New ski terrain slated to open this winter in Deer Valley expansion
Jun 30, 2025, 4:46 PM | Updated: 4:57 pm
Skiers come down the mountain at Deer Valley Resort at seen from the St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Ryan Sun/Deseret News)
(Ryan Sun/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Deer Valley expansion is on schedule to open new terrain during the 2025-2026 ski season. However, other upgrades have been postponed.
The resort is referring to the expansion as “Expanded Excellence.” Additionally, Deer Valley said it’s the “largest ski resort expansion in history.”
Deer Valley expansion to open 80 new runs next season
In addition to the Deer Valley expansion terrain that opened during the 2024-2025 season, 80 new ski runs are set to open in winter of 2025-2026. Their exact dates are currently unknown. Per the resort website, the Deer Valley expansion opening will be “phased.”
Gradual terrain openings are not uncommon at ski resorts, even when the terrain isn’t new. Typically, they’ll begin seasons by opening lower trails while they wait for naturally or artificially made snow to fill in the rest. Temperatures and weather often play a role in terrain openings.
Deer Valley expansion terrain will be served by seven new chairlifts, the resort said.
Combined with the new terrain and lifts opened for the 2024-2025 season, Deer Valley will have added 100 new ski runs and 10 new chairlifts.
A new gondola featuring 10 passenger cabins is also being added, which will connect the resort’s new base village to Park Peak.
According to a terrain map on the resort website, a third small portion of new terrain will open sometime in the future. The bulk of the new terrain is set to open this coming winter.
Upon completion, Deer Valley will have added 135 ski runs and 16 chairlifts. Per the resort, the new terrain will be accessible to those of all abilities and include “numerous” bowls and glades.
In the context of skiing, a bowl is an open, rounded space within mountain terrain. Glades are areas of trees.
FILE — Brent Molsberry, a Deer Valley ski patroller, skis on gladed terrain in the Sultan Area at Deer Valley Resort on Jan. 15, 2004. (Tom Smart/Deseret News)
FILE— Deer Valley Host Chris Sherwin skis down expert terrain in the Mayflower Bowl area at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah on Jan. 15, 2004. (Tom Smart/Deseret News)
In total, the resort will encompass 238 ski runs equal to over 5,726 skiable acres. They’ll be served by 37 chairlifts.
Another standout feature? The Deer Valley expansion will bring one of the longest ski runs in the country to the resort, measuring in at just under five miles long.
The resort did not name the run or compare it to other terrain. However, Powder, a magazine dedicated to skiing, said it will be called Green Monster and be 4.85 miles long.
In the U.S., the longest ski run is Olympic Downhill at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California. It measures in at 5.5 miles.
Per Powder, Green Monster will dethrone Park City Mountain’s Home Run as Utah’s longest ski trail. That trail stretches 3.5 miles.
Snow Park Village construction delayed
Although new terrain is the focal point of the expansion, which was announced in 2023, the resort is planning other changes, too.
They include major alterations to the Snow Park Lodge, which sits at the resort’s main base area.
Those changes have been delayed, according to a June 30 press release from Deer Valley. Construction on the Snow Park Lodge will not begin this summer or during the 2025-2026 ski season.
No updated starting period was given.
“With multiple large-scale projects underway, we’re strategically focusing our efforts to ensure success at every step,” Todd Bennett, president and chief operating officer of Deer Valley said. “This winter’s terrain expansion—more than doubling our skiable acreage—is a once-in-a generation transformation and it deserves our full attention.”
Plans for updates to the Snow Park Lodge can be found on the resort’s website. They include changes to the way vehicles arrive and depart from the base area and increased walkability.
According to the website, the lodge will be expanded into a village — the Snow Park Village.
In January, KPCW reported the Snow Park Village will feature condos, hotel rooms and commercial space.
The Expanded Excellence website said the village will have “new experiences around every corner.” Aside from describing a new ski beach and gondola, the website did not elaborate.
KPCW also reported that Deer Valley will be moving parking and transit access underground.
Deer Valley’s website does not provide a completion date for upgrades after the 2025-2026 ski season.
