On September 9, a helicopter set the towers for Hail Peak Express into the ridge above Deer Valley East Village. According to the Park Record, it is the final lift of the resort's Expanded Excellence plan and the 11th new lift since 2024. With Hail Peak running, Deer Valley expects 4,500 skiable acres and 32 lifts for the 2026-27 season.
The buildings at the base won't be ready on the same schedule. Deer Valley's June 29, 2026 update moves both the Deer Valley East Village Lodge and Park Peak Lodge to the 2027-28 winter. So for one season, the east side will have all of its terrain and lifts but only a temporary base. If you start your ski days off US-40, plan this winter around the lifts, the parking lot and the snow. The lodge amenities come later.
Hail Peak is the lift closest to the car
The resort's specs show how Hail Peak Express differs from the two other chairs that leave the East Village base. It carries 2,400 skiers per hour on 86 chairs and rises 1,130 vertical feet. Pioche Express, which goes to Pioche Point, rises 737 feet and carries 1,800 per hour. Neptune Express, the second route to Pioche Point, matches Hail Peak's hourly capacity but rises 764 feet. That makes Hail Peak the biggest vertical climb of the three chairs that start at the base, and it sits next to the lot.
Garrett Lang, Deer Valley's senior director of mountain operations, told the Park Record that being close to the East Village parking lot makes Hail Peak a natural choice for early runs, or for warming up before heading across the rest of the mountain. The lift serves 200 acres and seven new runs: groomed beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain that Lang compared to Flagstaff Mountain on the resort's west side. The resort has published the name of only one run so far. "Hill Yeah" honors Hill Air Force Base and is tied to Deer Valley's Salute to Service program.
The chairs match the rest of the expansion. Lifts such as HooDoo, Neptune, Pioche, Galena, Vulcan and Revelator use Doppelmayr Uni-G carriers with full-length backs and upgraded suspension, and the Park Record reports Hail Peak's chairs share that design.
What the base offers until 2027-28
Until the permanent lodges open, East Village will run on a smaller setup. KPCW reported on August 31 that guests can use the temporary skier services building while the East Village Lodge is under construction. Before last season, Deer Valley's operations director described that building as an 8,000-square-foot facility with some dining, rentals and retail. That description was for 2025-26. The resort hasn't published a list of services for this winter.
Here is how this season compares with the next one, based on the resort's June schedule and KPCW's reporting:
| Facility | Winter 2026-27 | Winter 2027-28 |
|---|---|---|
| Hail Peak Express, Pioche Express, Neptune Express | Operating, with Hail Peak new this season | Operating |
| East Village Gondola to Park Peak | Operating | Operating |
| East Village base services | Temporary skier services building | East Village Lodge with ski school, rentals and food hall |
| Park Peak Lodge | Dining areas, restaurant and bar under construction | Open, with a patio, two bars and eight dining options |
Park Peak's core and shell are scheduled for completion by fall 2026, and interior work will continue through the winter. The site has no road access in winter. Lang told KPCW that crews reached it by snowcat or by riding the East Village Gondola last season, and this winter the building supplies will also go up by gondola. When the resort opened the gondola, it described a 10-passenger cabin and a ride of nearly three miles that takes about 15 minutes. Expect to share that ride with construction traffic heading to the summit this winter.
Why snow matters more on the east side this year
The expansion had its first full season last winter, and the snow didn't cooperate. Lang told KPCW:
"As amazing as last year was, and getting that terrain open and everything, we just weren't able to see its full potential."
The resort's response is a reservoir. Its June update describes a new 10-million-gallon pond in a drainage just southwest of Park Peak Lodge that will work with the existing Summit Pump House to move 10,000 gallons per minute. Deer Valley says the pond will be able to send water to every snowmaking gun on the east side, and with another 10,000 gallons per minute from Ventana, the east system will total 20,000 gallons per minute. Resort-wide snowmaking coverage rises to 932 acres this season. Deer Valley says 80 to 90 percent of the water used for snowmaking returns to its source, which is either the Jordanelle Reservoir or the Provo River.
Alterra Mountain Company, Deer Valley's parent company, announced on September 9 that it is investing more than $350 million across its resorts for 2026-27. The Park Record reports that at Deer Valley, the main focus is snowmaking and Hail Peak Express.
Family terrain and a better link to the original mountain
Two smaller planned changes should make it easier to spend a whole day on the east side. The first is a new family snow-feature zone, tentatively planned for Pirate King, a green run off Pioche Express. It will have rollers and berms for a mild ski-cross feel. Humbug will get flowy rollers, and McHenry will have its own family-friendly area. Because Pioche Express starts at the East Village base, families can reach that zone directly from the parking lot.
The second change is a forest health project. As part of its wildfire-mitigation plan, the resort plans to clear the Triangle Trees area, the section that joins Deer Valley's original terrain to the east-side expansion. Deer Valley says the work will make it easier for skiers to move between the two. The resort also describes new storage for East Village Gondola cabins and Keetley Express chairs, so crews can service individual carriers without closing the whole lift.
The calendar before the first chair
The parking lot is what makes the east side work this winter, so the logistics deserve a check before December:
- Opening day. Deer Valley is scheduled to open to the public on Saturday, December 5, 2026, conditions permitting. Hail Peak Express is announced for winter 2026-27 without a separate opening date.
- Parking. The East Village lot has 1,200 spaces and is free all day, according to the Park Record's September report. Complimentary trams carry skiers from the lot to the base. None of the 2026 material we reviewed mentions a parking reservation requirement at East Village.
- Jordanelle lot. Last season's premium-parking pilot applied only to the Jordanelle lot, and the resort said it would review the pilot for future seasons. No rules for 2026-27 have been announced.
- Ikon Pass dates. Ikon passholders must reserve specific ski dates at Deer Valley for 2026-27, and the resort recommends booking early.
Deer Valley's expansion materials describe East Village as an approach off US-40 that skips driving through Park City. Last season's pass scans showed skiers caught on quickly. Lang told KPCW that the number of skiers starting their day at East Village "increased steadily throughout the course of the season as word got out and as people realized that it was so much more convenient than having to deal with traffic in Park City." He expects that trend to continue this season. More skiers are expected to use the same 1,200 spaces this winter, and the new chair next to the lot adds another reason to arrive early.
The East Village base is still changing, and how it develops will shape life along the Jordanelle side of Park City for years. If you'd like to talk through what Deer Valley's east-side buildout means for Tuhaye and the homesites near it, Tricia Cohen is happy to walk through it with you. Schedule a Private Consultation.
