Deer Valley has long been known as Utah’s boujee ski resort—gourmet restaurants, upscale lodging, celebrity sightings, short lines, accommodating “mountain hosts” and no snowboarders. True, boarders can’t shred at Alta, either, but not for purposes of poshness.
Where Alta’s known for big mountain skiing with a rough-and-tumble vibe, Deer Valley compensates for mostly low-pitch beginner and intermediate runs by offering an experience of impeccable service and style. Snowboarders just don’t fit the resort’s “tailored ski experience”.
Utahns in the skiers-only camp have encountered a stark choice:
Are you a hardcore skier who prefers to pack a lunch for the lift just to claim first tracks (Alta)? Or is your mojo more…fur hats and filet mignon (Deer Valley)?
From Groomers to Gnar
With Deer Valley’s new expansion, the resort says you can tear it up and still enjoy the finer things—meaning you may want to ditch the sack lunch. (Have you tried the turkey chili?) It’s expanding faster than your après-ski waistline, going beyond white-gloved service and real hand towels in the bathrooms with its massive East Village expansion. Doubling its skiable acreage to make it the fourth-largest ski resort in the nation, Deer Valley promises a new load of diverse and challenging pistes.
With stunning panoramas of the Wasatch, stretching from upper Big Cottonwood peaks to Mount Timpanogos, and overlooking Heber Valley, Park City and Jordanelle Reservoir, the resort plans to open seven of the 16 new lifts during the upcoming 2025-2026 season; when the expansion is finished, which should happen over the next couple years, Deer Valley will boast 3,000 additional acres for a total of 135 ski runs.
“We haven’t been known for big mountain skiing like Alta or Snowbird, but we are introducing some new topography to Deer Valley with excellent steeps, glade skiing and more expert terrain,” Deer Valley’s Riley Elliott explained as we toured the expansion with Senior Construction Manager Mike Walker and Superintendent of Lifts, Pete McKinnon.
Pete pointed out the new Keetley Express, a cozily encased six-seater bubble lift, which takes skiers from the East Village base (with 1,200 new parking spots) to an array of runs overlooking Jordanelle Reservoir. The east side gondola will reach the Park Peak Lodge, where adrenaline junkies can now hunt down thousands of feet of vertical with access to long fall lines for “skiing on steroids,” according to Mike.
What happened to Mayflower?
Deer Valley’s East Village wasn’t always part of the family. Most of the area was part of Mayflower, a resort dreamed up by Extell Development Company. Deer Valley held just a sliver of the mountain, accessed by gondola. Fast-forward five years and Deer Valley didn’t just dip a toe in—they went all in, turning Mayflower into the centerpiece of a bold new expansion.
But developing thousands of acres of skiable terrain on a fickle, eastern-facing stretch of mountain isn’t easy. Deer Valley isn’t worried, according to Mike, who says they plan to use 1,200 snow guns when Mother Nature needs a nudge to transform the oft-muddy mountain into a village of sparkly white.
“We’re bringing in 200,000 feet of pipe, four new snowmaking hub houses, and pumping in water from Jordanelle and also from a 10 million gallon reservoir at the top,” he says.
Shop, Dine, Stay
Why go to all the trouble on such a bothersome stretch of mountain? The resort can think of a few thousand reasons beyond expanded terrain. The destination village is the real showpiece. Featuring a massive “ski beach,” skating rink, luxury hotels, 32 dining spaces and 40 storefronts, the resort is adding 300,000 square feet of new space.
And what about Deer Valley’s O.G. luxury lodging and dining? (Think: the Stein Eriksen collection). Not to worry, it’s undergone a glittering refresh and sits centrally located, offering expansive rooms, gourmet dining and breathtaking mountain views.
The resort says it will further amplify its premium experiences as well, like “ski with a champion” (pay a few thousand bucks and you can ski with a former Olympian), or “Taste of Luxury” (a prix-fixe fine dining series prepared by celebrated chefs).
What About Locals?
As an IKON pass-holder who loves snatching some time at Deer Valley each winter, all this talk of ‘elevated experiences’ had me worried. Naturally, I was left with one burning question: Can I still use my IKON pass at Deer Valley?
“The answer is yes,” says Riley. “We plan to continue honoring the IKON pass and prices will remain similar.”
I’m holding you to that, Deer Valley.
Deer Valley Expansion by the Numbers:
- Seven new lifts
- 81 new runs
- 31 chairlifts
- 4,300 skiable acres
- 203 total runs
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