Comparing great ski resorts is a little like comparing luxury cars. They are all exceptional for…read moredifferent reasons, and declaring one objectively superior can become a fool's errand. Deer Valley belongs firmly in the luxury family skiing category, with incredible grooming, excellent service, and an atmosphere that makes an already extravagant sport feel even more special. What I remember most is how easy and pleasurable the entire experience felt. The mountain was accessible, the lift lines were manageable, and the trails never seemed oppressively crowded. Every piece of infrastructure appeared to work as intended, allowing us to spend the day skiing rather than navigating logistical headaches. The grooming was especially memorable, with wide stretches of perfect corduroy that made it incredibly satisfying to settle into a rhythm and carve. One morning, I skied the glades with a friend who was far more advanced than I was. I spent much of that session right at the edge of my comfort zone, following him through terrain I probably would not have attempted alone. We made it through, had a great time, and then spent the rest of the day bombing groomers with considerably less anxiety. That combination of technical tree skiing and beautifully maintained cruisers captures what I love about Deer Valley. During these trips, we generally rented a house in Park City and drove to whichever mountain we wanted to ski that day. Deer Valley, Park City, and Alta are all remarkably close, yet each has a completely different personality and style of terrain. That proximity is one of the great advantages of skiing in Utah, especially when Salt Lake City International Airport is so much easier to reach from the mountains than Denver is from many of Colorado's comparable resorts. With a rental car and a little flexibility, you can experience several distinct versions of world-class skiing during a single trip. Part of Deer Valley's mystique comes from the hotels, even though I have never stayed at any of them. The Montage, Stein Eriksen Lodge, and St. Regis all look almost absurdly comfortable, and I can only imagine the convenience of waking up in one of those properties and walking directly into a ski day. I do have a particular fondness for the Bloody Marys on the St. Regis patio and the funicular that connects the hotel with the ski area. Even stopping there for a drink makes the resort feel like a full experience rather than simply a mountain with lifts. Someday, I would love to bring my children here and watch them experience skiing in a place that handles families so thoughtfully. Skiing is an extraordinarily expensive activity and a genuine privilege. Still, it is also one of the most exhilarating workouts imaginable and an incredible way to spend a day outside with people you love. Deer Valley combines that physical intensity with an unusual degree of comfort, polish, and hospitality. It has been a while since my last visit, but I remember the experience warmly, hope to return, and highly recommend it.

Still one of our very favorite resorts - total princess treatment with the friendliest staff and…read moreambassadors anywhere, free overnight ski check, super nice facilities, and best of all, tons of great runs, lifts and skiing. As an added bonus - no snow boarders! Restaurants are really good, too. This year, they added 10 lifts and gondolas, 100 runs and double the terrain. But the snow this week was better on the traditional ones. You can check your gear overnight for $20 either in a multiple day locker or basket check. Finishing 6th day here. Love this place!

Comparing ski resorts is ridiculous because nearly all of them are incredible, but Park City stands…read moreout for how complete the experience feels. The mountain is enormous, the skiing is excellent, and you are staying in an actual town rather than an isolated resort village. I have rented houses in Park City several times, and it has always worked exceptionally well as a home base for skiing Park City, Deer Valley, and Alta during the same trip. Beyond the skiing, Park City has a lively mountain town atmosphere that reminds me a little of Breckenridge or Steamboat. Historic Main Street is vibrant without feeling stuffy, with plenty of restaurants, bars, shops, and places to hang out after a long day outside. The direct connection between the mountain and town is especially cool, and the Town Lift makes the whole place feel unusually integrated rather than separated into a ski area and an unrelated downtown. Up on the mountain, the sheer size gives mixed groups an incredible amount of flexibility. Park City and the former Canyons terrain now form more than 7,000 acres, with long groomers, steep bowls, and plenty of areas where people can spread out without losing the ability to regroup. I do not remember every individual trail from my visits, but I remember the mountain feeling broad, varied, and substantial enough that you could ski for days without repeating the same routine. Another major advantage is the accessibility from Salt Lake City. You can fly into a major airport, reach Park City without an exhausting transfer, and use it as a central point for several of Utah's best ski areas. That convenience matters even more when you are coordinating a group, renting a house, planning dinners, and trying to balance skiing with everything else that makes a trip fun. During one visit, we ate at Robert Redford's restaurant, and I have family members who have attended Sundance several times. That cultural connection gives Park City an identity beyond the mountain, with a crowd that feels energetic, social, and interesting without taking itself too seriously. There is plenty for nonskiers to do, and the town still has life after the lifts stop spinning. Ultimately, Park City is one of those places that makes a ski trip easy to organize and difficult to leave. The snow, scale, town, and proximity to other Utah mountains create a combination that few destinations can match. I highly recommend it and hope to return soon, ideally with enough time to explore far more of the mountain than I managed on my earlier trips.

