Deer Valley buys Solitude ski resort
By Michael McFall, Salt Lake Tribune
Deer Valley Resort is buying Solitude Mountain Resort and will take over its operations this May — the second major shift in Utah’s ski industry in weeks.
The purchase was a private acquisition and a news release about the deal does not disclose how much Deer Valley paid.
The Deer Valley management does not anticipate “any major changes in staffing at Solitude at this time,” according to a Deer Valley Resort news release. Some of Deer Valley’s staff will work alongside Solitude’s this winter to learn how they manage the resort, the release adds.
“Solitude has a distinct brand. What we want to do is build upon that brand,” said Coleen Reardon, Deer Valley’s marketing director. The Summit County resort will bring some of its service-oriented philosophy to Solitude, but they have no intention to re-brand. Deer Valley intends to keep snowboarding available at Solitude, and a name change would be limited to some acknowledgement that it’s now part of Deer Valley.
I remember when ski hills were not resorts or brands. It was not a product or a platform for ancillary marketing schemes. Amenities included dirt parking, a chair lift and a greasy burger in front of a real fire