Park City, Utah — Deer Valley Resort’s offseason has been quieter than last year, but that’s not saying much.
That’s because last winter saw the debut of 6 new chairlifts, a gondola, a few surface lifts, and almost 80 trails. Factoring in the 2024-25 expansion, Deer Valley added nearly 100 new runs, 10 new lifts (chairlifts and a gondola), and 1,200 new parking spaces. While some of the new terrain didn’t open last winter, Deer Valley still offered memorable skiing and exploration during an otherwise down stretch for the Utah ski industry. Next winter will see some more notable changes. Sorry, snowboarders, you still aren’t allowed.
Yesterday, Deer Valley Resort revealed its opening date and shared the additions for the 2026-27 season. Their projected opening date is December 5th, which is obviously dependent on the weather. In terms of improvements, there’s a lot.
2026-27 Additions
This winter, the resort will add Hail Peak, served by a Doppelmayr detachable high-speed quad chairlift.
The lift saw a major milestone last week with helicopter crews flying in the new towers. The Utah ski resort invited the general public to witness the event in person, as they did last year.
The seven new trails (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) and 200 new skiable acres will be served by Hail Peak Express, a Doppelmayr detachable high-speed quad chairlift. This chairlift will carry up to 2,400 people per hour and have a vertical rise of 1,130 feet.
One of the new trails on this peak will be called “Hill Yeah,” which is in honor of the nearby Hill Air Force Base and Deer Valley’s Salute to Service program. Hill yeah, brother.
The plan is to officially open the Neptune and Pioche chairlifts, which didn’t operate last season, next winter. With all these additions, Deer Valley will have 209 ski trails across 4,500 skiable acres.
The resort has also made a few terrain enhancements to the Pioche Express terrain pod. The Pirate King trail will feature rollers, berms, and a mellow ski cross experience. The Humbug trail will feature flowy rollers, and McHenry will have an area exclusively for families. Forest thinning is also underway at the intersection of the old and new terrain, with the Triangle Trees glade being expanded to connect the two sides.
A major snowmaking investment will also be completed. The new 10-million-gallon snowmaking reservoir will help supply the Summit Pump House with 10,000 gallons per minute for the East Side. The system will be able to produce 20,000 gallons per minute for the full resort thanks to the 10,000 gallons from Ventana. This project will allow DV to make snow on up to 932 skiable acres. We’ll see if this addition helps Deer Valley retain snow in the East Village, which was a struggle last year.
Buildings
In terms of the relatively new lifts, Deer Valley plans to add storage buildings for the carriers of the East Village Gondola and Keetley Express. This allows for faster openings during inclement weather events.
A hotel has opened nearby. Canopy by Hilton is a 180-room hotel that’s close to the Pioche chairlift and the Jordanelle Express Gondola. Amenities include a pool, hot tub, on-site restaurant, sauna, steam room, and fitness center.
Two lodges for the ski resort are currently being built out. The Park Peak Lodge and the Deer Valley East Village base lodge are scheduled to open during the 2027-28 season.
The buildout around the East Village, including the new hotels and condominiums, is another story. For now, only the Grand Hyatt East Village is open in the Village. That hotel is also seeing upgrades, including a refurbished spa. Temporary buildings are being used for skier services in the East Village.
Image/Video Credits: Deer Valley Resort, Todd Bennett, Sheila Hall