I didn't realize how large this ski resort was, or how long the trails were, until I went to…read moreHakuba, Japan to snowboard recently. Of the 4 mountains I hit in the Hakuba Valley, the longest trail at best went on for 7-10 minutes depending if you're cruising or bombing from the top to bottom. Park City Mountain side of this resort from the highest blue trail down to the bottom, I feel, could clock a good 15 minutes bombing it, or 20+ just cruising down. Is it harder on my legs to do longer trails? Most likely. Do I spend less time on lifts? I didn't care to calculate the difference lol. I thing I know is that I love the feeling of gliding endlessly over the soft snow, and Park City Mountain gives me that feeling without having to stop for a lift every 3 or 4 minutes. Deducting a star because food at American resorts is absolute TRASH vs what was available at the Japanese ski resorts... #380

This is one of the best ski resorts I've been to, though may not be ideal for beginners, as some of…read morethe blue runs feel tougher than black diamonds at smaller resorts. This was my first season skiing, and my first time here I made the mistake of going up Gadzoom and Little Cloud chairs and got cliffed out in Little Cloud Bowl with all the black diamonds. I wasn't going to call ski patrol to take me down in the basket like my friend did at the top of Gadzoom after having a panic attack, and slowly, tediously made my way down. It was quite the adventure, looking back. I couldn't believe how long it took and how much distance and vertical drop I covered to get to the bottom; the runs here are some of the longest I've been on. One benefit of this resort over Alta is not needing parking reservations during weekends, which saved my ski day one Saturday I tried going to Alta without a parking reservation, then had to come here after talking to the parking attendant there putting $250 tickets on cars without reservations. The skiable area is massive here as well, and there's a whole other skiable side of the mountain (Mineral Basin) with breathtaking views you get to by taking this conveyer belt thing through a secret mining tunnel. The hoards of snowboarders do cause way more lines and congestion here than Alta, and I had to wait in line for a while for the tram on a Saturday. Luckily I soon found the secret tunnel I won't disclose the location of, and was able to ski at Mineral Basin with no lines the rest of that day. There's a lot more moguls and worse snow coverage here than Alta as well, though this year was an extreme outlier and the worst snow year in 4+ decades. It's a shame the Ikon pass only has 7 days to split between here and Alta, as I used up most of my days at Alta and didn't get a chance to explore all the different areas of this vast resort this season.

I've never been skiing in my life. Snowbird is a beautiful location and the buildings appeared to…read morebe well kept, the lodge and all was clean. I'm mostly thankful that I managed to not break any bones and after a couple tumbles, learned to stay upright, turn side to side and make it to the bottom of the easy hills. The staff was friendly and encouraging and that's all you could ask for. See you at the 2030 Olympics

We had an incredible day with Connor at Solitude -- my husband, 7 year old and almost 4 year old…read moreare all 1st time skiiers and Connor was SO patient and encouraging and had them all comfortable coming down the bunny slopes on their own within our half day lesson. My husband even took the lift with Connor for a few green runs at the end. He also engaged our older son right away (when our younger one was having an early meltdown) but also came back to the little one after he calmed down and was able to get him excited and comfortable on the slopes. Basically all 3 family members got like a 1 hr private lesson, and everyone is looking forward to more! (I will say the 3-hr half day was the perfect amount of time as some members of our party were suffering from boot fatigue and we were probably outfitted too warm for spring skiing.) Also, I REALLY appreciated that Connor met us at the car and was sooooo helpful getting everyone into their ski boots and gear for the day. That literally took about a half hour of our time but it would've been miserable on our own (I don't doubt that my husband and younger son would've given up at that point) so THANK YOU CONNOR for your endless patience and support!!! P.S. I totally forgot to shout out James for the quick replies and giving us so much guidance over the phone both before and after the lesson. He recommended Solitude (prob the most economical lift tickets at this time of year) and he also advised my husband on switching out his boots for ones that were more comfortable. We hope to be back for more lessons in the future!

