Powder Mountain Adds Over 1,000 Acres Of Public Terrain For Advanced Skiers & Riders
Powder Mountain, already boasting the title of North America’s largest ski resort by acreage, just announced a significant expansion that will open up even more terrain for skiers and riders. The resort acquired a 2,390-acre swath of land known as Davenport, adding to its existing footprint.
The most exciting news for public skiers is the incorporation of 900 acres of lift-served terrain and an additional 147 acres of hike-to terrain within the resort boundaries. This new “Wolf Creek Canyon” and “DMI” (formerly Don’t Mention It) territory is renowned for its expert and advanced terrain, featuring wide-open bowls, pristine glades, and challenging chutes.
While the full lift infrastructure for the new area is slated for completion by summer 2025, skiers and riders won’t have to wait an entire year to experience the epic terrain. Powder Mountain plans to offer guided adventures throughout the 2024-25 season, giving skiers a sneak peek at what awaits them.
This expansion comes alongside a $100 million investment in upgrades for the resort’s existing infrastructure. Upgrades are planned for the Timberline and Paradise lifts this summer, further enhancing the overall skier experience at Powder Mountain.
In a statment Reed Hastings CEO of Powder Mountain said:
"To refresh everyone, the previous business model was failing. While we’ve historically been uncrowded and inexpensive, we’ve been losing money, not upgrading lifts or lodges, and building up debt. The rise of Epic and Ikon have made the independent ski resort business very challenging, and we likely would have been acquired by one of the mega pass owners had we stayed on the old model.
Our commitment to Powder is to stay uncrowded. Given this, some were surprised we opened season tickets to everyone. Isn’t this the opposite of staying uncrowded?
First, we will avoid crowding by limiting day ticket sales, expanding terrain and parking, and staying out of the Epic and Ikon passes. Second, season pass revenue is very helpful to us because it comes early and is weather-independent. Third, community members knowing they can buy a season pass if they wish avoids much anxiety about waitlists or getting excluded.
Our huge news today is we’re adding more public terrain to Powder Mountain. We plan to construct a lift in Wolf Canyon, going up to Lightning Ridge. You’ll be able to ski DMI and some of the best expert and advanced terrain in Northern Utah. Wide open bowls, prime glades, and expert chutes galore. The new lift will add 900 acres of lift-served and 147 acres of hike-to access, for a total of 1,047 acres of public advanced terrain.
Guided adventure experiences are slated for the coming winter, with Summer 2025 as the target for lift installation. Surveying and planning will begin this summer, with the announcement of construction timelines and exact routing of lift infrastructure to follow.
This Wolf Canyon expansion comes in addition to three new public lifts we are planning to install this summer: upgrading Paradise, upgrading Timberline, and adding the new Lightning Ridge. And, for our homeowner community, we have contracted to buy the adjacent Davenport area on the back side of Raintree to expand the private terrain.
Our Wolf Canyon expansion, alongside limiting day ticket sales and not accepting mega passes, continues to fulfill our promise of keeping Powder Mountain uncrowded, independent, and truly a special experience for generations to come.
We understand a lot is changing, and very fast. We thank all of the season pass holders who renewed, and the new ones who have joined us for this ride."
The news of Powder Mountain’s expansion is sure to draw even more skiers and riders to the already popular resort. With its vast terrain options, variety of lift-served and hike-to experiences, and ongoing investment in infrastructure, Powder Mountain continues to be a leader in the ski industry.
