One of the largest ski resort projects under construction anywhere in the world is looking to Utah for inspiration.
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov visited Deer Valley Resort during a working trip to the United States, where he was briefed on the Utah resort’s massive expansion and the development strategy behind its growing year-round destination. According to Kyrgyzstan’s Presidential Administration, Japarov reviewed plans covering mountain development, hotels, residential and tourism infrastructure, private investment, water use and preservation of the surrounding landscape.
President Japarov was studying Deer Valley as a potential model for Ala-Too Resort, the enormous all-season mountain project currently under construction in Kyrgyzstan.
And Deer Valley gives him quite a case study.
Deer Valley Has Changed Dramatically in Just Two Years
Deer Valley is in the middle of its Expanded Excellence initiative, one of the largest ski resort expansion projects in North America.
Since December 2024, the Utah resort has added 10 lifts and roughly doubled its skiable terrain. Deer Valley operated about 4,300 skiable acres during the 2025-26 season, and another expansion this winter will push that figure to approximately 4,500 acres.
The newest addition is Hail Peak, where a new high-speed quad will serve 200 acres and seven new trails for the 2026-27 season. Once that lift opens, Deer Valley says it will have added 11 new lifts since December 2024.
Unofficial Networks recently took a closer look at the rapid transformation underway at Deer Valley, including Hail Peak, the growing East Village and new snowmaking infrastructure.
The long-term vision is even larger. Deer Valley says the Expanded Excellence project ultimately calls for approximately 5,726 skiable acres, along with continued development of Deer Valley East Village and a reimagined Snow Park base area.
But the ski terrain was only part of what interested the Kyrgyz delegation.
According to reporting based on the Kyrgyz presidential press service, Japarov was shown how Deer Valley approaches comprehensive mountain planning, architecture, international hotel development, private investment, water resources and landscape preservation. He also examined infrastructure designed to support tourism beyond the winter season.
Deer Valley itself operates well beyond winter, with lift-served mountain biking, hiking, scenic chairlift rides, dining and events during the summer. Its 2026 summer season ran from June 19 through Sept. 20.
Kyrgyzstan Is Building Its Own Massive Ski Destination
The Utah visit becomes much more interesting when viewed alongside what is currently happening in Kyrgyzstan.
Ala-Too Resort is being developed in the Issyk-Kul region around the Jyrgalan, Ak-Bulak and Boz-Uchuk areas. Kyrgyz officials envision it as a major all-season mountain destination rather than simply a collection of ski lifts.
In July 2026 Japarov attended the technical launch of the project’s first two major lifts after their construction was completed. The two Doppelmayr installations stretch approximately 5,666 feet and 7,533 feet.
The first phase of Ala-Too Resort is scheduled to begin welcoming skiers in December 2026.
Project officials have said six lifts are expected to be ready as part of that initial development, along with the first ski trails, rental facilities, administrative buildings and parking infrastructure.
The eventual scale is considerably larger.
Plans call for roughly 75 miles of skiing in the Jyrgalan sector and approximately 155 miles of trails across the complete Ala-Too Resort system. Government projections have also called for thousands of hotel rooms and extensive new tourism infrastructure around the mountain cluster.
The project is being developed as one of Kyrgyzstan’s major tourism initiatives, with the government actively seeking private investment for hotels, apartments, restaurants and other resort infrastructure. Ala-Too Resort’s official investment program has already offered development sites around Jyrgalan for hotel construction.
Deer Valley Could Influence What Ala-Too Becomes
Japarov’s comments during the Utah visit make clear that Kyrgyzstan is interested in more than simply copying Deer Valley’s lift network.
He pointed to the broader economic model of developing hotels, restaurants, services and investment around a major mountain resort.
“Our task is to create not just individual ski bases, but world-class resorts around which entire regions will develop.”
Japarov also instructed relevant Kyrgyz government agencies to study Utah’s approach to mountain development, including investment structures and the involvement of international hotel brands, according to the presidential press service.
That does not mean Ala-Too will become a replica of Deer Valley.
The mountains, climate, existing infrastructure and tourism markets are very different. What Kyrgyz officials appear particularly interested in is the planning model behind a large resort where ski infrastructure, lodging, real estate, transportation and year-round recreation are developed together.
That is exactly what Deer Valley is building around East Village right now.
And while most skiers watching Deer Valley’s expansion have been focused on new lifts and terrain, its newest visitor was apparently paying attention to something much bigger: how to build an entire mountain destination around them.
