Learning to Ski (Again)

After our semi-successful attempt at learning how to ski last year in Vermont, we thought it would be fun to try again during our recent trip to Park City. Except this time, we were going all in: we were going to ski at Deer Valley, consistently ranked as one of the best ski resorts with the best snow in the U.S., & we were going to spend three hours with a private instructor. If this wasn’t successful, nothing was going to be.

But first, a good breakfast

On our way to our lesson, we stopped by the Deer Valley Grocery-Cafe for a quick breakfast. This little market is not only to pick up essentials when staying nearby, but also serves up an excellent breakfast. We drank hot chocolate & hand drawn lattes while noshing on french toast, a yogurt parfait & a breakfast panini, both made with homemade challah bread.

Off to rentals

Our first stop after breakfast was to ski rentals. Still being super new at the whole putting-on-skis-process, the nice people in the rental shop – many who have worked there for decades – could not have made the process easier. We were able to make all our reservations online &, with a simple check on weight & ski level (extremely beginner), we were on our way within 20 minutes.

A pair of beginner skis, boots, poles & a helmet will run you $71 per day. The shop opens at 8am & being there right at opening time will leave you with plenty of time to get all set before your lesson starts at 9am. If you’re coming into town the day before, & will be staying near or on-property, you can pick up your equipment after 3pm the day before, meaning you can head right to the slopes.

You can also book your lift tickets online, which run $114 or $95 just for an afternoon (12:30 – 4:15pm). The longer you come to ski, the more discounted your lift ticket price is, with almost $100 knocked off the price of a 7 day ticket.

Time to hit the slopes

We met our instructor, Michael, at the base of the mountain, along with all the other newbies. I felt reassured when I saw several other adults trying things out, rather than being surrounded by children who would soon be skiing in circles around me (although that, inevitably, happened as well). Michael was a fellow east coaster – from upstate New York – which made me feel like we had our own little isn’t-the-weather-so-much-worse-there-than-it-is-here-club.

Michael was very patient & encouraging & patient, working with B & I separately & together. A private lesson is not cheap, but if you’re truly a beginning skier, it’s money well spent to get off on the right foot – er, ski. Deer Valley has an extensive beginners area, with three carpet lifts & a mini chair lift. Having this extra room made all the difference, as I spend a good part of my time on skis terrified that some black diamond-er is going to mow me over. The hill on each side of the carpet lift got progressively more difficult until we finally graduated to riding up the mini chair lift & skiing down a portion of a green run.

There was one moment while I slowly making my way down from the chair lift that everything just seemed to click – the weight distribution, the wide sweeping turns, it all made sense. I was skiing! Like, doing the same thing the black diamond people were doing (sort of). Of course, just as I was busy patting myself on the back, getting a little too cocky, I took a turn too tight & feel onto my butt. Michael skied over to me, “What happened?! You were looking so good!” I sheepishly smiled up, as he pulled me off the snow & admitted that my ego & dreams of Olympic gold had gotten better of me. It was only the second time I had fallen all morning, so maybe the Olympics are still in my future.

Skiing is… well, fun? I think so!

Even though we aren’t very good at skiing, & went incredibly slow, it was so great to be in such a majestic setting. At some point, I just had to stop & look around: the towering mountains, the snow lightly falling from the sky, the laughter of the little ones around us buzzing down the mountain. The snow was powdery & light & different than anything we have on the east coast. The whole experience was made so much better by having an encouraging instructor. Honestly, my only hope was to be able to ride up a ski lift, but after our last experience, I wasn’t sure if that was really in the cards. Hope = achieved!

When you take a lesson at Deer Valley, at the end, your instructor fills out a little report card for you to take home. Michael’s contains the words that I’ll continue to ski by:

“Remember to relax!! Let your body move down the hill & into the turn. Skiing is counterintuitive.
Be safe. Have fun :)”

Know if you go… 

 – if you need to grab a bite to eat après ski, the Brass Tag is a good option, which is open 7 days a week. Everything centers around a fireplace. Also, make sure & snag some cheese while you’re there: Deer Valley makes their own!

– Deer Valley is famous for their cookies & their turkey chili. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try either, but we did come home with a bag of chili seasoning, which we’ll definitely be making!

– there are several high end lodging options very close to Deer Valley’s slopes. But, regardless of where you stay, the food & service will always be excellent.

Many thanks to Deer Valley Resort for hosting us for our second ever attempt at skiing. All opinions are my own – I would absolutely pay my own hard earned money for this awesome experiences.