You’ve probably heard about the “Deer Valley Difference” and how to spot it; this guide will show you how to ski it! The resort sprawls across six mountains with 103 runs serviced by 21 lifts, so there’s something for everyone….except snowboarders because Deer Valley is a ski-only resort.
Beginners will love how they can ski almost the entire resort on immaculately groomed slopes. Intermediate skiers can access nearly 2/3rds of the runs and find sneaky good gladed trees to play in. Advanced skiers will love that 45% of the terrain is covered by well maintained glades and a diverse orientation of slopes where you’ll find skiable powder long after the last snow. Plus, there are enough chutes, bowls, and long tree runs to whet any appetite, even those that consider themselves more “hardcore”..
Keep reading to learn more about how to find the best Deer Valley skiing for any skill level.
Header image is a skier on Ontario Bowl via Deer Valley Resort
Lay of the Land at Deer Valley
Snow Park Lodge is at the base of Bald Eagle Mountain, the starting point for most skiers. It’s where you’ll find the rental shop and the free ski check (additionally there is a free overnight ski check available at the Silver Lake Lodge and the Jordanelle Express Gondola.) You can get a full lunch at Snow Park, Empire Canyon, or Silver Lake lodges and a grab-and-go lunch at Cushing’s Cabin atop Flagstaff Mountain.
OK, now that you have skis and sundries, it’s time to hit the slopes.
Before heading out, be sure to check the current snow and grooming conditions on Deer Valley’s grooming map or the Deer Valley app . It’s good to know how to navigate with the Deer Valley map because you’ll have one in your pocket, and they’re posted all around the park. However, we built an interactive map of the areas we’ll mention in this guide.
It’s a Google interactive map, so it naturally orients looking north, while the Deer Valley maps orient looking south. If you want to have a lot of fun, expand the map to full screen, hit the three dots to view it in Google Earth, and then switch to the 3D view, where they overlay the map on a digital elevation model. You can see all the runs overlayed on 3D mountains.
A little map study will reveal that Deer Valley is primarily on north-facing slopes with canyon walls that face either east or west. The east facing regions, like Mayflower , get better with recent snow. Consider poking into the Mayflower Chutes on a pow day, you may be surprised what you find
