Deer Valley Resort will take over operations at Solitude Mountain Resort starting today. The Park City company finalized the purchase yesterday.
The DeSeelhorst family owned and operated Solitude for about three decades, but this fall Deer Valley Resort officials announced they were negotiating a buyout. Bob Wheaton is President and General Manager of Deer Valley Resort.
“When the DeSeelhorsts came to the decision as a family that it was time to sell the resort, we recognized it was an opportunity that we just couldn’t pass up,” Wheaton says.
Wheaton says a number of capital improvements are in the works, including replacing the Summit Chairlift with a new detachable quad, a new ski run and a Moonbeam Lodge remodel.
Nathan Rafferty is president of Ski Utah. He says he’s excited to see Deer Valley double down on their investment in Utah.
“What Deer Valley does really well is run ski resorts really, really well and efficiently,” Rafferty says. “I think they can do what they do at Deer Valley but on maybe just a different scale at solitude.”
Rafferty says he’d be surprised if the new owners stray far from the existing model at Solitude which he says showcases a family atmosphere with a local feel. Rafferty expects Solitude will continue to allow snowboarding, which Deer Valley does not.
