The wait for winter is finally over. Before clicking into skis for the first time, those of us who are diligent planners – or just downright giddy to make turns again – start running through their pre-season checklists right after Labor Day. Are the skis waxed and scraped? Jackets, gloves, and goggles organized? Do I still remember how to turn? (left turn, right turn, left…you got this!) While skiing is mostly just like riding a bike, some things have changed and improved at Deer Valley since your last visit.

Let’s start with the obvious: Covid protocols.

We were lucky to have a season last winter, and it was nothing short of a miracle skiing was available all of last winter. This year there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Facial Coverings. It is strongly recommended that all guests, regardless of vaccination status wear mask indoors, while on property at Deer Valley except for Ski School’s Reindeer and Northside rooms and in First Aid and Patrol Clinics, where wearing of masks is required. Deer Valley staff are required to wear masks indoors. Face masks are not required outdoors.
• Social distancing. Please do your best to stay six feet apart from other guests – roughly a ski length apart – in lift lines, lodges, or anywhere folks gather.
• Vaccinations. Deer Valley does encourage guests to be fully vaccinated, but at this time it is not required. This is subject to change based on federal or local regulations. Deer Valley staff must show proof that they are fully vaccinated, or provide proof of COVID-19 test results two times per week.
• Keep this page bookmarked as things may change during the season.

On to the fun stuff: Skiing!

Lift ticket technology has come a long way since the not-so-long-ago days of sticky-backed paper tickets and metal wickets. While some miss the nostalgia, modern day tickets lessen the impact on landfills, and offer new conveniences. Case in point: ticket kiosks, which are located in the Snow Park, Silver Lake and Silver Strike ticket offices are a breeze. Purchase tickets online in advance (especially during holiday periods), head to the kiosk, scan your barcode and voila! The kiosk will print a ticket with all of the days you purchased loaded onto a single card. If you purchased passes for others, the entire order can be printed at once. Tickets can be kept in a pocket, away from phones and wallets, and you’re ready for the lifts.

Deer Valley App

Staying with the theme of technology, the Deer Valley app is a game-changer. A new feature this season is live tracking, which allows you to track how many runs you take in a day, as well as totals for the season. You can even see the breakdown by lift, as well as which trails you skied. Setting a goal to ski every lift on the mountain during a weeklong trip, or every run during a season? The app is your proof for bragging rights. You can also see which lifts and runs are open, as well as what has been groomed. Just be sure to turn on your location tracking to “on” so the app can function to its fullest capacity.

The tracking feature is extra useful when skiing with a group. When you start or join a group of friends or family members you’ll see everyone’s location on the trail map. Newcomers to any resort invariably wind up at a different lift by taking the second left instead of the third trail on the right, and the app takes the pain out of catching back up to the group.

Spending 10 or so minutes with the app before your first day on snow will be helpful in navigating the plethora of options, from purchasing lift tickets, live tracking and even ordering food.

Eating!

Leave it to the fine folks at Deer Valley Food & Beverage to make eating even easier at the resort with new Grab & Go options. The dream of ordering turkey chili from the top of the lift, and skiing down to either Snow Park (Deer Valley Etc. – adjacent to the ski check), Silver Lake, or Empire Canyon Lodge, and picking up a piping hot bowl ready upon arrival is now a reality. The menu varies a bit between the three locations, but expect breakfast and lunch sandwiches (Cubano at Empire – you heard it here first!), soups, salads, snacks, and desserts.

Ordering food online is a breeze with the new Deer Valley App. There are a couple ways to find menus and locations –
1) Click “ORDER FOOD AND RESERVE DINING” from the home screen OR
2) Click on the “STORE” icon along the bottom of the screen.
Either method will bring up a screen with a horizontal gold banner: “Place Food Order – Order Now.’ Click that banner and you are there!

One new addition to the dining scene is Fresh Tracks Kitchen in Snow Park Lodge. The menu has an assortment of hot bowls, salads, soups, grilled smash burgers and a full bar. Choose from chef-created combinations, or build your own. Seating is now handled by hosts and online ordering – which is simple now that we are all used to QR codes. Streamlining this process will save countless steps in ski boots while balancing trays of food and drinks, awkwardly searching for a table. Once seated, you’ll order through the menu on your phone, and food will be delivered directly from kitchen to table. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and parties of eight or more are encouraged to make reservations in advance at 435-645-6632.

Do you like the cafeteria-style dining during your ski trip? Silver Lake Lodge and Empire Canyon Lodge offer the traditional cafeteria-style dining options Deer Valley’s guests are familiar with.

Dinner reservations – also simple to make in advance via the app – are requested at The Mariposa and Fireside Dining, and would be a good idea at The Brass Tag as well.

Originally written by Nick and Laura Como for Deer Valley Resort.