Burlington, VT, Sees Snowiest Winter Since 2004 Vermont has had quite the snow season, from the mountains down to the cities. Burlington just reached a whopping 73 days with snow on the ground, the longest stretch since 2004. Burlington is reporting 71 inches as of February 24, which would be average snowfall for the entire winter, and they still have over a month left of the snow […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | March 2, 2026 0 Comments
Lawsuit at Park City Mountain, UT, Threatens Closure of 2 Lifts Park City Mountain, Utah, has yet another lift dispute, and it’s not related to the ongoing Silverlode and Eagle lift issues. UI Charitable Advisors (UI), a Utah-based nonprofit, has filed a civil lawsuit against VR CPC Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vail Resorts (Vail), alleging that Vail is unlawfully operating ski lifts and related resort infrastructure on land owned […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | February 24, 2026 1 Comment
Mountain Designer Chris Cushing Talks About His Record-Setting Expansion Project at Deer Valley, UT Creating the largest ski resort expansion in industry history takes countless skilled contractors and designers. At Deer Valley, this seasoned team is led by Chris Cushing, Principal, Mountain Planning at SE group, a 40-year veteran who heads its global resort planning practice. In his role, Cushing directs all aspects of mountain planning and design services at the SE group. In […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | February 23, 2026 0 Comments
Could Park City Mountain Resort, UT, Finally Get Long-Awaited Lift Upgrades? Vail Resorts resubmitted the Silverlode and Eagle lift projects in hopes of upgrading the two major lifts at Park City Mountain Resort. The nearly 4-year controversy started when PCMR got approval for a conditional use permit, effectively fast-tracking the project through the council. Now they are back again, attempting to get approved by the Park City town council so skiers […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | February 13, 2026 1 Comment
Solitude Mountain, UT, Scraps Paid Parking on Fridays Due to Difficult Season As Utah’s winter season has been anything but normal, Solitude Mountain is scaling back its parking reservations. On Fridays, you no longer need a reservation, and parking on those days is now free until the end of the season. Importantly, while paid parking and reservations are no longer required on Friday, they are still required for Saturday and Sunday. If you […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | February 8, 2026 0 Comments
Aspen Snowmass, CO, Temporarily Closes Big Burn Express During The Week Snowmass is one of four world-class ski destinations in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. Last week, the resort closed the Big Burn Lift on weekdays, citing “redundancy” with the Sheer Bliss lift. During the week, skiers and riders can access the same terrain using the Sheer Bliss lift. The lift closure was motivated by the Ullrhof Restaurant construction, which […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | January 29, 2026 0 Comments
The Top 10 Most Unique Chairlifts In The World In the world of skiing, most people don’t think about chairlifts, but some are very unique. Here is a list of the 10 most unique chairlifts in the world (we excluded trams and gondolas). #10 Challenger at Sun Valley Resort, ID The Challenger lift at Sun Valley is unique for its unparalleled vertical rise among North American chairlifts. Opening in […] Brains Luke W. Smith | January 27, 2026 1 Comment
Deer Valley, UT, Report: Skiing The “New Deer Valley” Before the Big Storm Conditions Report from Sunday, January 4, 2026 The temperature was in the low 30s at Deer Valley Resort when I was there on Sunday. It was very cloudy, as a major winter storm was finally rolling in to boost Utah’s low snowpack. I parked at the Snow Park parking lot in lower Deer Valley (DV), ready to ski and see […] Conditions Report Luke W. Smith | January 7, 2026 0 Comments
First Milestone at Deer Valley, UT: East Village Gondola And Pinyon Express Are Open On December 27, Deer Valley Resort, Utah, launched the first batch of new terrain. Opening up never-before-skied terrain, via Pinyon Express and the flagship 10-person East Village Gondola, this marks a major milestone for the evolving Utah resort. Guests were greeted with 5 inches of new snow, donuts, and hot cocoa, along with two brand new lifts opening for the […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 28, 2025 0 Comments
Completing A 10-year Vision, Big Sky Resort, MT, Opens The Explorer Gondola and Kircliff Observation Deck The new Explorer Gondola at Big Sky Resort, Montana, replaces the last original lift and is now complete and open to the public. The recently decommissioned Explorer double chair was the resort’s last original chairlift. The new gondola takes guests from the base area to the bowl adjacent to the Lone Peak Tram. Pedestrians and skiers can walk from the top of the gondola […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 24, 2025 0 Comments