James and team took great care of my 4yr and 6yr old. They started clueless and ended up after 3…read morelessons, parallel skiing...some and loving skiing. Amazing to see how fast they progressed compared to group lessons. You have to imagine seeing a group of 9 kids with 1 instructor on the hills while my kids had private attention at practically half the cost. Ride UT is the way to go.

Friendly folks who went out of their way to help a novice. My coach informed me at the end of the…read moresecond lesson I should just return and practice by myself - not much left to learn!

Don W. are you the goody goody police for the resorts? Guess you want to tell those that didn't…read morebook before holiday SELL OUT to just cancel their trips and go elsewhere.

I've skied all over North America and a few times in Europe, and Alta has always stood out as one…read moreof the most unique ski areas I've visited. The combination of legendary Little Cottonwood Canyon snow and being less than an hour from Salt Lake City is incredibly hard to beat. You can park, grab a quick snack in the lodge, click into your skis, and be riding the lift without any unnecessary fuss. Alta is very different from places like Park City or many of the big Colorado resorts. There isn't a bustling village at the base, and that's exactly how the regulars like it. The entire experience revolves around skiing, with just the essentials and none of the distractions. I actually never even made it over to neighboring Snowbird because I always got so carried away exploring Alta that I never felt the need to leave. The skiing is exceptional, the mountain is the perfect size for a full day, and the atmosphere feels authentic in an increasingly rare way. It's relaxed without being sleepy, serious about skiing without feeling exclusive, and full of people who genuinely love being there. If you're looking for incredible snow and one of the purest skiing experiences anywhere, Alta absolutely deserves its legendary reputation.

I'm totally blown away every time I ski here. From the views, to the bipolar weather, to the…read morequality and quantity of untracked powder, it just feels like you're skiing on another planet almost. The last time I went it was snowing while sunny out somehow, with the sun shining through the storm clouds above, and felt surreal. This was my first season skiing, though this is hands down the best ski resort I've been to so far. One time this April I made the mistake of crossing over into Snowbird's Mineral Basin, and the conditions were so much worse for just being on the other side of the ridge. It was way hotter, sunnier, and more crowded, with way more rocks, moguls, and dirt spots littering the runs, so I crossed back into Alta after 2 runs. The runs at Alta are wide and well groomed, so you can pick up some serious speed without feeling like you're risking your life doing so. Late season there was barely anyone else there too, even while it was snowing somehow (likely an effect of not allowing snowboarders). The staff here are top notch and always professional, and Alta has some of the best chairlifts I've seen. Another huge plus is how close you can park to the points at which you get on the base mountain chairlifts, as walking in ski boots while carrying skis is no fun. You can literally ski right up to your car at the end of the day if you park in the right spot. They also have a rope tow from base to base, which saves you from possibly having to take the bus at the end of the day to the other base. The only hiccups here were the requiring of parking reservations on weekends, and the pass scanner machine midway up Collins Lift not reading my Ikon Pass with no worker nearby to help, so I'd have to ski down to the bottom and take the lift all the way up.

Brighton's a pretty resilient ski resort, still snowing here in mid to late April, despite Solitude…read moreright next to it getting rain instead and having to end their season much sooner. Brighton's so deep in the mountains, it was getting even more snow than Alta or Snowbird late season. Nonetheless, most of the skiable area was closed from late April on, and they had some really sticky slush near the bottom. I went here on the week of April 20th (the stoner holiday) not thinking anything of it, and have never seen such a high concentration of intoxicated, degenerate, drug-obsessed college kids and degenerate behavior. These kids were consuming alcohol on the runs, making fun of, laughing at and humiliating beginners, and couldn't stop chairlift blabbing about jumping people, buying alcohol underaged, and "whippets" or however you spell it, their apparent drug of choice. Having an Ikon Pass and going to Alta that same week, I wanted to find the explanatory factor for the extreme disparity in guests between here and Alta that particular week. I looked online and saw Brighton was selling day passes for only $49, and marketing their late season as an event, "The Meltdown", geared toward younger people looking to party. Most of the staff here were nice and professional, with one exception. This attractive blonde girl working here was rude and standoffish when I asked what time they close, as they kept changing the closing time, seemingly on a daily basis, and nobody seemed to know. Different websites said different times and their closing time varies by day of the week, time of the season, weather, even by lift or section of the mountain, so it was like a Scooby-Doo mystery trying to figure it out. Then to get an attitude like "What... what time do we close?! You're hitting on me?!! You can't think of a better pickup line than that?! You know how many pickup lines I hear a day??" Probably not the right person to be working in hospitality. On the upside, the night skiing and tree skiing were exceptional here when I went earlier in the season, and the girl I took said this was her favorite resort. When I tried taking her to Snowbird she had a panic attack, saying it was too steep, and had to have ski patrol take her down in the basket, so Brighton's probably more beginner friendly.

