There is a new stage of luxurious snowboarding at Deer Valley, as a brand-new bubble raise with heated seats simply opened at this ski-only Utah resort.
Whereas the latest opening of the six-person Keetley Specific raise and a few skiable terrain on the brand new East Village enlargement facet of the ski resort is a big milestone, it is all only the start of what is to return as Deer Valley greater than doubles in dimension to turn out to be one of many largest ski resorts within the U.S.
When full, the enlargement will add over 3,700 skiable acres, bringing Deer Valley’s complete to five,726 acres served by 37 chairlifts that present entry to 238 runs. And sure, it’ll all stay ski-only, with no snowboarding allowed, simply because it has been because the resort first opened in 1981.
Deer Valley’s East Village can even be house to 1,700 new residential items, 800 new resort rooms, 1,200 extra day ski parking spots, new eating places, an ice skating rink and extra to help all this new terrain. The brand new space will finally be related by a gondola to the present primary base space of Snow Park, which can also be slated for a large revitalization within the coming years.
However sufficient concerning the future. Here is what that you must know if you’re snowboarding at Deer Valley and seeking to take pleasure in the brand new East Village space for this 2024-25 ski season.
Some East Village lifts and runs at the moment are open, with extra to observe shortly
On Dec. 31, 2024, the heated six-person Keetley Specific raise opened. This formally began the method of opening Deer Valley’s East Village space.
You may take this new specific raise to the Sultan Specific raise, which takes you to the height of Bald Mountain. From there, you’ll be able to ski right down to the Snow Park Lodge or proceed your trek throughout the resort to the Flagstaff, Silver Lake or Empire sections.
The quick Aurora raise can also be open within the new East Village part. Moreover, the beginner-friendly Hoodoo Specific raise, which can hook up with a brand new, quick inexperienced run named Prospect, is anticipated to return on-line quickly.
A handful of inexperienced and blue runs that enable skiers to spend extra of their day within the East Village space are additionally anticipated to open “as quickly as Mom Nature permits,” in keeping with a Deer Valley mountain host who was serving to skiers choose their subsequent path after simply exiting the Keetley Specific raise.
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Proper now, the primary notable run out there within the East Village is the lengthy inexperienced McHenry run that may take you from close to the center of the resort at Silver Lake Lodge down a number of miles to the bottom of the East Village.
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Nonetheless, that may probably change to incorporate extra choices within the close to future, so it will likely be important for this season — and the approaching seasons — to remain tuned to Deer Valley’s real-time up to date path map, record of scheduled raise and run openings and social media pages.
You may park and retailer gear on the East Village
Deer Valley is thought for its complimentary in a single day ski storage that makes ski mornings simpler.
Whereas there are no everlasting ski buildings but on the East Village, there are short-term amenities the place you should utilize indoor gear storage, print raise tickets, hire skis and extra. Inside the brand new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, there is a Helly Hanson Deer Valley store the place you should buy branded Deer Valley merchandise, Helly Hanson ski gear and raise tickets.
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Some day skier parking can also be now open within the East Village space, so you’ll be able to drive in from Salt Lake Metropolis on U.S. Route 40 (and keep away from Park Metropolis visitors) after which take a brief complimentary open-air shuttle that runs repeatedly from there to the Grand Hyatt earlier than touring as much as the world the place the brand new Keetley raise resides. Extra parking will open within the coming years.
The brand new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley resort is open
A cornerstone of the East Village is the brand new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley resort, which opened in November 2024 and has 387 visitor rooms, a restaurant, a lounge and a speakeasy, amongst different options. The resort can simply be noticed on the East Village base, as it’s at the moment the one everlasting construction on this a part of the mountain.
The one lodging choice on this a part of Deer Valley (for now) is bookable for 21,000 to 29,000 World of Hyatt factors per evening. Whereas it isn’t technically a ski-in, ski-out resort, it’s only a quick stroll or one- to two-minute journey on the open-air shuttle to the brand new base with the Keetley Specific raise. The placement is sort of handy in the event you plan to take the brand new raise, however know that when you’ve got newbie skiers who have to get to ski college on the Snow Park base, they may probably have to get there by automobile as there is no such thing as a direct shuttle at current from the Grand Hyatt to Snow Park.
A ski college is deliberate for this a part of the mountain in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, however that will not assist if you’re heading there this season. As somebody who simply did the morning child ski college trek from the East Village space, that is the most important ache level to staying right here whereas this facet of the resort has but to be totally constructed.
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My favourite facilities on the new Grand Hyatt are the three out of doors sizzling tubs and hearth pits; they’re excellent after a day on the mountain.
In case you are touring right here this season, know that it is a new resort with new employees and is in what’s, for now, a comparatively remoted space with out a lot close by. In the course of the resort’s first ski season, it could be simply as necessary to pack a pair of “affected person pants” as it’s to deliver your ski pants. The expertise you’ll be able to have now’s probably a really totally different actuality from the one you may probably have when the East Village is totally constructed out.
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It is a large step ahead however nonetheless a piece in progress
Alongside these strains, being one of many first to take the brand new specific raise and ski a few of the East Village terrain was thrilling. However know that in the event you determine to do the identical, you might be experiencing a piece in progress with some lively development, short-term amenities and restricted facilities. You could face some day-to-day adjustments because the resort makes an attempt to concurrently construct for the longer term and open up as a lot as potential this season.
Should you keep on this a part of the mountain, it could be a time dedication or logistical problem, for now, to essentially do a lot outdoors the resort apart from snowboarding. For nonskiing actions, count on it to take at the least 20 to half-hour by car in every route you journey; throughout peak instances, weekends and holidays, it could be (a lot) longer. Whereas a resort shuttle operates roughly each two hours to Park Metropolis, it is best to deliver a automobile in the event you prefer to journey with extra flexibility.
I do not say that to discourage you from a visit right here this season however slightly to set expectations given this enlargement is a multiyear mission and solely sure items of the puzzle are in place proper now.
Backside line
2025 is a very large 12 months for Deer Valley.
Not solely is it opening three lifts and 300 acres of latest terrain for the present 2024-25 ski season, however it has even greater plans for later within the 12 months when the 2025-26 season kicks off. That is when the resort plans to deliver on-line hundreds of latest acres of skiable terrain, 9 new chairlifts (together with a gondola) and 110 new ski runs.
If you wish to wait to expertise the Deer Valley of tomorrow in all its accomplished glory, then it’s possible you’ll want to take a seat tight for just a few extra years. However in the event you do not thoughts a piece in progress and are able to benefit from what’s new and prepared now, wax up your skis and prepare to take pleasure in some pleasant service, a flowery new raise and one of many longest new ski runs within the nation.
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