Park City Mountain doesn’t plan to be the first Utah ski area to open this season. But, it might open with the Sunrise.
On Wednesday, Vail Resorts announced the tentative opening dates for all of its Northern Hemisphere ski and snowboard areas for the 2025-26 season. That includes Park City Mountain, which is slated to open Nov. 21.
Park City Mountain’s biggest off-season project has been the construction of the Sunrise Gondola. Replacing the little-used Sunrise chairlift, it will be another avenue visitors can take from Canyons Village to reach the Red Pine area. That upper-mountain area is also the destination of the Red Pine Gondola, which often operates on opening day.
With three months still to go, Park City Mountain has not disclosed which lifts it plans to run on opening day. However, the 10-person Sunrise Gondola could be a viable option if it is completed in time. A resort spokesperson said the gondola is on track to be completed in time for the start of the season.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Opening day at Park City Mountain Resort, on Friday, Nov 22, 2024.
“This season is one of the most exciting yet at Park City Mountain,” Deidra Walsh, the resort’s vice president and chief operating officer, said in a Wednesday news release. “We’re thrilled to debut the brand-new Sunrise Gondola at Canyons Village, making access to the resort’s boundless slopes faster and easier than ever.”
Park City Mountain has made improvements to the beginner area near Red Pine Lodge. Walsh said guests will “discover a completely reimagined learning zone at Red Pine Lodge designed to ignite a lifelong love of skiing and riding.”
Several other Utah ski and snowboard resorts have announced their tentative opening dates in the past couple weeks. Brian Head Resort wants to open Nov. 7, which would be the second earliest opening in resort history. Meanwhile, Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon has set Nov. 14 as its target.
Park City Mountain is the only ski area Vail Resorts owns and operates in Utah. Over the past several years, the resort has made a tradition of opening the Friday before Thanksgiving.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sean Bartholomew checks in skiers on opening day at Park City Mountain Resort, on Friday, Nov 22, 2024.
Colorado’s Keystone Mountain will kick off the season for Vail Resorts in mid-October if conditions allow. It will be followed by Breckenridge (Nov. 7) and Vail (Nov. 14) in Colorado and Gemsstock at Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis in Switzerland (Nov. 15).
Three other Vail Resorts are expected to share Park City Mountain’s opening day: Heavenly and Northstar in California and Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia.
All Vail Resorts properties are on the Epic Pass.