you will make it to the Brighton Resort after 40 minutes up the Cottonwood Canyon; the best part is…read morethe snow you slowly see as you drive up once you hit the Resort, you will be directed to park (you can reserve parking online), and make your way to the Resort, where you can ski, play in the snow or enjoy the Restaurant aftwewards

Outdoor buddy is awesome! Super fun people and easy to work with. They were so great with our kids…read moreand gave some excellent pointers throughout the day. We'll be back!

From the owner: Outdoor Buddy is a family owned ski, snowboard, and outdoor companionship company here to enhance…read moreyour experiences in the outdoors.

We went to this out of your normal world place for an extremely unique experience!! It's a…read moresummertime only thing and you have to reserve your seat or seats!! But don't worry about that, if you've never been, the size of the place is incredible!! And the food, I just can't say enough about it!! They serve up just about anything and everything you can only dream about!! How about Prime Rib, melts in your mouth, shrimp cocktail, how about breakfast items, anything that you can only dream up for breakfast, they have got it, when you're at the salads bar area several too choose from, and last item I will mention just has to talked about, the dessert bar area, it's huge!!! I mean if you love dessert, no matter how much you have had to eat, at all the buffet tables they have, you absolutely can't not get past that dessert table!! Now the place I've been raving about is second best to no one!! And it's not like any buffet I've ever been to, oh wait, I have been to a lodge in a place called Park City that's very similar but I think it's just not as nice as Snowbasin Resort, located at 3925 East Snowbasin Resort Rd, there are two different ways of getting there, one is up Ogden Canyon, the other is head up Interstate 84. You will see directions to the place along the way, you'll definitely not miss it! Last but not the least I feel like I should mention the cost of all the splendour, it's not for the faint of heart, per person, how's about $85.00!! It's just probably the absolute best $85.00 a person will spend in their lifetime of hunting a buffet of this magnitude!! Well I guess I've said too much about this place but it's really out of this world and it's located right here in Northern Utah!! Now in closing, how about some photos??

Was an awesome day to take a ride up to snow basin resort. No snow or skiing but was a cool…read morePlace to check out. The winding road up led you along a winding creek/river depending on your view point. All the housing along this water way was built in such a way to take advantage of the water. One place it was running under the house. Not sure about tht but I guess they have a handle on it. I imagine it could be a tough drive in the winter with ice and snow.this place must really get active during the ski season as their park areas are huge. In the off season they have hiking and biking available, mini golf, outdoor music and arts events as well as mountain top dining and a kids zone Thts open year around

This resort is truly top notch. They are unique in that they offer no lodging, so most people who…read moreski/board here are locals. The benefit to that is that it is not so commercialized like many others in the area. People don't come to Snowbasin to shop, they come here to enjoy the slopes! With the exception of the lodge, the store, and a few smaller lodges with restaurants spread throughout the resort, there is nothing else to do but ski. The skiers at Snowbasin have excellent etiquette and there is plenty of space on the slopes even on the busiest days. So if the lift lines are long, know that the slopes won't be congested. I have heard that they are planning to add in a hotel with 300+ rooms in the next 5 years, so the dynamic will shift. Hopefully they continue their focus on the slopes instead of shopping. Only time will tell!

Don't come unless you want to put your beginner in danger and waste money on advanced skier…read more Also Discrimination!!! Unless you spend over $10k at ski school, don't expect any help. This was what the Director, Krista of the ski school told us. Your kids will be put in groups with other kids at very different levels, green, blue, or black, maybe all in one group. It doesn't matter. They don't assess based on levels even though they act like they do by giving the kids report cards. Your kids may be at a lower level but they will group them with kids on super high level and vice versa. If you have lower level kids, this will be very dangerous, and if you have higher level skiers, then you just spend the money, and they may not learn anything. We have been to different ski resorts in Utah and Denver, and this is the first time that they do not consider the kids levels and provided service based on how much you spent.