This year's busy ski season is expected to last through late April and into May.
There’s a very good reason to visit Park City, Utah, and ski Deer Valley once each year: the Sundance Film Festival. But making tracks simply to make tracks was never a consideration, especially when glitzier ski destinations like Courchevel or Gstaad beckoned. This winter, however, Deer Valley’s truly exceptional snowfalls — the most consistent accumulations (more than 470 inches) in nearly a decade and a base that’s been at more than 100 inches almost all season — and its easy access have more and more of Hollywood enjoying the mountain that the industry’s “powder players” once kept to themselves.
Deer Valley has 101 trails, more than 2,000 skiable acres and 3,000-plus feet of vertical drop, and other ways to satisfy ambitious skiers, like Hirsch Wallerstein partner David Matlof, who likes to explore the backcountry with the under-the-radar Mountain Host Tours (guided only/no instruction, for intermediate/advanced skiers). “The guide takes you where the conditions are best, and there are never more than four people in a group,” Matlof says. The resort also offers the Ski With a Champion program (13 years and over, intermediate level or higher), which pairs thrill seekers with an Olympic skier for either a full ($2,000) or half-day ($1,200).
After a day on the slopes, the options in Park City abound. The Apres Lounge at Montage Deer Valley is a glamorous yurt right off the mountain where the Veuve Clicquot and other forms of decadence flow freely (though only until 4 p.m.). According to Lisa Barlow, owner of Park City’s Vida Tequila, one of the liveliest apres scenes is at O.P. Rockwell, where bartenders Chris and Dre are "in-the-know entertainers who make the best drinks in town.” The restaurant options on Main Street, many of which host A-list parties during Sundance, are plentiful, but typically book up far in advance. Try mainstays High West Distillery and Vinto for excellent no-reservations-required dining.
Traveling at the last minute, late in the season trips may limit the available accommodations. Beyond Stein Erikson Lodge, the top-tier options are the Washington School House (from $800), an opulent 12-room hotel with a 24-hour concierge and ski valet, and the 15 well-appointed residences at The Parkite (from $1,200). Promontory Club, an elite private residence club with chic bungalows and cabins, is another favorite among insiders.