Utah Deer Valley daily cap?

[Magi]

The cap info I've gotten is second hand but multiple credible folks have said it's effectively peak demand -x where x is a really thin number. According to insiders the "cap" is as high as 9,500 during peak demand whereas 6,500 not terribly long ago. So a game/cosmetic. I would love to get Alterra's input on this as to the numbers, etc. They must have a bevy of spokesholes by now.

From a brief look at Wikipedia - Deer Valley is about 2/3rds the size of Winter Park (and that's including the cirque at WP, which isn't open all that often).

Given that we handle 1.5-2x the skiers on a pretty regular basis, and don't have the problems you're talking about - I'm curious what's making 8-9k skiers feel so crowded.

 

[Started at 53]

From a brief look at Wikipedia - Deer Valley is about 2/3rds the size of Winter Park (and that's including the cirque at WP, which isn't open all that often).

Given that we handle 1.5-2x the skiers on a pretty regular basis, and don't have the problems you're talking about - I'm curious what's making 8-9k skiers feel so crowded.

I am sure @Lorenzzo will be around soon, but I can say that the narrow runs and scraped off snow adds the the problem. Let’s look at runs and not off piste area and I bet DV is not that large

 

[Lorenzzo]

From a brief look at Wikipedia - Deer Valley is about 2/3rds the size of Winter Park (and that's including the cirque at WP, which isn't open all that often).

Given that we handle 1.5-2x the skiers on a pretty regular basis, and don't have the problems you're talking about - I'm curious what's making 8-9k skiers feel so crowded.

It's been covered but with the exception of trees, DV consists of mostly narrow trails that aren't that close together. Much of the treed terrain is only skiable infrequently, many years not at all. It seems they could add trails or cut existing trails wider and if they did the place would definitely handle numbers better.

 

[Woodsrider427]

I skied DV a few days last week and it was packed with all the parking lots filled to capacity and significant lift lines. Yet not officially sold out.

Was this a weekend or weekdays? You said a few so I assume at least one was a weekday. Just trying to get an idea as to what I might be looking forward to next week.

 

[raytseng]

I skied dv last sat.I i made a res. but many ppl with ikon pass in line didnt and it was fine.

Especially if youre on the ball and in there around opening. Do expect 10mins to get your ticket.

On the website they really say you are at sellout risk on the peak peak days (e.g. blackout days of xmas and the 2 holidays).
You should be fine any other day.

 

[Seldomski]

IDK whether to believe the crowding reports or if it's just locals trying to exaggerate to keep people away... do the Ikon hordes really exist?

Some lifts get jammed with people, but the great thing about DV is most areas you can choose from 2 or more lifts in poling distance to go somewhere else. I generally pick whatever line is shorter and go where the mountain is telling me to go without having a specific plan for where I want to go. Bald Mt for instance can be accessed by 4 (well one doesn't go to very top) different lifts. If the first one has a long line, just go down to the next one.

I'd say the one weird area that would help open things up is Flagstaff under Quincy. Lots of houses and roads under that lift, so a lot of it can't actually be skied efficiently. You rarely see people on anything under the Quincy lift. Most of that terrain is accessibly by Red Cloud, which is very slow lift, and so no one skis it. If they thinned some of the trees into glades and put in some skier bridges, you could open up all more of that terrain maybe? Then again, I think Hidden treasure starts with about 300 yards of flat poling (yuck), so that whole area may just be way too flat for skiing (hence the housing).

Generally I don't ski anything off of Carpenter lift, so maybe that's my disconnect? If that lift line sucks, get on the lift right next to it! The base area near Carpenter always has people milling around. That's because the ski school office, ski valet, lift tickets, and lockers all empty into that area. Those people aren't all standing in line, it's just a natural congregation area. And as @KingGrump said in another thread, use the singles line and waits are minimal.

 

[Lorenzzo]

A key point that seems to keep getting overlooked is that lift lines are only part of crowding, others are base facilities, trails, parking, etc. DV's crowding can be lift lines but it's moreso what's on the trails.

I can't speak for others but my comments are sincere, I hardly think these threads will truly be an influence on what happens at DV. I'm not even there much these days. As I've said, my motivation is to get a sense of trends, distortions, how others feel and to maintain a dialogue as to what may be going on. Also, what one individual thinks is crowding another feels isn't and I completely respect that. I find the various subjectives to be interesting.

 

[Started at 53]

DV does not have a lift line problem

DV has a too many people skiing in congested areas problem

DV also has parking issues, but who in Utah doesn’t?

So yes, I am being sincere

There are too many skiers on the DV groomed runs

 

[Philpug]

DV does not have a lift line problem

DV has a too many people skiing in congested areas problem

DV also has parking issues, but who in Utah doesn’t?

