The consolidation of Utah resorts continues with the that Deer Valley has purchased Solitude Mountain Resort for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition comes just a few weeks after the news that industry heavyweight Vail Resorts bought Park City Mountain Resort.
Deer Valley will take over operations next May of nearby Solitude, which is in Big Cottonwood Canyon, about a 45-minute drive away. , Deer Valley plans to take its time figuring out what, if any, major changes it might make to Solitude. Deer Valley is just one of three resorts left in the country that doesn’t allow snowboarding, but it has made it clear that it intends to continue to allow snowboarding at Solitude, an under-the-radar, family-friendly resort with a sleepy little slopeside village, impressive terrain, and a well-earned reputation for uncrowded slopes.
The acquisition will only increase the likelihood that One Wasatch, the controversial plan to unite the seven resorts in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, will come to fruition, given that just two owners will now operate four of the seven potentially connected resorts, and Deer Valley has already expressed its support of the proposal.