Last weekend my Pop came over from Park City….no skiing yet at either place, Vail or Deer Valley, but you can tell it’s not long. Every time he comes over he wears that damn Deer Valley hat. He’s proud. He worked there and skis there(already bought his pass). The day he went back home from our visit they announced Deer Valley is #1…again. Of course he called and emailed and texted it over. It’s been going on for years now…who has the first snow(you can ski on) who’s #1..the chili at Empire…blah, blah, blah. I’ve skied Deer Valley a lot over the years…and the new area by the Montage is nice(when there’s snow)…I like it steep and deepJ I know I’m probably not the first, but just once I would like to bring my snowboard to DV, put it in the racks and hear what people would say. Yes, the customer service is great, but more than once was I shuttled to the back of the parking lot only to carry my own skis to the base, unlike the perception that everyone gets their boots heated by the staff and have a happy ending before hitting the first chair. Yep…it’s #1,voted on by the readers of SKI. But do they know? Maybe they don’t. My Pop knows. No matter how much he won’t stop talking about Deer Valley and it’s #1….when he comes over to the valley to ski with me and my boys….he sees, there is NO comparison. It’s 2 minutes from my front door to the lift at the Beav….which has better terrain and just as much in size as Deer Valley….I don’t need to talk up the cookies at the Beav, but it’s the first thing my Pop asks about….where is that lady with the cookies? I just smile…she’s in line….off to a couple groomers then Stone Creek and if my 70+ year old Pop can handle Grouse…we’re there. Oh wait, forgot to mention Vail, I'm mean do I really need to get into it? It’s over twice the size of Deer Valley, it opens earlier, and stays open later than Deer Valley(for true skiers) He always stops to look at the Gore or Holy Cross and says…”we don’t have this in Utah”….Yea right, they’re mountains. Not to say we aren’t on a mountain in Deer Valley, but the views are better in Salt Lake than on the Mountains in Utah. I’ve lived in the Vail Valley for about 15 years and I still don’t understand…how do you compare Deer Valley to Vail?….either the people in Deer Valley have never been to Vail or something? I’m sure everyone feels this way about their “home” mountains, but hey, I’m open to anything….Really, if the resorts in Park City would come together and give people a multiple mountain (affordable)pass….that would be sweet…diverse terrain, and tons of options…but I doubt that will ever happen. So, until then, I know…my Pop knows…There is no comparison. Sorry if I offended any other resort here…I probably skied or boarded there too, and liked it, but this was between my Pop and me…personally my favorite is Silverton Mountain, one lift(and then you hike)…kick ass snow(even more consistent than Vail) and thrown into an old UPS truck after almost every run. The longer I ski and board, the more I strive to get to the puridity of eachJ is that a word? I hope writing this doesn’t heighten the DV vs. Vail “thing” between us, but I’m just curious about how others feel about it…..
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