(Maps are from Terraserver.)
At a presentation to the Ogden City Council on April 13, Mayor Godfrey pointed out that a ski area in Malan's Basin would have more vertical drop than Brighton. The next day Chris Peterson, who owns the Malan's Basin property, made the same statement at a gathering sponsored by the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce.
Would a Malan's Basin ski area be better than Brighton? As the comparison table below shows, the claim about the vertical drop is technically correct. However, both the mayor and Mr. Peterson neglected to point out a few other differences between Malan's Basin and Brighton. See for yourself...
| Malan's Basin (proposed) | Brighton | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Elevation | 6700 feet | 8755 feet |
| Top Elevation | 8500 feet | 10,500 feet |
| Vertical Drop | 1800 feet | 1745 feet |
| Skiable acres | 180 | 1050 |
| Number of Lifts | 2 | 7 |
| Number of Runs | 10? | 66 |
| Aspect | Generally northwest, with some north and west | Generally north, with some east and west |
| Terrain | A single uninterrupted slope, with an average grade of 60%, above a V-shaped valley, plus the ridge above and the valley floor below | An alpine bowl with a great diversity of slope angles |
| Snow Quality | Unreliable due to low elevation and western aspects | Greatest snow on earth |
| Access from SLC Airport | 45 minutes by car to downtown Ogden, plus a 35-minute gondola ride over Ogden City and the foothills. Transit to downtown Ogden is also available. | 45 minutes by car. Transit is also available. |
| Maps (shown at the same scale, with the same contour
interval; click for larger versions) (Maps are from Terraserver.) |
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Oh, one more point: Brighton is, of course, the smallest of the seven ski areas in Salt Lake and Summit Counties (as measured by either vertical drop or skiable acres).