All Photographs: Courtesy of Deer Valley Resort
Utah’s Deer Valley Resort not too long ago made massive strides in its present growth plan, with elevate towers being flown in and positioned for 2 of the upcoming 11 new lifts. Towers for the East Village Specific Gondola and Pinyon Specific 6-Seat bubble Chairlift had been flown in by Chinook helicopters in entrance of an ecstatic crowd of spectators.
That is all a part of the resort’s Expanded Excellence initiative, a set of tasks that can greater than double Deer Valley’s skiable terrain, including 100 new ski runs, 10 new chairlifts and the brand new East Village Specific 10-person gondola. This monumental enterprise is anticipated to be prepared by winter 2025/26, in response to the Expanded Excellence webpage.
“With the primary towers now in place for the lifts that can join Deer Valley East Village to Park Peak, we’re proud to have reached this milestone. It marks the beginning of snowboarding from Park Peak and represents a key step in additional than doubling Deer Valley’s terrain for the upcoming ski season,” stated Deer Valley Resort President & COO Todd Bennett. “We look ahead to welcoming each longtime visitors and first-time guests to discover practically 100 new ski runs this winter.”
By all accounts, that is the most important growth by any ski resort in historical past. When working the numbers, that makes lots of sense. Deer Valley’s present skiable terrain sits round 2,100 acres. After the growth is full, an extra 3,700 acres can be made out there for skiers. (We’d say riders, however Deer Valley doesn’t enable snowboarders).
The East Village Gondola will embrace 40 towers, 142 cabins, and a vertical rise of two,570 toes. The engineering marvel will function at speeds of 1,400 toes per minute, which is round 40% sooner than a conventional categorical chairlift. It’s solely the second gondola in the US to take action.
The Pinyon Specific chairlift is a crucial a part of the growth plan, as it’s going to hyperlink Deer Valley’s current terrain on Flagstaff Mountain with new beginner-friendly, high-alpine trails close to Park Peak. The elevate contains 11 towers and 6,300 toes of haul rope.
There may be nonetheless a lot work forward for the engineering crews working at Deer Valley, and FREESKIER will maintain you up to date on all main milestones.
