Getting to the top of the mountains in Big Cottonwood Canyon should take a lot less time this winter.
Not only did both Brighton Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort institute parking reservations, which they hope will break up the chain of cars winding up the canyon every weekend and powder day, they both have installed new lifts. Brighton is replacing the Crest Express, a high-speed four-pack that shoots straight up the front of the mountain, with the Crest6 six-pack, which will become the fastest lift in Utah. Solitude, meanwhile, is upgrading Eagle Express to a six-pack. The Crest6 opened Friday and the Eagle Exptress is expected to be ready to roll by late December.
Plenty of other goodies and upgrades await Utah skiers and snowboarders this winter. The improvements range from new day lodges to additional terrain and expanded offerings for those family members and friends who don’t want to go downhill. Below is a roundup of what each of Utah’s 15 resorts is offering for the 2023-24 season.
Guide to Utah’s ski and snowboarding resorts
Alta
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 2,614/ 2,538 feet
Lifts: 5 (1 doubles, 3 high-speed quads, 1 high-speed six)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $174
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Reservations required Friday-Sunday and holidays ($25) and for early mornings Monday-Thursday ($15) from Dec. 15 to March 31
Lessons: Group and private available for ages 4+, reservations required
Child care: Daily, ages 2-12
Passes: Ikon Base Plus (5 days combined with Snowbird); Mountain Collective (2 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Installing the final five Wyssen towers on Mount Baldy. Once in, the resort will cease using artillery for avalanche mitigation in that area. Will also replace snowmaking pipes in the Wildcat base area. Skiing only.
Website: alta.com
Beaver Mountain
Projected opening date: mid-December
Acres/vertical drop: 828/1,700 feet
Lifts: 6 (1 double, 3 triples, 2 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $70
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free
Lessons: Group for ages 4+; private for all ages
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Indy Pass (2 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Added additional parking. Is in the midst of constructing a new Marge’s Cabin, a 25,000-square-foot facility that will include a new rental shop, snow sports school, skier services, retail space and cafe. It is expected to be finished in 2025.
Website: skithebeav.com
Brian Head Resort
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 650/1,320 feet
Lifts: 11 (1 double, 5 triples, 2 high-speed quads, 3 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $79-89
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free
Lessons: Group and private lessons, ages 3+
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Opening gladed terrain for all abilities under the Wildflower lift and added extra glading to the Shotgun trail off the Giant Steps Express. Expanded snowmaking coverage on the Lower Aught trail should allow the resort to open more terrain early in the season. For newcomers, it is offering its “On-Snow Experience” free to guests. A series of self-guided, step-by-step clinics is intended to prepare guests for their time on the snow.
Website: brianhead.com
Brighton
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 1,050/1,875 feet
Lifts: 8 (1 triple, 1 quad, 3 high-speed quads, 1 high-speed 6 pack, 2 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $150
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Paid reservations ($20) required daily 7 a.m.-1 p.m; 3+ carpool/Brighton passholders free.
Lessons: group and private, ages 4+; Friday, Saturday and Sunday camps
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Ikon Base Pass (5 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Upgraded the Crest chairlift to the Crest6 high-speed six-pack. Built the mid-mountain Sidewinder Grill in the Snake Creek area. Bought a Piston Bully diesel-electric hybrid snowcat and revamped its terrain park.
Website: brightonresort.com
Cherry Peak
Projected opening date: TBD
Acres/vertical drop: 400/1,265 feet
Lifts: 4 (3 triples, 1 surface lift)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $48
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free
Lessons: Group and private, no age minimum
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Updated tubing and snowmaking infrastructure. Free wifi can be accessed in the Grand Lodge.
Website: skicpr.com
Deer Valley
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 2,026/3,000 feet
Lifts: 26 (2 doubles, 5 triples, 13 high-speed quads, 1 gondola, 5 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $189-$299
Walk-up tickets available: Yes, but ticket sales are capped
Parking: Free at Snow Park Lodge lots
Lessons: Group for ages 3+, private for all ages, with reservations
Child care: Yes
Multi-resort passes: Ikon (7 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Investing $12.2 million in resort improvements and capital maintenance for 2023-24. That includes renovating the second level of the Royal Street Cafe into a 21+ bar called The Royal and upgrading the interior of Silver Lake Lodge. In 2024-25, Deer Valley will expand into the former Mayflower Resort property. That will eventually give it an extra 3,700 acres of skiable terrain. Skiing only.
Website: deervalley.com
Eagle Point
Projected opening date: Dec. 15
Acres/vertical drop: 650/1,500 feet
Lifts: 5 (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 quad, 1 surface lift)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $75
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free
Lessons: Group ages 5+, private all-ages, with reservations
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Indy (2 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Invested over $200,000 in updates to the Skyline and Monarch lifts. Saw improvements to State Route 153 and Upper Meadows Drive. Will add four new mountain bike trails next summer. Open daily from Dec. 15 to Jan. 1, then Friday-Monday through April 7. Entire resort can be rented out on weekdays via its As You Wish program for a base price of $15,000 for up to 200 people.
Website: eaglepointresort.com/covid-19-policies
Nordic Valley
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 500/1,700 feet
Lifts: 5 (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 high-speed six, 1 surface lift)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $70
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free
Lessons: Group for ages 8+, private for all ages
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Cutting two new trails into the Nordic Express terrain and expanded parking by 200 spots. Kids 12-under ski free.
Website: nordicvalley.ski
Park City Mountain Resort
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 7,300/3,200 feet
Lifts: 42 (4 doubles, 7 triples, 4 quads, 10 high-speed quads, 6 high-speed six, 4 gondolas, 7 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $299
Walk-up tickets available: Yes but ticket sales may be capped
Parking: Paid reservations ($26.65; $45 for garage) required daily at Mountain Village from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m; 4+ carpool free. Free daily parking at The Canyons in the Cabriolet lot, at all resort lots after 1 p.m. and at Park City High on weekends and holidays.
