Deer Valley Lifts & Gondolas 

What are Deer Valley's NEW Lifts Opening for 2025-2026 Season?

The 2025–2026 ski season at Deer Valley's East Village marks the largest phase of its Expanded Excellence initiative, adding several brand new lifts that opened in the prior season. This expansion more than doubles the resort's skiable terrain and integrates Park Peak and Big Dutch Peak into the network.

Here is a list and description of the new chairlifts and the gondola opening for the 2025–2026 season:

🚠 New Lifts Opening for 2025-2026 Season

The centerpiece of this phase is the new high-speed gondola, which dramatically improves access to the high-alpine terrain. Every lift in the expansion services at least one green route, including the 4.85 mile meandering corridor named Green Monster.

1. East Village Express Gondola (10-Passenger Gondola):

Type: High-Speed, 10-Passenger Gondola (Heated Cabins).

Description: The flagship East Village Express Gondola is the centerpiece of the Deer Valley expansion, a high-speed, 10-passenger lift connecting the new base area to the highest reaches of the expanded terrain. Featuring heated cabins, it offers a swift and comfortable ascent, providing both a direct route up to Park Peak and convenient access via a mid-station at Big Dutch Peak. A behemoth of a mid-station sits on Big Dutch Peak, where the lift’s two sections connect at an angle.  This essential lift dramatically improves circulation giving skiers multiple points of entry to vast new areas and thousands of new acres of skiing. This is arguably the best way to get to mid-mountain without starting your day at Snow Park.

Significance: It boasts a significant vertical rise (approx. 2,570 feet) and connects the base to the top of the new terrain, including the start of the 4.8-mile-long Green Monster run.

Sample of Ski Trails Served: provides access to a diverse mix of nearly 80 new trails, ranging from long beginner cruisers to sustained advanced pitches and different difficulty levels, including: Green Monster (green): The famous 4.8-mile-long signature green run that winds its way from the summit all the way back to the East Village base area. Age of Reason (blue): A multi-section intermediate cruising run located in the Park Peak zone. Pinyon Grove (blue/gree): A wide, gentle run leading into the terrain pod serviced by the Pinyon Express chairlift.

2. Pinyon Express:

Type: High-Speed Chairlift (6-Pack Bubble Chairs).

Description: Pinyon Express features six-passenger bubble chairs with individually heated seats, connecting Flagstaff Mountain with new beginner-friendly high-alpine trails. This lift is crucial for interconnecting the original Deer Valley terrain (near Flagstaff Mountain/Ontario) with the new expanded area. It allows skiers from the existing resort footprint to easily access the beginner-friendly, high-alpine trails and other new runs near Park Peak.

Sample of Ski Trails Served: Because of its specific role as a major connector, many of the runs it services are long, gentle cruising trails, including: Upper Green Monster (green) run, which is the 4.8-mile-long marquee beginner run spanning from Park Peak to the East Village base. Plus a handful of other new Green (beginner) and Blue (intermediate) trails that utilize the wide, gentle slopes of the new high-elevation terrain near Park Peak, which are often described as perfect for intermediate and beginner skiers making the transition to the expanded area.

3. Pioche Express:

Type: Chairlift (High-Speed Quad).

Description: Providing service from the East Village base area up to Pioche Point. This lift is particularly helpful for guests staying in the new residential developments in the area (like Marcella at Deer Valley) by providing quick access to the mountain.

Sample of Ski Trails Served: Empties directly next to Neptune Express lift, and therefore serves the same trail territory as Neptune including: Ampheon (blue), Dispute (black), Divide (blue), Minnow (green), Olive Branch (green), Nettie (green), Niagara (blue), Viola (green).

4. Vulcan Express:

Type: High-Speed Quad Chairlift (UNI-G Quad).

Description: This lift is designed to service some of the resort's best and steepest fall-line skiing on the new terrain. It is essential for cycling skiers quickly through the intermediate and advanced runs on the new mountains, particularly those skiing down from Redemption Ridge on the far eastern edge. (Originally planned as one lift with an intermediate station, but split into Vulcan Express and Revelator Express.)

Sample of Ski Trails Served: Brings blue and black run skiers back up to the Green Monster ski run for those who may have skied down from Redemption Ridge (blue), Redemption (double blue), Fallon (blue), Trilby (blue), Persistence (blue), Papa Joe (black), Ophelia (black), Catch All (black), Pay Rock (double blue), and Crown Prince (green).

