Whether Snowbird's opponents will succeed in derailing a proposed mountain coaster in Little Cottonwood Canyon is a question that will have to be answered another day.

The Salt Lake County Board of Adjustment put off a decision Wednesday about whether the county Planning Commission ruled incorrectly in allowing Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort to pursue a fixed-rail coaster at the base of Mount Superior.

"There is an enormous record here," remarked board member Gary Sackett after more than two hours of arguments Wednesday. "This is no simple matter."

The board voted unanimously to postpone a final decision until its next meeting on April 13.

The proposed Snowbird coaster has proven controversial, sparking a demonstration outside the Salt Lake County Government Center on Monday that drew more than 120 protesters -- some with signs, others with Mickey Mouse ears urging Snowbird not to "Disneyize" the canyon.

Snowbird wants to build a mountain coaster, similar to one at Park City Mountain Resort, that would zigzag through intermittent woods down the base of Mount Superior. Officials say the ride will help keep the resort competitive for attracting summertime crowds.

Although the mountain coaster would remain more than 2,600 feet below the Superior peak, critics say an amusement ride doesn't belong in the canyon, particularly not on the slopes of picturesque mountainside. They also criticize plans to bridge State Road 210, which is a Utah Scenic Byway.

"This approval," Carl Fisher, executive director of Save Our Canyons, told the adjustment board Wednesday, "would lead to the construction of an unsightly roller coaster on the slope of Mount Superior, one of the most beautiful and iconic peaks in Little Cottonwood Canyon."

Save Our Canyons and avid canyongoer Tom Stephens filed separate appeals to the project -- both of which remain under consideration.

Darlene Batatian, representing Snowbird, says the Planning Commission didn't make a mistake in allowing the project -- which now is undergoing a technical review by entities such as Salt Lake City Public Utilities, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Salt Lake Valley Health Department -- to proceed.

"The Planning Commission acted appropriately," she said. "They considered written testimony. They considered oral testimony. They deliberated among themselves. There was nothing arbitrary or capricious."

Now the Board of Adjustment must decide who's right.

jstettler@sltrib.com