If you've been skiing a while you will have discovered that it's only after you've visited a particular ski area that you really know what it is like , and of course by then it's too late if you don't enjoy the experience. I don't intend to reproduce the information you will have already gleaned from various web sites, rather I would like to pass on some local knowledge, in the hope that it will help you decide if Park City is for you.

What it Isn't

Firstly, Park City is not Whistler. Whilst the three local resorts all have around 3000' of vertical, which is quite a lot, the longest runs are around 2000 vertical feet. In Whistler you can ski the entire 5000 vertical feet in one run. Balance this though against the fact that at Park City the base elevation of 7100' guarantees top to bottom skiing throughout the whole season, which is definitely not guaranteed at Whistler, where rain is not uncommon due to the 2000' base elevation.

Secondly, Park City is not Europe; the character of North American ski areas is completely different. In Europe there is a tendency towards long runs on natural terrain, and areas are often linked by a network of off-piste routes. There are also lots of small eating and drinking establishments dotted here and there. It is not unusual to spend a whole day doing one 'run' which may take you across several areas and involve catching a train or two. North American ski areas are rarely linked and most of the skiing is on cut and well groomed runs with high speed lifts allowing 30+ runs in a day. On-mountain dining tends to be in a couple of larger lodges. I wouldn't say that either ski experience was better than the other, they are both excellent, but quite different. For families, North America is definitely easier.

What it Is

So what does Park City offer? Three world class ski areas which provide a good variety of excellent skiing on the best snow in the world, with superb weather, in a very neat old town which is only thirty minutes drive from a major airport. To top it off there is an abundance of other things to do ranging from watching the Jazz, to shopping, to ballooning, to Ice Skating.

It's true and uncontested. Certain areas of France and Wyoming come close, but Utah has scientifically the lightest, driest snow on earth. This is because Pacific storms dump a lot of moisture on the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, then travel 800 miles across the Nevada desert, building up energy but not moisture, before arriving at Utah's Wasatch range and Park City. It's quite fun to walk through two feet of it in the car park as if it wasn't there. Best of all, these storms tend to be quite short in duration; normally it wouldn't snow for more than a day or two, and between storms it is normally gloriously sunny (it may still be a little chilly), making for superb skiing conditions. If the natural stuff fails, all the local ski areas have extensive snowmaking, so there is no chance of no snow. Park City averages 350 inches of natural snow in a season.

The three local ski areas are Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley and the Canyons (no snowboarding at Deer Valley). All have a distinct and different character. Park City was for a long time the biggest, but the other two are investing heavily in new lifts and terrain and are rapidly catching up. Park City is also investing heavily after a period of stagnation.

 Park City is a big ski area, with most of the skiing off ridges and in bowls. The skiing projects back into the mountain (similar to Aspen), rather than across a face (like Breckenridge). It is roughly four miles into the Jupiter back bowl, where most of the expert skiing is found. On the downside, some of the ridges suffer from double fall lines (if you don't know what these are then they aren't a problem to you) and the tree skiing is only average. On the upside, Park City's strength is variety. There is enough expert skiing to keep an advanced skier happy, with Jupiter, McKonkeys and the Peak offering bowl skiing as good as you will find anywhere and Thaynes offering long steep bump runs which are used as the training ground for the US Freestyle Team. For advanced and intermediate skiers this place is heaven, with an enormous variety of runs available and very good grooming. One unique aspect of skiing in Park City is the old mining relics and mine heads which are visible all around the resort. The lift system is very extensive and modern, with no bottlenecks. I would be very surprised if you ever had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a lift. The Ski School is excellent as is their kid's programme. On mountain dining is OK, with my favourite being the Mid-Mountain lodge, a converted old miners dormitory which has a very large outdoor deck with superb views. A skier bridge links the ski area with lower Main St and it's plethora of excellent dining establishments, so your options for eating are virtually unlimited. Overall, an excellent ski area for a family with different ability levels, or for intermediate / advanced skiers.

Deer Valley is being built to a master plan centred around residential development as an integral part of the resort. The edges of the runs are dotted here and there with 10 million dollar holiday homes, most of which are superbly designed and add very positively to the ski experience. The profits from real estate sales have allowed the resort to be built to a very high standard. Consequently, Deer Valley is the Rolls Royce of the world's ski areas, with enormous emphasis on customer service, slope maintenance and mountain dining. The food in the Deer Valley lodges is better than most restaurants. Deer Valley is ranked the #1 winter resort destination in the world by Conde Naste Travel magazine, and is now consistently ranked #1 or #2 ski area in North America by Ski magazine. It is quite likely that you will bump into someone rich and famous whilst skiing at Deer Valley.

