skiers, with the exception of the Cliff Lodge’s health and beauty centre.
With its many strengths, Utah deserves to be better known. Though Europeans used to a vast ski area such as the Three Valleys in France or the Milky Way in Italy may be disappointed with the lack of variety for example in Deer Valley, a new passport system has been devised which allows you to ski a different resort each day – enough to please even the most demanding skier. And with snow of this quality, you’d be mad to miss out.
We have accidentally left the lights on all day and now the battery is flat. It’s also getting dark and ours is the only van left in the car park.
Fortunately, we’re at the Canyons in Utah and the sole member of staff left at this time is happy to get the bus down to his house and bring his truck back up to jump-start us.
This just about sums up this mountain state directly to the west of Colorado: there’s always some friendly soul around the corner just itching to help. This is what makes skiing here so civilised.
The Canyons, Utah’s newest ski area, has the potential to be its largest. Formerly known as Wolf Mountain, The American Skiing Company bought it in 1997 and spent $33m adding new lifts and extending the terrain.
With the 350-room, four-star Grand Summit hotel under construction, the base still resembles a building site, though my hosts assured me that this project – phase one of a $500m ski in-ski out village – would be complete by mid-February.
What is most important though is the skiing, which is first class. The huge ski area makes it one of Utah’s most varied resorts, offering everything from gentle motorway pistes to hair-raisingly steep chutes. The newly opened Peak Five adds tree-skiing to the itinerary, a boon for budding James Bonds who enjoy a chase through the woods.
Nearby are the separate resorts of Park City and Deer Valley, which, in 2002, will jointly host the skiing events of the Winter Olympics. And with investment projects totalling $11m and $5m respectively, it’s no surprise that they too, have much to offer.
Like the Canyons, Park City offers extensively varied skiing, accessed by 14 lifts. In 1998/99, the addition of a new fast six-seater chair-lift doubled the resorts’ terrain. Park City’s historic main street also provides the region with its best nightlife, with a good number of bars and restaurants.
Down the road, Deer Valley has taken the service concept to its logical conclusion. Nice touches such as a free ski valet service, combined with several gourmet dining options attract a certain type of customer, though I have to admit, it’s not me. Compared with the variety of Park City or the Canyons, the extent of the skiing doesn’t match up. And snowboarding is not even allowed. For sheer luxury though, it is hard to beat.
Although Deer Valley’s more genteel pistes convince you that you are skiing like a god, Snowbird, about an hour’s drive along the interstate, brings you back to earth with a thump. Served solely by the Cliff Lodge Hotel – which, though luxurious, is lacking entirely in atmosphere – ‘the Bird’ is for serious skiers only. The easiest green run here – West Second South – was named after a different kind of easy terrain: Salt Lake City’s old red light district. But don’t let that fool you – there’s no such thing as an easy run at Snowbird.
Though the 2,470-metre elevation affords perhaps the best powder that the state is famous for, and the pistes are as exciting as anything I’ve skied, sending beginners here would be a mistake.
Although the ski school comes highly recommended, a nervous beginner could flounder on Snowbird’s slopes. And because the resort is a good hour’s drive from the nearest town, there’s little for non-skiers, with the exception of the Cliff Lodge’s health and beauty centre.
With its many strengths, Utah deserves to be better known. Though Europeans used to a vast ski area such as the Three Valleys in France or the Milky Way in Italy may be disappointed with the lack of variety for example in Deer Valley, a new passport system has been devised which allows you to ski a different resort each day – enough to please even the most demanding skier. And with snow of this quality, you’d be mad to miss out.
TABLE: Deer Valley: taking the concept of service to its logical conclusion – the ultimate in luxury
Ski The American Dream
Getting there: Delta flights from Gatwick via Atlanta. Flying time is 13hrs.
Accommodation: Deer Valley Lodging has a variety of accommodation units. The luxurious Pinnacle Condominiums are ideal for large groups. Split over three levels, the condos feature fully equipped kitchens, games rooms, saunas and outdoor hot tubs.
Lift-pass: the ski passport can be purchased in resort from American Dream reps, covering Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbird, Solitude and the Canyons. It costs from $36 per day, skiing ten days out of 14.
Price: a seven-day package leads in at £895. The price is based on six people sharing a three-bed condo on a self-catering basis. Price includes flights and transfers but not lift pass; for eight people sharing a four-bed condo, prices start at £835, for a similar deal.