This summer, Deer Valley Resort’s newest hires include goats, sheep and a fleet of giant mowing machines. Together they’re tackling brush, boosting native grasses and setting the stage for a smoother early-season snowpack.

“It’s a pilot project,” said Steve Graff, Deer Valley’s vice president of mountain operations. “I jokingly refer to it as my methane–diesel showdown — a lot of this year was about seeing what I could expect from each method, and go from there.”

Graff explained that the resort partnered with Pine Creek Ski Resort, a small ski area in Cokeville, Wyoming, that runs mowing operations in the off-season. This summer, Pine Creek brought in four slope tractors — machines designed for driving steep alpine terrain with mowing capabilities. The Pine Creek team set them loose on a

See Full Page