When skiers and snowboarders return to the slopes this season, they will find a flurry of new developments at U.S. mountain resorts. Speedier chairlifts with heated seats and protective shields. New terrain for all skill levels. Lift-ticket technology that allows guests to keep their gloves on and their parkas clutter-free.
By Andrea Sachs
To accommodate all that interest, ski areas are pouring millions of dollars into projects that will shorten lift lines, improve access to trails and disperse crowds with additional acreage. The goal is less time standing in line, more runs down the mountain.
“Resorts dealt with a lot of capacity issues,” said Erik Mogensen, managing director of Indy Pass, a ski pass with more than 200 resorts, “so we’ve seen a lot of capital investment in a lot of places.”
A number of big and small resorts, run by conglomerates or independent owners, debuted upgraded equipment and new trails last season. Visitors can expect plenty more this year.
Deer Valley opening massive expansion in Utah
The most anticipated reveal is Deer Valley’s East Village and terrain expansion in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. All told, the ambitious plan will add 3,700 new skiable acres (no snowboarding allowed), 16 lifts, 130 runs and a summit day lodge. Off-slope amenities will include restaurants, an ice-skating rink and hotels.
The opening of the first phase will start in December, bringing three new chairlifts, 19 ski runs and 500 parking spots. The second phase, which will include six new chairlifts, 100 runs and 700 parking spots, is slated for the 2025-26 ski season.
“This expansion will facilitate even better access to the resort for our guests while offering a substantial increase in world-class amenities consistent with the resort’s original vision,” said Todd Bennett, president and chief operating officer of Deer Valley Resort, which celebrates its 43rd season.
Steamboat becomes Colorado’s second-largest resort
Steamboat Ski Resort has wrapped up the initial three phases of its “Full Steam Ahead” redevelopment project, which spanned several years and cost more than $200 million. With the expansion, Steamboat supplanted Aspen Snowmass as the second-largest ski resort in Colorado.
Steamboat’s additions include 650 acres of challenging terrain with double-black trails and steep cliffs. It also refashioned an area for beginners called Greenhorn Ranch, which relocates newbies from the frenetic base to the more immersive midsection of the mountain.
“More people are retreating to the mountains for adventure, so it’s important to welcome all levels and interests,” said Maren Franciosi, a Steamboat spokesperson.
To transport thousands more people up the mountain per hour, the resort last season unveiled the second section of the Wild Blue Gondola, the longest and fastest 10-person gondola in North America, according to Alterra Mountain Company, which is overseeing the project.
Steamboat also opened a food hall with local eateries named after ski trails and areas, plus a second-story bar where guests can perch and watch the action.
Rolling out speedier chairs and more terrain
Other resorts are also expanding and upgrading, though on a smaller scale than Deer Valley and Steamboat.
Elsewhere in Colorado, Copper Mountain replaces a four-person chairlift with a high-speed six-person lift, and Snowmass will swap in its old Coney Glade chair for a high-speed quad that will extend to the base area. At Aspen, the Hero’s expansion increases the mountain’s lift-accessible terrain by 20 percent. Keystone is adding more than 500 acres of high-alpine terrain and an express chairlift that eliminates the need to hike to Bergman and Erickson bowls.
Hunter Mountain Resort, in Upstate New York, is making similar changes, replacing a four-person lift with the high-speed, six-person Broadway Express, which will more than double capacity. As part of Big Sky Resort’s 10-year plan, that Montana ski area swapped a six-person lift for the Madison 8, which features heated seats and a bubble that protects riders from the waist up. The lift, which will begin operations in December, will nearly double capacity, to 2,745 riders per hour; lower ride time by 30 percent; and set the world record as the longest eight-person lift, according to the resort.
Resorts in between them have been upgrading, too. Michigan’s Boyne Mountain, in its mission to become “the most advanced lift infrastructure in the Midwest,” celebrated its 75th anniversary last season with a new 400-foot covered conveyor and a three-person chairlift deemed the fastest in the region.
“Boyne Resorts is installing some of the most advanced lifts in the U.S. right now,” said Kelly Pawlak, the outgoing president and chief executive of the National Ski Areas Association.
Freezing prices and scanning tickets faster
The combination of high lift-ticket prices and packed slopes means that some guests may be paying more for fewer runs. In response, several ski areas have introduced initiatives and technological innovations to limit costs and wait times.
Starting in late December, Arapahoe Basin, west of Denver, will roll out a parking reservation system that requires visitors to book a spot for arrivals before 1 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Vail Resorts is aiming to streamline the ticketing process with its mobile lift ticket and pass technology at its North American properties. Guests can purchase daily tickets or passes on the free My Epic app, and a scanner will read their ticket from inside their parka or pants pocket.
To curb escalating costs, meanwhile, Pacific Group Resorts’ ski areas have introduced Mission Affordability pricing. The company’s destinations, which include Wintergreen Resort in Virginia, Wisp in Maryland, Ragged Mountain Resort in New Hampshire and Jay Peak in Vermont, are freezing or reducing ticket prices. They’re also offering special packages, multi-resort passes and free learning programs.
Purgatory Resort in Colorado is bringing back demand-based pricing; for the second year, visitors can score $9 tickets on quiet days, nearly 10 times cheaper than peak dates. And, on the gear front, Killington in Vermont is renting Gore-Tex pants and jackets, saving guests from having to purchase pricey sports apparel.
“Prices have been going up pretty dramatically for all four seasons, but we have been seeing pricing resistance at a lot of the independents,” Mogensen said. “They cater more toward families, so this is huge.”
