As if wrapped in the latest zany installation of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Deer Valley is a lattice of metaphorical red carpet: trails groomed to perfection, multimillion-dollar lodges peppering the promontories, polite liftees who'd give palace butlers a run for their money, gold-and-marble-festooned lodge bathrooms ... It's almost too good to be true (and to be frank, a little unnerving if you're used to a little snowpack rough and tumble).

Deer Valley has raised its snow bar to the finest on-piste luxury, and they deliver in spades, setting the standard for ski resorts everywhere. Who wouldn't want tissue dispensers by all the lift lines or cordon-bleu mid-mountain cuisine? Of course, you pay for the pampering, with one of the country's highest-priced lift tickets.

Tucked in a wrinkle of the Wasatch Mountains only minutes from Utah's bustling Park City (2002 Olympic venue and host to winter's Sundance Film Festival), the Deer Valley vibe is distinctly more refined. No Mardi Gras beads and panties hanging from trees here. The resort grooms its runs like a pedigree poodle, and you could easily spend your day shuttling your way down relatively tight, tree-lined trails without so much as a divot to trouble your camber. Try the long blues on Flagstaff Mountain or cruise the sweetly long Jordanelle on Little Baldy Peak for a true appreciation of Deer Valley's impeccable vintage.

That's not to say Deer Valley simply craves a luxury-beats-all tag. "We used to be called Bambi Valley," one mountain host noted. "But that's changed with Empire Canyon, where we have terrain that's as steep as any." Hucksters should try the Daly Chutes and Daly Bowl

As if wrapped in the latest zany installation of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Deer Valley is a lattice of metaphorical red carpet: trails groomed to perfection, multimillion-dollar lodges peppering the promontories, polite liftees who'd give palace butlers a run for their money, gold-and-marble-festooned lodge bathrooms ... It's almost too good to be true (and to be frank, a little unnerving if you're used to a little snowpack rough and tumble).

Deer Valley has raised its snow bar to the finest on-piste luxury, and they deliver in spades, setting the standard for ski resorts everywhere. Who wouldn't want tissue dispensers by all the lift lines or cordon-bleu mid-mountain cuisine? Of course, you pay for the pampering, with one of the country's highest-priced lift tickets.

Tucked in a wrinkle of the Wasatch Mountains only minutes from Utah's bustling Park City (2002 Olympic venue and host to winter's Sundance Film Festival), the Deer Valley vibe is distinctly more refined. No Mardi Gras beads and panties hanging from trees here. The resort grooms its runs like a pedigree poodle, and you could easily spend your day shuttling your way down relatively tight, tree-lined trails without so much as a divot to trouble your camber. Try the long blues on Flagstaff Mountain or cruise the sweetly long Jordanelle on Little Baldy Peak for a true appreciation of Deer Valley's impeccable vintage.

That's not to say Deer Valley simply craves a luxury-beats-all tag. "We used to be called Bambi Valley," one mountain host noted. "But that's changed with Empire Canyon, where we have terrain that's as steep as any." Hucksters should try the Daly Chutes and Daly Bowl for a shot at double-black hedonism, as well as head to 9,400-foot Bald Mountain, where challenging chutes and some of that famous Utah champagne powder awaits through dump-rich glades. And a $9 million investment in 2007 added a new high-speed quad lift, Lady Morgan Express, accessing 200-plus skiable acres, including 65 tree-chocked acres known as Centennial Glade, and nine more runs.

Sure, the terrain, snow, and service all add up to a package that merits the bigger premium. But the true secret to this place? Founder Stein Eriksen's insistence that there be no snowboarders or on-mountain audio-technics promises a day of uncluttered, pure skiing. Now that's money well spent.

Off the Slopes
Park City is where most area skiers will bed down, providing access to Deer Valley plus 3,300-acre Park City Mountain Resort and the 3,700-acre Canyons Resort. The town is a short 36 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport. Apres options abound in the Main Street drag; a cluster of restaurants, bars, galleries, and boutiques fill what was once the heart of an old silver-mining encampment (www.parkcityinfo.com). Accommodations range from the budget Base Camp Hostel to the pricier Park Station Condominium Hotel to hundreds of condos and apartments. For a cushier and closer hookup to Deer Valley, stay at the ultraluxe Lodges at Deer Valley, where you'll spoil yourself with big, ache-nurturing beds, fireplaces, and shuttle service all of 500 meters if you can't bear the walk to the slopes.

VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY OF DEER VALLEY