Written by: Laurenz Busch
For the 2025/26 ski season, Deer Valley Resort entered a new era. Long known for polished service, skiers-only terrain, and a carefully managed guest experience, the resort has more than doubled its skiable terrain while adding new lifts, new runs, expanded skier services, and a second base area designed to change how guests arrive, move, and stay.
A New Era Of ‘Expanded Excellence’
The changes are part of Deer Valley’s resort-wide “Expanded Excellence” initiative, a sweeping collection of projects centered on new terrain, Deer Valley East Village, Snow Park Village, and other major on-mountain infrastructure first announced in 2023. The scale is difficult to ignore with more than 4,300 skiable acres, 31 lifts, more than 200 runs, seven bowls, and a new portal at East Village with 1,200 day-skier parking spaces.
“What we’ve accomplished is something that’s never been done before in the history of skiing, and it’s only the beginning,” says Deer Valley Resort President & Chief Operating Officer Todd Bennett. “Our Expanded Excellence efforts will continue into the 2026/27 season with more opportunities to encounter the next phase of the Deer Valley experience.”
“WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED IS SOMETHING THAT’S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF SKIING, AND IT ’S ONLY THE BEGINNING. OUR EXPANDED EXCELLENCE EFFORTS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE 2026/27 SEASON WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENCOUNTER THE NEXT PHASE OF THE DEER VALLEY EXPERIENCE.”
-Todd Bennett, President & Chief Operating Officer, Deer Valley Resort
Founded in 1981 by Edgar and Polly Stern, Deer Valley opened with just five chairlifts, 35 ski runs across Bald Eagle and Bald Mountain, and two day lodges. From the beginning, the resort distinguished itself through a hospitality-driven model that treated skiing as a refined guest experience. It has remained skiers-only and continues to emphasize service while intentionally managing lift lines through visitor capacity caps.
Before the current expansion, Deer Valley covered roughly 2,000 skiable acres, and its last major terrain expansion added a single lift and roughly 200 acres. The new phase is different in both size and ambition. With more than 4,300 acres now available to skiers, Deer Valley has moved into the upper rankings of U.S. ski resorts—without compromising what it’s long been known for.
The development has happened in phases. For the 2024/25 season, the resort added three more lifts and an additional 300 acres. For the 2025/2026 season—and most recently—Deer Valley added six new chairlifts and the East Village Express, a 10-passenger gondola that spans three miles and connects the new East Village base area with Park Peak. The gondola features 142 cabins, 40 towers, and a vertical rise of 2,570 feet. Nearly 100 new runs were also added, including the 4.8-mile Green Monster.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team,” says Bennett.
Among the most visible changes is the East Village Express gondola, which helps establish the East Village not just as another access point, but as a true second main hub for the resort. For Deer Valley, the hub is designed to make it easier for visitors to enjoy all the resort has to offer, with parking, skier services, residences, lodging, dining, retail, and direct lift access.
Simply put, “Expanded Excellence” reshapes the eastern side of Deer Valley and how the resort will interact with the broader Wasatch Back. East Village gives the Heber Valley a more direct and prominent role by providing access right next to U.S. Route 40, rather than having to drive through Park City. While “Expanded Excellence” represents more terrain and services for visitors, it’s a major shift for the region and developers.
Alterra Mountain Company, which owns Deer Valley, has invested heavily over the years, but only a few projects compare in scale. In the Mountain West, Big Sky Resort, owned by Boyne Resorts, offers one of the closest parallels, with major upgrades to high-speed luxury chairlifts, expanded terrain, and hospitality investment. Deer Valley follows a similar path, continuing to pair higher-end lodging and improved infrastructure with a vision for year-round recreation.
“I’M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF OUR TEAM.”
-Todd Bennett, President & Chief Operating Officer, Deer Valley Resort
For Western Home Journal, the expansion speaks directly to the region’s ongoing growth in construction, architecture, hospitality, development, and mountain living. “Expanded Excellence” represents continued growth for Park City, Heber Valley, and the Wasatch Back. That impact is significant. While the terrain and access upgrades are part of the story, new hotels, residences, and restaurants are expanding Deer Valley’s reach and changing what it offers visitors.
Clearly, the resort has pulled off something incredible; now it just has to keep the experience intact that made it famous in the first place.
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