MIDA, the state agency founded to serve veterans and military members, expanded its projects in Wasatch County during its board meeting Aug. 14. The projects are known collectively as the Military Recreation Facility Project Area.
The new land surrounds Deer Valley Resort’s Jordanelle Express gondola and is owned by Deer Crest. MIDA spokesperson Kristin Kenney Williams said MIDA will begin a master planning process for the parcels to be developed but offered no additional details.
The Wasatch County project area began with 40 acres along U.S. 40 in 2012 and has grown exponentially, largely thanks to thousands of acres owned by Deer Valley East Village developer Extell. MIDA now oversees billions of dollars’ worth of development there, including East Village and the SkyRidge development.
MIDA is governed by a board of appointed, not elected, officials.
It was founded, in part, to create new military recreation opportunities after the closure of a seven-room military lodge near Snowbasin in the 1990s. It replaced that lodge with the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, where, out of nearly 400 rooms, 100 are set aside for the military to book at discounted rates based on rank.
MIDA Executive Director Paul Morris said Thursday active duty and retired servicemembers staying at the hotel are also eligible for discounted Deer Valley ski lift tickets. Ticket prices are likewise tiered by rank.
Morris said he became “concerned” that military guests staying at the hotel might not be able to afford the resort’s lift tickets – a Saturday skiing at Deer Valley costs $300 per adult for much of the winter.
“We got concerned that if you’re a military person, got this nice discount, stay in this beautiful hotel – can you ski? Can you afford to ski?” he said. “One of their officials said, ‘That would be so embarrassing.’”
Morris said he asked the resort’s chief operating officer, Todd Bennett, to come up with a discount. Eligible military members can purchase day passes for $89–$129, depending on their seniority.
Williams, the MIDA spokesperson, said the discounts were also in place for the 2024-25 winter season.
Only service members staying in military rooms at the Grand Hyatt are eligible. Deer Valley separately offers military discounts; a military ski pass on a typical winter Saturday costs about $250.
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