Deer Valley Resort is where I learned to ski, so I don’t know anything other than being spoiled. Until my friends came up for a girl’s ski weekend, I didn’t fully appreciate all the special things that make Deer Valley so wonderful.  Sometimes when you don’t know anything else, you don’t realize how good you have it.

Here are a few things that delighted my friends about skiing at Deer Valley:

Drop off is easy. The ski concierge helps you unload your skis and poles and hold them for you while you park.  It’s so nice to not have to lug your equipment up from the parking lot.

Toasty warm boots and gloves. There are boot warmers in the locker room at Snow Park  (and at Silver Lake Lodge and even at Cushing’s Cabin) so you can slip your feet into toasty warm boots for the start of your day (or after a break.) Having warm boots makes them easier to slip on, too. Sometimes, I’ll pop my gloves on the warmers, too if it a little chilly outside.

Fresh flowers. How nice is it to have fresh flower arrangements in the ladies room?  Also with our high desert climate in Utah, it sure is helpful to have hand lotion to keep hands soft after washing up.  Ladies, do you agree?

Mountain Hosts. The informative Mountain Hosts are perched at strategic locations to help you figure out your next move.  Since my girlfriends hadn’t skied in a few years, we tapped the Mountain Hosts to help us decide which runs to take and in what order.

Choices for great eats. You can find just about anything you’d like to eat one of the Deer Valley Resort restaurants.  Do you want pizza or sushi? World famous turkey chili or a salad bar? Would you like to sit down for fine dining? You got it. Not only are there the lodges at Snow Park, Silver Lake and Empire, but you can also experience dining at the Royal St Café, Montage, Stein Eriksen Lodge and St. Regis.

Ski storage for lunch. When you take a lunch break, you can store your skis for no charge so you never have to worry that you forgot where you left them or that you’ll mistakenly pick up someone’s that look just like yours. You can also leave your ski’s overnight at no charge and even have them waxed and ready for you the next day for a small charge.

Boot baskets. The daily basket rental allows in-and-out privileges from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.  This makes it easy to drop a layer when you start to warm up and store your car keys for the day. (Yeah, I don’t bring my keys with me on the chairlift or down any ski runs for obvious reasons.)

If you are coming back the next day, you can also store your boots overnight for no charge. This way in the morning, all you need is you and your helmet! Your skis, poles and boots all can be stored overnight waiting for you the next day — gratis from Deer Valley.

A ride to your car. The Deer Valley tram comes by every few minutes and drops you right by your car. All you have to do is remember which lot you parked in. You can be like me and forget where you left your car since you are so excited to ski in the morning. I am often seen walking through the parking lot at the end of the day, clicking my door opener and listening for a sound.  Works like a charm.

When I was a kid, my father worked in Washington D.C., so my family went to the Smithsonian all the time. Seeing the Star Spangled Banner, the Hope Diamond, and the Bill of Rights was a regular occurrence for me – I thought all kids were “Smithsonian museum rats.”  I really didn’t know how good I had it back then.

Now as an adult, having the opportunity to ski at Deer Valley, I am spoiled once again and so are you. Isn’t it wonderful?