So yes, I am being sincere

There are too many skiers on the DV groomed runs

I agree with this. Our last trip to DV, I skied areas that I didn't veen know existed..I am not talking just some trails, but these areas had lifts, LOL. There are many off the beaten sections that do not get the crowds.

 

[Started at 53]

I agree with this. Our last trip to DV, I skied areas that I didn't veen know existed..I am not talking just some trails, but these areas had lifts, LOL. There are many off the beaten sections that do not get the crowds.

When you are on red Pro Terrain’s they get out of your way, it’s when I’m on my camo skis that they don’t see me coming and it’s an issue

 

[Lorenzzo]

I skied dv last sat.I i made a res. but many ppl with ikon pass in line didnt and it was fine.

Especially if youre on the ball and in there around opening. Do expect 10mins to get your ticket.

On the website they really say you are at sellout risk on the peak peak days (e.g. blackout days of xmas and the 2 holidays).
You should be fine any other day.

This may be all you really need to know about the cap. But next time I'm in PC I should be able to get accurate numbers on pre and post Alterra.

 

[Started at 53]

Ok, honest question... do you think they count kids?

A couple of days it seemed there were several thousand KIDS

 

[raytseng]

If groomers make you barf, you can still have a good few days at DV; I will recommend you join up with the expert mtn tour.

I did 1 day at DV on Saturady; had a good time and our host moved at an extremely fast pace, We started with 8, and dropped 3 in order to get us all around the mtn and to the runs he had picked out for us in the limited time. You have to be able to do the whole bump run or glades run without rest to keep pace, and it was perhaps too fast to really absorb what we were doing. There were a bumps, glades, chutes, 1 short 5min bootpack, traverses through singletrack in forest with rollers and whoopdeedoos, definitely requires an adv or expert skillset that has done all these things before to keep up.

The host was perhaps overly aggressive in his pace, I am sure the dropped folks were not feeling VIP. A person in our group said he joined 3 of these over 2 days; and each host had different runs and secret stashes to show. He did note our particular host was the most frenetic, the other tours he took on the weekdays were less frenetic as the group was also smaller, so a host can't just drop everyone if there are only 3 to begin with.

Still, great for a day or two, but if you want big mtn terrain, dv is not for you, the other mtns offer much more craggy features that you seek.
DV allows familes to ski together not have to stress about some of the other nitpicks that plague resorts, and have a pleasant time.

 

[zircon]

In the northeast only Killington has been direct to lift for us.

The thread has kind of moved on from this, but Sugarbush had signs saying they were direct to lift when I was there last week. And was surprisingly uncrowded for a holiday weekend in New England.

 

[Steezus]

Lorenzzo is right, crowding isn't just lifts and unless it is a powder day, the vast majority of skiers pack the narrow groomers, the lodges around lunchtime, and the parking.

Last year since they constantly sold out holidays and weekends, you still got crowds at the lifts. Carpenter can be a 10 minute wait and Silver Lake Express would be only slightly less, but it takes you to crowded Sterling, Quincy, Red Cloud, and sometimes crowded Wasatch basically SLE is just an access lift.

Really the only two lifts that access good terrain with no crowds is Mayflower and Lady Morgan. Both need a lot of snow to be skiable which Mayflower doesn't get as much and both rarely get a second groomed run at night.

Of course, some people used to PC, Tahoe or Breck lines would laugh at what I call a lift line, but I know how DV use to be and of course on the slopes at DV it feels like you are dodging skiers non stop unless you are in the trees or outer reaches. The vertical is so short as well that your ski time is over quickly and you are back in another lift line right away. Even if it is a five minute wait, you get a ton of them at DV and it all adds up.

 

[blackke17]

the worst of the overcrowding is at Steins around noon!

They really need to get the chainsaws out this summer and open up some tree runs - its a joke how little terrain they have off piste

all that said i made my DV RV for tomorrow - busting out the Skinny skis

 

[Steezus]

They run full time saw crews at DV in the summer. It is actually the most gladed mountain that I know of. The only stuff that isn't gladed is where it never gets much natural snow like Deer Crest and Bald Eagle. I think a lot of trees are just a lot tighter than what a lot of people want and it also blocks off a lot of snow from falling. I would imagine they probably don't plan on opening up the trees seeing how they have kept them that tight the entire time, but I agree, some glades could be spaced a bit wider.

 

[Mountainside]

X-Files and Triangle Trees usually make for a fine tree skiing day.

 

[marjoram_sage]

Deer Valley Resort will have direct-to-lift access for winter 19/20 after an investment in RFID technology. I assume you will still have to make reservations so they can enforce the cap (even if it's just for marketing). When do the reservations open for Feb 2020?