Promontory has two ski lodges, and the two resorts they serve are scheduled to open about two weeks apart this winter. Park City Mountain is aiming to open on Friday, November 20, and Deer Valley on Saturday, December 5. That puts the PC Lodge at Mountain Village on the side of town set to open first, while the Alpine Lodge at Upper Deer Valley waits for the second resort. The club sets each lodge's own winter hours. Before either resort opens, there are four weeks of community events, and they have a natural order. They start this week with gear and end the night before the first lift turns.
Fifteen Days Between Two Resorts
KPCW reported in August that Park City Mountain's target is November 20, the Friday before Thanksgiving. The resort's hours of operation page lists the season as November 20, 2026, through April 19, 2027, with lifts running 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It says both dates depend on weather and conditions. On that page, Mountain Village base dining and Red Pine Lodge at Canyons Village are both set to open November 20.
Deer Valley announced its date on September 16. KPCW's report puts it at December 5, the weekend after Thanksgiving, which is about when the resort opened last winter.
Here is how those two dates line up with Promontory's own facilities, as described on the club's ski lodges page:
| The PC Lodge | The Alpine Lodge | |
|---|---|---|
| Resort | Park City Mountain | Deer Valley |
| Targeted resort opening | Friday, Nov. 20 | Saturday, Dec. 5 |
| Location | Ground-level plaza under the Park City Ski Team Training Center, Mountain Village | On the mountain at Upper Deer Valley, ski-in/ski-out |
| Gear | 200 lockers, rented daily, weekly or seasonally | Ski Valet handles skis, boots and poles, and dries and stores gloves and boots overnight |
| Food and comfort | Complimentary light fare and beverages, fireplace, six gathering nooks, small retail shop | Snacks and beverages between runs and for après |
| Getting there | Dedicated Promontory shuttle | Dedicated Promontory shuttle |
The two lodges serve different purposes. The PC Lodge has 5,600 leased square feet and is built around storage, with lockers you rent and keep stocked. The Alpine Lodge is built around service, and its valet staff take over your equipment the moment you arrive. If both targets hold, only the resort beneath the PC Lodge will be running lifts during the first two weeks of the season.
Why the Gap Is Built In
Both dates are targets, and both resorts have described how they plan to hit them. In August, Vail Resorts' mountain division president Bill Rock told KPCW that the possibility of an El Niño winter had the company "feeling optimistic." He added:
"And while we'd love to see Super El Niño live up to the hype, we're also taking an aggressive approach to snowmaking to ensure this ski season is one to remember."
Deer Valley is also preparing more terrain than in any year before. Hail Peak Express is planned as the resort's 32nd chairlift this season, adding 200 skiable acres and seven new runs that bring Deer Valley to 4,500 acres. On KPCW's "Local News Hour," Deer Valley President and COO Todd Bennett said a new 10-million-gallon reservoir at the top of the mountain will let the resort exceed 20,000 gallons of snowmaking a minute, which he called "really important early in the season." In September, The Park Record reported that Deer Valley's snowmaking window usually opens at the end of October, once conditions allow.
The same KPCW story explains why the snowmaking matters. Last winter, Wasatch Back resorts struggled with warm weather and rain. The next four weeks decide whether November 20 and December 5 hold, so the events before them are best planned on fixed dates of their own.
This Week, a Ski Sale on Deer Valley Drive
The season's events start on publication day. The Christian Center of Park City holds its Ski Sale from Thursday, October 22, through Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1283 Deer Valley Drive. TownLift's listing places it in the Center's Loft and advertises skis, snowboards, boots, apparel and other winter gear. The Christian Center says its resale stores fund its programs, which include food pantries, counseling, seasonal family support and eviction prevention.
For a household that keeps gear in two places, a seasonal locker at the PC Lodge and a valet rack at Deer Valley, this is the week to restock both. It is also the week to sort what belongs in which lodge. Visiting grandchildren and guests who arrive at Thanksgiving will need boots and helmets that fit, and those are easier to find in a church loft in October than in a rental line in late November.
A Wednesday Night With the People Who Read the Snowpack
The next event comes six days later. The Utah Avalanche Center's Powder Buoy Party is on Wednesday, October 28, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Park City Brewing, 1764 Uinta Way. It is a 21-and-over fundraiser for the Center's forecasting, education and public awareness work. Tickets are $100 and include admission, a build-your-own tacos-and-tots bar, three drink tickets, live music and a silent auction. Extra drink tickets are sold at the event.
This year, guests can also meet the Center's new executive director, Nazz Kurth, who joined on June 15. The Park Record's community calendar lists the party as a Thursday, but October 28 is a Wednesday, and Wednesday is the date on the ticket page.
Promontory's two lodges sit on groomed resort terrain, but the Center's daily forecasts are what Wasatch skiers check before going past the ropes or into the backcountry. A party in late October that supports that work comes before the snowpack builds.
Three Films and One Price Deadline
In November, the events move to Jim Santy Auditorium at 1255 Park Ave., where Park City Film runs three ski and snowboard screenings in less than two weeks. The first one has a deadline this weekend.
- Warren Miller's "Days Off," Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 through Warren Miller's ticketing platform, and the film's page says prices go up on October 25. Park City Film passes and punch cards don't apply. Part of the net ticket proceeds goes to the Share Winter Foundation to expand youth access to winter sports. This is Warren Miller's 77th film, and it includes a stop at Deer Valley with Ted Ligety, Kaylin Richardson, Pep Fujas, Chuck Mumford and their families.
- Matchstick Productions' "The Way Out," Nov. 13 through 15. The premiere is Friday at 7:30 p.m. and promises swag, athletes and VIP seating. More screenings follow Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. Beer and wine are available all three nights. Tickets are on Park City Film's schedule page.
- Girl Winter Film Tour, Thursday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. The program has five short films, followed by a Q&A and poster signing with athletes and filmmakers. The event runs about two hours. Tickets are on the event page.
The dates line up neatly. If Park City Mountain opens on schedule, the Girl Winter screening ends the night before the first chair. The Deer Valley segment in "Days Off" plays almost four weeks before Deer Valley's own target date.
Before any of these, Park City Film holds its first independent film festival, October 23 through 25, at Jim Santy Auditorium. Filmmaker conversations and panels take place at Distrikt F, 1205 Iron Horse Drive. It shares the ski sale's weekend, and it is the last event on the calendar with nothing to do with snow.
November 20, Then December 5
If both targets hold, the season opens in this order. Friday, November 20, is Park City Mountain's opening day at Mountain Village, where the PC Lodge and its 200 lockers sit on the base plaza. Red Pine Lodge opens the same day on the Canyons side. Thanksgiving week falls entirely within Park City Mountain's season and before Deer Valley's. Saturday, December 5, is Deer Valley's target, in the season Hail Peak Express and its seven new runs are slated to debut, and it is the resort where the Alpine Lodge and its Ski Valet sit at Upper Deer Valley. The club sets its own lodge and shuttle schedules.
Any of those dates could move if the weather does not cooperate. The ski sale, the Powder Buoy Party and the three film nights are set regardless of the weather, and they fill the time until opening day.
If you're planning this winter between two lodges, or thinking about how a Promontory home works through a ski season that opens in stages, I'm glad to talk it through. I can also share which shuttle, locker and valet details are worth confirming with the club before your guests arrive. Let's Connect with Debbie Millar.
