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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — With the beginning of cooler weather and snowfall in some of the higher elevations last week, Utah’s ski season is fast approaching.

Utah is home to 14 ski resorts and boasts “The Greatest Snow on Earth.” Local ski resorts had a record-breaking season of 4.5 million visitors during the 2015-2016 season, outpacing the previous record by 5 percent.

If you are getting excited to hit the slopes this winter, here’s a look at what new amenities you can expect at the local resorts.

New buildings, facilities

After spending $35 million on capital improvements last season, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort has rebuilt the Creekside Lodge, according to Ski Utah Director of Communications Paul Marshall. Located at Gad Valley at entry one, the reconstruction tripled the square footage of the building. The much-larger facility will now be the base of operations for all the Snowbird Mountain Ski and Snowboard School lessons. This reconstruction will eliminate the shuttling of students and will allow for more time spent on the slopes.

Snowbird will also be completing the full remodel of the Cliff Lodge, its flagship property. The renovation includes adding marble counters and tile in the bathrooms, new lush carpeting and updated Wi-Fi, furnishings, entertainment systems and energy-efficient lighting.

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The new Stein Eriksen Residences will open at Deer Valley Resort this season and reservations will open in December. The new lodging will provide an “authentic, luxury, alpine-living experience,” Marshall said in a statement. The 39 condos and 15 houses will offer mountain views and ski-in/ski-out access and will have 24-hour care and five-star amenities. Rates will start at $2,500 per night during the winter ski season.

Located in Paradise, Whisper Ridge Cat Skiing is a new facility that will open Dec. 26, Marshall said. Boasting over 30,000 acres of private skiing and ride terrain, Whisper Ridge will offer eight custom PistenBully snowcats and first-descent helicopter drops for access to the backcountry powder, as well as single and multi-day cat skiing tours. Whisper Ridge will also have three mountaintop yurts available for those doing multi-day trips.

New restaurant amenities, menu items

Brian Head Resort has built a new state-of-the-art 2,000-square-foot restaurant kitchen and barbecue pit for the upcoming season, due to the growing popularity of owner John Grissinger’s Kansas-City style barbecue. The addition will triple the size of the previous facilities and double the output of the delicious barbecue items served every Friday and Saturday evening.

Solitude Mountain Resort has renovated the Roundhouse and will expand its offering of Himalayan and Wasatch Front-inspired cuisine.

Deer Valley Resort is vamping up the dining at Brass Tag with a new chef and menu. The new menu featured brick oven cuisine, including fresh seafood skillets, seared meats, oven-roasted fresh fish and locally sourced produce.

New chairlifts

Sundance Resort is installing a new Arrowhead Lift to replace the old triple chair for this season. The new lift will be a quad chair with new safety bars and improved loading/unloading areas. The new lift will increase hill capacity by over 500 people an hour and will help decrease lift lines.

Cherry Peak will also be expanding by adding a third chairlift. The new Summit Lift will almost double the mountain’s skiable terrain to more than 400 acres. Cherry Peak also installed lights in the area to allow night skiing on 100 percent of the resort.

What is your favorite Utah ski resort? Let us know in the comments.

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