Industry News
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.
On December 4, Extell announced the completion of its remediation of environmental contaminants associated with the former Mayflower Mine site. Prior to this, Extell worked with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Environmental Response and Remediation Voluntary Cleanup Program to remediate the previous Mayflower Mine site, which had widespread environmental contaminants. Their remediation plan included removing soil and protecting land and water streams to create an area suitable for development. The clean up totaled roughly 442 acres on one of the most prolific historical mines in Park City.
“Transforming contaminated sites into thriving communities reflects not just a commitment to development, but a profound respect for the land and Utah’s history,” Gary Barnett, President and Founder of Extell, said in a press release shared with SnowBrains by a company spokesperson.
But this isn’t the end of the Mayflower moniker or the impact of Park City’s mining history on local ski resorts. Until 2023, there was a new ski resort planned near the site of the former Mayflower Mine. The Mayflower Mountain Resort was planned to be adjacent to the world-renowned Deer Valley Resort. In August 2023, Deer Valley ended five years of negotiations with Extell, and acquired the Mayflower Mountain Resort, with its 3,700 skiable acres and over 135 new runs. Deer Valley chose to retire the Mayflower name, and the East Village was born as the largest ski development in the past 40 years which is contiguous with the rest of Deer Valley. However, the Mayflower name lives on in Deer Valley’s existing boundary as the Mayflower lift and as the exit off US-40 for the Deer Valley East Village.
Deer Valley’s East Village expansion is the largest ski resort expansion in U.S. history. When a ski resort acquires this much terrain, it has to figure out a way to name all 135 new ski trails. In 2024, Deer Valley’s Vice President of Marketing Susie English was tasked with branding the new terrain, including naming trails, lifts, and new facilities. Deer Valley created a small group of trail name designers, including mountain operations Vice President Steve Graff, Director Garrett Lang, and communications chief Emily Summers.
Susie English reached out to Park City historian and mountain host at Deer Valley Resort, Michael O’Malley, for information. O’Malley knew he had a great deal to share about the history of the mines, and this would be the perfect moment. He worked off a list of 500-600 names of historic mining claims in the expansion area. Upon seeing the different maps with hundreds of mining claims under the expanded resort, English immediately said, “This is gold.” The team began searching through the ample list and pulling claims that would align with Deer Valley’s branding for the expanded terrain. After getting feedback from ski patrollers and other staff, the Deer Valley team removed some of the names as they were too similar to existing names on Deer Valley or Park City Mountain Resort.
The idea of naming ski trails after old mines has been around for a while. Across Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort, the majority of runs are named after mines. Names such as Ontario, Quincy, and McHenry sit on what were some of the busiest silver mines in the country. Deer Valley’s new terrain honors this history with Green Monster and Lady of the Lake. These new trails opened in winter 2024 as part of Phase 1 of Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence initiative.
As the 2025-26 winter season rolls on, Deer Valley will be debuting the largest ski resort expansion in industry history with nearly 100 new runs. The anchor of the new terrain is the Deer Valley East Village, built by Extell. The Grand Hyatt Deer Valley opened in November 2024, and a new Four Seasons Hotel is currently under construction, with much more to come as the village and mountain get built up over the next decade.
Extell recently completed the voluntary cleanup of the former Mayflower Mine, removing environmental contaminants and setting the stage for generations of mountain lovers to enjoy. The historic past will forever be remembered by the names dotting the trails, lifts, and valleys. Extell and Deer Valley are working tirelessly to ensure this project will honor the history of the region. As one chapter ends, a new one begins.
