A popular resort in Utah will be transformed into a luxury “skiable outdoor art museum” after being acquired by Reed Hastings, the billionaire co-founder of Netflix, who will install works by James Turrell, Jenny Holzer and others throughout the mountaintop.
With 8,484 skiable acres, Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah, is the largest ski resort in North America by total acreage. Starting in 2026, the 12,100-acre property will be home to a new art programme. Notable installations include a trailside light installation, Ganzfeld Apani (2011), which James Turrell originally created for the Venice Biennale. The resort said it will also install a major work by Nancy Holt from the 1980s onsite. Pieces commissioned specifically for Powder Mountain will include a series of text engravings on rocks by Jenny Holzer and an installation by Utah native Paul McCarthy rooted in American Western mythology.
"I grew up in Utah, and the influence of Utah and its mountains has been a critical part of my work. I am excited to have the opportunity to realise a work in that landscape. and to be a part of building something special at Powder Mountain,” McCarthy said in a statement. He told The New York Times his work would take the form of an Alpine hut and be situated somewhere on the mountain that is “visually remote”.
Ganzfeld Apani (2011) by James Turrell Courtesy Powder Mountain, photo by Florian Holzherr
What will be on show?
EJ Hill—who built a functional indoor roller coaster at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art last year—has been tapped for a site-specific design for two of the mountain’s new ski lifts, and the artists Arthur Jafa, Nikita Gale, Gala Porras-Kim, Davina Semo and Raven Halfmoon are also completing commissions for the resort, among others. All works will be owned by a non-profit being set up by Hastings.
The first season of programming was conceived by Matthew Thompson, the director of Powder Mountain’s new arts programme, chief creative officer Alex Zhang and Diana Nawi, curator of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The development has been met with a frosty reception by some residents of Eden, who say they have been priced out of enjoying the slopes. Powder Mountain first opened to the public in 1972, and for decades was known for its “locals-only feel”, according to Deseret News, a newspaper based in Salt Lake City.
When Hastings acquired the resort last year, he also inherited more than $100m in debt. He moved to offset the bill by sectioning off more than 2,000 square miles of the mountain once open to the general public and setting it aside only for owners of an on-site community called Powder Haven. Plots start at $2m with yearly membership fees ranging from $30,000 to $100,000.
“You can’t afford it,” said Rick Bruce, a retired firefighter who also worked part-time as pro-patrol at the resort for more than four decades, according to Desert News. “The general feel is that they’re pricing out the local guys.” (Adult ski season passes for the public section start at $1,099 for the 2024/2025 season. Hiking and biking during summer and fall is free.)
Hastings has defended his decision, saying it's the only way to keep Powder Mountain economically viable, as Powder Haven will underwrite improvements for the rest of the resort. Bill Holmes, Powder Mountain’s chief membership and community relations officer, told Deseret News that before the acquisition the resort was “losing money and piling up debt. The status quo simply wasn’t sustainable.” He added that the new private offering would prevent the resort from having to join a ski resort megapass programme, which would lead to crowds on the mountain.