Downhill Skiing

The charm and solitude of Deer Valley Resort’s secluded mountain setting is found just 36 miles from the Salt Lake City International Airport in Park City Utah. Direct flights from most major cities enable guests to leave home in the morning and ski Deer Valley the same afternoon.

Deer Valley Resort revolutionized the ski industry 28 years ago by being the first North American resort to provide the first-class service one would find at a five-star hotel. Offering luxurious amenities, such as ski valets, groomed-to perfection slopes, on-site child care and gourmet dining in three elegant day lodges. The Resort provides the nuts and bolts of a great vacation — unparalleled accessibility; customized lodging, lift ticket, lesson and rental packages; an award-winning ski school; and the bounty of 300 annual inches of powder snow backed up by state-of-the-art snowmaking.

More than 3,300 acres of incredible terrain, rising 3,100 vertical feet, are yours for the taking: 750 acres of bowls, fifteen lifts, and one hundred and nine runs - up to 50 groomed daily. With so much terrain, you're bound to discover at least one or two new secret surfing spots- where it's just you, the mountain, and whatever challenge awaits.The resort also offers a lighted halfpipe, and four terrain parks of varying size and difficulty, giving you everthing a freerider could ask for. Look out for a new trail, the Georgeanna, and new Motherlode Meadows terrain this year.

Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah has hit-the-slopes-early, can't-stop-grinning, spoil-you-rotten type snow. And once you've experienced a perfect day of our cold-smoke powder, the kind that leaves a cloud of sparkling white dust in your wake, you won't want to ski or ride anything else.

Located in the legendary ski town of Park City, The Canyons Resort is Utah’s largest single ski and snowboard resort. The untracked trails, wide-open powder runs, family-friendly cruisers and cutting-edge terrain parks are guaranteed to keep your heart pounding and your grin glued for days.

With over 3,700 acres and 152 trails of the Greatest Snow on Earth®, it’s not surprising that both SKI and SKIING magazine readers have ranked The Canyons as one of the top ski resorts in North America. Last season, they added over $10 million in improvements to the resort, including a new high-speed 6-pack on Tombstone, expansion of Red Pine Lodge and 200+ new acres of pristine glades and trails off the new DreamCatcher lift. Last season, they added three top secret features to the Upper Respect terrain park, features no one else has dared to try.

The Canyons Ski and Snowboard School, “Bring us your best and we’ll make it better”. Whether you are just getting your kids started or you’re looking to improve your technique, let one of the 225 world-class instructors show you how quickly they build on your strengths as a skier or rider.

Ranked 2nd in Conde Nast Travler’s Reader’s poll for Top 50 U.S. Mainland Resorts 2007, Sundance is the resort that you’ve dreamed about – small enough to offer a uniquely intimate experience, yet challenging for all range of skiers and snowboarders with a vertical drop of 2,150 feet. Terrain offers 40% black, 40% blue and 20% green runs over 450 acres of Utah’s famous powder.

Founded by Robert Redford in 1969, Sundance is committed to the balance of art, nature and recreation. Sundance is situated at the base of 12,000 foot Mt. Timpanogos on 5,000 acres of preserved wilderness. Only an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City airport and 45 minutes from Park City, Sundance offers a wide range of activities in addition to mountain recreation including fine dining, spa, Art Shack classes, Nature Center, Cross Country and snowshoeing.

Whether you enjoy alpine skiing, snowboarding or cross country skiing, Sundance offers something for all winter enthusiasts. In addition to 42 alpine ski runs, Sundance offers 26 kilometers of groomed cross country trails and 10 kilometers of separate snowshoeing trails.

Sundance’s team of PSIA certified ski and snowboard instructors is experienced in teaching all levels of adults and children. Choose from one on one coaching, group lessons or early bird lessons.

Snowbird, year-round mountain resort, can be found up the steep granite stretch of Little Cottonwood Canyon. This resort shares a ridge with Alta Ski Resort and both of them are liberally blanketed in over 500 inches of Utah's incredible snow. These huge snow dumps are guaranteed by the Utah "lake effect." The same storm can fly over the mountain several times.

The 2,500 acres of ski-terrain are accessed by 11 ski lifts and an aerial tram - as well as a brand new tunnel, which swiftly connects snowboarders and skiers to Mineral Basin's back bowls. Not that Snowbird is just for skiing. You can snowshoe, snowmobile and take guided mountain tours here.

