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Deer Valley
Deer Valley Resort logo.svg
Overview of a portion of the resort's Flagstaff Mountain terrain
Overview of a portion of the resort's Flagstaff Mountain terrain
Deer Valley is located in Utah
Deer Valley
Deer Valley
Location in Utah
Deer Valley is located in the United States
Deer Valley
Deer Valley
Location in the United States
Location Wasatch Range
Summit County, Utah
 United States
Nearest city Park City, Utah
Coordinates 40°37′22″N 111°29′22″W / 40.62278°N 111.48944°W / 40.62278; -111.48944
Vertical 3,000 ft (910 m)
Top elevation 9,570 ft (2,920 m)
Base elevation 6,570 ft (2,000 m)
Skiable area 2,026 acres (820 ha)
Runs 103
Ski trail rating symbol-green circle.svg 27% easiest
Ski trail rating symbol-blue square.svg 41% more difficult
Ski trail rating symbol-black diamond.svg 32% most difficult
Longest run 2.8 mi (4.5 km)
Lift system 24
- 1 Gondola
- 12 High-speed quad chairlifts
- 5 Triple chairlifts
- 2 Double chairlifts
- 4 Magic carpets
Lift capacity 50,470 skiers/hr
Terrain parks No
Snowfall Base: <150 inches (380 cm)
Peak: 294 inches (750 cm)
Snowmaking Yes, over 660 acres (270 ha)
Night skiing No
Website Deer Valley

Deer Valley is a special ski resort in Utah, United States. It's about 36 miles east of Salt Lake City, in a town called Park City, Utah. This resort is only for skiers, so snowboarders are not allowed here.

Deer Valley was a host for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It held events like freestyle moguls, aerials, and alpine slalom. The resort is also expected to host the mogul event for the 2034 Winter Olympics. Deer Valley often hosts big competitions for the International Ski Federation.

About Deer Valley Resort

The St Regis at Deer Valley Park City Utah photo D Ramey Logan
The St. Regis Resort at Deer Valley

Deer Valley is a unique place because it's only for skiers. It focuses on offering fancy places to stay and great services. Many skiers love Deer Valley because it's one of only three resorts in the United States that is ski-only.

History of the Ski Area

How the Mountain Was Developed

Skiing at Deer Valley Utah photo Ramey Logan
Skiing at Deer Valley Utah
Deer Valley Summer Summit
A view down the backside of Deer Valley's summit in the summertime

Skiing started at Deer Valley way back in the 1930s. The first ski trails were built in 1936–1937. The very first ski lifts were put in place in 1946 by local people. This early ski area was called the Snow Park Ski Area.

In 1981, Edgar Stern started the Deer Valley Resort in the same spot. Since then, it has grown a lot. Today, it includes six mountains with six bowls. It also has 930 acres of glade skiing (skiing through trees) and 670 acres of snow-making. The whole resort covers 2,026 acres.

New Areas and Upgrades

Deer Valley Ski Resort Park City Utah

In 2007, Deer Valley added a new area called Lady Morgan Peak. This added 200 acres of new trails and gladed terrain. A new fast chairlift was also built there.

In 2012, another fast chairlift, the Mountaineer Express, was added to Little Baldy Peak. This made it easier to get around the mountain.

In September 2023, the resort shared exciting news. It announced that the Mayflower ski area, which is right next to Deer Valley, would become part of the resort.

Big Ski Competitions

The 2002 Olympic Winter Games

Deer Valley Olympic venue
The aerials venue at the resort during the 2002 Winter Olympics

During the 2002 Winter Olympics, Deer Valley was a very important place. It hosted the freestyle moguls and aerials events. It also held the men's and women's alpine slalom races.

Three trails on Bald Eagle Mountain were used for the games. These included Champion for moguls, Know You Don't for alpine slalom, and White Owl for aerials. Huge temporary stadiums were built at the end of each run. These stadiums were 12 stories tall and could hold 10,000 people. Many more people could watch from standing areas along the courses. In total, about 13,300 fans could watch each event. Almost all tickets were sold, with 96,980 spectators watching the competitions. Even during the Olympics, 95 percent of Deer Valley stayed open for regular skiing.

World Cup Events

Deer Valley has also hosted the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships twice, in 2003 and 2011. It was the first American place to host these championships more than once. It also hosted the men's and women's moguls and aerials events in 2019.

The resort is a regular host for FIS World Cup events. It has hosted mogul and aerial competitions every year since 2000, except for 2003 and 2004. Deer Valley has become known as a "Mecca for freestyle skiing events" because it hosts so many of them.

Why Snowboarding is Not Allowed

Deer Valley is one of only three ski resorts in the United States that does not allow snowboarders. The other two are Alta and Mad River Glen. Since it opened in 1981, snowboarding has never been permitted here.

Sometimes, snowboarders have protested this rule. For example, in 2007, a snowboard company offered money for videos of people snowboarding at these resorts. They said this rule was unfair.

Weather and Skiing Areas

Deer Valley has a climate with big temperature changes. Summers are warm or hot, and winters are cold. This type of weather is called a humid continental climate.

The ski slopes face different directions. About 45% of the terrain faces north, and 45% faces east. Only 2% faces south, and 8% faces west. This mix helps keep the snow good on different parts of the mountain.

Chairlifts at Deer Valley

Deer Valley has many different chairlifts to take skiers up the mountains. Here are some of them:

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
Empire Express 1998 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1471m Empire Canyon
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
Northside Express 1993 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1138m Flagstaff Mountain
Quincy Express 2001 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1263m Flagstaff Mountain
Red Cloud 1990 Yan Fixed-Grip Triple 783m Flagstaff Mountain
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
Wasatch Express 1996 Garaventa CTEC Detachable Quad 1280m Bald Mountain
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