The "Deer Valley Difference"- 16,130 vertical feet

I got my first taste of Deer Valley today, and it was sweet. Deer Valley Mountain Resort is like no other mountain resort that I have ever been to. Certain elements make Deer Valley unlike any other in Utah, the Wasatch Range, the USA, and maybe even the world.

First, Deer Valley has an excellent grooming standard. All green, blue, and double blue trails are groomed every night totaling about 1/2 of the mountain. But, the snow is not just rolled over by a CAT to be made into "corduroy" (so named because of the appearance of groomed snow), it is chopped up deeper than the surface and then groomed over to be made into what Mom aptly calls, "velvet corduroy". I didn't get to the mountain early enough to experience a freshly groomed trail, but I can attest to the fact that the snow was still great at the end of the day, something that is not necessarily that easy to find.

Second, Deer Valley has the most incredibly accessible mountain. Deer Valley is privately owned (as opposed to being leased from the US Forest Service). It's owner and creator Edgar Stern sought to create a luxury ski resort. I think he certainly succeeded. The aforementioned snow grooming and the mountain accessibility certainly make Deer Valley a pleasant place to ski, and a place that affluent skiers would be more likely to spend money because of the numerous services provided. On most mountains you will find yourself taking the "catwalk" to get across the mountain to other lifts and sections of the mountain. Deer Valley does no such thing! There are lifts to get to other lifts! I never once today found myself on a catwalk shuffling over to the other side of the mountain. With it's six mountain peaks, one would think traveling between the six would be a difficult task. Deer Valley makes it so easy to get from mountain to mountain that one can ski the entire mountain in a day! I skied four mountains today, Bald Mountain (elevation 9,400ft), Bald Eagle Mountain (elevation 8,400ft), Flagstaff Mountain (elevation 9,100ft), and Empire (elevation 9,570). Granted on some mountains I only skied one run, but the sheer fact that I was able to access four mountain peaks is quite impressive, especially considering I was only at Deer Valley for 5 hours.

Third, the food at Deer Valley is top notch. Since Deer Valley is catering (pun intended) to a more affluent crowd that is more accustomed to the finer things in life, Deer Valley has to make sure it's food is "good enough to eat". Mom and I dined at the Empire Canyon Grill at the bottom of the Ruby and Empire Express lifts. We each had chili, con carne for me and turkey for her. It was served in real flatware (not paper or plastic) and with real silverware. The cornbread with paprika sprinkled on top served on the side was to die for. It hit the spot after skiing out on the cold side of the mountain. We dined by the fire on the second story loft which was also a great place to warm our gloves. Also, the bathrooms were the nicest public bathrooms I have used in a long time. The hardware was gold... colored, not real gold obviously (or was it?). There was also a coat rack and shelf conveniently located at the entrance to the restroom so I was able to hang up my coat and leave my mittens outside of the stall, because no one wants their mitten to fall into a toilet bowl.

Fourth, the customer service at Deer Valley is outstanding. The customer service was actually the first thing I noticed. At every large scale map located on the mountain (usually at the tops of lifts) a "Mountain Host" was present to help skiers negotiate the mountain. We asked multiple mountain hosts questions like, "Where is the sunniest trail? Which double blue do you recommend? and How do we get to X lift?" They always had the answer, and were so pleasant upon answering. We were never steered in the wrong direction. The lift attendants were so friendly, always saying "Good morning/afternoon" and asking us how our day was going. When we had questions they answered enthusiastically. The servers and bussers at the Empire Canyon Grill were also very friendly and courteous. But, my favorite customer service experience was when we were leaving Empire Canyon Grill to head up the Ruby Express lift, which is very flat terrain to ski across, especially while trying to dodge skiers coming downhill from three directions. A gentleman wearing the signature Deer Valley green jacket was asking my mom how she liked her skis (Volkl Aura's) while she was putting them on outside, so they were chatting for a bit. Then he asked us where we were going and we told him to the Ruby Express lift. Then, he grabbed hold of our poles and gave us a tow across the flat terrain and whipped us into the lift line. It was so fun, and a perfect example of the amazing customer service at Deer Valley.

Mom said I would love Deer Valley, and I did. I fully intend to go back there on a day when I am not so tired (third day leg muscle soreness was kicking in) so that I can go earlier to experience the "velvet corduroy" and because I can ski so much of the mountain due to the accessibility. Today I skied 16,130 vertical feet, which is over 4,000 feet than I skied yesterday. Deer Valley definitely exceeded my expectations for a ski resort, but I know better than to expect it from all ski resorts, and because of that I will look forward to my days at Deer Valley with eagerness.

