Park City, UT – Vail Resorts officials inaugurated Park City’s new Quicksilver Gondola on Friday with a bottle of champagne, linking the former Canyons Resort to create the largest ski area in the U.S.

Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts and Bill Rock, chief operating officer of Park City were on hand for the celebration, joining community leaders and resort guests for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to unveil the new Miners Camp restaurant at the base of the new lift and champagne smash in front of Quicksilver.

“On this historic day for our company, the debut of the Quicksilver Gondola connecting the two mountains and Miners Camp restaurant brings to life one of the most ambitious capital projects undertaken at any resort in industry history,” said Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts. “Bill Rock and his team have delivered on their promise to create an experience of a lifetime at Park City and we hope all of our guests enjoy everything that this world-class mountain and iconic mountain town have to offer.”

Construction on Quicksilver and Miners Camp began in the summer of 2015 as part of a $50 million improvements campaign to connect Park City and neighboring Canyons Resort. Now, a quick, 8 ½-minute ride on Quicksilver is all that separates guests from experiencing hundreds of trails across Park City and Canyons Village

“Park City is one of the most spectacular places on Earth and now, for the first time ever, our guests will have unprecedented access to over 300 trails, 41 lifts and 7,300 acres of skiable terrain across one Park City,” said Bill Rock, chief operating officer of Park City. “Quicksilver, Miners Camp and the $50 million in capital improvements across the resort will completely transform the guest experience at Park City. We are thrilled to debut these projects in time for the Christmas holiday.”

Miners Camp, located at the base of the new gondola and Park City’s Silverlode Lift, replaces the old Snow Hut and offers guests a cozy retreat from the slopes. The new on-mountain restaurant features 500 indoor seats and a fresh menu highlighted by local ingredients, daily specials, handmade flatbread pizzas, Mediterranean dishes and local drafts on tap.

In addition to Quicksilver and Miners Camp, guests will also find additional snowmaking across the resort, two new trails off of Pinecone Ridge and major upgrades to the King Con and Motherlode lifts.