Deer Valley Resort: Stein's Way leads pack of great runs at resort

Week 2 of series on Utah's signature ski runs.

Signature Run — Stein's Way

This was one of the first runs cut when the resort opened in 1981 off Bald Mountain. It was named after the legendary Stein Eriksen, Olympic medalist and director of skiing at the resort. It is a run perfectly suited for his classy, giant-slalom-style turns.

It begins at the top of the Sultan Lift and winds down through some of the resort's most scenic areas. It alternates between steep pitches, rolling inclines and gentle platforms perfect for wide, sweeping turns.

The run drops 1,300 vertical feet and is 4,500 feet long. Most of the run is intermediate, except for one pitch with a 70-degree slope, which is a double black diamond. Intermediate skiers can bypass the steep, ski around and ski back on the run where it returns to intermediate terrain.

Because of its location and popularity, it is regularly groomed.

No. 1 Run — Sidewinder

It was a difficult choice, to pick one run out of 99, but in the end Sidewinder won. It starts at the top of Flagstaff Mountain, which is accessed by four lifts.

The most direct accessed is off the Northside Express or, with a little maneuvering, the Silver Strike Express. Sidewinder runs between the two lifts. Also going to the top of the mountain is the Quincy Express and Ruby Express. Sidewinder is a low intermediate run that, even though named after an early mining claim, carries a name that suits it perfectly. It drops 900 vertical feet and runs from the top to the bottom of Northside lift. It is a run that is wide open and perfect for big, wide turns top to bottom.

Remaining Top 10

2. Last Chance — intermediate — off Bald Eagle Mountain; 3. Big Stick — advanced intermediate — off Bald Eagle Mountain; 4. Supreme — intermediate — in Empire Canyon; 5. Keno — intermediate — off Bald Mountain; 6. Nabob — intermediate — off Bald Mountain; 7. Tycoon — advanced intermediate — off Bald Mountain; 8. Orient Express — black diamond — off Mayflower Lift; 9. Star Gazer — intermediate — off Red Cloud Lift; 10. Daly Bowl — double black — off Empire.

History

Deer Valley officially opened in 1981, but its history actually goes back into the 1940s. Bob Burns and Otto Carpenter opened Snow Park with a single T-bar on Deer Valley land, then added a chairlift back in 1949.

The vision of Deer Valley belongs to Edgar Stern, who at one time was an owner in Park City Mountain Resort.