This video was taken at the top of Empire Express, the mountain peak all the way to skiers left.

This video was taken at the top of Bald Mountain where the Sultan, Wasatch, and Sterling Express lifts converge. Weren't we blessed with the most gorgeous day?!

This final video, is me "interviewing" Mom about our lunch. She is so cute.

11,775 vertical feet - King Con Blue Zone

Mom introduced me to her favorite part of Park City Mountain, the trails off of the King Con lift. Well, I must really be like my mom because I enjoyed it so much that we rode up the lift 7 times. Yes, really. The picture to the right is of me at the top of the King Con lift.

Because it was Mom's first real day skiing, and only my second, we decided to take it easy again. We skied only blue groomers all day, and that was fine with me. A blue run is considered an intermediate run. They range from inclines from 25 degrees to 40 degrees. Blues are popular amongst most skiers because beginners can usually handle them when groomed and intermediates can hone their skills while experts can have a fun cruiser. For the record, I find blues to be fun cruisers, and thus consider myself an expert. I have been skiing since the age of two and my mom was a ski instructor...

At the top of each lift there is a list of all the trails off that lift. Next to the name of each trail it says whether the trail is closed, open, or groomed. I found this to be a useful tool, until I also discovered that you can just pick up a map of the groomed trails for the day. Of course, this is quite a waste of paper, but it's a great tool for planning your day on the mountain. Today's vertical feet total was 11,775ft, with 8,400ft being off the King Con lift. I figure I have 24 more days of skiing to explore the rest of the mountain.

Today, I will leave you with two videos. The first is a panoramic at the top of the King Con lift.

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The second video is of moi skiing down the trail called Shamus off the King Con lift. Shamus is a blue trail, and was groomed today. Shamus has an incline of approximately 35-40 degrees and is about 900ft long, though you will only see me ski about 500ft of it. My mom recorded it and you can hear her sweet commentary in the background.

I am going to be taking videos of my skiing throughout the trip so that I can analyze my ski style on different types of trails and watch for improvement.

Tomorrow, Mom and I are planning on skiing Deer Valley; a snowboard free, completely groomed, fancy schmancy resort that I hear has the best food of any ski mountain anywhere. I wonder if I will fit in there...

Day 1 - 11,737 vertical feet - The Bunny Slope

"Take it easy" is my motto for the first day on the slopes, and that is exactly what I did today by sticking to the "bunny" slopes.

I headed to Park City Mountain Resort on the pink/#7 bus from the stop just outside my door. I boarded the bus at 10:15 and was at the mountain in about 15 minutes. The bus system here is very efficient, organized, and an overall pleasant experience. Not having a car is not going to be a problem.

When I got off the bus I immediately noticed that there is a small ice skating rink in the middle of the sidewalk! There were kids with their parents skating around having a great time. But, I didn't come all the way to Park City to ice skate! I came here to ski. Cole Sport is located right up the stairs when you get off the bus, you can't miss it. I headed in and the technician got my skis and boots from the back, ready to be used for the first time. I took off my Sorels and put them in a dollar locker, put on my new Dalbello custom ski boots, and headed to the chair lift with my Volkl skis, ready for the first chair lift ride and run of the day, month, and trip.



The six seater Payday chairlift was my choice for my first lift because the trails off of it are mostly green and blue, with some double blue and black. As I looked up the mountain I thought "this place isn't that big" but as I rode up the chairlift I realized I was very, very wrong. Apparently, from the base of the mountain you can only see 20% of the mountain. It is in fact a VERY big mountain. The 2010 Alpine Western Regionals (a racing qualifier) was skiing on Payday trail (a blue), which was the trail I was planning on going do, but it was closed because of the Regionals.



Instead I took an easy green trail all the way back down to the base and rode Payday lift up and skied down two more times. It was a great warm up, and I was ready for something more difficult, but Mom was ready to meet for lunch at the top of the Bonanza lift.

The Bonanza lift starts just at the top of the Payday lift, so it was very easy for me to go up and meet her. Now that I was going up even higher on the mountain, I could see that it was REALLY big. I could see some trails but had no idea what the names were, but I'm sure in time I'll figure that out. I met Mom for lunch at Summit House which had outdoor seating! You would think it would be too cold to dine outside on a ski mountain, but there are heat lamps and wind barriers in and surrounding the seating area. What a brilliant idea. Mom and I, however, dined inside near the roaring fire. The food was pretty basic mountain food, nothing special in the grill, pizza, soup, salad, and sandwich departments. But, I didn't come to Park City to eat, I came here to ski!

