Deer Valley is a ski-only resort in the Wasatch Range, located east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States, where snowboarding is prohibited.
Deer Valley was one of the venues for the 2002 Winter Olympics, hosting the freestyle moguls, aerial, and alpine slalom events. It is scheduled to host the freestyle skiing moguls and aerials events at the 2034 Winter Olympics. Deer Valley also regularly hosts competitions for the International Ski Federation for moguls and aerials, but is not steep enough nor does it have long enough terrain to host events such as the GS, Super G, or Downhill.
Resort profile Deer Valley is exclusively for skiers and it emphasizes on upscale accommodations and amenities. Deer Valley appeals to the ski community due to it being one of three resorts in the nation that is ski only.
History
Mountain development
Skiing began at Deer Valley with the Park City Winter Carnivals of the 1930s, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the first ski trails and other facilities during the winter of 1936–1937. The first ski lifts appeared in 1946, when local residents Robert Emmett Burns, Sr. and Otto Carpenter constructed them, largely from nearby lodgepole pines. The ski area was called the Snow Park Ski Area, a name which endured from 1946 to 1969. Deer Valley Resort, developed by Edgar Stern, officially opened on December 26, 1981. It has grown to include six mountains with six bowls, of glade skiing and of snow-making. The resort totals in size at the time.
Expansion and improvements
In 2007, the resort expanded onto Lady Morgan Peak, to the north of Flagstaff Mountain, with a new 200 acre pod composed of nine trails and additional gladed terrain serviced by its own high speed quad.Lady Morgan Express Chairlift
In 2012, detachable chairlift service was added to Little Baldy Peak with the replacement of Deer Crest with a Doppelmayr high speed quad, known as the Mountaineer Express.
In September 2023, the resort announced that it would integrate the Mayflower ski area, which is adjacent to the resort's eastern boundary, into Deer Valley. As of 2026, the resort now totals 4,300 acres.
The expansion has continued with 3 new lifts in the 2024/25 season and 7 new lifts in 2025/26. There are 80 new runs and this will increase to over 100 new runs, tripling the size of the ski area from 2,026 acres to 4,300 acres.
International competitions
2002 Olympic Winter Games During the 2002 games Deer Valley hosted the freestyle moguls and aerials, and alpine men's and women's slalom events. Three of the trails on Bald Eagle Mountain were used during the games including Champion (site of freestyle moguls), Know You Don't (site of alpine slalom), and White Owl (site of freestyle aerials). Temporary spectator stadiums were located at the end of each run, they were 12 stories tall and included seating for 10,000 people, while spectator standing areas were located along the sides of each course; the standing areas and stadium combined allowed roughly 13,300 spectators to view each event. 99.4 percent of available tickets for events at the venue were sold, which totaled 96,980 spectators witnessing competitions at the resort. During the games 95 percent of Deer Valley remained open to the public for normal seasonal operations.
World Cup events The resort hosted the 2003 and the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, becoming the first American venue to host twice. It also hosted the men's and women's moguls and aerials events for FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2019.
Deer Valley is a regular host to FIS World Cup events, having hosted men's and women's mogul and aerial competitions yearly since 2000 (with the exceptions of 2003 and 2004). The resort also hosted a skicross event in 2008. Deer Valley continued to host FIS Freestyle World Cup events in 2025, including men's and women's moguls and dual moguls competitions. Deer Valley's track record of event hosting has led it to be described as "a Mecca for freestyle skiing events".
Snowboard prohibition Deer Valley is one of three remaining American ski resorts that prohibit snowboarders along with Alta and Mad River Glen. The resort has occasionally been the subject of protests and poaching by snowboarders such as when snowboard manufacturer Burton Snowboards offered $5,000 for video footage of riders snowboarding at Alta, Deer Valley or Mad River Glen in late 2007. According to Burton's website, the point of their campaign was that such discrimination displays a "blatant aggressive disregard" for the Constitution of the United States. Since its opening in 1981, snowboarding has never been allowed, and the interpretation posited by Burton of a constitutional right to use a snowboard has failed to gain traction given the wide availability of rental skis and the fact that other vehicles like sleds and snowmobiles are also prohibited at the resort.
Climate and terrain This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Deer Valley has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Deer Valley The terrain of the resort is largely mellow as 30% of the terrain is classified as "beginner" and 44% "intermediate."DeerValleyResortPressKit24-25.pdf Expert terrain is present, however. The Daly Chutes are Deer Valley's only true "expert terrain."
Terrain Aspects: North 45%, South 2%, East 45%, West 8%.
Chairlifts Name Year opened Manufacturer Lift type Length Location Aurora 2024 Doppelmayr Fixed-Grip Quad 199m Keetley Point Burns Express 2022 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 311m Bald Eagle Mountain Carpenter Express 1996 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1474m Bald Eagle Mountain Crown Point 1990 Yan Fixed-Grip Triple 425m Bald Eagle Mountain East Village Express Gondola 2025 Doppelmayr Ten-Person Gondola 4766m Park Peak Empire Express 1998 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1471m Empire Canyon Galena Express 2025 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1430m Keetley Point Homestake Express 2018 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 521m Bald Eagle Mountain Hoodoo Express 2024 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 321m Keetley Point Jordanelle Express Gondola 1998 Garaventa CTEC Four-Person Gondola 1576m Little Baldy Peak Judge 2004 Doppelmayr Fixed-Grip Triple 212m Flagstaff Mountain Keetley Express 2024 Doppelmayr Detachable Six-Pack 2034m Keetley Point Lady Morgan Express 2007 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 835m Lady Morgan Peak Mayflower 1984 Yan Fixed-Grip Triple 1065m Bald Mountain Mountaineer Express 2012 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 904m Little Baldy Peak Neptune Express 2025 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1056m Pioche Point Northside Express 1993 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1138m Flagstaff Mountain Pinyon Express 2025 Doppelmayr Detachable Six-Pack 928m Park Peak Pioche Express 2025 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1402m Pioche Point Quincy Express 2001 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1263m Flagstaff Mountain Red Cloud 1990 Yan Fixed-Grip Triple 783m Flagstaff Mountain Revelator Express 2025 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1219m Park Peak Ruby Express 2002 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 727m Flagstaff Mountain Silver Lake Express 1999 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 2015m Bald Eagle Mountain Silver Strike Express 2004 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1559m Flagstaff Mountain Snowflake 1993 CTEC Fixed-Grip Double 334m Bald Eagle Mountain Sterling Express 2006 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1428m Bald Mountain Sultan Express 2005 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1522m Bald Mountain Viking 1990 Yan Fixed-Grip Triple 181m Flagstaff Mountain Vulcan Express 2025 Doppelmayr Detachable Quad 1698m Big Dutch Peak Wasatch Express 1996 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1280m Bald Mountain
References
External links
Deer Valley – Official website Deer Valley – A brief history