Utah — It may be the biggest offseason ever for Utah’s ski industry. Work on big expansions is underway, and significant infrastructure projects are set to drastically improve the guest experience.
For the July 4th weekend, I traveled to Utah to spend time with some friends from college. While there, I was able to check out various offseason projects that are underway in Utah. Here’s a recap of what’s happening this offseason in The Beehive State.
Please note that these photos were from the July 5-7 corridor, and further progress has been made on these projects since. In addition, I didn’t see all of the big projects underway, like the new gondola at Park City or the Mid-Gad project at Snowbird.
Alta: While hiking to Cecret Lake with a buddy, I hike through what I think is going to be the future lift line of Supreme. To remove the Bend Station, which was causing damage to the lift, construction is underway this offseason to realign the lift. It won’t be a new chairlift, but rather a realignment of the Supreme chairlift. So far, the lift towers have been removed, and a new lift line has been cut. The top terminals will be in the relatively same location, but in a realigned format.
Brighton: Brighton is becoming a year-round destination, offering scenic lift rides, disc golf, and mountain biking trails.
While over there, I noticed a peculiar sight: four gondola cabins with a Brighton. While this may hint at a major project down the pipeline, the purpose of these is for a simpler reason. Designed by The Gondola Shop, these four cabins each feature a table inside. Rumor has it that they’ll be used over at Doyle’s Dawgs, the relatively new food outlet at the Milly Lodge.
Deer Valley: The Utah ski resort will change drastically during the 2025-26 season. Seven new lifts and more than eighty trails are set to make their debut, including a two-stage ten-person gondola.
Construction continues at a rapid pace over at the Deer Valley East Village. Even on a Sunday, there was some construction activity going on at the ski resort. In addition, an endless number of lift parts are scattered in the parking lots of the village. Work is also underway on the Four Seasons Deer Valley, which just secured a $600 million loan.
Work has obviously continued on the multitude of projects there, with towers being installed for two lifts tomorrow.
Sundance: The last time I visited Sundance Resort, lift rides were from a slow, fixed-grip quad chairlift. Since then, they have added a new high-speed quad, installed a new connector lift at Red’s, undertaken a terrain expansion, added a new base lodge, and built out a new spa area. The changes coming for next winter prompted me to visit again.
The first is the Sundance Inn. This slopeside 63-room hotel will give guests convenient access to the Outlaw Express. It’ll also be home to the Mountain Veterans Program, a therapeutic place for veterans to rejuvenate and ski. Work is well underway on this project, with the buildings nearing completion.
While going up the Red’s lift, you can see another big project taking shape. Sundance is working on a regraded and wider cat track that unlocks sixty new acres of terrain for them that will open for the 2025-26 season. This includes nine trails: 2 intermediate and seven advanced pistes.
The 2026-27 season will feature a 105-acre terrain expansion, which will include six new trails. This area will become serviced by a detachable high-speed quad chairlift. The Electric Horseman chairlift will have its base terminal located in the Wildwood terrain pod, and its top terminal will be next to the Bearclaw Cabin.
All in all, it’s just another quiet offseason in Utah.
Image Credits: Ian Wood, Deer Valley Resort, Sundance Mountain Resort
