Preparations are underway at Deer Valley Resort for The Fox US Open of Mountain Biking. The race, which will take place in September, will be the final stop in the Pro Downhill Series, the Official US National Mountain Bike Championship.
Professional mountain bike racing has a long history at Deer Valley. The resort was a hub for competitions during the late ’90s and early 2000s. Clay Harper competed at those races before founding the US Open in 2003.
“The races here in the late ’90s were the biggest in the world,” Harper said. “There’s so much history and we’re bringing it back.”
Over the past 20 years, the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking has been hosted by various mountains across the country. Most recently, the race was in Killington, Vermont. Earlier this summer, Deer Valley and the US Open organizers made the move official.
“We’ve discovered a great working relationship with Deer Valley and put together one of the best tracks in the world,” Harper said.
The length of the track, variations in terrain and easy access are what make it the best, Harper said.
Just over 1 mile long, the track follows the same part of the mountain from races in the past. Fans and Deer Valley locals will recognize some of the features from the races 20 years ago. Classic sections of trail like Little Niagara, The Quarry, Whiskey’s Rock and Psycho Spin that have come to define mountain biking will all be included with upgrades to match the progression of the sport.
The teams at Deer Valley are working on these upgrades now. The trails are wider in some areas, turns are built up to make them safer for riders and standard maintenance like clearing debris are all changes that will modernize the classic track.
“It’s a good partnership because Deer Valley has the scale and resources to take this to the next level,” Harper said. “They have the capacity to do what we need, and we’ve done it perfectly.”
There are also now several wooden features built throughout the track, including the platform where competitors will begin the race.
Greg Fisher, event and programming manager at Deer Valley, said the lumber for these features comes from trees that were cut down throughout the resort while building the trail. The wood was milled at the resort, too.
“This track has a ton of character,” Harper said.
Part of what makes Deer Valley stand out as a host is the energy around Park City and Utah as a whole.
The Fox US Open of Mountain Biking has its biggest fan base in Utah, Harper said. Having the race in a town with so much to do brings out more excitement from the fans and the competitors.
Trails around Deer Valley will be open during the competition, and the race track itself will open to the public after the competition.
Spectators can access the race from the Snow Park lodge area with a free ticket or purchase a lift ticket to get a closer view of the race track on Bald Eagle Mountain.
The 2026 Fox US Open of Mountain Biking will take place from Sept. 11-13. Friday night, invited athletes will compete in the “Best Whip,” a big air jump competition at the Silver Lake Lodge. Professional classes will race Saturday with the youth and amateur races on Sunday.
For more information on scheduling and to reserve tickets, visit deervalley.com/usopen
