Travel Tuesday: Skiing in Deer Valley

Happy New Year! I love that my first post of 2025 is a Travel Tuesday! For the first edition of 2025’s Travel Tuesday series I am excited to share Deer Valley with you again! We first visited Deer Valley two years ago and loved it so much that we went back again this Christmas. Team Slagel joined forces with the same sweet friends we went with last time and loved every second. Read about our first experience here: https://emerybodie.com/travel-tuesday-deer-valley/

We love how accessible Deer Valley and Park City are from Salt Lake City. It’s an easy flight from Atlanta with multiple flights per day. We buy IKON passes each year because of our frequent trips to Steamboat. Deer Valley is also an IKON resort, which makes things easy. However, please note that Deer Valley caps their numbers at a lower capacity than other resorts, so some weeks require you to reserve your spot even if you do have an IKON pass. Also, Deer Valley is skiers only. No boarders.

Now on to the fun stuff! We arrived on a Friday evening and immediately chowed down on Deer Valley’s famous turkey chili from the comfort of our house. We stayed in a spacious home in Ironwood Estates, which is part of the Empire Pass area. Not only do we love this location (we stayed in the same area last time), but you get your own app with access to a free shuttle that will take you all over the resort and even into Park City. We used this almost every day. You cannot beat the convenience of Empire Pass.

We woke the first morning and got to really take in the sights from our front door. Can’t beat this! The slope is literally across the street. Our house had a heated garage with a long bench and cubbies and ski racks and boot dryers/warmers. Incredible. If you would like the exact listing, please leave a comment with your email address and I’ll send it your way. The house had two master bedrooms, a queen room, and a bunk room that sleeps six. And a hot tub! The kitchen was amazing.

House Views

Back Porch

The mountain report looked like this several days!

Deer Valley IG

Emery and Bodie on the Hill

A new apres spot opened the day we arrived. It’s called Chute Eleven and it’s a yurt just outside the Montage. The atmosphere and the food are amazing. So is the service. We went here twice. No kids allowed as you must be 21 to enter. We sent the kids to do a few runs nearby or next door to get hot chocolate while we had a little snack and some bubbles

Chute Eleven

A fun little highlight is as we were leaving Chute 11 one afternoon I found the Darn Tough socks that had been hidden by a Deer Valley employee. Steamboat also does this, but I’ve never won until now. I was so excited! We checked the Deer Valley app every morning for clues and I was determined to find a pair. Success!

Darn Tough Socks Giveaway

We ate lunch back at our house most days. It’s easier, less crowded and more cost effective. Ski trips are pricey, so save money where you can, right? Lots of fried egg sandwiches, leftovers, macaroni, peanut butter, chips, popcorn and fruit. We also ate breakfast at the house every day. I think we had bacon, eggs and cereal every morning. Easy and always a win.

Lunch

Emery and I took a break mid week for a spa day. We each got a massage at the Montage and allowed time to enjoy the amenities. Heavenly. I highly recommend this for a mother-daughter day. We did this last spring in Steamboat and it’s so nice to have this one on one time with my best girl.

Spa Day

We ate dinners at some fabulous restaurants, but I did a horrible job taking photos. We really loved being present with our friends and family. Also, we didn’t let the kids have their phones during meals, so it seemed hypocritical to whip mine out to snap pics. That said, I did get this cute shot of Ben and Bodie at Burgers and Bourbon. This is at the Montage and we hate here New Years Eve. The smash burgers are out of this world! 10/10 recommend.

Burgers and Bourbon

The adults enjoyed a dinner at Grappa in Park City one evening. Holy Moly. Delicious Italian in a super cozy spot. We opted for adults only, but we saw plenty of families with children in there. The servers are wonderful and very accommodating. Don’t be afraid to dine at Grappa with your little gremlins. Check it out here: https://www.grapparestaurant.com/

Another fabulous dinner (not sure Deer Valley/Park City has any bad dining options) was at Fireside. The menu is a bit adventurous for kids, but ours loved it. Fireside Dining offers favorites from the European Alps in the mountains of Deer Valley. The alpine inspired menu features four courses, including the guest favorite, raclette cheese, served from stone fireplaces. Specialty cocktails and a full bar are available, as well as specially selected wine and imported beer to complement our cuisine. It’s a buffet, which was perfect for our ravenous crew. Reservations are necessary and you can book here: https://www.deervalley.com/things-to-do/restaurants/fireside-dining

We treated ourselves to an in home chef for our final night. It was a splurge for sure, but I cannot say enough amazing things about the crew from Savoury. From planning the menu to executing our meal, they were flawless. And fun. Given the fact that we had six kids with us and knew that they would be bouncing around from the hot tub to the television (Notre Dame vs. Georgia!), I opted for a casual family style presentation. Not only was the food superb, but the chef and his server left our kitchen even cleaner than it was when they arrived. I’ve been told that some guests book them for an entire week! If you want the most relaxing and tasty night ever, look no further: https://savouryparkcity.com/

Deer Valley, you were SO good to us. I can’t wait to be back. Ben and I are trying to convince our kids to apply to the University of Utah.

I hope you all are having a happy new year. As always, please let me know if you need any information about Deer Valley or any of the other locations I’ve shared in my Travel Tuesdays.

Upon our return I was in major purge mode and spent an evening going through our ski bins and getting rid of all of the stuff our kids have outgrown. I sold many of their ski clothes on FB Marketplace and donated plenty to a local charity. My favorite packing cubes are for more than just travel. They are great for storage, too. Add to your collection here: https://amzn.to/3BYX0ju