After lunch Mom and I skied down to the Silverload chair lift and rode that up then skied back over to Payday. I rode up and skied down Payday 4 more times and I could have skied it into the night. Payday chair lift is open until 7:30 and the runs off of it are lighted at night. I've never been night skiing so I definitely have to experience that before I leave.

Mom left me before I rode Payday those 4 more times. She was done for the day because she was cold (brrrr). She went back to Cole Sport to look for some warmer pants while I was on the "bunny" slope. It is important to dress appropriately for winter sports, because it's cold but you're sweating. Wicking fabrics are good for base layers (Hot Chillies, Smartwool, etc), and insulating second layers are important as well. I have third layers and vests for on top of really cold days, and extra thick bottoms as well. My outer layers are both Spyder (my favorite brand) and are made with Thinsulte which is great for cold weather. I wasn't cold today but I wasn't toasty either. Having hand warmers inside of my mittens helped a lot as well. I am a firm believer in hand warmers. It's a good the thing the Bed Bath and Beyond by the condo sells them in packs of 10!

Each time I went down from Payday I took different trails each time. I skied Dividend (a bumpy blue), Widowmaker (a non bumpy but steep black), and Treasure Hollow (my favorite of the day - a blue cruiser). I ended my day at 3:30 after 4 hours of sking with a grand total vertical feet of 11,737ft, mostly on the "bunny" slopes.

I measure my vertical feet by adding together the vertical distance of the chair lifts I ride. So, if the base of a lift is at an elevation of 2,000ft and the top of the same lift is at an elevation of 3,000, the vertical feet is 1,000 feet, even if the actual length of the lift is 1,500ft. This also means that my vertical feet is not the same as my distance skied. In order to calculate that, I would likely need a GPS system, which I am just not going to splurge for (donations please?).

All in all, today was a great first day. I experienced the comfort of having my own boots and skis (what? no shin bang or numb toes and easy turning!). I figure if I ski a week every year for five years, the skis pay for themselves. Now that I have my "ski legs" I am confident that I will have a great month of skiing ahead of me.

Welcome to Park City, Utah

I have been in Park City, Utah, one of the best ski resorts in the country, for 33 hours and have yet to ride a chair life or ski a slope. My mom, Judy and I are here for 28 days (well, 26 more days) because... because we decided to spoil ourselves a little (OK a lot) bit. That's not entirely true. My mom decided to spoil herself, and I am getting spoiled by default.

We rented a condo in Redstone that we found on Vacation Rentals by Owner. We got a great deal on a two bedroom (each with a private balcony), three bathroom, floor through kitchen/dining/living area with gas fireplace, laundry room, garage, office alcove, in a two story condo. Oh, and did I mention it's an end unit with a private outdoor hot tub overlooking a wildlife preserve? Yes, we hit the jackpot.

Yesterday was kind of a blurry whirlwind because of all the running around. Between waking up early, flying, running errands, and getting (sort of) settled, we barely had time to stop and smell the roses, er... snow. Our wonderful City Cab driver took us to Canyon Sports where we were able to purchase discount lift tickets for Deer Valley and Snowbird. Costco was next where we picked up 5-pack discount tickets for Park City and 2-pack discount tickets for The Canyons. The Park City 5-packs have the highest discount, but the small discount on the other mountain lift tickets are worth purchasing. We figured we should ski most of the resorts in the area since they are all easily accessible, except for Snowbird which has the best powder in the USA.

The condo in Redstone is in the perfect location. Since we're car-less, it is important to stay somewhere with shops within walking distance and on a shuttle route. In Redstone there is a Smith's grocery store, Whole Foods Market, Bed Bath and Beyond, Best Buy, Petco, TJ Maxx (I'm in heaven), Starbucks, Chase bank, post office, movie theater, and a variety of restaurants. The shuttle bus stop is literally 300 feet from our door. Everything we need is here.

Today was our first full day in the city, and there was lots to do. After waking up and lolly gaging for a good 4 hours, we walked the 2 minuted to the bus stop, hopped on the pink line shuttle, and headed into Park City. The first stop was Cole Sports where we had purchased Volkl skis over the phone with the great help of Ryan, who luckily was also in the store today. Ryan and Brett fitted Judy and I for boots. We both have the same shaped foot, narrow heel compared to a wide toe. What can I say? Like mother like daughter. We laughed when they brought out the same brand of boot, Dalbell0, only a harder more aggressive boot for me and a more cushy flexible boot for my "elderly" mother. Having never been fitted for boots before in my life, the experience was one to be remembered. My favorite part was when my custom insoles were made. They literally take a mold of your foot and then heat up your insoles and shape them between the mold and your foot. I found it very fun.

