Deer Valley Celebrates Another Major Expanded Excellence Milestone

DEER VALLEY RESORT; PARK CITY, UTAH (July 23, 2025) – Following the weekend’s successful Expanded Excellence: Future in Flight event at Deer Valley Resort, where eager spectators witnessed the aerial placement of lift towers for the new East Village Express, a 10-passenger gondola, and the Pinyon Express, a 6-passenger bubble lift, Deer Valley presses forward to deliver the largest ski resort expansion in history for the 2025/26 ski season.

“With the first towers now in place for the lifts that will connect Deer Valley East Village to Park Peak, we’re proud to have reached this milestone. It marks the start of skiing from Park Peak and represents a key step in more than doubling Deer Valley’s terrain for the upcoming ski season,” said Deer Valley Resort President & COO Todd Bennett. “Our dedicated teams continue to exceed the goals of this ambitious expansion, and we look forward to welcoming both longtime guests and first-time visitors to explore nearly 100 new ski runs this winter.”

As part of Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence initiative, skiable terrain has more than doubled in size, marking the largest resort expansion in ski industry history. 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 and 4,300 skiable acres. A new state-of-the-art automated snowmaking system and dedicated pumphouse will power snowmaking across the expansion starting this season.

. Additionally, the Deer Valley East Village will offer 1,200 day-skier parking spaces this ski season.

Deer Valley East Village Gondola – Deer Valley’s Flagship Installation

Spanning nearly three miles in length, the Deer Valley East Village Gondola is the most advanced ropeway in Utah and one of the largest gondola systems in the United States. Featuring 40 towers, 142 cabins, and a vertical rise of 2,570 feet, this state-of-the-art system redefines mountain transport with comfort, speed, and capacity at its core.

Breaking barriers in design and performance, the Gondola is only the second in the country to operate at 1,400 feet per minute—40% faster than a conventional express lift. It’s powered by two whisper-quiet Direct Drive motors delivering a combined 2,400 horsepower, bringing guests from East Village to Park Peak in just 15 minutes.

The East Village Gondola is Utah’s first 10-passenger gondola, with individual heated seats, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and cabins arriving every 12 seconds. The system boasts an uphill capacity of 3,000 guests per hour, carried by over 32,000 feet of high-performance haul rope, ensuring a ride experience that is smooth, silent, and visually stunning.

Deer Valley East Village Gondola Specs:

Stage I: 19 towers | 66 cabins | 14,000 feet of haul rope

Stage II: 21 towers | 76 cabins | 17,000 feet of haul rope

Pinyon Express – Seamlessly Connecting Terrain

The Pinyon Express links Deer Valley’s existing terrain on Flagstaff Mountain with new beginner-friendly, high alpine trails near Park Peak. Spanning 11 towers and 6,300 feet of haul rope, this high-speed six-pack lift mirrors the comfort and technology of its sister lift, Keetley Express.

Guests will enjoy six-passenger bubble chairs with individually heated seats, designed to deliver protection and warmth at high elevation. Pinyon Express is a vital connector, enhancing flow across the expanded resort and creating new access points for skiers of all levels.

Pinyon Express Specs: 11 towers | 58 chairs | 6,300 feet of haul rope

These latest advancements are the next steps in Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence initiative, which encompasses more than doubling the resort’s skiable terrain, upgrading key infrastructure, and reimagining Snow Park.

A photo gallery from Deer Valley’s “Expanded Excellence: Future in Flight” event on July 19, 2025, can be found here, with additional photos and b-roll available here. Please credit any image used to Deer Valley Resort.

For more information about the progress and future timelines of Expanded Excellence at Deer Valley, visit the resort’s website at deervalley.com/expandedexcellence.