Continuing my series of employee interviews inspired by Deer Valley’s National Ad Campaign …

Ed Shaul is quick to tell you he turns 50 this year—and that his job title may seem like it requires he crow about the resort, but the truth is, he’s never experienced a resort as dedicated to making things run well as Deer Valley. He may hail from the East Coast, but he long ago adopted Utah as his home. “I have lived in Utah for 27 years now, and lived in Massachusetts for 17 years,” he says. “So Utah feels like home now.” In a recent interview, I got him to dig deep and reveal a few favorite powder stashes—among other details that make up Ed’s Deer Valley.

 

Ed Shaul

Marketing Coordinator

Years worked at DV:  7

Hometown:  Foxborough, Massachusetts

My normal Deer Valley ski day starts at 8:45 a.m. at the Jordanelle Express Gondola, which is very conveniently located in the Deer Crest area of Deer Valley, just 10 miles from my home in Heber. It depends on the day but usually I will be either skiing with my girlfriend or one of my other best friend powder hounds.

My personal ski traditions include “C&P” Snow Park breakfasts. . A new tradition for the past several years is starting my Christmas morning with the huevos rancheros at Snow Park Lodge. On big Powder days, I will also make the drive to Snow Park from Heber to enjoy a hearty breakfast at Snow Park Restaurant before jumping on Carpenter Express as soon as it opens. That always puts me a bit ahead of the curve to get the goods, since if I start at Jordanelle on a powder day; I am a gondola ride behind everyone else.

My Midday Must is the turkey and ham Panini sandwiches at Empire Canyon Lodge. The turkey and the ham ones are the best!

Tracks I must make include:  Tycoon, Stein’s Way, Sunset Glades, Ontario Bowl, X-files, Magnet, Argus, Hidden Treasure and Solid Muldoon. Usually Hawkeye and Legal Tender sneak their way into the hit list too.

When I want to push myself…The skiing in the Daly Chutes is where I can push the envelope a bit. Centennial Glade and Mayflower’s Chute and Bowl can get my heart pumping too.

Begrudgingly, I’ll share a powder stash—but be forewarned, there will be secrets kept. I enjoy Triangle Trees on a powder day and there are areas within that zone that can last for days. Ontario Bowl and Sunset Glades are perennial favorites on a powder day. And then there’s Secret Glade, but I’ll leave it up to your readers to find that one on their own. In my book, Deer Valley has some excellent runs but I think it’s great because of the “trees between” and we’ll just leave it at that.

The end of my ski day is signaled by— a struggle between mind and body. My mind always wants to keep going but my legs are usually the ones begging for the break. Fortunately, my body usually wins and I live to ski another day.

The worst mistake I’ve ever made at Deer Valley was…falling victim to gluttony–not practicing more restraint at the Seafood Buffet restaurant last winter. I love the cold and hot appetizer sections at the Seafood Buffet and when I visit, I am like a kid in a candy store. It’s hard to try everything and then to revisit the favorites and then save room for the main dishes and the desserts, but I think I made a pretty good stab at it one night last winter. It was an uncomfortable ride home because I had eaten too much and it took hours to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Too much of a good thing can indeed be a bad thing I learned, so I now try not to overindulge quite as much at the Seafood Buffet.