The Top 10 Longest Ski Runs in North America If you are in the market for long and leisurely cruisers, check out some of these runs known for their extreme length and stately views at resorts throughout the North American West. These mostly groomed beginner or intermediate cruisers are known purely for their significant length, testing the endurance of most skiers and riders. Traversing across multiple mountain areas and […] Brains Luke W. Smith | December 22, 2025 6 Comments
Digging into Utah’s Mining History Ahead of Deer Valley’s Expansion Extell, the well known NYC real estate developer, has expanded westward with its flagship Deer Valley East Village development. The village is set to become a $5 billion masterpiece, but the land the village is sitting on has centuries of history, and was once home to the Mayflower Mine, which was operational from 1929 until 1972. Related: Deer Valley, UT, Invites […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 9, 2025 0 Comments
Potential Labor Strike Looms at Telluride Resort, CO, As Ski Season Begins On Saturday December 6 Telluride Ski Resort could be in for a bumpy start of the 2025-26 season, as the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) has authorized a strike against Telluride (Telski). The potential strike comes as a result of their fight for a fair contract for employees after their last contract expired in August 2025. The TPSPA recently voted unanimously to authorize […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 5, 2025 0 Comments
Stratton Mountain—Southern Vermont’s Highest Peak—Releases Long Term Development Plan Located on Southern Vermont’s highest peak, Stratton Mountain Resort recently updated its master plan and invested 15 million dollars for the upcoming 2025-26 season. This Alterra-owned resort is one of two in the Northeast where skiers and riders can enjoy unlimited access with the full Ikon pass. Less than 50 miles away, nearby Killington has been in the headlines for […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 3, 2025 2 Comments
Arapahoe Basin, CO, Keeping The “Legend” Alive With an Abundance of Investment Coming in New Master Plan [UPDATED: 8:25 a.m. PST, December 2, 2025] Arapahoe Basin, known as the “legend” for its long season and local vibe, is committed to significant infrastructure investments as outlined in its Master Development Plan (MDP). The proposed MDP, first introduced in 2023 before Alterra’s 2024 acquisition of Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin), is set to keep the “Legend” alive for decades. A-Basin sits in […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 2, 2025 1 Comment
Angel Fire Resort, NM, Adds Double Black Diamond Terrain for the First Time in History Located in New Mexico, Angel Fire Resort offers a mix of ski terrain from beginner to expert. This year, the resort grows its offerings with the addition of double black diamond expert terrain for the first time in its 59-year history. Intermediate skiers don’t need to worry; there are also several new blue runs debuting this year. These additions will […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | November 15, 2025 0 Comments
A Battle for Park City Mountain, UT: Billionaire Matthew Prince vs. Vail Resorts Empire The idea of returning Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) back to local ownership was revived by Park City local Matthew Prince. In an October 27 Zoom video conversation with SnowBrains, the billionaire founder of Cloudflare said local ownership of PCMR is inevitable. It reignited a debate that began in May 2025, when Prince bought the historic Townlift Plaza, saving it […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | November 5, 2025 2 Comments
Deer Valley, UT, Has Added More Terrain in 1 Season Than Many Destination Ski Resorts Have Total Acreage Deer Valley has been in the midst of a massive expansion, with 2,000 skiable acres opening this season in addition to the 300 new acres added last season. It’s hard to fathom a resort more than doubling its size in two seasons with the bulk of the expansion opening this season. The largest expansions prior to this were less than […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | October 27, 2025 0 Comments
Deep Powder, Deep Pockets: Major Investments Drive the Competitive Utah Ski Scene It’s been six months since Utah ski resorts closed in April, and major projects have been set in motion since to enhance the ski experience for guests this winter and beyond. Skiers and riders may already be familiar with Deer Valley’s massive terrain expansion, which includes a new base village and around 2,000 new acres of skiable terrain. While Deer […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | October 4, 2025 0 Comments
Upgrade Plans at Purgatory Resort, CO, Derailed by County, U.S. Forest Service In April 2025, Purgatory Resort in Southern Colorado announced that it planned to invest $6 million into the mountain. A large part of that is going towards the Gelande lift, a new fixed-grip triple lift which had originally been scheduled to open for the 2025-26 winter season. The proposed lift would originate from the Gelande overflow parking lot and terminate […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | September 17, 2025 0 Comments
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