, until now. It's been a year's worth of digging and mining, but today Snowbirds tunnel was finally dug completely from one side to the other. It connects the Peruvian Gluch side of the mountain to the Mineral Basin side.
The idea is to give intermediate skiers better access to amazing scenery and slopes, without having to ski down the more challenging side where Snowbirds tram drops you off at the top.
A lot of people in the ski industry are talking about Snowbirds tunnel and Ski Utah is bragging about it.
Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah: "They can only hear so much of the Greatest Snow on Earth, 500 inches and our great access here. It's gonna give people a reason who've never skied in Utah before, and even people who've been here to Snowbird, they're going to have to come back because people are going to say, 'have you been through the tunnel yet? What's it like?'"
There is also a new chair lift being constructed to give access to the tunnel.
