8 Ski Resort Upgrades To Look Forward to This Season

1. Deer Valley Resort, Utah—The East Village 

Deer Valley Resort, Utah, is well on its way to becoming one of North America's largest ski destinations. This winter, the ski area is unveiling the first step of this audacious goal: the East Village.

The early iteration of the East Village will include a rental shop, complimentary ski storage, ticketing, and 500 additional day-skier parking spaces. Three new lifts, the Keetley Express, Aurora, and Hoodoo Express, are also part of the 2024-2025 expansion, accessing 300 new skiable acres and several runs. The Keetley Express functions as the bridge between the East Village and Deer Valley's pre-existing terrain footprint. The East Village will eventually include full base area trappings, but you can catch a quick glimpse of the future this winter.

2. Big Sky Resort, Montana—Madison 8 

Big Sky Resort, Montana, is debuting the new Madison 8 chairlift this winter, which replaces the Six Shooter. The Madison 8 is part of the sleek Doppelmayr D-Line family. It's set to become the longest eight-person chairlift in the world and effectively double uphill capacity.

With its completion, Big Sky is the only ski resort in the world with three bubble D-Line lifts. The recent flurry of lift construction at Big Sky—which included the new Lone Peak Tram last winter—positions the resort as a North American ski infrastructure leader. Up next is the two-stage Explorer Gondola, coming winter 2025-2026.

3. Powder Mountain, Utah—Four New Lifts, Terrain Parks 

A lot is changing at Powder Mountain, Utah, this season. Terrain hounds will be pleased to hear that the resort is bolstering its infrastructure with four new lifts. Two of these lifts—Timberline and Paradise—are replacements. The all-new Lighting Ridge chairlift accesses a zone that used to be only accessible by foot and snowcat, adding 900 additional acres of expert and intermediate lift-served terrain. The zone's bowls, glades, and chutes present a powder day fantasy. Terrain parks have also returned to Powder Mountain for the first time since 2020. Freestylers, rejoice.

However, the fourth new lift, Raintree, falls into more controversial territory. This lift will only be accessible by Powder Haven members—people who've bought into Powder Mountain's new public-private model for homeowners. Powder Mountain also caused a stir when it announced that the mountain would only be accessible to passholders on weekends during the month of February. If you have a pass, this probably comes as welcome news—those who wanted to visit Powder Mountain with day tickets that month were less enthused, though.

4. Alpental, Washington—Internationale Chair 

Alpental, Washington, has long had a funky lift layout. Two lifts, Edelweiss and Armstrong, bore the brunt of powder traffic, creating the potential for skier bottlenecks. This winter, with the introduction of the all-new Internationale lift, that status quo should change.

The lift is accessible via Sessel and provides another entrance point to the Back Bowls, which are Alpental's primary draw for advanced and expert skiers. Other runs, like Knoll Zero, Snake Dance, Felson, and Lower International, are within the new chair's terrain network. When Internationale comes online, Alpental's skier flow should look radically different than it did in the past. I, for one, can't wait to give the new lift a spin this winter.

5. Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho—MTN Adventure Center, Cheap Beginner Tickets

Brundage Mountain Resort, Idaho, gave its base area a makeover with the fresh, clean-looking MTN Adventure Center. Known as the MAC, this 18,000-square-foot facility boasts tons of features, streamlining the arrival experience. Included within this new facility are a demo shop, tune shop, retail shop, cafe, locker rooms, and the MTN Sports School. Now, you can grab a quick breakfast and drop by for a ski tune—all in one place.
 
Brundage has also added an affordable ticket program for beginners. Tickets that provide access to the "Beartopia" beginner area now only cost $30 online, lowering the financial hurdle for those who want to give skiing a try.

6. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming—Sublette Chair

Sublette is a Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, classic. The lift, which accesses a slew of iconic and challenging terrain, will look spiffier this coming season thanks to a new Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA) model. The updated chair features LPOA's heaviest seats, making for a smooth ride when that wild Teton weather rolls in. Historically, the ride up Sublette took about ten minutes. This winter, with the updated chair in place, it'll take only about four minutes to whisk skiers 1,600 vertical feet upwards. Sublette's replacement marks JHMR's sixth new lift in the past 10 years.

7. Lake Louise Ski Resort—Pipestone Express 

Heating elements and a bubble make for a comfortable ride on the new Pipestone Express at Lake Louise, Alberta. The high-speed, six-person lift expedites the trip to Lake Louise's upper mountain area by working in concert with the pre-existing Glacier Express and Top of the World chairs. The Pipestone touts a 2,000-people-per-hour capacity, cutting through prospective powder day congestion. Less time standing around makes for happy skiers, we say—hot laps are on the menu at Lake Louise.

8. Crystal Mountain, Washington—Mountain Commons Lodge 

Crystal Mountain, Washington, is taking a big step forward with the Mountain Commons Lodge this winter. The lodge completely reimagines the resort's look with a more modern vibe, featuring steel, glass, and exposed wood. Inside the 25,000-square-foot building, skiers will find a retail store, additional bathrooms (it's true—brand new bathrooms make the pre-skiing ritual better), and the Brew 62 Cafe. Outside the lodge is a slopeside area with walk-up bar access. The aptly named Bootpack Bar serves adult beverages on the Mountain Commons' second floor.

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