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Just like silver miners more than a century ago, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort officials think a well-placed tunnel might be the key to their fortunes.

Snowbird is pursuing a plan to bore a tunnel from Peruvian Gulch into Mineral Basin, linking the two sides of the mountain with a "magic carpet" conveyor similar to a mechanized walkway in an airport terminal.

Cut into the mountain at the base of the ridge just above Chip's Run, the tunnel would be reached from Snowbird's base via a long, new detachable quad chair lift that would replace the existing Peruvian Lift. The tunnel's outlet in Mineral Basin would be near the expert Double Down run.

"This would mean quick access, a one-stop shot to Mineral Basin and an alternative to The Tram," Snowbird spokesman Dave Fields said Wednesday. "And the Peruvian area is very underutilized. A new lift that doesn't go to Hidden Peak would create a much easier skiing experience for intermediates."

Fields declined to discuss the projected cost, noting an accurate assessment is difficult to make at this preliminary stage, particularly because considerable steel will be needed for the new lift and steel prices fluctuate.

Snowbird already has discussed the issue twice with the conservation group Save Our Canyons. It also has reviewed the concept with the U.S. Forest Service, whose approval would be necessary for some of the new Peruvian lift towers but not the tunnel itself, which is on private land.

"When they first talked to us, we thought, 'Oh my goodness,' '' said Wasatch-Cache National Forest snow ranger Steve Scheid. "But what they presented to us [verbally] was pretty well thought out. It made sense."

He expects to receive a written proposal in the next couple of months.

Lisa Smith, executive director of Save Our Canyons, said her group has some concerns about the tunnel's potential impacts, given the lack of specific details so far.

"We're taking our time going over all of the information Snowbird has given us, talking to geologists," she said. "We've never dealt with anything like this before. The tunnel brings a new element, an urbanization of ski terrain to fit skier needs. Adding that magic carpet in the tunnel is a new twist . . . will wildlife try to migrate through that?"

But Smith was pleased that the proposed lift would stay below the ridge, adding that Snowbird "has been quite easy to work with. We've developed good relations and can talk up-front rather than going through the Forest Service or the courts."

Staying off the ridge would benefit Snowbird in several ways.

While the Tram symbolizes Snowbird in many people's minds, it transports only 800 skiers per hour to the top of the mountain, about one-third the capacity of a high-speed detachable quad chair. It also cannot operate in high winds. And at 11,000 feet, the Tram's terminus atop Hidden Peak often is buffeted by gales.

In addition, once intermediate skiers and snowboarders reach Hidden Peak, they often are intimidated by the tricky and sometimes congested series of switchbacks leading down to reach Chip's Run.

A high-speed quad lift that ends at the base of the ridge provides easy access to Chip's, while the tunnel could move more customers to Mineral Basin, now accessible only via The Tram or two chair rides - on the high-speed quad Gadzoom and the fixed-grip two seater, Little Cloud.

"Not being on a windy ridge allows you to run the lift more smoothly, without as many wind stops," Fields said. "It also allows a lot less dirt work when you're not building retaining walls on a narrow ridge."

The envisioned tunnel probably would be about 400 feet long, 12 feet wide and 10 feet high. People would wear their skis while riding the 32-inch-wide "magic carpet" conveyor from one end to the other (but not back to Peruvian from Mineral Basin).

Fields said the Peruvian Lift would extend 8,000 linear feet, climbing 2,750 vertical feet. The Tram, by contrast, rises 2,900 vertical feet while Little Cloud Lift is 3,491 linear feet long and has a 1,300-foot vertical climb.

If pursued, the project probably will not begin until the summer of 2006. It would take precedence over other lift projects, such as an upgrade of Little Cloud Lift, Fields said.

Save Our Canyons' Smith hopes its development postpones Snowbird's contentious plan to build a lodge atop Hidden Peak.