SALT LAKE CITY — Few places in the ski world are evolving as rapidly or as ambitiously as Utah. With the 2034 Olympic Winter Games officially returning, the spotlight is once again on the state’s unmatched mountain access, resort infrastructure and commitment to innovation. The 2025-26 season brings some of the most significant terrain expansions in ski industry history, alongside new lifts, base area redevelopments and elevated guest experiences. As Ski Utah celebrates its 50th anniversary on December 3, the industry is looking not just at what’s next but at what’s never been done before.
Deer Valley Resort
Deer Valley skiing has more than doubled in size, marking the largest resort expansion in ski industry history for the 2025-26 season. This winter, Deer Valley will debut seven new chairlifts—including the East Village Express, a 10-passenger gondola linking the new East Village to Park Peak. Since December 2024, Deer Valley has added 10 new lifts, reshaping the mountain experience and dramatically increasing access across newly developed terrain. The resort now features 31 total lifts, 202 ski runs, and 4,300 skiable acres. A state-of-the-art automated snowmaking system and an average of 300 inches of annual snowfall ensure consistent snow coverage across the expanded terrain. The Deer Valley East Village will offer 1,200 day-skier parking spaces this ski season. These advancements are part of Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence initiative, which encompasses more than doubling the resort’s skiable terrain, upgrading key infrastructure, and reimagining Snow Park.
Alta Ski Area
The project to realign the Supreme chairlift is on track for completion in time for the 2025-26 season. This summer Alta Ski Area broke ground on an expansion to the existing Albion Day Lodge. Projected for completion in the 2026-27 ski season, the expansion will provide additional dining space for skiers, a new home for the Alta Java coffee shop, administrative offices and employee housing. Four new Wyssen Towers (RACS) installed in the Devil’s Castle and Sugarloaf Peak area will assist Alta Ski Patrol with avalanche mitigation.
Beaver Mountain
Beaver Mountain will debut a brand-new day lodge for the 2025–26 season. Known as Marge’s Cabin, the new facility honors Beaver Mountain matriarch Marge Seeholzer and incorporates the original lodge’s historic fir siding. As the oldest continuously family-owned ski area in the country, Beaver Mountain continues to invest in the guest experience while preserving its legacy.
Brian Head Resort
Brian Head Resort announced it is investing more than $1.4 million in upgrades for the 2025–26 winter season. Enhancements include expanded snowmaking, new gladed runs, upgraded rentals, and new ski patrol equipment, all aimed at improving the guest experience and extending the season.
Last winter, the resort set a record with 181 skiable days — the longest season in its 60-year history — thanks to snowmaking and grooming improvements. This year, expanded snowmaking on Navajo Mountain will allow more beginner and intermediate terrain to open earlier and stay open later .Guests will also discover new gladed terrain on Navajo Mountain. Rental services are being refreshed with more than 400 new skis and 250 snowboards.
Brighton
Brighton is serving up new experiences both on-mountain and at the base. The Waffle House, a new slopeside stop, will dish out golden waffles and warm drinks in the base area. The Snake Creek Gondola Cabins outside Snake Creek Lodge will offer guests private outdoor seating and heated interiors for a scenic, comfortable ride. Snowmaking capabilities in the Snake Creek zone have also been enhanced to ensure improved early-season coverage. Guests can look forward to the Holiday House, a mid-mountain Christmas-themed cabin near Crest 6, with food and beverage service and cozy indoor seating.
Eagle Point
Addition of the upscale Polestar condominium buildings providing direct trailside access just above the famous Tunnel Vision underpass. A Fitness Center at Canyonside Lodge is new to this season. The fitness center is available to all guests, with complimentary access for those staying at Eagle Point Resort-managed properties.
Nordic Valley
Nordic Valley has begun a complete tune up of its snowmaking system to maximize the current infrastructure, build a better base, and give guests more days on the mountain. This tune up will also provide more coverage for better access to the Nordic Express.The 8-week kids program will return for the 2025-26 season. With the same instructor each week and eight total sessions, this is the best way for them to build confidence and make real progress.