Lessons: Yes, for ages 5-older.
Child care: No.
Multi-resort passes: Epic (daily); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Introduced My Epic App, which allows pass and ticket holders hands-free access to lifts via their phones and reduces plastic waste. Upgraded and replaced cabins of Red Pine Gondola. Celebrating its 60th year.
Website: parkcitymountain.com
Powder Mountain
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 3,200/2,519 feet
Lifts: 9 (1 triple, 4 quads, 1 high-speed quad, 3 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $229
Walk-up tickets available: Yes, but numbers are capped
Parking: Free
Lessons: Yes, group and private for ages 5+
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Indy (2 days; Saturday/Sunday blackouts); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Opened Don’t Mention It (DMI), a 500-acre area with some of the most expert terrain on the mountain, for guided snowcat-accessed backcountry skiing. Replaced the Tiger Tow with a covered Sunkid conveyor lift as the first of many renovations coming to the Sundown Lodge area. The ski school building was also replaced. Added a cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trail near the Village lift with an on-trail warming hut serving hot chocolate. Passes, rentals and reservations for those activities, snowmobiling and moonbiking will be handled in the new Launch Pad Yurt. Will offer night skiing daily for $19. Free for kids 6 and under and adults 75 and older. Caps all ticket sales.
Website: powdermountain.com
Snowbasin
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 3,000/3,000 feet
Lifts: 11 (3 triples, 2 high-speed quads, 1 high-speed six, 2 gondolas, 1 tram, 3 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $195
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free; Lot A in Earl’s reserved for carpools of 3+ plus prize incentives for carpooling
Lessons: Daily and group sessions for ages 3+; private for all ages; two Women on Wednesdays sessions. With reservations
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Ikon Base Plus (5 days); Mountain Collective ( 2 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: The new six-chair DeMoisy Express, expected to be completed in mid-December, will add a wind-protected avenue to the Strawberry side of the resort. At its base will be a new heated, cobblestone patio with additional dining options. Also added 124 parking stalls to the Canyon Rim lot.
Website: snowbasin.com
Snowbird
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 2,500/3,240 feet
Lifts: 14 (4 doubles, 6 high-speed quads, 1 tram, 3 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $209
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free, but reservations are available for $20-$50/day; discounts/preferred space for carpools of 4+
Lessons: Yes, group and private for ages 5+; private for ages 3-4
Child care: Yes, in The Cliff Lodge
Multi-resort passes: Ikon Base Plus (5 days combined with Alta); Mountain Collective (2 days); Yeti (1 day)
Notable: New Kids Freeloader Pass adds a free pass for one person 18 or under to each adult, military or senior pass. Has installed the Mountain Center near the tram entrance on the Snowbird Plaza Deck. It is a one-stop shop for lift tickets and guest reservations for dinner, backcountry activities and lessons. Expects to upgrade the two-person, fixed-grip Wilbere lift to a high-speed quad in spring 2024. Fast Tracks pass/ticket add-on allows access to express lanes on six lifts (tram is excluded).
Website: snowbird.com
Solitude
Projected opening date: Open
Skiable acres/vertical drop: 1,200/2,494 feet
Lifts: 9 (1 double, 1 triple, 2 quads, 3 high-speed quads, 1 6-pack, 1 surface lift)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $179
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Pay parking daily ($10-$35; 4+ carpool free) until 1 p.m.; reservations required Friday-Sunday
Lessons: Yes, group and private lessons for ages 4+
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Ikon, Ikon Base+, Ikon base; Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Eagle Express being upgraded to a six-pack expected to open by mid-December. Added three Wyssen tower remote avalanche control systems across Fantasy Ridge which should allow ski patrol to open Honeycomb Canyon sooner.
Website: solitudemountain.com
Sundance
Projected opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 540/2,150 feet
Lifts: 9 (1 high-speed triple, 4 quad, 1 high-speed quads, 3 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $149; S-Card allows for $99/day weekends throughout season
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free Monday to Thursday except for Lot B ($25 all day or $5/hour); paid in all lots on weekends ($10-$45) but free with 4+ carpool
Lessons: Group for ages 4+, private for ages 3+, with reservations
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Improved Jake’s lift area, including a road realignment to eliminate skier road crossings and additional parking, plus a new beginner run from Jake’s lift to the upper parking lots. Lodging guests will be offered relaxation pools for soothing sore legs post-powder day.
Website: sundanceresort.com
Wasatch Peaks Resort
Projected opening date: N/A
Acres/vertical drop: 3,000/3,600 feet
Lifts: 4 (1 triple, 3 high-speed quads)
Day-of weekend ticket price: Not for sale
Walk-up tickets available: No
Parking: Free
Lessons: With reservations
Child care: N/A
Multi-resort passes: None
Notable: WPR is a private ski community and year-round recreation and residential area in Morgan County. Its inaugural season was 2021-22. It added a third high-speed quad bubble lift for the 2023-24 season, according to liftblog.com.
Website: wasatchpeaksranch.com
Woodward Park City
Opening date: Open
Acres/vertical drop: 60/349 feet
Lifts: 4 (1 quad, 3 surface lifts)
Day-of weekend ticket price: $159
Walk-up tickets available: Yes
Parking: Free
Lessons: With reservations
Child care: No
Multi-resort passes: Yeti (1 day)
Notable: Added a Pisten Bully Park Pro snowcat, brought back big air features, upgraded the High-Performance Terrain Zone, added lighting to the tubing park and resurfaced the parking lot.
Website: woodwardparkcity.com
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