Deer Valley and Extell Development Company team up to expand Park City skiing
A major mountain expansion
Winter/Spring 23-24
Written By: Heather Jarvis | Images: Courtesy Extell Development Company
It’s been in the works for years — a new ski resort nestled in the Wasatch Mountains near Park City. The hype was at an all-time high when Extell Development Company unveiled their vision for the first major ski destination to be created in the last 40 years.
Over last summer, news broke that Deer Valley Resort would be operating the new ski area, more than doubling its skiable terrain and delivering a new base village. The discussion between the two companies had been in the works for years, even as Extell moved forward with the development of what was originally known as Mayflower Mountain Resort.
Locking down a 105-year lease with Deer Valley Resort as the operator of the new terrain was a major milestone for both companies, says Kurt Krieg, executive vice president of resort development at Extell. The project adds 3,700 acres of new skiable terrain that will be completely integrated into the existing Deer Valley Resort and include additional skier services in the new village base area. While a few runs are planned to open as early as next winter (the 2024-25 season), a majority of the lifts and trails are set to open in the 2025-26 ski season. Upon completion, Deer Valley Resort will boast over 5,726 acres of skiable terrain accessed by 37 chairlifts serving 238 ski runs.
And just like the original resort, snowboarding will not be permitted.
“I think what you are going to get is not only a well-rounded experience, but also a resort you can ski at for numerous days,” Kurt says, in regard to the new, multi-level terrain.
Extell will develop and run the expansion’s hotel operations and real estate sales in the former Mayflower area. The new base area will feature multiple luxury and lifestyle-branded hotels, more than 1,800 private residences, 250,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, and 68,000 square feet for a recreation center. In November 2023, Extell announced its new conference hotel, called Grand Hyatt Deer Valley.
For the community of Park City and its neighbors, the expansion will create approximately 2,000 new job opportunities. Skiers can access the new resort area from U.S. Route 40, keeping skier traffic off the primary corridors into Park City. The new base area is also projected to add 1,200 day-skier parking spaces.
As part of the project, Extell has committed to providing more workforce housing than required by the Military Installation Development Authority, with up to 660 residences. “Workforce housing was very important to us, and we not only exceeded our workforce housing requirements, but we killed it. Because we want those workers here and because we want them to be part of the community,” Kurt says.
Another community benefit of the expansion is the addition of new hiking and biking trails. By the end of fall 2023, 21 miles were built, with a plan for 50 total miles of trail that are free and open to the public.
“Military Installation Development Authority, Wasatch County, Deer Valley, Alterra, the state of Utah, Extell, Hyatt and several other hotel brands, have really come together to make this possible,” Kurt says. “For a community to have this singular vision is really exciting — I really give a lot of credit to them.”
