Two chair lifts, Keetley Express and Aurora, along with 300 acres of newly developed ski terrain, opened Tuesday morning at the new Deer Valley East Village. Keetley Express is the resort’s first six-person bubble lift. It drops skiers near the bottom terminal of the Sultan Express lift on Bald Mountain.
The Aurora lift provides access to circulating beginner terrain. A third lift, the Hoodoo Express, will open later this season to also service green trails.
The McHenry ski run, which begins at Silver Lake, allows skiers to access East Village from higher up on the mountain.
In a statement, Deer Valley President and Chief Operating Officer Todd Bennett said the East Village opening “represents a transformative moment” for the resort.
The new chairs provide skiers with access to 20 new runs. The East Village opening is the first phase in a series of expansion plans that will eventually double the size of the resort.
The resort will celebrate the grand opening Thursday, Jan. 9, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., with complimentary hot chocolate, coffee, Deer Valley treats and commemorative stickers to mark the occasion.
East Village is accessible from U.S. Highway 40 and has 500 day-skier parking spots.
The opening of the new base area comes more than a year after Deer Valley struck a deal with developer Extell to operate the terrain, which was previously envisioned for a new resort called Mayflower.
With East Village now open, Deer Valley has more than 2,300 acres of terrain available for skiers this season.
Single-day lift tickets and IKON reservations are sold out through Jan. 1.