For many years locals snubbed the area saying it was only for rich snobs. The reality is that Deer Valley costs no more than the other resorts and it is a great ski area. It offers superb fall lines, quite long runs, perfect grooming, some excellent long bump runs and some of the best tree skiing available anywhere. Until recently the resort was more suited to intermediate / advanced skiers, although a Deer Valley 'blue' has always been closer to most other areas 'blacks'. In 2000, two new lifts in Empire Canyon opened up bowl and chute skiing which will scare the pants off sane people. A new day lodge has been built in that area to relieve the load from the Silver Lake Lodge.

I would not recommend Deer Valley for an absolute beginner, Park City would be a better choice. The lift system at Deer Valley is very good, but perhaps not quite as good as Park City; there is the occasional bottleneck. Deer Valley does restrict the number of tickets sold, so in theory lift lines should be no longer than five minutes. Their ski school and kids programmes are the best available anywhere, but not cheap. You may have gathered that I am a Deer Valley fan, it offers something for everyone.

The Canyons has gone through three name changes in the twenty years I have been a Park City 'local'. It started off life as ParkWest, a funky area which offered cheap skiing to locals, but had awful lifts, atrocious grooming and inedible food. What it did have was awesome terrain, the best in the area, if only it's potential could be realised. Next it became Wolf Mountain, with big plans for change that eventually crystallised into a nice new sign at the entrance to the resort. Finally, in 1997 it was purchased by American Skiing, who also own Killington and Steamboat et al. They announced a 500 million dollar expansion plan in the August. Locals were sceptical, but became less so when between August and November they built a rather nice and large lodge, installed a high speed gondola and four high speed quads, cut 26 new runs, installed a bunch of snow making and opened up 800 acres of new skiing. The place was absolutely transformed. The Summer of 1998 they built another nice big new lodge (and enlarged last years lodge), installed another three high speed quads, cut a bunch more runs, opened up more terrain (including the experts only 9990 bowl) and installed more snowmaking. Summer of 1999 they put in two more high speed quads, opened up another mountain and made lots of progress with building a 7000 bed village, complete with ice skating 'river' at the base area. Unfortunately, the Canyons is now the centre of a tug-o-war between Vail Resorts and Talisker Corp, both of whom are seeking to purchase the resort from now insolvent American Skiing. It will all get sorted out and the Canyons will surge forward again, but this upcoming season is a bit uncertain right now.

For all this The Canyons is still, at this stage, a 'locals' area and has a nice feel. The skiing is quite varied and there is something for everyone. There are some nice long runs, both groomed and in the trees, some good bumps and it is a very beautiful ski area. 9990 offers some very good skiing for the 'jump off cliffs' brigade. 

I had a very good lesson with one of the instructors whom I had known from the Park City ski school last year, and a lot of the instructors have come across from Park City, so I would think the ski school is pretty good. They have a kids programme but I don't have feed back on it.

Nearby Ski Areas

In addition to the local ski areas, there are several major ski areas only 45 minutes drive away in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Generally speaking these resorts will get more snow than Park City resorts because of their westerly aspect, but access in and out after a snow storm may not be available for a day or so. Most famous of these areas is Alta, generally acknowledged as offering the best powder skiing in the world. Mention to an avid skier that you have been to Alta and they will immediately bow and scrape muttering ' we are not worthy'. Alta is firmly rooted in the 19th century with an ancient lift system, no snowmaking (who needs it) poor grooming (who needs it) and very average food (who needs it). They are quite happy and have no plans for change. Definitely worth a visit, but DON'T go if a storm is predicted. You are almost guaranteed to be staying a while. Another place worth visiting is Snowbird, right next door to Alta, which offers nearly 4000 vertical feet in one run off their aerial tram, and in 2000 opened up an enormous back bowl called Mineral Basin. This year a new lift in Mineral Basin has allowed a link between Alta and Snowbird and a common ticket is now available.

I hope you have found this information useful. please don't hesitate to contact me at condos@murrayandfelicity.net if you have questions.

Acknowledgement and thanks to Mary Beth Maziarz for the music and to Mark Maziarz and Lori Peek for the photos