❄️ How Deer Valley turns $329 lift tickets into a love letter to skiers and the romance of the West ⛷️
Where the beer is cold, and the deer are locals 🦌
👋 Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm a brand strategist and fractional CMO. I help founder-led businesses turn belief into brand—and brand into a strategic asset that works as hard as you do. I share weekly deep dives with actionable advice on brand building—plus interviews with the people in the trenches. I also work 1:1 with founders and teams. Book a chat here.
Who will love this
Ski addicts
Powder hounds
Ski resort marketers
People who demand ski valets
Today
G’day, and congratulations on making to the end of January.
I have a bunch of new readers this week, so I thought today would be a good day to (re)introduce myself. I’m Amanda, a brand strategist and marketer based in Seattle. I’ve built brands in world class studios and on the client side as a CMO, so I’ve got some wins and some scars to share which hopefully make this letter practical and interesting.
I started this newsletter because after some time between jobs, I realized how much I missed the constant learning that comes with working in agencies—especially about new brands. This space is where I share one brand each week, broken down. I also feature interviews with brand builders (like last week’s letter with Sophie from North Face) to bring some transparency to the process.
My hope is that by sharing these stories, you’ll find practical insights and inspiration, just like I did when I was starting out. One of the things I really love is getting to meet and learn from other people who are just as passionate about branding, so feel free to drop me a note—I’d love to hear from you!
Without further ado…it’s ski season (well, at least in North America)! ❄️
Ski resorts are at a breaking point. Climate change. Soaring ticket prices. Overcrowded slopes. A housing crisis for workers. The industry’s current state traces back to the 90s, when resorts started gobbling each other up and private equity moved in.
Most independent mountains are gone. Today, nearly every major resort falls under one of two corporate giants: Vail or Alterra.
Skiing has always been expensive, but now? It’s become outrageous. And people—skiers and workers alike—are fighting back.
This month alone:
The New York Times ran a piece called Revenge of the Ski Bums.
The Atlantic covered Park City’s ski patrollers going on strike.
Against this backdrop - where locals, who set the culture of a mountain - are being pushed aside, ski resorts are refining their brand strategies. Last year, Steamboat caught my eye with The Steamboat Way, a campaign weaving cowboy poetry into the brand. This year, Deer Valley’s “Deer Skiers” campaign stood out. It will come as no surprise to those who know her work that Katie Dreke is the strategy powerhouse behind both of these campaigns, with the support of Boulder shop Fortnight Collective (Steamboat) and San Diego-based Carousel (Deer Valley). ✨ We love a seamless strategy creative partnership 💛
Today’s brand is Deer Valley.
In today’s letter, I’m going to break down how a resort with deep heritage is navigating industry headwinds, reinforcing its identity, and behaving like an independent mountain—despite being backed by a corporate giant.
Deer Valley is the luxury outlier:
1 of 3 ski-only resorts in the world.
The most expensive lift ticket in North America.
“The Beverly Hills Hotel of ski resorts“- Anonymous skier
Let’s get into it. ✌️
How Deer Valley Sells Heritage
Ski resorts are an insane business—completely dependent on the weather, in a warming climate. They require massive capital to build, run, and maintain. It’s easy to hate the game: it’s a wealthy, overwhelmingly white sport. And yet, there’s something magical about it—engineering ski lifts, making snow, creating memories.
Deer Valley’s Deer Skiers campaign sells the dream of the American West through storytelling, nostalgia, and a premium product in a way that feels authentic.
“Imagine a ski resort where the values of yesterday greet the guest of today. A world-class alpine destination built on a mountain made of silver with a heart of gold. Sweeping panoramic views, meticulously groomed runs and intentionally limited capacity. A piece of the American West, built to last for generations. A place for families and friendships, both new and old. A place to escape. A place to learn. A place that feels like home.”
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Business strategy
Deer Valley is part of Alterra Mountain Company, which owns a family of ski resorts, the world’s largest heli-skiing operation, and Ikon Pass—a ticket to 50+ destinations, including Jackson Hole, Snowbird, and Aspen.
Deer Valley’s lift tickets are the priciest in North America. Their strategy? Build a moat around the brand by leaning into scarcity, premium service, and an identity distinct from Alterra.
Deer Valley is luxury skiing. Expensive. Exclusive. Expanding. Their massive terrain expansion cements them as one of the largest ski resorts in North America. The brand’s job? Elevate Deer Valley as a premier experience, not just another stop on the Ikon Pass.
Brand strategy
Good brand strategy is rational thinking meets creative magic. Deer Valley’s brand strategy could be summed up as a love letter to skiers, built on 3 core pillars underpinning it.
1️⃣ World-Class Service.
Pioneered ski valets, complimentary overnight ski checks, and luxury shuttles.
Tissues in lift lines, employees in uniforms, and visitors are referred to as guests (not customers).
Restaurant Mariposa at Silver Lake: rated Utah’s #1 restaurant by Zagat.
2️⃣ Skiers Only.
No snowboards. Ever.
Fun fact: in 2007, Burton Snowboards offered $5,000 for video footage of snowboarders at Deer Valley, Alta, or Mad River Glen.
The resort limits ticket sales to 7,500 per day to avoid overcrowding.
3️⃣ A Resort That Feels Independent
Despite corporate ownership, Deer Valley markets itself like a family-owned mountain.
Nostalgia-driven storytelling taps into its heritage to differentiate from corporate competitors.
A guest-first ethos creates an intimate, boutique-like experience rather than a mass-market resort feel.
Brand marketing moves
🎿 The Deer Skiers Campaign. A campaign that feels true to the resort: perfectly groomed corduroy, world-class service, and an easy, uncrowded experience. Also, “a mountain made of silver with a heart of gold” is proof that hiring great writers pays off. ✍️ 👇
🎨 Trail map artistry. Most resorts announce expanded terrain with a dull press release. Not Deer Valley. They hired Rad Smith, a ski map artist following in the footsteps of legendary James Niehues, and documented the process. 👇
📃 Expanded Excellence. Deer Valley’s expansion plan isn’t just about adding more terrain—it’s about reinforcing its premium identity. Instead of a dry press release, they branded it “Expanded Excellence”—a name that signals both growth and commitment to quality. Corporate comms 👏 don’t 👏 have 👏 to 👏 be 👏 boring.
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What can we learn from Deer Valley?
Go back to your roots. I see this a lot in my work and use it frequently when starting a new project: a company’s origin story, mission and early years hold the key to great brand strategy. Deer Valley taps into the past to build its future.
The power of sound & music. Deer Valley use music to create feelings. Footage of a deer wandering thru the ski resort? Tired. Add a country tune? Wired.
Own your niche - fully. Deer Valley isn’t trying to be everything to everyone. They compete on service, ease, and exclusivity. If you want extreme adventure, go to Jackson Hole. If you want pristine, groomed luxury, you come here.
What do you think? How does this campaign land for you? I’m particularly curious to hear from the skiers on this one against the backdrop of what’s happening at Bachelor.
That’s all from me this week. Happy trails. ✌️
- Amanda
Questions? Hot takes? Brands you want to see covered? Hit ↩️ reply, or meet me in the comments.
this was superb. nice work.
i'm loving this nostalgia marketing moment & hope it stays!!!