The weather has not exactly cooperated this November, but Deer Valley Resort is still on track for opening day Dec. 4. Emily Summers, senior communications manager at the resort, said Deer Valley has a lot of exciting new offerings for when skiers return to the slopes.
“Staff are returning and there is a flurry of activity around the lodges with onboarding, set up and training sessions,” she said. “We’re excited to have staff members back onsite and the countdown to skiing is on.”
Deer Valley will celebrate opening day this year with the Shred For Red fundraiser, an annual event to spread awareness and raise funds to eradicate blood cancers on behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Those who wish to participate must raise a minimum of $500 ($300 for kids under 12) and will receive a full-day lift ticket to Deer Valley, a 2021 Shred For Red exclusive participant bib, the chance to meet and ski with winter Olympians and access to the resort’s outdoor apreĢs-ski reception. Additionally, Deer Valley is offering 25% off equipment rentals including skis, boots and poles for Shred For Red participants.
New for this season is the Fresh Tracks Kitchen in Snow Park Lodge, which Summers called “an exciting evolution in Deer Valley’s on-mountain dining.” Fresh Tracks will offer a selection of customizable hot bowls, salads, warm soups and smash burgers and feature “sustainably raised, seasonally fresh and whole ingredients.” The restaurant will also feature a new mobile ordering system.
“Our host seats your party and then you place your order using the QR code at your leisure,” Summers said. “The easy-to-use and paper-free online ordering system lets you use your phone to quickly browse our food and drink menus. Your made-to-order selections are sent directly to our kitchen and delivered to your table as soon as they are ready.”
Fresh Tracks Kitchen will be open daily for lunch and apres from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Summers also encouraged guests to visit the new Daly Lift coffee bar inside Silver Lake Lodge.
“Daly Lift offers an array of specialty coffee drinks, freshly baked pastries and a selection of snacks,” Summers said.
Other new additions this season include new, “state-of-the-art” snowcats to add to the resort’s snow grooming fleet, $1 million-plus invested in upgrades to the snowmaking systems and continued upgrades to the resort’s transportation fleet. Staff housing also features new floors and appliances.
Summers said like many other businesses in the hospitality sector, Deer Valley is feeling the effects of the strained labor situation.
“We’ve held numerous job fairs recently and although the overall amount of jobs left to fill isn’t abnormal, there are specific pockets of our operations that still have numerous openings,” she said. “Our recruiting team will continue to work to fill these jobs as our operations ramp up.”
Summers said Deer Valley is also back to pre-pandemic levels when it comes to bringing in foreign employees on J-1 visas.
“We have always relied on J-1 employees during our winter season,” she said. “Especially because our resort runs a large hospitality and lodging operation and these students tend to fill roles in these areas.”
For many, one of the biggest draws at Deer Valley is the World Cup. Summers said Olympic qualifying events for moguls and aerials are on tap, and the event is scheduled for Jan. 12-14.
For more information on amenities or to learn more about Shred For Red, visit deervalley.com.