What's New at Utah Ski/Snowboard Resorts for 2024/25 Season

While you were tanning on the beach somewhere, or lining up with a zillion other tourists in Barcelona or Venice, resorts in Utah were working full-time adding new lifts and snowmaking, smoothing out terrain, even adding major expansions along with added parking.

Those improvements will come in handy in 2034, when the Winter Olympic Games return to Salt Lake City and the downhill gems nearby.

Here’s what’s new in Utah for the 2024/25 season. In alphabetical order, since that’s the only fair way.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter at the top of the gondola at Snowbasin

IKON Pass Info for 2024/25 Season

Epic Pass Info for 2024/25 Season

Alta

Improvements have been made to the approaches at the top of the Collins lift on Mambo and on the Ballroom traverse and the High traverse.

Also, there are new covered Sunkid conveyors at the Albion Base Area for beginners.

ecoxplorer tip – I have found deep powder stashes in the Albion area that are great fun for more ‘s great for expert skiers, also.

Brian Head Resort

Brian Head celebrates its 60^th Anniversary in January 2025, with a series of on-mountain activities and events.

There are three new trails – two for beginners and one for intermediates – part of a $1.4 Million budget for capital improvements.

ecoXplorer tip – This resort is the furthest from Salt Lake City, but worth the extra drive.

Brighton Resort

There’s new night skiing and snowboarding at the Millicent Chairlift, and increased snowmaking off the Great Western and Snake Creek chairlifts.

Brighton also has added eco-friendly hybrid electric snowcats and an electric snowmobile for operations.

ecoXplorer tip – Brighton is quite possibly the most popular resort in Utah for snowboarders, in part because lift prices are more affordable than elsewhere.

Deer Valley

Where to start? 300 new acres of terrain with three new chairlifts and a new base area with expanded parking. Details –

The new terrain is being called Deer Valley East Village, and is being opened in bits and pieces as it is developed. That’s where the new lifts and 500 new parking spots are located.

Keetley Express will be Deer Valley’s first six-person chairlift with a protective bubble, scheduled to open in December.

The new lift will connect the new Deer Valley East Village to the main area, dropping skiers near the bottom of the Sultan lift on Bald Mountain.

The other new lifts are Hoodoo Express and Aurora, both servicing beginner-level terrain.

ecoxplorer tip – Skiers only, no snowboarders allowed at Deer Valley, or at Alta.

Park City Mountain

There’s new snowmaking at Canyons Village, to allow terrain accessed via the popular Tombstone Express to open earlier in the season.

ecoxplorer tip – The Canyons side tends to be less crowded, and it also boasts several heated bubble chairs.

Powder Mountain

Under new private ownership this season, Powder is now a hybrid with some terrain open only to members and other terrain also open to the public.

The public portion gets a new lift in Wolf Canyon to Lightning Ridge, which will add 900 acres of lift-served and 147-acres of hike-to access.

The new owners also are upgrading the Paradise and Timberline lifts, adding new guided adventure experiences, and creating an on-mountain art gallery with outdoor sculptures dotting the slopes.

Some weekends, such as peak holiday times, are reserved for members and homeowners only, so be sure to check the website so you are not turned away on arrival.

ecoxplorer tip – get a guide, since it’s easy to get lost here and wind up somewhere you’ll have to hike out of.

Snowbasin Resort

Popular trails Bear Hollow, Snowshoe and Slow Road have been widened to improve flow and safety in the Family Zone, accessed by the Wildcat Lift.

Snowbasin also is making other adjustments to prepare for the new Becker Chairlift, to be built over Summer 2025 and set to debut before the 2025/26 season.

The new lift will be a detachable quad, replacing the fixed-grip triple that dates from 1986. It will be a six-minute ride, getting you to the top in half the time.

ecoxplorer tip – Head for Strawberry Bowl, with wide open groomers and a new high-speed lift that opened last season.

Snowbird

The original Wilbere Chair has been shifted from a slow double to a speedy quad with a conveyor for more efficient loading, and also moved to provide easier access from the Creekside base area.

The beloved original red Tram cabin has been refurbished and transformed into a new outdoor extension of the Tram Club for dining and drinks, along with new lunch and apres ski offerings at The Atrium in the Cliff Lodge.

exoxplorer tip – My favorite area to ski here is Mineral Basin, on the backside, where there are fewer crowds and lift lines.

Solitude

The news here is about parking. Midweek parking costs have been reduced by 50% and vehicles with three or more occupants will continue to park for free.

Also, advance parking reservations – which the resort says reduced congestion in Big Cottonwood Canyon – are now required on just 46 days, down from more than 60 last season.

ecoxplorer tip – Long, open cruisers are a great place to practice your turns.

Sundance Mountain Resort

The new Mountain Camp Day Lodge is opening, with lockers, a ticket office, rentals and more. It is adjacent to recently-expanded parking with 110 new spaces.

Also, under construction now and due to open in 2025/26, is a new 63-room ADA-accessible luxury inn at the base village.

ecoxplorer tip – In case you forgot, this resort was founded by Robert Redford, an Olympic-class skier, and named for the role he played in the iconic film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

What’s your favorite Utah resort? Mine is all of them.

See you on the slopes.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.