When does skiing actually start on the Jordanelle side of Deer Valley? The resort is aiming to open to the public on December 5, 2026, conditions permitting, according to its September 16 announcement. For a Soaring Hawk household, the more useful date is the day the lifts at Deer Valley East Village start running, and last winter that came three weeks after the resort opened.
Last December, the nearest base opened three weeks late
The 2025-26 season set the pattern. Deer Valley first planned to let passholders in on November 29 and open to the public on December 1, KPCW reported. The resort then pushed the start back after warm weather limited snowmaking, the Park Record reported. The resort finally opened to passholders on December 5 and to the public on December 6. On opening weekend, skiers got in from Snow Park Lodge only, on Carpenter Express, Sterling Express and Homestake Express.
The expansion was scheduled in phases, and the Park Record laid out the plan that November:
| Phase | Lifts | Target date in the plan | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening weekend | Carpenter, Sterling, Homestake from Snow Park | After the November 29 target slipped | Passholders December 5, public December 6 |
| Phase One | East Village Gondola, Pinyon Express, Keetley Express, Aurora | December 26 | Gondola and Pinyon running December 27 |
| Phase Two | Revelator, Hoodoo, Galena, possibly Vulcan | Around New Year's Eve | Not yet open as of December 28 |
| Phase Three | Pioche Express, Neptune Express | Mid-January | Not yet open as of December 28 |
SnowStash reported that the East Village Gondola and Pinyon Express began running on December 27, and that five of the season's planned new lifts were still closed at that point. So from the public opening to the first new East Village lifts was exactly three weeks. Each of the Phase One lifts was planned to open with just one main run.
This year's plan starts on the far side again
Deer Valley is planning the same order this year. For 2026-27, TownLift reported that the resort plans another phased opening, starting with terrain around Snow Park and Silver Lake and adding other areas as conditions allow. The idea is to build a solid base early that will hold up for skiing into April.
The resort's snowmaking approach explains why. "When Deer Valley makes snow, we traditionally make it to finish the season and not open the season," Steve Graff, vice president of mountain operations, told the Park Record last November. "So once we make snow, we don't really want to go back and make it again." Snow made on the east side goes onto runs that need to last until spring, so that terrain opens when it's ready.
There's more snowmaking this year. Deer Valley now covers up to 932 acres with snowmaking, and crews usually start in late October, once it's cold enough, TownLift reported. A new 10-million-gallon reservoir sits in a drainage just southwest of Park Peak Lodge and works alongside the existing Summit Pump House. The resort says 80 to 90 percent of the water used for snowmaking flows back to its source, either the Jordanelle Reservoir or the Provo River. Speaking with KPCW, resort president Todd Bennett said the reservoir would let snowmaking run at more than 20,000 gallons per minute.
Last winter's weather mattered too. "Last year was unfortunate and kind of an anomaly in terms of the snow," communications manager Riley Elliot told TownLift. More snowmaking capacity could shrink the gap between opening day and East Village this year. The plan Deer Valley has published still opens the Park City side first.
Hail Peak Express is the reason to switch
Once East Village is running, Soaring Hawk skiers have something new nearby. Hail Peak Express is this season's new lift. It runs from Deer Valley East Village up to Hail Peak and opens 200 acres and seven runs on the far eastern edge of the resort. It has 86 chairs and carries 2,400 riders an hour, with 8,099 feet of haul rope and 1,130 feet of vertical rise. The Park Record says the chairs on the east-side lifts have higher backs and smoother suspension.
The seven runs are groomed beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain. Garrett Lang, senior director of mountain operations, compared the area to Flagstaff Mountain on the resort's western side, according to the Park Record. One run name has been announced so far. "Hill Yeah" honors Hill Air Force Base in Northern Utah and ties to the resort's Salute to Service program. The Park Record also noted that the lift sits close to the East Village parking lot, which makes it a good choice for early-morning laps or a first run before heading across the rest of the mountain.
Hail Peak is the last lift in Deer Valley's Expanded Excellence plan. The resort now has 32 lifts, 209 runs and about 4,500 skiable acres. More skiers are starting on this side, too. Lang told KPCW that pass scans showed a growing number of visitors beginning their day at East Village. "It increased steadily throughout the course of the season as word got out and as people realized that it was so much more convenient than having to deal with traffic in Park City," he said.
The East Village base is still a temporary setup
The base itself is still unfinished, so it's good to know what's there before a weekday trip. Neither the Deer Valley East Village Lodge nor Park Peak Lodge at the top of the gondola opens this winter. Both are now scheduled for the 2027-28 season. Until then, KPCW reports, guests use the temporary skier services building. When the building went up last season, the Park Record described it as the main skier services hub, with guest services, rentals, retail and seating for more than 100 diners indoors and out.
For parking, the Park Record reported in September that the East Village lot has 1,200 spaces, free all day, and that complimentary resort trams run from the lot toward the lift hub. UDOT's Wasatch Back recreation page says the full 2026-27 Deer Valley parking details will come out closer to the season, so those terms could still change. Deer Valley's Unlimited Pass page lists free premium parking at the Jordanelle Gondola for season passholders. It's first come, first served, and those spaces are shared with carpools of three or more.
A December built around the gap
With last season's dates and this season's published plan side by side, December from Soaring Hawk looks like this:
- Opening week, December 5 through 11. Plan on the Snow Park side. Deer Valley's Kids Ski Free offer gives a free daily lift ticket to children 12 and under that week, one per paying adult with a valid lift ticket. With grandchildren in town that first week, the drive over to Snow Park is worth it.
- The middle of the month. Check the daily lift report before deciding which way to drive. Last season the first East Village lifts opened one day after their December 26 target, and each started with a single main run.
- Once East Village is running. Park at the free lot, if that policy holds for this season, and take the trams in. Start on Hail Peak Express, then head across the rest of the mountain from there.
- January and beyond. For Unlimited Pass holders, First Tracks runs 30 minutes before public opening on January 6, January 27, February 10, March 3, March 17 and March 31, 2027. For Select, Midweek and Ikon Pass holders, the dates are January 6, February 10 and March 17.
Deer Valley's opening date is a target, and the resort says it could open earlier or later depending on snow. The order it has published hasn't changed, though. Snow Park and Silver Lake open first, and the East Village lifts closest to Soaring Hawk follow as snowmaking reaches them.
When the East Village lifts start running, the view back across the Jordanelle from Hail Peak shows the eastern shore that Soaring Hawk sits on. The team at Carlos Bocanegra can show you that same view from the ground this winter. Schedule a personal tour and we'll plan it around a morning on Hail Peak.
