Facilities & Services
The service at
Deer Valley is amazingly first-class. All the staff are well trained in the mantra of the DVD (Deer Valley Difference) such that guests expect and deserve the best service. The ski valets who carry skis from the car are quintessentially Deer Valley. The ski hosts are only too happy to give you advice about which runs to take, and the culture of the great service spreads to the staff in ski school, the restaurants, the basket and locker storage area, and the ski rental shop.
Services and facilities are across multiple bases. There are three day lodges: the Snow Park Lodge which has many facilities; Silver Lake Lodge is the secondary centre mid-mountain; and the new Empire Canyon Lodge (at the bottom of Empire Canyon). There are also limited facilities at the Jordanelle ticket office.
Eating On Mountain
The quality of on-mountain dining at Deer Valley is impeccable. Tray service and buffet style meals are even made to seem incredibly glamorous at Deer Valley. The “Deer Valley currency exchange” is applied to meals at Deer Valley, but the extra you’ll pay is for the high quality.
The Snow Park Restaurant has gourmet buffets for breakfast and lunch, as does the Silver Lake Restaurant. There are outdoor tables as well as deck chairs where you can have a sunbake in European style whilst watching the skiing action. At the Silver Lake Lodge, there is also the Bald Mountain Pizzeria and the Royal Street Café for waiter service, award-winning cuisine and fine wines.
The Empire Canyon Grill is open for breakfast and lunch, with a traditional grill as well as coffees, baked goods and yummy paninis. Another on-mountain eatery is Snowshoe Tommy’s on Bald Mountain, and there is a skiosk at Cushing’s Cabin on Flagstaff Mountain.
Facilities for Children
The state-licensed facility at the resort provides activities for non-skiing children from 3 months to 12 years. Pricing is in line with other Utah ski resorts, and the centre is located on the main level of the Snow Park Lodge. Other options are childcare centres in Park City or babysitting services such as
Ski Town Sitters that can provide in-room care. Baby with Altitude and Baby’s Away can provide rental equipment for babies.
Ski School
The ski school may be award-winning, but it’s doubtful that the award had anything to do with the very ugly green uniforms that the 500 instructors wear! At least their skiing style is very stylish, and if you want to look just as good (at skiing anyway) a lesson or ten might be a great way to perfect the technique. Adult group lessons are held in a semi-private format with a maximum of 4 students per 3 hour lesson. You pay a lot for the extra attention with prices at DV being significantly higher than other Utah resorts.
Various full day programs are offered for children. Three and four year olds receive a combination of ski tuition and childcare, with 1:1 or 1:2 instructor to child ratios. For 5-12 year olds, group lessons are held from 10am to 3:45pm. Prices for ski school for children are also incredibly high (in 2008-09 $170 which does not include equipment rental), but many people expect to pay this much for Deer Valley quality (or prestige).
Private lessons are also held for children and adults. There are no first-timer packages, and needless to say, they don’t run snowboard lessons at Deer Valley. Reservations are required for all ski school programs.
Deer Valley Ski Rentals
Ski equipment rental is available downstairs at the Snow Park Lodge, Silver Lake Plaza and at The Lodges at Deer Valley. The operation is well organised and they can even cope with the mayhem of Xmas time. Only Rossignol gear is rented out, and prices are outrageously high. A cheaper alternative is to rent skis from a shop in Park City, or even better, rent equipment in Salt Lake City. Other options at Deer Valley are Christy Sports or Ski N See in the Chateaux (Silver Lake area).
Slope Tracker
Deer Valley uses the Slope Tracker system which relies on GPS and has the ability to provide a history of your skiing day. Information can be provided on statistics such as the vertical skied, and the number of runs, and just in case you’re interested in how many calories you’ve burned, it can provide that too. You can then balance the calories worked off with those inputted during après. The tracker units can be rented out from the Snow Park Guests Services Desk for $35 per day.
Internet Facilities
An internet café is located in Snow Park Lodge on the plaza level.