Mayflower Mountain Resort, the fledgling billion dollar development near Park City, Utah, made headlines early this week on two fronts.  First, the proposed resort’s owner reached an agreement with Alterra Mountain Company for Deer Valley to continue leasing a chunk of land on Bald Mountain for 199 years.  Second, Mayflower held a media gathering, revealing grand plans for its first lifts to open in 2021.

With the new lease between Deer Valley and Mayflower’s parent companies, the existing Mayflower lift and terrain will remain part of Deer Valley regardless of what happens with Mayflower Mountain Resort.

Most of the 5,600 acres Extell Development of New York City has pieced together is currently undeveloped.  That could change shortly with three new hotels, 400 acres of ski runs and multiple chairlifts above the Jordanelle Reservoir.  Whether those lifts will be Deer Valley green and disallow snowboarders is an open question.  There are a lot of parallels with Moonlight Basin, Montana throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.  Initially a modest development with a couple access lifts operated under contract by Big Sky Resort, Moonlight turned into a ski resort of its own before eventually being integrated back into Big Sky’s ticket products and operations.

Regardless of who operates the lifts, Mayflower could be big.  Current plans call for five main lifts and two surface lifts, not counting a potential connector lifts to Deer Valley.  Extell is commencing road and infrastructure work this fall with potential lift contracts a year away.  The company has roughly two years to sort out whether it wants to be independent, partner more broadly with Alterra or perhaps another ski industry player.