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 Valley is certainly the biggest project, other resorts around the state, including Alta, Brian Head, Powder, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Solitude, and Sundance, have all invested millions into upgrades in Utah’s competitive ski landscape.
Sundance Mountain Resort will introduce 60 new acres for the 2025-26 season, including the opening of nine new trails. Coming down the line is a larger expansion for the 2026-27 season, including a new high-speed lift and 105 additional acres. Sundance’s expansion this season marks the beginning of a big investment period for the resort.
Solitude Mountain Resort has invested in snowmaking upgrades on a few runs, including Solibright Trail and the Sunrise area. While this isn’t the largest investment in this state, it marks another year of continued on-mountain investments at the ski resort.
Brian Head Resort shook the ski industry lately with its aggressive opening and closing dates, fighting mainstream ski destinations for the longest ski season in Utah. Improvements at Brian Head for this season include expanded snowmaking, new gladed terrain, and an RFID ticket system. These improvements should allow Brian Head to open early for the ski season, coming off a record-breaking 2024-25 season of 178 days. Future plans include 18 new aerial lifts in an effort to triple the size of the resort. There is currently no timetable for this project.
In Little Cottonwood Canyon, the team at Alta Ski Area has been working towards a complete rebuild of the Supreme lift. The rebuild will slightly realign the lift, removing the 8-degree bend in the lift line, which was causing the chairs to bounce, creating an unpleasant rider experience. The bend also causes more weathering to the lift. This winter, the Supreme Lift will go in a straight line from the bottom to the top.
Snowbird Ski Resort has built a brand new Mid-Gad Restaurant called The Nest. Construction, which began in April 2024, demolished the old restaurant to make way for a new, larger one. The new restaurant includes 355 indoor seats and more outdoor seating than the previous restaurant. This new restaurant is a major upgrade for guests who want a special dining experience with floor-to-ceiling glass showcasing what Little Cottonwood Canyon has to offer.
This winter marks 85 years of Snowbasin, which was ranked the #1 ski resort in North America by USA Today, Outside, and Ski Magazine last season. New this season, the aging Becker chairlift will be replaced with a new high-speed quad, cutting the ride time from currently 12 minutes to under seven minutes. The new lift will transport about 1,800 skiers per hour, a significant upgrade from the previous lift. The bottom terminal will be shifted closer to Wildcat Express, making it smoother to access either lift for a more intuitive mountain experience. Moving the terminal also opens more beginner-friendly terrain. Coming alongside the lift upgrade is RFID gate access at all base area lifts, saving guests from taking lift passes out of their jacket pockets, streamlining the chairlift experience. A major enhancement of the learning area is the regrade and widening of Bear Hollow trail. This creates a safer experience for beginner skiers and riders.
Powder Mountain has been in the midst of a multi-year upgrade project, aimed at creating a semi-private mountain experience. Powder Mountain is scheduled to open a new lift and new terrain, but only open to residents of Powder Haven, the private residence club that has taken over one side of the resort. The new lift will be located adjacent to the Raintree Lift, serving some gnarly expert terrain. The new lift will challenge experts to go to their limits. Most visitors will be unable to sample this terrain, as you need to either own a multi-million dollar home on the mountain or know someone who does and can give you a guest pass to access this area.
Park City Mountain’s Canyons Village has undergone some big upgrades this off-season, starting with the replacement of the aging Sunrise lift with the new 10-person Sunrise Gondola. This new lift will significantly increase the uphill capacity out of the Canyons Base Village. The Sunrise Gondola will also ride low to the ground, leaving it very protected from the wind. This lift upgrade represents the first new lift to be installed at Park City Mountain since 2019, with the addition of Over and Out. We anticipate that the Sunrise Gondola will substantially improve lift lines out of the base village. The old Sunrise triple chair was an unpopular lift that was rarely open. This upgrade signifies a major milestone for Park City Mountain, which has several lift upgrades planned.
Skiers and riders won’t have to wait long for another new gondola in the Canyons Village. Vail Resorts and the Canyons Village Association have agreed to upgrade the historic Cabriolet lift to an enclosed 10-person gondola, with a mid-station in a similar alignment to the existing Cabriolet lift. The goal is to upgrade this during summer 2026, pending approvals from the Park City Town Council. Currently under construction, the parking garage in the Cabriolet lot is scheduled for a soft opening for the 2025-26 season, as the first two parking levels are ready. Full opening is planned for the 2026-27 season with all five levels and 1,850 parking spots. The next few years are going to be very important for the future of Park City Mountain, as they have faced many challenges in getting lifts upgraded and improving the on-mountain experience. In an exciting announcement, Vail CEO Robert Katz recently committed to resubmitting plans to the Park City Town Council for upgrading the Silverlode lift and building a new Eagle Lift on the Park City side of the mountain.
Deer Valley Resort will look very different in the coming months. Since April, crews have been pushing to deliver on the largest ski resort expansion in ski resort history. When Deer Valley opens in December, skiers will have access to multiple new mountain areas, with everything from beginner to expert terrain. The new East Village Gondola will transport skiers to a mid-station on Big Dutch Peak and a top station at Park Peak, rising 2,570 vertical feet. This gondola will be a major workhorse in Deer Valley’s lift network. Besides new terrain, access will also be upgraded this winter with 700 more parking spaces at the Deer Valley East Village. Located adjacent to the gondola will be a temporary skier services lodge with dining options and ski storage.
Coming alongside the gondola are six other lifts ranging from high-speed quads to advanced six-person lifts. One of the main connecting points from the historic resort to the expanded area is the Pinyon Express. It is a Doppelmayr six-person lift with a weather protective bubble, serving high elevation beginner terrain on Park Peak. Also on Park Peak are two Uni-G high-speed quads, Revelator and Vulcan Express, serving what could be some of the best fall-line skiing in the state. Galena Express, a high-speed quad, will service the Keetley point terrain, allowing skiers to easily lap the long blue runs, which debuted last winter. The final two lifts will serve the Pioche terrain and new real estate developments. These mountain upgrades will help Deer Valley roughly double in size to 4,300 skiable acres.
Utah is widely known for offering some of the best ski destinations in the world, for its snow quality, large snowfall totals, and ease of access with Salt Lake City Airport, which was recently ranked #1 in the United States for on-time performance. Resort operators in Utah are planning what appears to be an unprecedented amount of infrastructure investment, including lift upgrades, snow making, and facilities enhancements across multiple resorts. There is no doubt skiers and riders will continue to flock to Utah to experience the world-class services these resorts are offering across the state.