Industry News
The ski industry is a very competitive business to be in and resorts around the world are doing their best to attract and retain skiers. Resorts have been upgrading and improving their lift capabilities, improving snow-making capabilities, building new infrastructure, and expanding terrain. These improvements cost resorts a lot of money that can easily reach hundreds of millions of dollars. The Deer Valley expansion project, named “Expanded Excellence,” is a multi-faceted multi-year project that will include the development of two new base areas and more than double the amount of terrain available to skiers.
A rendition of what some of the expansion would look like was revealed in an open-house presentation at the Snow Park Lodge on Monday, June 3. It is a part of the expansion which is focused on the development of the Snow Park Base Area, which will include a revamped base area and, eventually, a new gondola. The other portion of the expansion, named the Deer Valley East Village, will include expanded skier services, dining, 800 hotel rooms, and an estimated 1,700 residential units. The East Village also includes a massive terrain expansion that will add 16 chairlifts and a gondola, serving 135 new runs across four peaks. Once the expansion is complete, Deer Valley will offer 5,726 acres served by 37 lifts. The new expansion still prohibits snowboarding at Deer Valley.
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“At Deer Valley Resort, we are proud of our legacy as a top-tier ski destination, and we’re staying true to our founding principles set over four decades ago. This expansion improves our resort’s accessibility and enriches the guest experience with additional world-class amenities. We will honor our history and strengthen our ties to the community as we expand over the next several years,” Todd Bennett, President and COO, of Deer Valley Resort said.
The Snow Park Base Transformation will add new curated shops and restaurants, structured parking with direct access to a pedestrian plaza and lift infrastructure, a state-of-the-art Multi-Modal Transit Center, and expansive slope-side access. The new Snow Park Base Village will be a walkable and pedestrian-friendly destination. Other improvements mentioned at the open house include an expansion of the Snow Park Lodge and a new skier services building at the base.
Deer Valley Resort can also start breaking ground on a new lift that will connect the traditional ski area to the resort’s new Expanded Excellence terrain and East Village. Just days after appealing the Park City Planning Commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for the lift, the Bransford Land Co. withdrew its motion early this week. The resort should be able to break ground this summer on what is temporarily being called Lift 7.
The lift is in Summit County and is not on Deer Valley’s master plan and therefore had to be approved by the Park City Planning Commission. It will be a six-person bubble lift and will allow more access to beginner terrain at the top of the resort. The lift will serve as a connector to the 3,700 acres of new terrain that Deer Valley leased last year from what was being built by the Extell Development Company as the Mayflower Resort.
The resort has set a target to break ground on the new village next spring but still needs government approval. A date has not been set for when the Park City Planning Commission will review the proposal. Deer Valley is planning four more open houses for the project later this year. The next open house will be in August and will focus on construction impacts.
For more information about the expansion visit Deer Valley’s website.
