Fit-Fact: Trees at Deer Valley

That's skiable--the trees aren't as tight as they look--Centennial at Deer Valley

While I'm really trying to move away from the skiing references--after all I've been back in Chicago for two weeks--I still have skiing on the brain. Of course, it doesn't help that I whine about the weather all the time (and sorry for mentioning it constantly, too), wishing I could trade Chicago flats for Rockies peaks. But as I'm yearning for more ski time and sorting through my pictures from my last trip, it's really difficult to part with thoughts of Deer Valley, Park City and Alta, and all of the interesting things I learned about the areas. That Park City was a mining town and the old structures on the mountain--there's one near the Bonanza lift and another by Thaynes--were used for mining the mountain. That Alta operates snowcat skiing but on a very limited basis. That Deer Valley prunes its tree skiing spots.

Prunes its trees? I thought I was hearing things when Craig McCarthy, Park City Chamber of Commerce Communications Manager, confirmed that Deer Valley picks through its forests each summer to make for pristine tree skiing in the winter. No forays into the forests only to hit a pack of trees so tight you can't pick your way to the bottom. No dead-ends or random branches to hit you. No wonder I like these tree runs--I can actually pick my way through them without tumbling into a tree well or wrapping myself around a trunk (and trust me both have happened). I'm someone who tries to avoid trees at all costs--even if it means skiing a green--yet at Deer Valley the trees seem less intimidating, still challenging, and offer the hope of untracked powder on a snow-less day. My faves: Centennial off the Lady Morgan Express lift and Ontario Bowl. Posted by Kate