Garcia-Zuniga 1

Brayan Garcia-Zuniga

ENGL-2010-515-516-518-519-Sp22

Benjamin Solomon

16 March 2022

This is your Capitan Speaking.

As it pulls into an empty parking lot, I can hear a grinding sound emanating from the tires

slowly breaking. I feel the vibrations coming from the massive metal structure on wheels. Behind

the wheel is a middle-aged male named Mike G. He is from Sandy, Utah. He has an enthusiastic

and hospital demeanor and an evident devotion to his profession. He is a retired helicopter pilot

with fourteen years of experience as a bus driver for Utah Transit Authority. “Anyone can be a

bus driver,” he says. But only a few are trained to drive up and down the Little and Big

Cottonwood Canyons. He chose this route because he enjoys taking skiers up to the lifts.

However, before getting people up to the lifts he must go through a vigorous journey. Thus,

canyons require a driver's maximum level of skills due to the severity of the winter conditions

and the highly congested roads. Mike says to me “When I get behind the wheel, I feel like a pilot

again.”

He was trained by the United States Air Force as a rescue pilot. He is an expert at using

his critical thinking skills and he does not break under pressure very easily. Nowadays, Mike

devotes his time to carrying passengers to the ski slopes. He mentioned that in recent years

driving up the canyons has become more challenging due to the increased number of people

commuting in their cars, the continuous avalanche warnings, and the decay of the canyon's roads.

He always has a bag pack full of emergency supplies, food, drinking water, and heated gloves
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while on shift. Mike is always ready for any unprecedented weather conditions mother nature

might surprise him with.

Immediately upon the bus leaving the station, I could hear the engine roaring like the

Wizard of Oz machinery. Followed by the ear-splitting sound of the heater coming from the back

of the bus. I need to move to the front of the bus and stand before the yellow line to continue

talking to Mike. Before the bus gets filled. He is very welcoming and cheerful. We engaged in

talking about better ways to carry passengers up Little Cottonwood Canyon.

“I asked him,” “Mike, have you ever been in a gondola before?”

“Yes. I had, in Albuquerque New Mexico.”

“How was it? How high did you go up?”

“It was pretty awesome; the views of the landscape were extraordinary, I believe it was

about ten thousand feet high”

Mike and I met on my trip to Alta Ski resort. I am a weekly ski bus commuter. I love not

having to worry about parking at the resorts, and the flexible schedule the bus system offers.

Another great benefit is that the ski bus is free. It is included in my season pass. Also, the bus

stops are within walking distance from a few lifts. One of my main goals for this current ski

season is to go skiing with Mike on his days off. It would be astonishing to spend more time

talking to him besides when he is conducting the ski bus.

There is an ongoing dilemma about what should be the next step to address the congested

traffic patterns in Little Cottonwood Canyon. There are two remaining options. One of the

options is the construction of a gondola across the mountain to ease the traffic of passengers
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visiting the canyon. This gondola idea will allow nearby resorts to be more accessible for more

visitors. They will be able to enjoy the commute because it will be faster and safer. They would

not have to worry about parking their car once arriving to the slopes. Building a gondola will

also create more desirable year-round attractions. “It would just be an amazing experience to ride

a gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon taking in all the views looking at Lisa Falls or the

Pfeiffer Horn.” Mike added.

The other option is to widen the roads to allow ski buses to travel on an exclusive bus

lane, allowing them to go up and down the canyon more frequently. It will make the ride more

joyful for some drivers, to are tired of being stuck in traffic for many hours in any day. However,

both options will cause irreversible environmental damage. Therefore, the Utah Department of

Transportation is considering taking longer than expected to further analyze the impacts on the

landscape and wildlife of the canyon.

Mike loves his job and understands the seriousness of having a vehicle filled with

passengers. As each turn approaches, he slows down and turns cautiously. I still can see

passengers' ski equipment flying around the bus and many cases landing on other passengers'

feet. As a driver, Mike understands how important it is to safely sit behind the wheel with over

fifty to sixty passengers on board. That is one of the reasons he is in favor of building a gondola,

to get people off the streets and up in the mountains. He claims that it will clear the roads by

twenty-five percent. The fewer cars on these twisty roads, the better for ski bus drivers. These

roads require a lot of experience that often many drivers lack. Also, distractions play a huge role

when it comes down to causing accidents and major delays. Those distractions can be from

texting while driving, speeding, unfamiliar upcoming turns, and the breath-taking views the

canyons have to offer.

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Mike has been a ski bus driver for the past ten years and he recommends being extremely

cautious when visiting the canyon via a private vehicle. He emphasizes the sticker program

provided by the Utah Department of Transportation Cottonwood Canyons every year. UDOT

Cottonwood Canyon sticker program is another method to ensure an individual’s vehicle passes

a certain measure of safety. The program encourages visitors to the canyons to prepare for the

severe winter conditions. It ensures only certain vehicles are allowed to be on the roads during

winter storms. Many vehicles such as all-wheel drive, four four-by-four, front wheel drive

equipped with snow tires or chains, and terrain vehicles with proper snow tires.
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Work Cited

Associated Press. “Utah Officials Weigh Ideas to Ease Congestion on Canyon Road.” Heber Valley

Radio, 9 Nov. 2019, hebervalleyradio.com/news/local-news/utah-officials-weigh ideas-to-ease-

congestion-on-canyon-road.

Beers, Heather. “How Utah’s Attempting to Solve Ski Traffic In The Canyons.” Utah Business, 5 Mar.

2020, www.utahbusiness.com/ski-traffic-utah

Howell, Izzy. “The Case for Connecting Our Ski Resorts.” Utah Business, 5 Mar. 2020,

www.utahbusiness.com/for-one-wasatch

Maffly, Brian, et al. “Buses Vs. Gondola: Little Cottonwood Plan Comes Into Sharper Focus.” The

Salt Lake Tribute [Salt Lake City, Utah], 25 June 2021,

www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2021/06/25/buses-vs-gondola-little

Marker, Michael, and Lee Benson. “Don’t Build a Gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon.” Deseret

News [Salt Lake City, Utah], 11 Nov. 2021, www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dont-build-a-gondola-

in-little-cottonwood-canyon/ar-AAQASsD

Teton Gravity Research. “NEW BUSES OR LCC GONDOLA: UDOT EXPLORES PROPOSALS

FOR WASATCH TRAFFIC.” Teton Gravity Research [Salt Lake City, Utah], 21–07-02,
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www.tetongravity.com/story/news/new-buses-or-lcc-gondola-udot-explores-proposals-for-

wasatch-traffic