Hidden Peak, at 11,000 feet, is the highest point of the resort, while Baby Thunder chairlift lower end is its lowest at 7,760 feet. The Tram, which can hold 125 people, whips through 2,900 vertical feet in seven minutes. Don't miss the Superpipe, a 50-foot wide park feature on the Big Emma run, which you can reach by Mid-Gad or Gadzoom lifts. The terrain park is close to the Superpipe and offers even more features, and rails, for skiers. Locals and visitors alike love Snowbird.

Some suggest that Alta is a mountain with a soul. Others who are involved in the industry lament that "Alta is the best of what they were." It may be that the combination of a rich history and a dedication to the pureness of the skiing experience verify the claims. Alta is a skiers' mountain: snowboarding is not allowed.

Alta Ski Area is committed to preserving and protecting the above mentioned skiing experience. A "skiing emphasis" attempts to match the number of skiers with available facilities and terrain. Alta considers lift lines, weather and slope conditions, as well as the availability of parking, dining, restrooms and other guest services, when it evaluates the experience it offers its guests.

Deep powder snow, rugged terrain and spectacular scenery are world renown characteristics of Alta. Its best kept secret is the great beginner and intermediate terrain. The wide variety of awesome terrain and snow conditions provide skiing opportunities for every level of skier.

Alta hosts recreational racing on Fridays and Saturdays. Recreational racing is open to anyone who wishes to participate. Ski School classes may participate for free. Ski School also offers gate racing private lessons.

Fifty years ago, the first skiers took to Solitude’s slopes. It was comparatively small and unassuming then. Today, if the resort remains pleasantly uncrowded, it spreads out over 1,200 acres of terrain. Solitude is truly removed, located 12 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon and possessing a quality of untouched beauty. This wide loneliness is not just scenery, either. The snow is plentiful and well-groomed, laid thick over every feature from the open bowl to the steep and swift chute. Indeed, the resort is so high in the mountains that it averages 500 inches of snow a year.

Solitude has cultivated friendliness to all skill levels of snow-boarders and skiers. Terrain parks are typically rough on the untrained skier or snow-boarder, but Solitude’s terrain park is more fun than frightening. Thrill and powder seekers can take on the tricky, snow-deep Honeycomb Canyon. The Moonbeam Lodge and Moonbeam quad lift provides a convenient stop-off and home base for any skier or boarder . . . and their children as well, as the Lodge offers babysitting. However, if you’d rather ski with your children, there is the Snowsports Academy and its lessons for both kids and adults. Whether you and yours are just starting out on skis or a board or simply looking to improve techniques, this is a fine, fun place to learn.

Solitude’s Nordic Center is a different kind of winter experience. This is less about the downhill kinetics of the rest of the resort and more about the endurance related disciplines. The Center’s 20 kilometers of terrain are filled with trees and trails, trails great for snowshoeing, as well as skate and classic cross-country skiing. The variety both of terrain and of trails means that Solitude has a little something to appeal to everyone. The resort is located 28 miles east of Salt Lake City’s downtown.

What started with one rope tow in 1936 now has become a world-class mountain resort offering a wide variety of terrain covered by an incredible amount of snow. Brighton's three high-speed quad, one fixed-grip quad, and three double chair lifts provide access to this winter wonderland of fun and diversity for all types of skiers and snowboarders. Always striving for improvement, Brighton prides itself on its long tradition of providing the greatest experience at the most affordable price.

Brighton boasts 21% beginner, 40% intermediate, and 39% advanced/expert runs providing a unique skiing or snowboarding experience for everyone in the family. Most of the resort's seven lifts, which include three high-speed quads, access all types of terrain making it easy for families to ride the lift together and still meet at the bottom. Even better, the new "Milly" high-speed quad was opened for the 2007/2008 season, and skiers will have high speed access to all of Brighton's terrain for the first time. For more adventurous expert skiers and snowboarders, Brighton's lifts allow for unlimited access to some of Utah's best back-country.

Being located in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, Brighton receives over 500 inches of "the greatest snow on earth" each season. For powder skiing and snowboarding Brighton can't be beat! With over 66 runs on two mountains, the longest being over 3 miles, there are plenty of fresh tracks to be had. Brighton also meticulously grooms many runs each night, leaving behind some of the best corduroy in the state.