I've done some bouldering and climbing in LCC. It did seem as though the climbing community was dead set against it. I was a bit perplexed by their argument, but I think the issue is settled and a gondola system is out of the question. I didn't see the routing and spacing of the towers as an issue in either the small bouldering fields or the slabs on the canyon walls.
Now it appears that they will head up and widen the canyon road to the extent that they can. Some of the prime bouldering, I'd guess, will be covered as earth movers shift debris and the exhaust from the increased traffic will be even worse.
The gondola was electric of course, and even though much of that power comes from coal and gas, it does so from areas that don't have the inversions and topography of the Wasatch Front which appears to be a "perfect storm" of geology and weather for terrible air quality in the winter - a north/south ridgeline rising 6000' abruptly combine with westerly flow combined with the Great Basin that creates high pressure systems.
Using the energy produced in Wyoming, Vs. producing it in Salt Lake is a bit like the difference between sitting in your driveway with the car idling and doing it in your enclosed garage.
And, with the avalanche situation in LCC, they'll all be idling at a dead stop for the time it takes to clear the slides. I thought it was pretty short sighted as there would be more parking available between the canyon entrance and Snowbird for those who want to recreate in that corridor because so many bodies would just be carried up and over the area. Less traffic, less smog, more parking at trail heads and enough reduction to have bus stops at trail heads.