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At Cole Sports I also picked up some brand new socks, which Brett claims are the best ski socks on the market, XXX socks, which at $45 are actually on the less expensive side for good technical skiing socks. I also snagged some Hot Chillys warmwear (aka long johns) for $45 each. Judy and I also got matching Sorel boots to wear when walking around in the wet and snow to keep our feet toasty and dry and to make sure we don't slip and hurt ourselves, because then we wouldn't be able to ski and that would defeat the whole purpose of our trip. Fabulous Brett told us that our skis would be mounted with their bindings overnight and brought to the base of the mountain so that we could pick them up in the morning before we headed out for our first run. Thanks, Brett (and Ryan - who lucky duck is going to Jackson Hole for a few days so we didn't get to say goodbye). Cole Sports is the premier ski gear shop in Park City. They carry only the best of everything and the customer service was top notch. And with four locations in Park City and Deer Valley, with one shop specializing in snowboard gear, there is no reason to go to any other ski shop.

After our pleasant experience at Cole Sports we returned to the condo and walked over to Smith's grocery store with a Whole Foods Market shopping cart that we jacked yesterday and stored in our garage (we promise we'll return it before we go back to NY). We stocked up on food and water but there were a few things we were unable to purchase; matzo ball soup mix (Jewish) and rice crackers (Asian). We were directed to the "international" food aisle, which actually made us laugh because Kraft Mac and Cheese was in this aisle as well as ramen noodles. I will stop there, and let you figure out the rest.

Now, after having eaten and fully unpacked, I am sitting in my cozy room planning my day for tomorrow. I'm going to take it easy, because I haven't skied in a year and it would be terrible if I injured myself on the first day. Wish me luck for tomorrow which will be my first time skiing in my own skis and boots, and my first time skiing in Park City. I can't wait.

Block Island for 4th of July

New York's Long Island, Connecticut, and the Rhode Island mainland provide easy access to one of the greatest day tripping and long weekend getaways in the Northeast, Block Island, located just 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. The island is only a short ferry ride away but once you arrive it feels like a different world. The only season to get the full Block Island experience is in the summer, when the beaches are perfect for sunbathing, the roads perfect for biking, the trails perfect for hiking, and the lobster perfect for eating. To experience a perfect day or weekend all you need to do is get off the ferry, everything you need is on the island waiting for you. You can rent bikes and kayaks at one of many sporting goods shops. If you're not the athletic type, you can shop and dine in the little marina village and for exploring hop on a motorized scooter available for rent. You can hang out at the bar on the docks and listen to live music. And if you're staying overnight, don't forget to book a room at one of the island's many pristine B&B's.

I ventured to Block Island from Montauk, NY on the Eastern most tip of Long Island on the 10am Viking Ferry on this year's perfectly sunny 4th of July Saturday. The ferry reservations were booked online making the process at the docks seamless. Viking provided a parking pass and a space in their lot for the day as there is not much parking at the dock. You can bring your bikes onto the ferry for an additional charge, which if you plan on biking is the way to go, however there are numerous places to rent bikes from once on Block Island. The ferry has comfortable seating in the cabin (perfect for napping on the way back) and upper deck outdoor seating as well as benches along the sides of the cabin. The best seating on the boat (for view, not for comfort) is the two small benches at the bow of the boat (that's the front for those of you who are not familiar with nautical terms). Of course this is where I chose to sit as the view is perfect, and the light sea spray is quite refreshing (it's also a great place to get a picture!).

Once you disembark from the ferry via the gangway onto the dock in Block Island, you see boats everywhere. Block Island's marinas are obviously the hippest place to park your boat. Some of the boats are three boats deep and couldn't get out if the docks were set aflame. No one seems to care that they're stacked upon each other, everyone sits on the back of their boats drinking and listening to music just lazing the day away (not a bad way to live life if you ask me). The ferry ride is only an hour long, so once you've got your sea legs, you're back on land. As you leave the boat and dock area, make sure you know how much time you will need to get back to the dock as the last boat out for the day is THE LAST BOAT OUT. If you miss the boat, you will have to stay the night or charter a private boat back to where you came from.

