North America — The North American ski season was underwhelming for many, but there were some highlights. One of these was that many U.S. and Canadian ski resorts expanded their terrain and lifts during this past winter. This included the largest terrain expansion in North American ski history, if not globally.
With the ski season being over for most, it’s a good time to look back at the terrain expansions of last winter. Compared to prior years that I’ve done this list, a new complication was that some of the terrain didn’t open due to a lack of snow across the West. Because of that key factor, the rankings were impacted.
Here’s a ranking of the best North American ski resort expansions of the 2025-26 season, along with a preview of what’s coming next winter.
Honorable Mentions
- Angel Fire announced seven new trails/glades for the 2025-26 season, including its first double black diamonds. Unfortunately, the lack of snow across New Mexico meant Angel Fire could open only one new trail: Corkscrew. This means the other trails will debut with their new six-pack chairlift next winter.
- Black Mountain (NH) debuted three new expert glades. These hike-to lines fulfill the long-held dream of expanding onto South Peak.
- Bryce Resort in Virginia opened a new terrain pod, which features four trails and a fixed-grip quad chairlift.
- Mount Bohemia introduced four new glades to its already extensive network.
- Sundance planned to open 60 new acres of skiable terrain off a regraded Storyteller trail (formerly known as Far East). However, the lack of snow pushed that expansion to the 2026-27 season.
- Sun Valley added four new glades to its terrain network last winter.
5. Lake Louise: Lake Louise has been growing and modernizing in recent years. This year’s focus was opening a new terrain pod that appeals to beginners and intermediates. Richardson’s Ridge offers access to around 200 acres of skiable terrain, comprising five trails and some tranquil glades. The new terrain is serviced by a detachable high-speed quad chairlift. It’s the fourth new chairlift in five years for the Banff ski resort.
4. Troll Resort: After years of dreaming and development, British Columbia’s Troll Resort opened the first phase of its terrain expansion. This winter saw the opening of four of these trails in the Pinegrove terrain pod, which will become known for its steepness.
This new terrain pod is serviced by a T-Bar, which is one of the longest on the continent. The Black T-Bar has a 100-meter stretch with a 49.4% grade near the beginning, but riders barely notice the steepness thanks to the detailed layout and engineering. Troll plans to add one to two more trails each winter, with the pod eventually featuring 30 trails and glades.
3. Castle Mountain Resort: Previously only accessible by snowcat expeditions, Castle Mountain Resort opened a new terrain pod last winter with its first high-speed quad.
The Stagecoach expansion adds 22 new runs to Castle, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced trails and glades. The chairlift isn’t new, as it originally came from Banff Sunshine Village. However, after it was decommissioned in 2024, it underwent an extensive refurbishment before being installed in 2025. It’s Castle’s first high-speed chairlift, operating at around twice the speed of its other fixed-grip lifts. The lift has a length of 1,423 meters (4,668.6 feet), a vertical rise of 558 meters (1,830.7 feet), and a speed of up to 5 meters per second (16.4 feet per second). It has a ride time of around six minutes.
2. Monarch Mountain: With this Colorado ski area’s expansion, you can now ski both sides of the Continental Divide there.
The 377-acre No Name Basin terrain expansion adds new intermediate and advanced pistes and glades to the ski area, resulting in a 50% increase in skiable acres at Monarch. No Name Basin has a vertical drop of 945 feet. There are two entry points to get there: the Prospector trail via the Breezeway lift, and the Great Divide trail, which you reach by going on the Panorama lift.
The terrain pod is served by a new SkyTrac fixed-grip triple chairlift. At the base of this terrain pod is a warming hut and vault toilets.
1. Deer Valley Resort: The Utah ski resort finished phase two of Expanded Excellence this past ski season. The 2024-25 season saw the opening of the Deer Valley Base Village, creating a new way for people to reach the mountain. The first phase of the expansion 19 trails, one run extension, and 3 lifts. Phase two came during the 2025-26 season, with the finishing of nearly 80 trails, 7 new lifts, and a couple of covered conveyors. The highlights of this year’s expansion include the East Village Gondola and the Redemption run (which bear similarities to Stein’s Way). This means that Deer Valley has added around 100 trails and 10 lifts to its terrain network over the past two winters.
However, a good chunk of the terrain didn’t open this past winter. Two finished lifts and ten trails couldn’t open due to a lack of snow. Some of the off-piste terrain was also unable to open due to a small snowpack. They aim to open them next winter. However, the ski resort was still able to open 185 of its 202 trails/glades this past winter, an all-time record for Deer Valley.
What’s Coming Next
- While not officially confirmed, Deer Valley plans to continue its expansion next winter by introducing Hail Peak, which will be serviced by a high-speed quad. The two lifts and terrain pods that didn’t open last winter, Pioche and Neptune, will likely open up this time around.
- Holiday Mountain in New York will debut 10 new trails, along with a fixed-grip triple chairlift, as work continues this offseason on the restoration of the North Pod.
- Lee Canyon in Nevada will debut its West Bowl expansion. The five new trails will be serviced by a 2,200-foot-long fixed-grip quad.
- Powder Mountain will open the DMI expansion, adding over 1,000 acres of advanced and expert terrain on the backside of Sundown.
- Purgatory Resort plans to add the Colorado Couloir chairlift, which will service several new difficult trails and glades.
- Along with the 60 acres that were originally intended to open this past winter. Sundance Mountain Resort will add six more trails and 105 acres of new terrain, which will be serviced by the Electric Horseman, a new detachable quad chairlift. I’d say there are a few Utah ski resorts in contention for the number one spot next winter.
Image/Video Credits: Deer Valley Resort, Lake Louise Ski Resort, SnowSeekers, Castle Mountain Resort, Monarch Mountain, Sundance Mountain Resort