Park City Mountain
Park City Mountain is enhancing access and elevating the guest experience for 2025–26 with the debut of the Sunrise Gondola, a high-speed 10-person lift that will streamline the ride to Red Pine Lodge and the resort’s improved beginner terrain. The upgrade is expected to ease base area flow and create a more seamless experience for families and first-timers. Guests can also enjoy the launch of Orange Bubble Bite, a new signature treat available at select mountain dining spots — a playful nod to one of the most iconic lifts in the country.
This summer marked more major investments into the resort’s snowmaking capabilities. The Park City Mountain team replaced about 1,400 feet of old snowmaking pipe and added about 700 feet of new pipe throughout the resort. This infrastructure investment ensures the state-of-the-art system can continue to produce high quality snow surfaces in strategic locations throughout the mountain, improving the guest experience during the early season and ensuring good snowpack for the duration of the season.
At Red Pine Lodge, a reimagined Ski & Ride School zone features a new beginner area with varied terrain, playful features, and two magic carpets for a seamless learning progression. Just steps away, a new children’s lunchroom inside Red Pine Lodge offers a fun, dedicated space to recharge between runs. These enhancements create a welcoming environment designed to ignite a lifelong love of the sport for the next generation of skiers and riders.
Powder Mountain
Powder Mountain is rolling out major perks for 2025–26 passholders, including eight half-price Buddy Tickets with no blackout dates and early-morning lift access off Hidden Lake on select dates. Passholders will also enjoy 20% off lessons, rentals, retail, and dining, plus a free OpenSnow account, UTA Ski Bus access and unlimited skiing from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.
The resort is in the planning and construction stages of a new triple lift in Wolf Canyon that will offer lift access into the “DMI” area for the first time, providing the opportunity to experience some of the best expert and advanced terrain in Northern Utah. Wide-open bowls, prime glades, and expert chutes galore. The new lift will add 900 acres of lift-served and 147 acres of hike-to access, for a total of 1,047 acres of public advanced terrain.
The area will remain out of bounds during the 2025/26 season but those interested in getting a first look and early access to experience some of this new advanced terrain can book a guided backcountry tour through the resort.
Surveying and planning began this summer in partnership with Skytrac, construction timelines and exact routing of lift infrastructure to follow. Due to mountain operations and ski patrol continuing to assess and survey this newly lift-serviced terrain with regard to avalanche mitigation and terrain management, DMI will not open this season.
Powder is also expanding its learn-to-ski offerings, with affordable first-time group lessons and private evening lessons under the lights on the Sundown lift.
Snowbasin Resort
Snowbasin has executed a full replacement and enhancement of one of the resort’s legendary chairs, Becker Lift, originally installed in 1986. The now high-speed detachable quad will reduce ride time from 12 minutes to under seven and have the ability to transport around 1,800 riders every hour. As part of this project, the bottom terminal of Becker will be relocated closer to Wildcat Express, which will also open up additional beginner-friendly space at the base.
To further enhance beginner and family skiing and riding, Snowbasin will complete a major regrade of the Bear Hollow trail, one of the resort’s more utilized convergence zones. The result includes a widened trail base, improving visibility, expanding usable space and promoting safer interactions between guests of varying skill levels.
The 2025–26 season will mark the debut of RFID gate access across all base-area lifts at Snowbasin. This hands-free system—compatible with all Snowbasin season passes, day tickets, Mountain Collective, and Ikon passes—will streamline lift entry, reduce wait times by up to 25%, and minimize congestion at base zones.
Snowbird
Snowbird’s new mid-mountain restaurant, The Nest, offers even more amazing views than its predecessor. Featuring Swiss floor-to-ceiling glass windows on 3 sides, The Nest delivers breathtaking panoramic views that frame the valley below, along with the surrounding peaks of Little Cottonwood Canyon. Expanded seating, a single-level layout, and conveniently located restrooms make it more accessible than ever.
Solitude Mountain Resort
This summer, Solitude has invested $4.5 million in snowmaking improvements, installing a new pipeline to import water for our snowmaking system. Solitude has also added four new Wyssen avalanche towers to Fantasy Ridge, doubling the number of towers. These towers allow patrol to remotely mitigate avalanche hazards in extremely difficult terrain, improving patrol safety and allowing them to open terrain more quickly. Solitude is pleased to offer free parking mid-week parking for the 2025-26 season. Solitude has also partnered with Brighton and the town on parking reservation dates to make it more seamless for Ikon Pass holders visiting Utah.
