Deer Valley visit Dec 22nd, 26th, 31st, 1st, & 2nd....

[Tonyr]

Resort or Ski Area

Deer Valley

Date

Dec 22, 2022

Snow Conditions

1. Powder
2. Packed Powder

We left a day early for Utah before the big rain storm arrived on the east coast and were excited to get an extra day of skiing at Park City. Unfortunately when we woke up the next morning the Canyons area where we are staying was closed due to wind holds, Park City proper was fine but getting over there was a nightmare so we did a total detour and skied an unexpected day at Deer Valley. I must say I like this resort better for hiking in the summer but there is some great untouched powder to be had if your into tree skiing and you know where to look. Very few people ski the trees here which makes the opportunities abundant. The mountain the day we were there was somewhat empty, the waits for a lift were no longer than a minute which was great. We are headed back on the 26th, below are a few photos from the day. Conditions were solid, the snow was a little heavy but still very good with some nice untouched powder in the trees.....

 

[heiusa]

I skied there last year for the first time and really liked it. I was always under the impression that it was a boring mountain, but was pleasantly surprised to see some good terrain. The place is well run but very expensive if you buy a day ticket at the last minute like we did.

 

[Tonyr]

Yes the very first day I skied there 2 seasons ago I bought a day ticket for half a day and it was ridiculously expensive. Even the prepaid tickets we bought months in advance for the next day were really expensive. I have the Ikon pass for this season so no worries there. Unless your into perfect groomers I think the skiing overall is pretty lack luster. You really have to pick your spots to enjoy this mountain otherwise. Interestingly enough Daly Chute number 4 is one of the steepest on the map runs in Utah which seems kind of out of place here.

 

[thetrailboss]

It will be interesting to see/hear if things this season are less crowded and more like the Deer Valley of old.......

 

[jaytrem]

Great report as always. I think my personal record for biggest vertical fall was in the Daly Chutes area. Got a ski ripped off by something under the snow and away I went Luckily not injuries.

Enjoy the rest of you trip!

 

[jimk]

It will be interesting to see/hear if things this season are less crowded and more like the Deer Valley of old.......

I'm one of the ones that will be cut out as my special Ikon base pass that comes cheap with a Snowbird season pass won't cover DV now. I went to DV twice last winter. Conditions weren't too great either time, but I'll miss no longer having access. I enjoyed meeting and skiing with friends with passes there each time. It's a useful option to have diversity in your Utah pass toolbox and it still has a pretty nice upscale ambiance.

 

[Tonyr]

It will be interesting to see/hear if things this season are less crowded and more like the Deer Valley of old.......

We are going back on the 26th, if any day will be busy it will be then. I skied at Park City on the 23rd and 24th and it was eerily quiet, we didn't wait in any lines even at the base in the mornings.

 

[Tonyr]

Great report as always. I think my personal record for biggest vertical fall was in the Daly Chutes area. Got a ski ripped off by something under the snow and away I went Luckily not injuries.

Enjoy the rest of you trip!

The Daly Chutes are great, thanks!

 

[Tonyr]

I'm one of the ones that will be cut out as my special Ikon base pass that comes cheap with a Snowbird season pass won't cover DV now. I went to DV twice last winter. Conditions weren't too great either time, but I'll miss no longer having access. I enjoyed meeting and skiing with friends with passes there each time. It's a useful option to have diversity in your Utah pass toolbox and it still has a pretty nice upscale ambiance.

That is too bad Jim. When you buy the Snowbird pass do they give you the option to bump up to the full Ikon instead of the base pass? On the bright side atleast you'll have access to Snowbasin now.

 

[jimk]

That is too bad Jim. When you buy the Snowbird pass do they give you the option to bump up to the full Ikon instead of the base pass? On the bright side atleast you'll have access to Snowbasin now.

The deal is for adding a base Ikon to the Snowbird season pass for an extra $299 and it is not upgradeable. Snowbasin is base-plus, so, like DV, it's not good there either. I also don't like that now I need reservations to use any of the five days I get at Brighton. I don't really want to plan those too far in advance, so I hope I'm not shut out when I decide on a random Wed that I want to go there on Thurs? Not sure if I'll do this Ikon add-on again if it keeps getting further restrictions, but it's of value to give me unlimited at Solitude. I also use it when passing through other states/regions like CO and CA and maybe WV.

 

[Tonyr]

Yes the base pass is still good but not as good as it was. It's a bummer that the base pass doesn't work at Snowbasin, they really want you buying the full pass separately it seems.

 

[Tonyr]

Skied Deer Valley again today before we head over to the Cottonwood Canyons. The snow in the woods is starting to get a little heavy and crusty. The whole area really needs a refresh which is coming later in the week. Started off skiing the Centennial glades then moved over to the Daly Bowl to do a few laps in the bowl and the trees. After skiing a couple of hours with the family I meet up with a friend and skied mostly groomers the rest of the day with some tree runs mixed in. The resort was much more crowded but still didn't wait anymore than 3 minutes for a lift. Here are a few photos from the day....

 

[Tonyr]

With Snowbird set to get as much as 5 feet of snow through today and tomorrow we left there due to concerns of getting snowed in and moved to DV where there wasn't any of those worries. I'm not a huge fan of DV as I think it's a little bland but today was exceptional. The snow was awesome and it came down all day. I pretty much skied all in marked and unmarked trees off of the Empire and Lady Morgan lifts. I also hit the Daly 4 Chute which is one of the steepest runs in Utah since I was skiing solo. Great Scott at Snowbird two days ago definitely had a nastier drop in even though Chute 4 is steeper so I'd say Great Scott was more challenging this time. Chute 4 two seasons ago was worse. Here are a few photos from today.....

 

[thetrailboss]

I like the Daly Bowl and Chutes.

 

[Tonyr]

Had a top 10 day today, never skied in so much snow in my life, it was way more challenging than I thought. Did one tree run and that was it, the snow was up to my waist in there and once you stopped it was very hard to get started so we stayed on marked trails the rest of the day. I read that Alta Snowbird never opened for the day which totally confirmed our move out of there yesterday morning. Here are some photos from the day. Yesterday was actually better with less snow....

 

[Tonyr]

Last day of skiing on this trip, my legs are shot! Conditions were perfect today, lots of left over powder all over the place plus the trees were skiable again. Being here over three outstanding snow days has really changed my perspective on Deer Valley. It is alot of fun with snow. Skied a little with the family today, did some trees and bump runs, when they went in I hit the Mayflower Chute which wasn't all that bad. I've only skied the bowl before so I wanted to try the Chute, it was a little rocky at the top but nothing like the Daly Chutes. Here are some photos from my last day.....

 

[pinion]

Awesome pics. Looks like a great time. First time in many years I won't be at DV this year so I'll enjoy the experience vicariously through your photos