Photo Credit: Deer Valley Resorts. Deer Valley Resort is preparing to open the most considerable surface expansion in ski market history, changing the Utah icon into one of The United States and Canada’s biggest ski locations when the lifts start spinning for the 2025/26
winter season. The upgrade, part of the resort’s multi-year” Expanded Excellence “effort, will more than double the skiable terrain and bring a host of modern-day facilities designed to improve gain access to, circulation, and the overall guest experience.
When the snow flies this winter, skiers will discover nearly 100 brand-new runs, ten additional chairlifts, and one of the most innovative gondola systems in the country. The year’s growth adds over 2,000 acres of terrain, bringing Deer Valley’s footprint to 4,300 acres– over double the terrain formerly used.
“This is a once-in-a-generation transformation, and it’s going to reshape the way guests experience Deer Valley,” stated Todd Bennett, the resort’s president and chief running officer. “Our focus this year has actually been providing this terrain expansion at the highest possible standard.”
East Town Becomes a New Entrance
At the heart of the growth is the debut of Deer Valley East Village, a brand-new base location located off U.S. Route 40. Created as both a skier’s entrance and a future year-round destination, East Village provides direct access to the new surface and will include 1,200 day-skier parking spaces this winter.
The brand-new base provides an alternative arrival point for those originating from the Heber Valley or United States HWY 40, bypassing the primary roadways into Park City and assisting alleviate congestion in town. Amenities for the 2025/26 season will consist of lift ticketing, ski leasings, complimentary storage, and a structured shuttle connection between parking and the slopes.
Future phases will see the Deer Valley East Village become a completely established resort center with hotels, residences, restaurants, and retail area, however the top priority this winter season is skier access.
East Town Express Gondola
The flagship of the expansion is the East Town Express, Utah’s very first 10-passenger gondola and one of the fastest in the country. Covering nearly three miles from East Town to Park Peak, the system covers a vertical increase of 2,570 feet and will make the trip in simply 15 minutes.
The gondola features heated seats, floor-to-ceiling windows, and cabins getting here every 12 seconds, providing an uphill capability of 3,000 visitors per hour. Powered by whisper-quiet direct drive motors, the ride is designed to be as smooth and picturesque as it is effective.
The East Town Express opens direct access to a broad series of terrain, from high-alpine bowls to groomed cruisers, and works as the main artery in between the brand-new base and Deer Valley’s existing slopes.
Pinyon Express Adapter
Another crucial piece of lift facilities, the Pinyon Express, will bridge the space between the new terrain and the resort’s recognized network. The high-speed six-pack lift runs from the East Village side towards Flagstaff Mountain, linking beginner-friendly tracks with higher-elevation zones.
Like the Keetley Express, which opened last season, Pinyon Express features enclosed bubble chairs with heated seats, offering weather defense and comfort on chillier days. This link permits skiers of all levels to move easily between various parts of the mountain without long traverses or bottlenecks.
A Redesigned Mountain Experience
The expansion is not practically including acreage– it has to do with creating a much better on-mountain flow. New trails have actually been developed with progression in mind, providing whatever from mild groomers for first-timers to challenging steeps for specialists.
Deer Valley’s snowmaking capability has actually been upgraded with a brand-new automatic system and a dedicated pumphouse, guaranteeing constant early-season coverage and reputable conditions across the broadened footprint.
The resort’s trail count will climb to around 238 runs once the job is total, with 4 brand-new peaks joining the map. The goal, Bennett said, is to maintain Deer Valley’s credibility for quality while offering more space to check out.
Phased Development, Strategic Focus
While the surface growth and Deer Valley East Town debut will heading the 2025/26 season, not every element of the resort’s master strategy will come online at the same time. Deer Valley has held off building and construction at its original Snow Park base location to concentrate resources on completing the lift and path work.
Snow Park is slated for a future overhaul, changing it into a reimagined base village with extra accommodations, dining, and après-ski choices. In the meantime, visitors can anticipate the same high-touch service and attention to detail that have actually made Deer Valley a seasonal award-winner.
A Year in the Making
This season’s changes are the result of a focused, year-long building and construction effort that has included whatever from helicopter-placed lift towers to extensive earthwork for new runs.
In July, viewers collected at the top of Bald Mountain to watch helicopters ferryboat steel towers into place for the East Town Express and Pinyon Express lifts, part of a public “Future in Flight” event that offered an unusual behind-the-scenes glimpse at mountain facilities in the making.
Considering that December 2024, Deer Valley has set up 10 brand-new lifts, a lot of which have already enhanced access to intermediate and newbie terrain in the expansion zone.
Looking Ahead
The 2025/26 winter season marks the second substantial step in a multi-year project. Upon conclusion of the last phase, Deer Valley will cover more than 5,700 acres– a size leap that places it among the continent’s biggest resorts.
The East Village development will likewise continue to grow, with high-end hotels, personal residences, and public amenities planned in collaboration with Extell Advancement Company. The Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, which opened in late 2024, is already anchoring the town with slopeside lodgings, dining, and conference centers.
Future additions will consist of more first-class lodging, broadened dining, and year-round recreational offerings to seal East Village as a location in its own right.
Staying Real to Its Roots
For all the modification, Deer Valley’s management is keen to emphasize that the resort’s defining features– ski-only surface, topped daily ticket sales, and a service design patterned after luxury hotels– aren’t going anywhere.
“This expansion is about offering visitors more of what they like,” Bennett said. “It has to do with variety, ease of movement, and brand-new experiences, all while keeping the quality that has specified Deer Valley for decades.”
When lifts start turning this December, skiers will have a whole new side of the mountain to check out– and the experience guarantees to be both larger and much better than ever. From high-tech lifts to attentively designed tracks and a totally brand-new base location, the 2025/26 season promises to mark a new chapter in Deer Valley’s history.
Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of incredible experiences through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.