Eden, Utah — Out of all North American ski resorts, Powder Mountain is changing the most this upcoming ski season. Four new chairlifts, the privatization of part of the ski resort, and many more changes are coming to the Utah ski resort for the 2024-25 season.
“We’re looking to make an immediate impact and improving lift infrastructure was an opportune place to start. We view the new lifts as the foundation on which we’re building the next chapter of Powder,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and new owner of Powder Mountain. “This is the first season we debut operations for our public / private blended model, which will continue to financially support upgrades to the public resort for years to come. These improvements embrace and enhance what’s always made Powder special: incredible natural terrain and an ethos that prioritizes the sense of wonder that uncrowded places like Powder provide.”
The new chairlifts are the marquee additions for the 2024-25 season. Four new chairlifts are scheduled to open this winter, three of which will be open to the public. The Timberline chairlift has been replaced by a new Skytrac fixed-grip quad. A new detachable high-speed quad is replacing the Paradise fixed-grip quad chairlift. With this replacement, the 16-minute ride will now be a seven-minute journey. Lightning Ridge, previously accessible by cat skiing, will now be lift-serviced by a Skytrac fixed-grip quad chairlift. This new lift will provide connectivity between the Sundown terrain pod and the rest of PowMow. Lastly, the Raintree terrain pod will get a new fixed-grip quad chairlift, but it’s only accessible to residents. More new lifts and terrain expansions are planned for the 2025-26 season.
Of course, the other notable change for this upcoming season is that some of the lifts at Powder Mountain are now only accessible to residents. The Village, Marys, and Raintree lifts will be available only to residents who live at the ski resort.
After an extended hiatus, terrain parks will return to Powder Mountain for the 2024-25 season. The two terrain parks will be in the Hidden Lake and Sundown terrain pods. The Sundown terrain park will feature small and intermediate features and jumps on the Confidence run. The Hidden Lake Terrain Park will have medium, large, and XL features, including a natural halfpipe and boardercross routes.
Following the opening of their new magic carpet last season, which doubles as an art piece, more exhibits will debut across the ski resort.
This past summer, Reed Hastings created the Powder Art Foundation to celebrate land art and contemporary artists at the ski resort. Several pieces were installed this offseason, with the grand opening scheduled for Fall 2026.
Other improvements include guided expeditions into the DMI (Don’t Mention It) and Wolf Creek terrain areas and a new All-Mountain Teams 11-week program for kids ages 5-14.
Here’s the bad news: paid parking is coming to PowMow. For weekends and holidays, it will cost $12 to park if you have 1-2 people in your car. Individuals with three or more people will still be able to park for free on weekends and holidays. While not as steep as other Utah ski resorts, it’s an added cost for an already expensive sport, especially considering how much prices for a Powder Mountain season pass increased. The move ultimately incentivizes carpooling and using public transit.
How will all these things impact the guest experience? How will long-time PowMow riders acclimate to these changes and improvements? We’ll have to wait and see.
Image/Video Credits: Powder Mountain