5. Revelator Express:

Type: High-Speed Quad Chairlift (UNI-G Quad).

Description:  Crossing under the East Village Gondola, the new "Revy" Express lift on Park Peak features 16 towers, 86 chairs and a 4-minute ride., spanning 4,000 feet and a vertical rise of 1,500 feet. Paired with the Vulcan Express, this lift accesses the highest point of the expansion (approx. 9,370 feet). It's positioned to help advanced skiers make quick laps on the challenging black diamond terrain, such as runs like Nemesis and Hellcat, especially on powder days.

Sample of Ski Trails Served: Serves black-diamond skiers who  don't want to ski all the way down to the Vulcan Express. This includes mostly advanced runs such as Nemesis (black), Hellcat (black), Deep Enuf (black), Cataract (black), Non-Descript (black), and Bet Your Boots (black) runs on powder days

6. Neptune Express:

Type: Chairlift (High-Speed Quad).

Description: Small lift loads below Pioche Village and tops out next to Pioche Express. Provides crucial ski-out access and uplift from the southern side of the new terrain (near the Marcella and Velvaere developments) up to Pioche Point. This allows guests to easily connect to the broader lift network, including the Keetley Express and East Village Gondola.

Sample of Ski Trails Served: Serves mostly beginner and intermediate skiers on green and blue trails, including: Ampheon (blue), Dispute (black), Divide (blue), Minnow (green), Olive Branch (green), Nettie (green), Niagara (blue), Viola (green). 

 7. Galena Express:

Type: Chairlift (High-Speed Quad).

Description: Situated on Keetley Point, its primary function is to allow skiers to complete laps on the new Keetley terrain and return to the main East Village area using a single lift. It significantly improves circulation by connecting the bottom of runs like McHenry back up to Keetley Point.

Sample of Ski Trails Served: Intended for intermediate and beginner runs in the Keetley area to provide a convenient return access option, especially for skiers coming from the lower elevation areas. Trails include: McHenry (green), Lady of the Lake (blue), Yaup (blue), Lone Tree (blue), Corner Stone (blue), Lakeshore (blue) and streamlining overall flow between the Aurora base area and the broader East Village lift network.

Additional Surface Lifts (e.g., SunKid Conveyors):

Type: Conveyor/Surface Lifts. (Ski School)

Description: The base area of East Village includes some SunKid carpet conveyors to form the initial stages of the Deer Valley Ski School progression, making the learning process simple and accessible for beginners before they graduate to the Keetley Express or Hoodoo Express. Check out our Ski School page for advance planning tips.

🏔️ Lifts & Gondolas Opened During Earlier Phases

These lifts & gondolas, part of earlier phases, connect the East Village base to existing and new beginner terrain:

Keetley Express: 

State-of-the-art high-speed six-person chairlift featuring protective bubbles and heated seats. Provides the primary connection from the new East Village base to the resort's historic terrain (via the Sultan Express area). Deer Valley's first-ever bubble lift. The second is the new Pinyon Express featuring six-passenger bubble chairs with individually heated seats.

Hoodoo Express: 

High-Speed detachable Quad, serving a large area of beginner-friendly terrain near the new Deer Valley East Village base area, primarily designed to service expanded, dedicated beginner terrain. This lift significantly enhances the experience for new skiers and families by providing quick, easy access to green-rated runs in a secluded and less-trafficked learning environment.

Aurora: 

Fixed-Grip Quad, helping skiers circulate and connect out of a lower drainage area back to the main East Village hub. Its main role is to provide a crucial return link for skiers back to the new Deer Valley East Village base area, particularly from the outer reaches of the newly developed terrain. It also provides service to several beginner-friendly runs in that area.

Deer Valley Trail Names Short Stories

For true powder-hounds, welcome to a literary "Fun Pun Run" where trail signs become plot points. We've embellished the latest Deer Valley trail map, transforming runs like Age of Reason and Redemption into the vocabulary of three short, yet clever narratives. These stories are a linguistic black diamond challenge, proving that the true Reward lies not just in the skiing, but in the ingenious journey from Last Chance to Homeward Bound. Woohoo! Cowabunga! Enjoy!