Despite Sundance Slowdown, Deer Valley Sees Solid Bookings for Rest of Season

Looking up at the mountains from the center of Park City, Utah, one might assume the ski resorts are having a bad year. Deer Valley General Manager Bob Wheaton says that’s just not the case. Wheaton said the resort saw solid bookings from Christmas through MLK weekend and reservations continue to be strong for the remainder of the season. For those who won’t make it out to Deer Valley this season there are big things to look forward to. Deer Valley, along with the six other resorts in the Wasatch Mountains, are in early talks about linking their resorts together. It would create the largest North American ski area. Wheaton said the idea would be good for Utah and the three counties where the resorts are located. One plus, their proximity to each other, typically there’s just one ridgeline between each ski area, which lends itself to a connection. While the One Wasatch plan is still in preliminary discussions, Wheaton said Deer Valley is ready for a growth spurt. The resort will likely break ground on an expansion which will add between seven and eight new lifts and add roughly 1,000 acres of skiable terrain over the next few years. ‘What’s really fun is great skiing and it will also be a whole new base area and really a center of commerce,' according to Wheaton. TheStreet’s Ruben Ramirez has details from Park City, Utah.