Utah — While the home to the Greatest Snow on Earth is off to a slow start this winter, that doesn’t mean it won’t catch its stride eventually. Utah is known for its snow, varied terrain, and recent infrastructure improvements. This ski season in Utah is marked by various transformative projects that will strengthen its appeal to guests and increase its readiness for the 2034 Olympics.
With ski season officially underway in the Beehive State, it’s a good time to look at what’s new at Utah ski resorts. Here’s a rundown of the best improvements at Utah ski resorts for the 2025-26 season.
Honorable Mentions
- Alta completed its Supreme lift realignment project, improving its reliability in the short and long term. Other upgrades include new Wyssen towers, a regrade of the High Traverse, and work has begun on expanding the Albion Base Lodge.
- Beaver Mountain completed its multi-year base lodge project. The new 26,000-square-foot Marge’s Cabin features food options, a retail shop, rentals, a ski school, locker rooms, and bathrooms. While the old Marge’s Cabin has been retired, its siding has been incorporated into the new building’s interior.
- Brian Head Resort upgraded its snowmaking on Navajo Mountain, added a new adventure glades zone for kids, and acquired new rental equipment.
- Brighton added various new dining experiences. A new Waffle House (unfortunately, not the Cabin or the rambunctious place that’s open 24/7) will serve guests waffles and hot beverages. During Christmastime, a Holiday House will offer various goodies adjacent to Crest 6. Near the new Snake Creek Lodge, new gondola cabins will provide additional private seating.
- Eagle Point has added a new upscale condominium building and a fitness center for overnight guests.
- Nordic Valley has invested $350,000 in snowmaking enhancements, which will allow it to open access to the Nordic Express chairlift more quickly.
- Powder Mountain is adding new events, has begun work on its Wolf Ridge terrain expansion (opening date TBD), and is adding another chairlift to the private side of the ski resort.
- Snowbird will reopen its reconstructed mid-mountain lodge. Now known as The Nest, it will have a single-floor layout with conveniently located bathrooms, food options, more seating than before, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
- Solitude Mountain Resort invested $4.5 million in its snowmaking system, enabling faster production, which could prove vital this winter. Four Wyssen towers have been added, leading to quicker openings of Honeycomb Canyon.
5. Snowland: You probably haven’t heard of this place, but that’s because it hasn’t been open to the public for decades. That will change this season, as Snowland will become the newest Utah ski area since Woodward Park City. A new foundation is partnering with Wasatch Academy to have the ski area open to the public for weekends and holidays.
For its first season, the ski area will feature a few trails and two surface lifts. To warm up, there’s a small cabin that’s still around from its last iteration. Parking has been expanded to accommodate more visitors. The best part of this revival? Lift tickets for this first season are free.
The winter of 2026-27 will see a new surface lift here, thanks to the ski area securing a $1.46 million grant from the State of Utah. Other future additions include yurts for rentals and a tubing run.
4. Park City Mountain Resort: This offseason saw the completion of a multi-year project to reduce lift line congestion in the Canyons Village. The Sunrise double chairlift has been replaced by a new gondola with ten-person cabins. The Sunrise Gondola connects guests to the left of the Red Pine Lodge, easing access for those who aspire to ski over to the Tombstone terrain pod.
Some of the other projects include the first phase of the Canyons Village parking garage, a new beginner zone next to the Red Pine Lodge, and snowmaking upgrades.
3. Snowbasin Resort: The most modern lift network in Utah, and perhaps the United States, may be at Snowbasin. Over the past decade, they’ve gradually modernized their support lifts, with four new chairlifts in eight years.
The latest is Becker Express. The fixed-grip triple installed back in 1986 has been replaced by a detachable high-speed quad chairlift. This chairlift can carry 1,800 guests per hour and has a ride time of around seven minutes, a significant improvement over its predecessor’s 12-minute journey. The base terminal of Becker is now closer to the Wildcat Express, making it easier to reach. To ease skier flow, the Bear Hollow trail has been widened. Lastly, RFID has been added, meaning guests no longer need to wear necklaces for their passes.
2. Sundance Resort: Sundance’s transformation in the 2020s has been impressive, but its third act will be perhaps its most notable.
This season will see the debut of their first overnight hotel and the beginning of a major terrain expansion. The new inn will feature 63 rooms, an art gallery, a wellness center, a locker room for guests and day visitors, a covered bridge, and a wraparound deck.
The Utah ski resort also plans to add nine new trails (60 skiable acres) to its terrain network. The highlight of the additions is a new, widened Far East trail that has a vertical drop of 1,800 feet. The 2026-27 will see more terrain, along with the addition of a high-speed quad, fittingly named the Electric Horseman Express, to this terrain pod.
1. Deer Valley Resort: Who else would it be?
This offseason, Deer Valley is adding nearly 80 trails and 7 lifts. The lifts include a new two-stage gondola, a six-pack bubble chairlift, and five detachable high-speed chairlifts. This follows 19 new trails, one run extension, and 3 lift additions last ski season. While admittedly not in the snowiest part of Utah, it will be supported by a world-class snowmaking system. Guests will have easier access thanks to the Deer Valley East Village, which features 1,200 parking spaces, a Grand Hyatt, and a temporary skier services facility. Future additions include a permanent lodge for day visitors, a Four Seasons hotel, and more.
Overall, Deer Valley has added around 100 runs and 10 lifts over the past two ski seasons. Another terrain expansion on Hail Peak is planned for the 2026-27 season, with more advanced and expert terrain to follow.
Image/Video Credits: Solitude Mountain Resort, Snowland, Park City Mountain Resort, Snowbasin Resort, Sundance Resort, Ski Utah (Last Chair Podcast), Deer Valley Resort
