Record low snowpack during the 2025-2026 winter left Wasatch Back ski resorts with limited open terrain and early closing days.
During the Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau Fall Tourism Forum, Deer Valley President and Chief Operating Officer Todd Bennett said it was especially tough for his team. They were preparing to open 100 new ski runs and double the resort’s size.
“We went from kind of like, ‘All right, the parade's coming. We're going to celebrate.’ To it won't stop raining,” he said.
Park City Mountain, Woodward Park City and Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation parks faced similar challenges. But that led each winter sports venue to get creative.
Park City Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh said the resort’s grooming team ended up taking snow off Silver Queen and added it to Home Run to keep the route open.
Bennett said Deer Valley did something similar, moving snow from Pinyon to build up other routes. He said the resort also thought of other ways to bring guests to the mountains.
“I think we gave about 35,000 cookies,” he said. “We ran the gondola as, like, something to do, and so we you could get out at mid station and have free donuts and hot chocolate.”
Park City Mountain Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Deirdra Walsh at a Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau Fall Tourism Forum panel discussion on Oct. 28, 2026.
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation Chief Operating Officer Calum Clark said the team’s resiliency set them up to host a last-minute major event. The NCAA cross-country skiing championships were at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center because Bozeman didn’t have enough snow to host.
Clark said the foundation also hosted a Christmas festival and tubing at the Utah Olympic Park to provide another option for visitors.
Woodward Park City General Manager Gar Trayner said making it through the season took a lot of pivoting.
“We made so many adaptations and evolutions. We learned a lot,” he said. “Not one person in any organization can carry you through a winter like last year. It had to be a cohesive effort.”
With the 2026-2027 winter season about to begin, Trayner, Clark, Walsh and Bennett are taking those lessons with them — along with some new offerings.
Clark said teams preserved about a football field worth of snow from last season at Soldier Hollow by covering it so they can get a better start to the season this year.
Traynor said Woodward is introducing a new pass this year called Take Three Ride On for $450.
“You get three lessons with that, including rentals. And when you take your third lesson, you then get your season pass for the rest of the season included,” Traynor said. “It's a real testament to us perpetually just lowering the barrier of entry.”
Deer Valley plans to open Hail Peak for the first time, which adds seven new runs and a chairlift. That puts the resort’s total at 209 ski runs and 32 lifts.
Park City Mountain will open its new Canyons Village Skyway Gondola and parking garage this winter. It’s also launched a new brand platform, called “Larger Than Life.”