Once out of the marina, you can rent a bike right away or catch a taxi which will take you to your B&B, the village, a small watercraft rental shop, or a motorized scooter rental shop (sometimes these double as bike rental shops also). We opted to rent bikes right away as we were not staying overnight and felt like being active. The bike rentals are for 4 hours or the whole day, which of course is irritating as the next boat doesn't leave for 5 hours! We were able to finagle the summer employee from Europe to give us the 4 hour rate for the 5 hours (shh!). The bikes come with a lock and most come with a basket or rack with bungee chords so you can strap your bag to the bike (make sure you take it with you when you park and lock the bike). Also make sure to inspect your bike before you ride away. The bikes are used frequently so they tend to get dirtier and broken faster (the front break one of our bikes was not attached properly, another had a wobbly basket only held in place by the seat).

Once the bikes were squared away we set off immediately to the North Light House. On the way we passed some kids selling lemonade and baked goods and stopped for a cup (we passed more throughout the day, it's a popular past time for kids on Block Island). On the way to the North Light House you pass the National Wildlife Refuge and Sachem pond which are both great scenic locations. As you approach the North Light House be aware of the LONG WAY DOWN HILL! You have to ride (or walk) your bike back up it! However, it's super fun to ride down and the minimal traffic makes it fun and relatively safe for cyclists to cruise down at full speed. Just try not to get any bugs in your teeth... The North Lighthouse can be accessed only by a rocky beach so we locked the bikes on one of the ever present bike racks and walked down to the light house, which was not yet open for the season (opened the next day) but proved to be a very picturesque sight. Also, do not be deceived by the apparently calm water, there are strong riptides and swimming is strongly discouraged. After picking up some litter on the beach (there are garbage cans right there people!), and getting the sand out of our shoes, we hopped back on the bikes and trekked up the HUGELY HUGE HILL on the way to the Southeast Lighthouse. On the way we stopped for lunch at a beach front joint to refuel, we needed it after that hill!

The Southeast lighthouse is situated on the bluffs at the Southeast (obviously) end of the island and provides a great view. 300 yards from the entrance to the lighthouse is the entrance to steps (152, we counted) with access to the beach at the base of the Mohegan Bluffs (one of my favorite stops of the day and unfortunately not long enough... had to get back in time for the LAST BOAT OUT). The beach can only be accessed by climbing down a steep rocky trail so wear appropriate footwear. Bring a towel for an extended stay and lay out under the bluffs.

After leaving the Southeast Lighthouse we had to move pretty quickly to get back to the marina in time for the LAST BOAT OUT! The loop from the Mohegan Bluffs back to the marina is very hilly but absolutely breathtaking. Dotted throughout the landscape are small sweet water ponds with water lilies in bloom. They're all completely natural formed which makes them that much more awesome. The last stretch back to the marina passes an old cemetery situated on a hill, which I hear is great for gravestone rubbings. Make sure you've picked up a map as the roads on this end can be tricky, but generally just follow the people in front of you and you'll arrive safely back at the marina.

Once we got back to the marina and returned our bikes we decided to stop at the bar on the dock. It was super crowded with people drinking and dancing to the live band. We opted to wait on line for our ferry, but were still within ear shot of the music. Once back on the ferry (we made it!) we went in the cabin found a row of 5 seats, and took a nap. We were exhausted. On a 7x3 mile island we biked about 14 miles (wow!). Once back in Montauk we had plans to see the 4th of July Fireworks at the beach and have dinner at Cyrils. Now if only we had found an outdoor shower...

New Zealand Beach and Vineyard Tour

My favorite college roomie, Sarah, lives in New Zealand and has invited me to come visit her to do a beach and vineyard tour in her home country. Of course, I cannot pass this opportunity up! We've always talked about getting together in her land. It will finally become a reality (we hope). I've decided that the best time for this excursion is after the UT trip, particularly in April. I will spend 2 weeks or so in NY visiting with those I have not seen while in UT and then will pack up all the witner stuff and head to NZ for the end of summer! Now I've got to get a map...

Park City, UT for 2 months in winter 2010? Definitely maybe!

My mom and I have been planning a dream trip to Park City, UT for the winter 2010 season. We've decided we want to rent a reasonable apartment for 2 months and get season passes and spend two months in the mountains. My idea of course, my mom is just tagging along to pay the bills (kind of but not really). We're using http://www.vrbo.com/ to search for long term apartments that will rent to us for the majority of the season, including the Sundance Film Festival and through to the middle of the March is ideal for us. Growing up on the East Coast and in a beach town, I desperately want to get out there and experience life in the mountains for more than just a week vacation. Luckily this process is coming along and should be finalized in the next month or two. I'll keep you posted!