Towers for new Deer Valley ski lifts to be delivered via helicopter
Jul 19, 2025, 8:00 AM
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)
(Tom Smart/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — On July 19, helicopters will deliver towers for two new Deer Valley ski lifts. They’re being installed as part of the resort’s ongoing terrain expansion project.
According to the resort, the lift towers will support the East Village gondola and Pinyon Express chairlift.
Ski resorts often use helicopters to aid with the delivery of large lift components. On July 7, Townlift, a news publication local to Park City, documented the helicopter-aided installation of gondola towers at Park City Mountain Resort.
Towers support the cables that ski lift chairs and gondolas travel on.
Deer Valley invited members of the public to observe the towers being installed. A viewing area will be available on top of Bald Mountain beginning at 10 a.m.
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Bald Mountain is one of the peaks within the resort’s boundaries.
Visitors will need to purchase a lift ticket to ride existing ski lifts—Silver Lake Express and Sterling Express—to the top. Parking will be available in the Snow Park Lodge lot.
According to the resort website, summer lift tickets cost $30. The terrain can be accessed via chairlift until 4:30 p.m.
“Come see this milestone up close and be part of the story as we shape the future of the mountain we all call home,” wrote Deer Valley in an email sent to members of the public.
After watching the lift towers arrive, visitors can also listen to live musical performances while enjoying meals from food trucks and participating in family-friendly activities.
The resort has been documenting progress on terrain infrastructure upgrades on social media. An Instagram post said the first towers of the resort’s new gondola were flown in on June 14.
Before that, a May 31 post documented a helicopter delivering concrete slabs to the top of Park Peak.
Lift installments part of Deer Valley terrain expansion
At the end of June, Deer Valley provided an update on its terrain expansion: new runs and lifts are on track to open during the 2025-26 ski season.
With that announcement, the resort said its expansion is the largest in resort history. Exact opening dates are currently unknown, as ski resort terrain availability relies largely on snowfall.
A Deer Valley terrain map, before any terrain expansion was announced. (Deer Valley)
During the 2024-25 season, the resort opened a small amount of new terrain, giving skiers a taste of what’s to come. Three new chairlifts and more than 300 new acres of skiable terrain opened, alongside additional parking spaces.
A map of the terrain that will be available following the expansion makes the magnitude of the expansion more obvious. Per the website, when the expansion is complete, terrain will have “more than double(d).”
(Deer Valley)
The resort said the new terrain will cater to skiers of all skill levels, providing access to bowls, glades and four new peaks.
Additionally, one of the new runs will join the list of the longest in the country, spanning “just short of five miles.” It is set to dethrone nearby Park City Mountain’s Home Run as Utah’s longest trail, which measures 3.5 miles long.
The resort has not yet said what the difficulty level of that trail will be. Although Deer Valley’s website does not name it, Powder Magazine reported that it will be called Green Monster.
Previously, the resort had planned to break ground on upgrades to the base area near the Snow Park Lodge. However, the plan has been delayed, and no updated time frame has been announced.
Deer Valley will continue prohibiting snowboarders, remaining one of only three skiers-only mountains in the country. Nearby Alta Ski Area and Vermont’s Mad River Glen Resort round out the list.
