An Afternoon at Dear Valet
Other than skiing, I have no religious background. But I have heard over the years that confession is good for the soul. Readers of this blog have no doubt noticed our use of the phrase Dear Valet in reference to a certain ski area in Utah. And, yes, occasionally you may have seen us make a snide remark or two about said ski area.
So here is the confession. I had a wonderful afternoon of skiing last week. OK, that’s not it. The confession is that it was a Dear Valet! Utah got hit with a warm spell this week, and I had accepted a dinner invite over in that neck of the woods so I figured it might be time to check out Dear Valet again. In particular, I wanted to ski their newly expanded terrain. See our article on the expansion at Dear Valet Expands for details.
The date should have been late March instead of the middle of February. It was sunny and warm – 40-50 degrees depending on elevation. We hadn’t had enough of a freeze/thaw cycle for the snow to qualify as corn but it was solid faux corn. Good enough for a thoroughly enjoyable day of fast cruising on their meticulously groomed terrain. It wasn’t what I normally pursue this time of year, but I gladly took what I was given.
Frankly, I was impressed. The mogul trails were pretty locked up due to overnight cold temps but ya know what – there is a fair amount of decent looking mogul terrain. And the mountain offers an amazing amount of really nicely pitched groomed terrain. That allowed me to put away the trail map and wander endlessly around to different parts of the mountain, including into the terrain which is new this year.
While the new terrain isn’t really distinguishable from the rest of the mountain, it provides something that the resort has lacked – over 3,000 ft. of semi-challenging continuous vertical. One of my pet peeves about both Park City and Dear Valet is that the actual continuous vertical one can ski is limited. Prior to this year, the numerous peaks at Dear Valet generally offered relatively short bursts of vertical of less than 1,500 ft. before you need to hop on a lift to get some more skiing in. Unfortunately, the base of the new terrain is at 6,300 ft. and on this day what little snow was left at that elevation was incredibly soupy. They must have carpet blanketed this whole section of the mountain in earlier colder conditions with man-made snow. But, in traditional mid-winter conditions, the new terrain is a nice add on.
But lest you think I am only writing a fluff piece about an afternoon of skiing…I was struck with some “deep” thoughts that afternoon and evening – the later part assisted by opening up some really nice wine while in the company of very enjoyable fellow skiers. The experience made me focus on something that I vaguely knew but, I suppose, in some ways had refused to admit. I am probably not your typical or average skier!
My thirst for the steep, ungroomed, hopefully powder stashed chutes isn’t what many (most?) skiers lust after. Now this maybe where a number of you are mumbling “Duh!” But I tend to have blinders on, particularly when it comes to skiing. The afternoon at Dear Valet peeled those blinders off. None of the skiable terrain that afternoon was terribly difficult. It was all groomed and the trails, at best, were of the intermediate category.
Two things stunned me. First, I had a great time ripping down these trails carving GS turns always trying to perfect the right balance, the right tempo, the right transition into the next turn…It was relaxing and challenging at the same time. Secondly, I wasn’t the only one having a relaxing fun time. I was surrounded by reveling families and couples. The conditions, combined with the terrain, made everyone feel like an accomplished skier.
And isn’t that want we want out of skiing? We want to be outside, in the mountains, with friends hopefully and (most importantly?) feel like we are capable at our quite difficult sport.
Be Well; Ski Well
* I did give thought to dropping the Dear Valet moniker but just couldn’t do it.
Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!
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