Possible development of a ski lift up Flagstaff Mountain, north of Alta in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon, will be discussed at 6:30 tonight at REI, 3285 E. 3300 South.

Friends of Flagstaff Mountain is sponsoring the two-hour session, which is expected to include presentations by Alta General Manager Onno Wieringa and Liam Fitzgerald, who oversees avalanche control in the Cottonwood canyons for the Utah Department of Transportation.

As UDOT reduces its use of artillery shells for avalanche control, a lift up Flagstaff Mountain has been suggested as a means of reducing the avalanche threat in that portion of the steep-walled canyon. The lift could allow patrollers to reach ridges where hand charges could be detonated, while skiers carried up the mountain would further reduce the danger by compacting the snowpack.

Alta hired a consultant last spring to stake out a possible lift line up the mountain.

Opponents contend a lift would take away prime skiing terrain enjoyed for years by backcountry skiers and boarders willing to put in the hard uphill work necessary for downhill thrills. They also maintain that other avalanche control measures are available.

| -- Mike Gorrell