There must be thousands ways to ski Deer Valley Resort, here is one local’s perspective. I am sharing with you my favorite way to navigate the mountain.

From my bed, I look out the window. I scrutinize the sky. If it’s not snowing I can see Bald Mountain in the distance and hear it calling me, “are you coming today?”

This is the moment when I ask my wife if she feels like skiing. Depending on whether she will join me or not, my itinerary on the mountain may differ at bit, but we’ll get into this as the day unfolds.

Most of the time my day begins with a three and a half mile morning run around Park Meadows. I then eat a solid breakfast while still staring at Bald Mountain. I can now see the sun shinning off the top of the Sultan Express chairlift. Soon it’s time to gather all of my stuff, slip my pass around my neck, and get dressed. I drop my boots and helmet in the car. I load my skis on the rack, and am on my way to Deer Valley Resort.

I make a quick stop at the unloading area to drop off my wife and our gear while I park my car. Since we always make a point of leaving home early, I usually find a convenient spot in parking Lot 2. I don’t even catch the skiers tram and instead jog back to the plaza to join my wife, pick up our skis and poles, and in no time we’re riding Carpenter Express chairlift.

When my wife accompanies me, our morning always begins with Jordanelle ski run. We like to follow the sun around the resort. We ski down Little Stick ski run to Deer Hollow ski run where we catch Mountaineer Express chairlift. When we get there early in the morning we have the Jordanelle run to ourselves. We ski down this magical ribbon that sits above the reservoir below. There are not many ski runs like this one. If the crowds are light and the snow stays firm, we’ll repeat it, and sometimes we even do it three times.

We then head to Bald Mountain and warm up on Nabob or Keno ski runs. Sometimes we stay there the entire morning. If I’m alone I go directly to the Ruins of Pompeii, Triangle Trees or Grizzly ski runs. I can stay there for hours on end.

When I ski with my wife, we sometimes stay a little bit longer and include lunch in our ski day. Planning our skiing time with with a delectable goal in mind will inevitably bring us to the Empire Canyon Lodge. Perhaps it is because of its setting, cradled at the base of Daly and Empire Bowls. Most likely it is because we love the paninis that they serve. A valid set of reasons! While relaxing and enjoying our lunch break, I check the surroundings, ask questions, assess Daly Bowl and its surroundings, and depending on the conditions of the day, either ski there or check out Lady Morgan Express chairlift.

When we’re done skiing on that side of the mountain, we eventually head back towards Silver Lake by way of Ontario Bowl. We love exploring new lines in the aspen glades all the way back to the Judge chairlift. I like this run best, it leads us effortlessly to the edge of the Nastar Race Course finish area and funnels us towards the Crown Point chairlift.

I like riding this chair so I may turn around and observe the late afternoon skiers slaloming down the runs of Bald Mountain. I also like to stare at Empire Bowl, far in the distance, where moguls look like dimples on a golf ball and reflect the last sun of the day. Just a few days ago there was a moose eating bark off of a tree under that chairlift.

From the top of Bald Eagle mountain, Kimberley ski run is always my favorite. I love to ski under the bridges on a trail that reminds me of a half pipe and transitions with downhill turns into Big Stick ski run. I appreciate Big Stick’s steep pitch and eventually slow down on my way to the resort’s base, I am thinking. “Another wonderful day at Deer Valley!”