Three new gladed chutes drop off the ridgeline above Sundance Mountain Resort, and none of them has a name yet. Resort president Chad Linebaugh told the Park Record this summer that naming them is "like naming children," and that for now his team is calling them chutes one, two and three. He also said there is room for nicknames to stick.
"We want to ski it and kind of see what it's like and let that inspire us," Linebaugh said in the same interview.
The chutes come with a new lift, Electric Horseman, and a new ridge run called Storyteller. The real change for anyone who skis Sundance regularly is shorter trips. The mountain is getting closer to the base, and the work of the past five years has been aimed mostly at time.
Twenty minutes, then seven, then six
The resort's own record shows the pattern. In 2021, Outlaw Express replaced a 20-minute lift ride to Mandan Summit with a seven-minute one. In 2022, the resort opened more than 50 acres of intermediate terrain and added snowmaking. Two years later it opened Mountain Camp Day Lodge, which put lockers, the ticket office, ski school, rentals and other services in one building for day skiers.
In January 2026, the 63-room Inn at Sundance opened at the base of Outlaw Express with ski valet and a boot room, TownLift reported.
Electric Horseman is the next step in that sequence.
| Season | Project | What it changed |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Outlaw Express | Ride to Mandan Summit cut from 20 minutes to 7 |
| 2022 | Terrain and snowmaking | 50-plus intermediate acres added |
| 2024 | Mountain Camp Day Lodge | Tickets, lockers, rentals and ski school in one building |
| 2026–27 | Electric Horseman | Back mountain reachable on one six-minute lift |
SnowBrains described the old route to the upper terrain as a slow three-lift trip. The resort now calls Electric Horseman part of "a 2-lift ride from parking lot to summit," with more than 1,850 vertical feet on each lap.
The resort's project page says "More terrain. More laps. More mountain to explore." The phrase it uses most is "full back mountain access," and that phrase is about getting there quickly.
Where Electric Horseman actually goes
The lift is a detachable high-speed quad. It runs from near Wildwood Base to Bearclaw Summit, which is also the top of Red's Lift, and the resort puts the ride at about six minutes.
Red's stays in place. Until now, Red's was the only way up to that terrain. This season Electric Horseman offers a second way up. Linebaugh put it this way to the Park Record, pointing at the two lifts:
"When this lift is in, you'll be able to ski 100% of our mountain, all 600-plus acres, from these two high-speed chair lifts."
From the top of Red's Summit, at 8,250 feet, skiers can drop onto Storyteller. It is a 1.7-mile groomed run along the ridge that used to be called the Far East Ridgeline.
The resort rates it double-blue. Linebaugh described that as "not quite black diamond," though not a plain blue either. The resort's August announcement adds that Storyteller has some of the best views on the mountain. In the Park Record piece, the run looks out over the whole canyon and the resort below.
The three unnamed chutes branch off Storyteller and wind through trees back toward the base. The resort describes this as the end of the first phase of its back-mountain expansion and says more expert terrain will come in later seasons.
The names come from the resort's founder. The lift is named for "The Electric Horseman," the 1979 Sydney Pollack western starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Linebaugh told the Park Record the name also suggests how fast the lift is. Storyteller refers to Redford's idea that a visit to Sundance should give people stories to take home.
What still has to happen before December 4
Most of the heavy work was done by early fall. In August, SnowBrains reported helicopter crews flying in tower footings while workers installed the top and bottom terminals. By mid-September, Unofficial Networks reported that tower sections had been flown in and crews were assembling the terminals.
The resort's project page lists the remaining milestones in order. The autumn list covers the haul rope pulled from base to summit, trail signs, the first and last chairs hung, and the first snowfall. Five items are left for November and December:
- The lift runs for the first time.
- Load testing is completed.
- Final operational inspections of Electric Horseman.
- Opening day.
- The first public rides.
The resort is advertising December 4 as opening day. The resort's dining page says Bearclaw Cabin reopens that day, and Mountain Camp Cafe reopens in December.
Ski Utah's statewide opening-date list still shows Sundance as "to be announced." Inspections and snowfall both come before the first chair. Treat December 4 as the target, not a promise.
The canyon's November, in order
The resort's fall calendar builds up to that first ride, starting with a film night on Friday.
- Friday, November 6, 7:30 p.m.: A $5 screening of "The Electric Horseman," timed to the lift's debut.
- Saturday, November 7: A Soter wine dinner at the Tree Room.
- November 13 and 14: The Headwaters Summit, with programming on fly-fishing, filmmaking and conservation.
- Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving brunch at Foundry Grill.
- Friday, November 27: VIP parking reservations for opening day go on sale.
- Saturday, November 28, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.: The Owl Bar's Pray for Snow party.
- Friday, December 4: The advertised opening day.
- December 19 and 21: The Owl Bar's first Ugly Sweater Party, followed by a Winter Solstice party.
The parking date matters most for passholders. The parking operator says its Reserve 'n Ski platform has been upgraded for 2026/27, so everyone has to create a new account, even people who booked last season. Setting up the account before November 27 saves a step on the day reservations open.
Early-bird pass pricing ended October 31. The season pass page lists the adult Unlimited Pass at $899 after that date, up from the $799 early-bird price, and the adult VIP Pass at $1,350, up from $1,249.
For people who ski only a few days, the resort lists adult day tickets at $169. The S-Card costs $119 and includes the first ski day, and each full day after that is $109.
January 2027 will also be different. The Sundance Institute is moving the Sundance Film Festival to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027, and TownLift has covered how Boulder is getting ready for its first festival.
Getting up the canyon once the Loop closes
The road over the top is usually the first part of the canyon to close. The Forest Service says the Alpine Loop typically closes around November 1. UDOT's seasonal roads page notes that seasonal routes generally stay closed from November until May or June, depending on weather.
Once the Loop closes, the resort is reached only from the Provo Canyon side, which stays open to Sundance all winter. Check UDOT before driving in for the Friday screening or the Headwaters Summit, because the closure follows the weather rather than a fixed date.
The resort lists 15 kilometers of Nordic trails and 10 kilometers of snowshoe trails, and every Sundance season pass includes access to both at the Nordic Center.
When inspectors sign off and Electric Horseman starts running, the trip from the Wildwood lot to Bearclaw Summit will take about six minutes.
If you want to know how Electric Horseman and Storyteller might change daily life on particular streets and parcels around the resort, Paula Higman Real Estate can walk you through it in confidence. Request a Private Consultation, and we will share what we know about Sundance this winter.
