How Deer Valley’s expansion sparked a kids’ story — and a new moose named Eddie

Dan Gregory, Deer Valley Resort’s director of organizational design and expansion, poses with Eddie, the resort’s new moose mascot, and illustrator Ashley Moore during a book-signing event for Deer Valley’s new adventure story and coloring book in Park City, Utah. Photo: Deer Valley Resort

PARK CITY, Utah — As Deer Valley Resort expands into new terrain, one staff member kept circling the same question: What does all this growth look like for kids?

Dan Gregory, Deer Valley’s director of organizational design and expansion, said the idea for a new adventure story and coloring book — and a new mascot to go with it — came from that gap.

“We were looking at this large project here at Deer Valley, with the Expanded Excellence Project,” Gregory said. “We’re expanding all this new terrain, expanding the resort. But what are we doing to expand it in the world of children?”

Gregory, a father of three daughters, said he began digging into Deer Valley’s archival history as part of his broader work to help the resort grow without losing what he called its “soul” and identity.

“I did a lot of research into who we were, and I came across the original coloring book that was put together many years ago about how the original mascots were created and their story behind how they came to be at Deer Valley,” he said.

That earlier coloring book traced the resort’s mascots back to a story of animals who wanted to lift miners’ spirits — and, in the process, helped make skiing possible. In Gregory’s telling, Bucky the deer “tamped down the trails,” Quincy the bear gathered wood to make skis, Ruby the raccoon helped outfit skiers with gear, and Silver the eagle “surveyed all the safety part of it.”

With new terrain, Gregory said the resort discussed how the mascots might explore it and whether a new character could be introduced. “If we already have four mascots, what if they found another friend while exploring?” he said, emphasizing the theme of interconnectivity and friendship.

The result is a new mascot: a moose named Eddie, whom Gregory said embodies the core message of exploration—a spirit the resort wants children to connect with as the expansion unfolds. “The trait that the new mascot has is about exploration and finding new things in new areas,” he said. “Because there’s so much new terrain, the intent was to help children feel this desire to go and see what this new mascot does, and follow that sense of adventure into this new area.”

Gregory said he drafted the story while traveling in Nepal’s Khumbu region during a trek to Everest Base Camp. “I had a lot of time to think on the trail,” he said. “During the nights, I scribbled down notes and developed the story’s concept.”

Even the mascot’s name nods to the Expanded Excellence project. “The moose, Eddie, has an E at the start and end,” Gregory said. “Turn two E’s sideways, and they look like moose antlers.”

Gregory wrote the story, but said the project quickly became a cross-department collaboration, involving marketing, retail, ski services, and outside partners.

He said the next steps were to make the mascot tangible, observe guest reactions, and work with local partners to finalize the book. “They were great partners,” Gregory said of the marketing team. “They suggested involving the local arts council, which led us to the illustrator, Ashley Moore.”

Gregory credited the marketing team with carrying the project over the finish line. “The marketing team really got it over the line and built it to what it is,” he said. “The spark came from HR, with their focus on people, legacy, and culture.”

The biggest challenge, Gregory said, wasn’t the story itself — it was carving out time and focus for a smaller project amid the scale of the broader expansion. “This is just one part of the Expanded Excellence Project,” he said. “Prioritizing efforts and timing was challenging.”

He also said that once a new mascot is introduced, the possibilities can multiply quickly—from merchandise to on-mountain activations to ski school tie-ins—and the resort chose to start with the book. “This year, we decided to stick with the coloring book to see how that goes. We can build from there,” he said. “The potential is huge, but you can’t do it all at once.”

Gregory shared that the new mascot is meant to serve as a bridge, bringing back the coloring book tradition while offering children a way into the resort’s next chapter. “This mascot is a way to bring back that legacy piece we’ve always had here,” Gregory said.

Before concluding, Gregory emphasized that the project is about translating an expanding resort into something families can share. “The mascot represents Deer Valley’s legacy and growth through collaboration,” Gregory said.