Sundance Mountain Resort
The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort will open its doors this winter, with 63 ski-in/ski-out hotel-style rooms located a snowball’s throw from Outlaw Express in the heart of the Resort Village. Featuring expansive views of Mt. Timpanogos, one of Utah’s iconic peaks, a covered bridge spans a river running between the two wings. The Inn will also boast an art gallery with one-of-a-kind local and international work, intricate woodwork and architecture, and a rustic throwback vibe. The Wellness Center will offer daily yoga classes, and skiers will appreciate the ski valet and boot room to store their equipment.
Sundance Mountain Resort is embarking on a two-year mountain expansion, culminating with a new high-speed quad: Electric Horseman Express that will be installed for the 2026-27 season and 165 acres of new terrain, including a new alpine bowl adjacent to Bishop’s Bowl. This winter, guests can ski 60 acres of new terrain in the Far East area, as well as a new 1800 vertical foot ridgeline run that offers 360-degree views of the Heber and Utah Valleys.
Woodward Park City
New this winter, the Mountain Park Season Pass offers unlimited skiing and riding all winter long (holiday blackout dates apply), starting at just $449. Just 20 minutes from Salt Lake City, Woodward Park City is Utah’s most accessible ski and snowboard destination, with evening access seven nights a week. Seasonal multi-week programs across ski, snowboard, skateboarding, scooter, parkour, and biking return this year, giving local riders of all ages and abilities the chance to progress in their sport of choice.
Around Town: Park City
Park City Peaks Hotel will debut a bold, new renovation this fall, transforming into Hotel Thaynes Park City, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel. In Canyons Village, The Ascent Park City, Tapestry Collection by Hilton will open in January 2026. Park City dominated the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards in the 5 Favorite Resorts in Utah of 2025 category. Goldener Hirsch, Auberge Resorts Collection reclaimed the first place ranking it last won in 2023, followed by Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley (No. 2), The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection (No. 3), and St. Regis Deer Valley (No. 5).
Park City’s French Quarter, anchored by Courchevel Bistro, is now home to Le Depot Brasserie and Union Patisserie from James Beard award winning chef, Galen Zamarra. The French Quarter has transformed the corner of Main Street and Heber Avenue into a lively hub of music, food, and community.
Park City and Summit County, Utah continue to make progress toward the community wide 10-year Sustainable Tourism Plan, with over 83 projects in progress. Winter visitors are once again encouraged to participate in a car-free visitation. Learn more at: https://www.visitparkcity.com/stewardship/.
The Chateaux Deer Valley
The Chateaux Deer Valley has completed a full guest room renovation. Visitors can expect updated designs, furnishings, and modernized fixtures throughout the property. Paid parking is available on-site.
Around Town: Ogden
Visit Ogden is excited to welcome the 2025-26 winter ski season with new updates and offerings. Updates are coming to both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain with additional lifts, greater access, and improved operations.
This winter, Visit Ogden will also be offering package deals that include lodging discounts bundled with rentals and lessons. Visitors can take advantage of savings on skiing and staying downtown, such as buy three nights and get the fourth night free at the Compass Rose Lodge, along with other special offers. These packages include discounted lift tickets and unique on-mountain experiences.
New this season, visitors who book hotel rooms in Ogden can take advantage of exclusive discounts across all three local resorts—ranging from 20% off rentals and lessons to 20% off day passes.
Around Town: Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City continues its vibrant growth heading into the 2025–26 season. Rocky Mountaineer will launch its new Canyon Spirit train line in April of 2026, offering a luxurious, scenic connection between Salt Lake City and Denver, with stops in Moab and Glenwood Springs. Downtown, Cosmica opened in March and has already been named one of the New York Times’ best new restaurants in America, adding to the city’s growing culinary reputation. At Salt Lake City International Airport, Delta’s new nonstop service to Peru and South Korea enhances global access, while the airport was recently recognized as the #1 large airport in the U.S.
About Ski Utah
As the voice of Utah’s ski industry, Ski Utah is a 501(c)(6) non-profit marketing and membership association representing Utah’s ski and snowboard industry. The organization’s primary activities revolve around marketing and promoting Utah’s 15 ski and snowboard resorts and The Greatest Snow on Earth. Ski Utah is comprised of four primary pillars: marketing, membership, community programs, and government relations.