Lifts & Terrain
Deer Valley Ski Terrain Deer Valley ski resort in Utah has some of the finest fall line groomers to be found at any ski resort. There are combed to perfection and DV deserves the great reputation it receives for the quality of the grooming.
The layout of the terrain Deer Valley is somewhat unconventional as the 820 hectares of terrain is spread across six mountains. Even though there is officially 914 metres of vertical, it is not possible to ski the vertical in one go as there is a “big dip” in the middle. Getting across the multiple mountains takes a bit of time and multiple lifts, but the signage to aid orientation is impeccable. The main base is at Snow Park, and there are also many facilities and chair lifts at the mid-mountain Silver Lake area.
The resort has terrain for all ability levels but it is not particularly well suited to experts. The resort has undergone development in an effort to cater to the expert skier, but the choice of terrain is still limited. In various resort publications, the term “expert” is commonly used instead of “advanced”, which is probably parting of their marketing strategy.
Needless to say the most obvious thing about Deer Valley is the lack of snowboarders. Die-hard Deer Valley advocates will espouse the many benefits of a true “ski resort”: the runs don’t seem crowded as skiers snake in smaller arcs; the bumps are beautifully rounded instead of being really long and oval-shaped; the lift queues move easily with everyone pointing their snow equipment forward; and there are no noisy snowboarders slamming their boards against the ground to clear the snow off. It’s amusing to ask a Deer Valley regular why a skier-only resort is better, although be warned that the discussion might go on for a long time!
Deer Valley Lifts
Deer Valley has 22 lifts, so even when the resort is very busy, lift queues are minimal. The lifts are incredibly well placed, which results in a consistent fall line and minimal traversing.
Lift tickets
Lift ticket prices are up there as the most expensive in Utah, but plenty of skiers think it’s worth spending the extra dollars to get the benefits of Deer Valley. They even charge young children for a lift ticket which is somewhat unusual.
In order to ensure there is no over-crowding, lift ticket sales are limited each day. Perhaps as another way of controlling volume, an extra $3 per day is charged for tickets during the Xmas holidays, and the Silver Passport is not valid during this time. The Silver Passport is a multi-day lift pass that works across Deer Valley,
Park City Mountain Resort, and
The Canyons, and can be bought in conjunction with a lodging package.
Various ski shops in Salt Lake City sell discounted lift tickets including
SkiTruck.com, Casco,
Ski N See and
Canyon Sports. The discount is generally about $7 per day.
Deer Valley Snow Conditions
Deer Valley has the lowest average annual snowfall of any ski resort in Utah, but it still receives a respectable 7.6 metres. The powder is dry but the elevation of Deer Valley is lower than that of many other Utah resorts, and the powder can get heavy after a couple of days without snowfall. A whopping 30 percent of the terrain has the cover topped up with artificial snow, and a significant proportion of the ski terrain has the world-famous, award winning Deer Valley grooming.
For the Beginner
First-timers and novices generally hang out on the Wide West run near the Snow Park base. The run is protected on either side by two chairlifts, and has a very gentle slope. There is a reasonable jump to the next progression which is any of the green runs off most of the mountains at Deer Valley. All these runs are slow zones, which is necessary as most of them have blue or black runs feeding into them. A “dark green” run only suitable for confident beginners is the Bandana off the top of Flagstaff Mountain.
Intermediate Skiing
Deer Valley is heaven for the intermediate with blue runs galore on awesome steep fall-line groomers. The distinction between blue and double blue runs allows for easy progression of skills on steeper slopes. Big Stick on Bald Eagle Mountain may be a bit hair-raising for lower level intermediates, but is fabulous fun for more experienced skiers. Sometimes black runs are also groomed, including Champion and Know You Don’t, which seems somewhat ironic considering it was the Olympic mogul run. High end intermediate and advanced skiers alike will enjoy hooning down these slopes.
For intermediates wanting to get off the piste, the area between the groomed runs on Northside can be a bit of fun for powder exploration.
For the Family/Kids
Deer Valley is very family friendly in many respects. In regards to the terrain, there are many areas of the mountain where skiers of differing abilities can play together, and the various slow zones provide a little reassurance regarding the safety of the little tackers. The Little Chief lift in the Empire Canyon is considered a specific family zone although it’s not appropriate for complete beginners. The area includes the family-oriented terrain park.
For the Shredder
Deer Valley isn’t renowned for being able to cater to the freestyler well, but they have built a small terrain park that is mostly suited to the intermediate. There is also a timed cross course which can be used for a small fee.
Advanced Ski Terrain
Bald Mountain is one of the best areas for advanced skiers. Off the Mayflower lift are potential mogul runs on traditional pistes. Those wanting to explore the steep ungroomed powder should head to the north-facing slopes of Bald Mountain where there are fabulous gladed areas. The Empire Express provides various black runs which are typically open at the top and continue down to glades. There are also various glades to explore on Flagstaff Mountain.
The new Lady Morgan chair has added some more advanced terrain, probably in an effort to cater more for the high end skier.
Expert Deer Valley Skiing Terrain
Deer Valley desperately tries to promote themselves as having expert terrain, and whilst they do have expert terrain, it is so minimal that experts would only be entertained until 10am after which they’d need to head for an early après. There are a few double black glades across the mountain that are somewhat challenging, but it is debatable as to whether they are worthy of double diamond status. The most commonly talked about expert terrain is the Daly Bowl and Daly Chutes that require a traverse off the Empire Express through the trees. The drop into the bowl can be challenging if a small cornice is present, but otherwise the trickiness of the terrain is nothing worth raving about. The chutes are gnarly, but they are very short.
Some readers of a reputable ski magazine have compared the slopes of Lady Morgan to being just as challenging as runs at
Snowbird. Who are they kidding? They must be on the payroll!
For the Powderhound
Deer Valley is a reasonable powderhound resort, but in comparison to other
Utah ski resorts it lacks the snowfall as well as the range of terrain for advanced and expert skiers. With all experienced skiers fighting over the same small patch of snow, the chances of getting freshies all to yourself are slim.
Deer Valley is surrounded by private land, and this combined with safety considerations has lead to a prohibition on going out of bounds. In great Utah strange-law-fashion, it’s a misdemeanor to go past rope lines into closed areas or out of bounds. It could attract 6 months in jail or a $1,000 fine. Surely most Deer Valley skiers would rather pay $1000 if they had a choice?