This Utah Skier-Only Resort Is Closing In on 4,500 Acres
Hail Peak Express is going in at East Village for 2026-27, aimed at about 200 more acres and seven runs if the snow year cooperates.
Deer Valley Resort is pushing Expanded Excellence into another winter with Hail Peak Express, a new chair loading from the East Village parking area and aimed at an opening for the 2026-27 season if conditions allow.
Mountain updates reported by SnowBrains put Hail Peak at roughly 200 acres and seven runs from beginner through expert. When that pod opens, Deer Valley's reported skiable footprint is expected near 4,500 acres, among the largest destination footprints in Utah and the wider U.S. map.
East Village keeps growing
Hail Peak continues the East Village chapter that already brought Keetley Express and the East Village gondola toward Park Peak. Guests arriving on the Route 40 corridor can stage from the newer base without crawling through Park City's historic core.
Earlier phases roughly doubled the pre-expansion footprint. The weak 2025-26 snow year still left some newly built pods underused, including chairs that were ready in steel but never opened. More lifts do not invent snow.
What it means on Ikon
Deer Valley remains a reservation-gated marquee on the Ikon Pass. Extra acreage and another East Village lift do not erase reservation rules or daily ticket caps. They do give passholders more room to spread out once they are on snow.
Watch opening reports before you assume the whole Expanded Excellence map is in play. Coverage, not chair steel, will decide how much of Hail Peak and the older East Village pods actually spin.