Credit:Rinat Khairitdinov

As always, there’s lots happening at our favorite ski/snowboard resorts in January.  This month, let’s start with a shout-out to two of them which are making headlines for ground-breaking (literally) new lifts and new terrain.

Deer Valley

 The Utah resort Deer Valley has officially opened the first phase of its major 3,000-acre expansion area with the new Keetley Express chairlift, from the newly constructed Deer Valley East Village.  It opens never-before-skied terrain and provides additional skier access access 500 additional day-skier parking spots.

Keetley Express is Deer Valley’s first six-person chairlift with a bubble. It drops off skiers near the bottom terminal of the Sultan Express chairlift on Bald Mountain. Two additional new chairlifts also set to open this season, Hoodoo Express and Aurora, provide access to beginner-friendly trails and return connectivity to Deer Valley East Village.

“This terrain expansion represents a transformative moment for Deer Valley and our skiing guests,”Deer Valley President & Chief Operating Officer Todd Bennett told SeniorsSkiing. “Keetley Express and the skier access through the new Deer Valley East Village are the next steps in our commitment to deliver exceptional access and unparalleled ski experiences. These enhancements make our world-class terrain even more accessible while maintaining the thoughtful design and exceptional experience that define Deer Valley.”

Big Sky Resort

The Montana resort made history with the grand opening of the Madison 8 eight-passenger chairlift, which replaces the former Six Shooter six-pack on the Moonlight Basin side.  At an inclined length of 8,631 feet, Madison 8 now holds a record as the world’s longest eight-place chairlift installation, and advances the resort’s reputation as home of North America’s most technologically advanced lift infrastructure.

Madison 8 makes Big Sky Resort the only North American ski destination with three bubble D-line lifts and two eight-place lifts.

“Since Big Sky 2025 was announced nine years ago, we’ve had an ambition to create North America’s most technologically advanced lift network,” resort president and COO Troy Nedved told SeniorsSkiing, adding it’s the twelfth new lift installed since 2016, certainly makes this a reality.”

Also new this season is the One&Only Moonlight Basin gondola, providing direct access from the luxury hotel chain’s new Sky Lodge.

Short Swings From the East Coast

Tenney Mountain

The family-friendly resort in Plymouth, NH, is now open seven days a week for skiing.

Stowe Winterfest

January 23-25 – Watch professional ice carvers create stunning sculptures throughout the village, then experience the NICA-sanctioned Ice Carving Competition. There are more than 20 events activities for all ages, including ski movies, kids’ carnival fun, and unique sports tournaments like Snowgolf and Snowvolleyball.

Subaru Winterfest Returns to Killington

January 31-Febrary 2 – It’s fun and games, non-stop entertainment by local bands and free equipment demos at the popular Vermont resort. There’s limited FREE parking at K-1, so make reservations well ahead. https://www.killington.com/things-to-do/events/events-calendar/subaru-winterfest-killington

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Evelyn Kanter

Evelyn Kanter is a NYC-based travel and environmental writer and a senior skier who would rather ride a chairlift, river raft or zipline than the subway, and has done so in the more than 100 countries she’s visited, skiing in many of them. In what she calls a “previous life”, she was a TV and radio news reporter for ABC News and CBS News, now a regular contributor to major publications, including airline inflights and AAA magazines, and has written or contributed to more than a dozen travel guidebooks.Her latest are “100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die”, Fodor’s Essential Germany and Fodor’s New York City. Evelyn's website is www.ecoxplorer.com

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