Forbes: Skiing At Deer Valley This Winter?

Mon 16 January 2023

Let’s be honest: Deer Valley isn’t like other ski resorts. The skier-only mountain calls its customers “guests.” A team of smiling, green-jacketed Mountain Hosts offers free daily tours of the best hidden terrain. Management caps lift ticket sales to keep the slopes uncrowded and to guarantee you find a seat at lunchtime. And Deer Valley was the first resort to offer complimentary overnight ski storage and curbside ski valets. With the best grooming, the cushiest service (“Fresh tissue for your lift ride, sir?”) and elevated dining and ski-in/ski-ski-out accommodations, it is definitely my favorite place to downhill in style in the U.S.

The 2022-2023 season is off to a booming start with over 120 inches of snow before Christmas, and nearly all 103 trails already open. If you’ve never skied at Deer Valley or took a few pandemic years off, here’s what to know before visiting the mighty green giant of Utah ski resorts this year.

Stein Eriksen Residences feature 39 chic and modern condominiums and 15 large private homes.Stein Eriksen Residences

There’s a reason the World Ski Awards named Stein Eriksen Residences “World's Best Ski Boutique Hotel 2022.” The place is off the charts. The 39 modern condominiums and 15 large private homes (from 4,100 to over 6,000 square feet) are set in a discreet alpine area away from the bustling and iconic European-style Stein Eriksen Lodge. Opulence is the guiding principle. Ski valets set your equipment on the snow in the mornings and collect it when you ski back. Indoor/outdoor heated pools have jaw-dropping views to the Wasatch Mountains. All stays include the breakfast buffet in 7880 Club.

Every resort has ski instructors. At Deer Valley, you ratchet up your skills to the Olympic level with the Ski with a Champion program. Six amazing snow sports athletes make themselves available (for a fee, of course) to ski with families, groups of up to six people, or individual downhillers, and share stories of their medal glory days. Among the champs are paralympic multi-medalist Chris Waddell, the winningest male monoskier in history. He is also one of only a handful of athletes to win World Championships in both winter and summer sports. To ski alongside Chris is not only an inspiration; it’s a chance to witness skiing as a true art form.

Deer Valley was among the first resorts to invigorate its dining program. Consistently ranked among the top dining spots in Utah, Mariposa features six- and eight-course tasting menus, including full vegetarian menus, with seasonal and local ingredients. Mid-mountain at Silver Lake Lodge, Royal Street Café has al fresco dining on the mountainside deck. New this season: Cast & Cut, inside historic Snow Park Lodge. With seafood towers of oysters, mussels, lobster, and crab legs, and dry-aged cuts of meat and locally caught trout, the reservation-only restaurant adds a layer of sophistication to Deer dining. Inside tip: Try the absinthe fountain experience.

Look no further than the Alpenglobes, in fact. On the terrace at Stein Eriksen Lodge, The Glitretind restaurant has six newish dining domes where you can get cozy with your travel pod. The clear enclosures are climate-controlled and offer panoramic Deer Valley views for breakfast or lunch for up to eight guests. Also new this year, the Deer Valley Mobile App has a Parking Spot Meter to keep you posted on parking availability. It’s available at the App Store for IOS and Google Play Store for Android.