Deer Valley's newest chairlift, Hail Peak Express, loads at Deer Valley East Village. Its 200 acres of never-skied terrain are planned for this season. The two permanent buildings meant to anchor that side of the mountain, East Village Lodge and Park Peak Lodge, won't open until winter 2027-28. So for one more winter the resort's newest terrain begins at its least-finished base. Lunch there is served from a semi-permanent tent that the resort's own chefs called a "discovery year" operation, and the kitchen is using this season to refine it.
The Biggest Climb on the East Side Starts at East Village
Deer Valley says it has added 11 chairlifts since December 2024 and will have 4,500 skiable acres, 209 runs and 32 lifts this season. Hail Peak Express is the one new lift for 2026-27. It carries skiers from East Village to Hail Peak on the resort's easternmost edge, and the resort's specs show it climbing higher than the two East Village lifts that opened last winter.
| Lift | Chairs | Riders per hour | Vertical rise | Inclined length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail Peak Express | 86 | 2,400 | 1,130 ft | 3,975 ft |
| Neptune Express | 76 | 2,400 | 764 ft | 3,466 ft |
| Pioche Express | 74 | 1,800 | 737 ft | 4,600 ft |
Hail Peak Express has about 50% more vertical than Pioche Express on a shorter line, and it moves riders at Neptune's hourly rate. The resort says Hail Peak adds seven runs. One of them, "Hill Yeah," honors Hill Air Force Base in Northern Utah and is part of Deer Valley's Salute to Service program for service members and military families. Crews flew the lift towers in by helicopter on September 9, according to Deer Valley's September release.
Hail Peak's runs all funnel back toward East Village. That means more skiers will be ending their laps at the base where the food is still provisional.
Lunch, Second Draft
The East Village Restaurant sits at the base of the East Village Express Gondola, inside a Sprung structure. It looks like a large tent from outside and is temperature-controlled inside. The Park Record reported in March that it ran from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. last winter. The lunch menu mixed Deer Valley standards, turkey chili and a salad bar, with newer dishes such as sweet potato fries and a cold soba noodle bar where diners built their own noodle salads. The turkey chili also came as chili fries, and carrot cake sat next to the breakfast pastries.
The shuttle stops at one of the tent's entrances. The patio on the way to the gondola has high-top tables and lounge chairs under Deer Valley bunting like the decorations at Silver Lake Lodge. At lunch, a Deer Valley Chicken Shack and a beer trailer serve from that patio. Executive Sous Chef Sam Phelan oversees it with the resort's smallest team, eight culinary staff and about 15 front-of-house employees. Because it's the newest restaurant, he said, it also has the nicest kitchen, down to automated fryers. On weekends the team ran specials such as bánh mì sandwiches and quesabirria tacos to bring in diners.
Executive Chef Peter Menteer described the season to the Park Record this way:
"All in all, I think this year was very successful. It could have been a lot worse."
He said the main problem besides thin snow was that many skiers didn't know the restaurant existed. Both chefs said the most common feedback was that the space was nicer inside than people expected, and that once diners found it, they came back. The restaurant is returning this winter, and Menteer said it might run "possibly a few more" seasons. The resort is tuning it partly to bring skiers down for lunch and take pressure off a packed Silver Lake Lodge.
That second goal is the one Hail Peak affects most. The new lift gives east-side skiers a reason to stay in East Village through the middle of the day, and the tent is the only Deer Valley kitchen at the bottom of those runs.
The Buildings Going Up Behind the Tent
The tent is temporary because both permanent buildings are a year from opening. Deer Valley's September update says East Village Lodge is "well underway." Its ski school, rental shop and food hall will be built out inside this fall, with the lodge opening for the 2027-28 season. At Park Peak Lodge, at the top of the gondola, the core and shell are being finished this fall. Interior work on the dining areas, restaurant and bar continues through this winter.
The Park Peak plans show the difference in scale. Its first-floor Live Fire Food Hall is planned for about 860 seats, and the resort expects to serve roughly 2,500 lunch guests there. Park Peak was once expected to open partly this winter. Menteer told the Park Record that plan was dropped in favor of a full opening in 2027-28. Until then, Deer Valley serves East Village lunch from the tent at the base of the gondola.
Where the East Side Gets Gentler
East Village isn't only about Hail Peak's new terrain this season. Deer Valley plans a family snow-feature zone with rollers and berms for "a mild ski cross experience." Its tentative location is Pirate King, a green run off Pioche Express, the lift that connects East Village to Pioche Point. The same release lists flowy rollers on Humbug and a dedicated family area on McHenry.
The resort is also clearing the Triangle Trees area for forest health. That section links Deer Valley's original terrain to the east-side expansion, and the resort says clearing it will make the route between the two smoother for skiers.
The calendar helps families with holiday visitors too. TownLift reported that kids 12 and under get free daily lift tickets from December 5 through 11, along with 50% off children's rentals booked by phone.
December 5 Is a Target
Deer Valley plans to open December 5, conditions permitting. Communications manager Riley Elliott told TownLift that the resort could open earlier if conditions allow, and that thin snow could push it later. Last season's November 29 target slipped into December because of poor snow. TownLift also said the resort expects to open in phases, starting around Snow Park and Silver Lake. If that holds, the east side will reach its full layout a little at a time.
Snowmaking matters even more on the east side this year. Deer Valley's June release describes a new 10-million-gallon reservoir in a drainage southwest of Park Peak Lodge. The resort says it will work with the existing Summit Pump House to pump 10,000 gallons per minute to every snowmaking gun on the east side, and Ventana will add another 10,000. That would give the whole east system 20,000 gallons per minute. The resort says 80% to 90% of the water returns to its source, either the Jordanelle Reservoir or the Provo River, and that snowmaking coverage will reach 932 acres this season.
The Park Record reported in early October that senior snowmaking manager Brett Hawksford was starting the season's planning by walking the hill with irrigation flags to mark where each gun will go. His crews aim for 2 to 3 feet of manufactured snow on each run. In good conditions a gun can build a pile up to 6 feet tall overnight. Snowmobiles spread it out each morning before the groomers come through. Hawksford is also in charge of snow removal, so when a storm comes in, some of his snowmakers move to plows. The same story covered this winter's Super El Niño. OpenSnow meteorologist Evan Thayer said northern Utah sits at a mid-latitude where El Niño "doesn't guarantee anything either way."
East Village After the Lifts Close
The tent's patio is the resort's version of après in East Village. The Grand Hyatt Deer Valley's dining page lists several other venues nearby:
- Hidden Ace, a 21-and-over bar the hotel describes as welcoming "locals and guests alike"
- Double Blacks, for coffee and après
- Remington Hall and The Lounge at Remington Hall
- Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Park City, 21 and over, where the hotel strongly recommends reservations
The hotel's FAQ says hours change by season and suggests checking the current schedule.
To get there, Deer Valley's guest services page lists free parking at both Snow Park Lodge and Deer Valley East Village. When those lots fill, it sends skiers to the Richardson Flat Park & Ride, which has free transit to the resort. High Valley Transit's Route 106 page describes service from Heber Valley Hospital to Deer Valley. When KPCW covered that route in December 2024, it had just added a Grand Hyatt stop, the first public transit to reach East Village.
We follow how each phase of the East Village build changes Deer Valley, from the lift lines to the lunch tables. If you're thinking about a home near this growing side of the resort, or wondering how next year's lodges could affect the value of the place you already own, talk with Selling the Slopes and we'll walk you through it.
