3 days at Deer Valley: Ikon Base Pass gets the resort back after four seasons
The view from Deer Valley's Wasatch lift in January 2005, years before the East Village expansion. Photo: Steve Jurvetson via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Holders of the $1,099 Ikon Base Pass get 3 days at Deer Valley Resort in Utah in the 2026-27 season. Ikon and the resort announced the change on Monday 9 November 2026. It is the first time since 2021-22 that the Base Pass includes the ski-only resort, which grows to 4,500 acres this winter.
In short
- From 2026-27, the Ikon Base Pass ($1,099) includes 3 days at Deer Valley, with blackout dates and reservations.
- The full Ikon Pass ($1,529) keeps 7 days with no blackout dates; the Session Pass gets no access.
- Base Pass blackouts: 26–30 December 2026, 16–17 January 2027 and 13–14 February 2027.
- Deer Valley opens on Saturday 5 December 2026, conditions permitting.
- The new Hail Peak Express adds 200 acres and 7 runs this winter.
What changed on 9 November
Alterra, the owner of the Ikon Pass and of Deer Valley, sent out the announcement on Monday 9 November 2026. Ikon Base Pass holders get 3 days at Deer Valley in the 2026-27 season. Lift reservations are required, and the pass's holiday blackout dates apply.
"We look forward to welcoming Ikon Base Pass holders to Deer Valley this season as the resort's largest expansion continues to take shape," Deer Valley president and COO Todd Bennett said in the release. The release asks guests to book early, because popular dates often reach capacity.
| Pass, 2026-27 | Adult price | Days at Deer Valley | Blackout dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ikon Pass | $1,529 | 7 | none |
| Ikon Base Pass | $1,099 | 3 | 26–30 Dec, 16–17 Jan, 13–14 Feb |
| Ikon Session Pass | from $369 | none | – |
Prices and access are from ikonpass.com, as of 11 November 2026. The full pass costs about 39 % more than the Base Pass.
Not the first time
The Ikon release, and several sites that copied it, say Base Pass holders get Deer Valley "for the first time". That is not correct. The Salt Lake Tribune reported on 10 November that it is the first time since 2021-22. Alterra's 2022 pass release and reports from that time confirm this:
| Seasons | Deer Valley on the cheaper Ikon pass |
|---|---|
| 2018-19 to 2021-22 | included in the Ikon Base Pass |
| 2022-23 to 2024-25 | only with Ikon Base Plus: 5 days for $200 more |
| 2025-26 | full Ikon Pass only (Base Plus discontinued) |
| 2026-27 | back on the Ikon Base Pass: 3 days |
Old Deer Valley pages with "5 days" for the Base Pass are still in search results. That figure belongs to Base Plus or to the seasons before 2022. The current number is 3.
Why now?
Ikon gives no reason in the release. The pass-comparison site PeakRankings points to last winter. "To us, this move suggests that Ikon, and Deer Valley in particular, may be looking at softer demand than they'd hoped for after last year's poor winter," wrote Sam Weintraub.
PeakRankings also notes that Deer Valley was the only one of Ikon's six premium destinations that needed the full pass last winter. The timing is late: Ikon passes go off sale in early December.
For comparison, the Salt Lake Tribune lists Deer Valley's own prices: a peak walk-up day ticket costs $349 and an unlimited season pass $4,300. Two Utah resorts on Ikon, Alta and Snowbasin, still need the full Ikon Pass.
A bigger mountain this winter
The extra days come in the season that Deer Valley calls the largest expansion in ski resort history. Since December 2024, the resort says, it has more than doubled its skiing and added 11 new chairlifts around the new East Village base.
| Deer Valley, winter 2026-27 | Figure |
|---|---|
| Skiable area | 4,500 acres |
| Runs | 209 |
| Lifts | 32 aerial lifts, incl. 2 gondolas |
| Snowmaking | 932 acres |
| Vertical | 3,120 ft (9,570 to 6,450 ft) |
| Hail Peak Express | 200 acres, 7 new runs, 2,400 skiers per hour |
The figures are the resort's own. Hail Peak Express runs from the East Village to Hail Peak on the eastern edge of the resort; the resort gives no separate opening date for the lift. Deer Valley stays ski-only, so snowboards are not allowed, and it limits daily ticket sales. For Base Pass holders this makes the reservation, not the price, the real limit.
What this means for your skis
Three days at a big resort with groomers, bowls and new terrain call for one ski that does everything. An all-mountain ski of 84–90 mm under foot holds an edge on morning corduroy and still floats in soft snow in the afternoon.
| Ski | Waist | Radius (length) |
|---|---|---|
| Salomon Stance 84 | 84 mm | 16 m (177 cm) |
| Elan Ripstick 88 Black Edition | 88 mm | 14.8 m (168 cm) |
| Fischer Ranger 90 | 90 mm | 16 m (170 cm) |
The figures are the makers' own. Flying in for three days? Then one versatile pair beats a quiver you have to carry. To compare more all-mountain skis by your level and terrain, use the Pick-a-Ski ski finder.
