Industry News
Progress is continuing what Deer Valley calls the largest resort expansion in ski industry history, with the Utah resort preparing to open 4,500 acres of skiable terrain for the 2026-27 season as construction wraps up on the new Hail Peak Express.
In 2023, the luxury-centered Utah ski resort offered a sizable, yet not regionally eye-catching, footprint of around 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, making it the sixth largest in the state. Then, in August of that year, Deer Valley announced a master plan titled Expanded Excellence, which, once completed, would utterly transform the resort — adding 16 new lifts, 135 new runs, and around 3,700 new acres of skiable terrain over a several-year period. The expansion plans also included the construction of a new base area, Deer Valley East Village, which would offer 800-plus hotel rooms and 1,200-plus daily parking spaces to visitors.
As of the conclusion of the 2026 ski season, Deer Valley had already completed construction of 10 new lifts, doubling its footprint to over 4,300 skiable acres. These additions include the six-seat Keetley Express, as well as the East Village’s 10-seat gondola, which transports guests 3,000 feet up from the new base area to one of the resort’s highest points, Park Peak. The East Village base area is also taking shape, as a road connection, 1,200 new parking spots, and the village’s first hotel have all successfully opened.
While on paper, the completed portions of Expanded Excellence appear to be a massive success, the abysmal conditions of this past winter sadly rendered portions of the new terrain unusable. Much of the new footprint sits at lower elevations and is unfavorably oriented, facing south. This means that during subpar snow years, such as 2025-26, certain sections of the expansion could see highly variable openings.
This past winter, both the Pioche and Neptune chairs were physically completed and ready to service a total of 10 ski runs off the brand-new Pioche Point terrain pod, reached from Deer Valley East Village. However, due to what was one of the worst snow seasons in Utah’s history, neither chair opened at all. In fact, 17 of the resort’s 202 trails failed to open last winter, and a sizable portion of those that were in use faced sporadic opening schedules and lackluster conditions due to low snow coverage.
Senior Director of Mountain Operations Garrett Lang put it plainly: “As amazing as last year was, and getting that terrain open and everything, we just weren’t able to see its full potential.”
Last year’s winter woes, however, haven’t slowed Deer Valley’s expansion efforts — the resort is currently underway with construction of yet another new lift: Hail Peak Express. The new chair, which will load skiers directly from the East Village parking area, will service its namesake, Hail Peak, accessing seven new runs ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert, and expanding Deer Valley’s footprint by a further 200 acres.
Hail Peak Express, which is currently being installed by helicopter, is set to open at the onset of the 2026-27 ski season, conditions permitting. The new terrain will bring Deer Valley’s total skiable acreage to 4,500 — making it the sixth-largest ski resort not only in the state of Utah, but in the entire country, rivaling titans such as Vail, Big Sky, and Heavenly.
Deer Valley and Utah skiers alike are hoping Mother Nature delivers this winter, especially on the heels of what was one of the most disappointing ski seasons in recent memory. If conditions cooperate, this upcoming winter could be the first in which visitors can truly experience the full scale and quality of Deer Valley’s massively expanded terrain, further bolstered by this year’s addition of the Hail Peak Express.
