The Road to Deer Valley

This past weekend was spent in Salt Lake City, UT.  As some will know, this is a state I called home for many years during high school (boarding school) and Jr. College, before eventually moving on to university in California.

I don't know what it is.... there is something deeply alluring about Utah.  While most are quick to point out the state's flaws -- religion, bankruptcy rates, middleofnowhere -- I try to quickly remind them that if they have any passion for the outdoors (on a daily basis), Utah is very tough to beat.  The looming mountains and incredible ski resorts in your backyard.... the deserts, canyons, rivers and rock formations to the South...... the epic race facilities to the West.  Top all this off with nearly 300 days of sun per year, and you have quite the package for a healthy lifestyle.

(If outdoors isn't your thing, they also happen to be sitting on the worlds most advanced fiber network, and the undisputed "fasted internet in the world")

I stayed with my boarding school buddy Austin, accompanied by his ladyfriend Beth... hospitality of unimaginable opulence in Austin's mid-century hillside manor.  Tranquil views overlooking the city to the West.... adrenaline-evoking sights of the rockies to the East.

We hit Solitude on Saturday.  Solitude is a legitimate local's mountain -- one of few in the region.... a true diamond in the rough.  So many tourists pass Solitude on their way to Brighton, Snowbird, Alta.... and its almost unspoken in the language of popular ski resorts.  Solitude has everything from intense backcountry with mammouth bowls and steep tree lines... to wide-open groomers begging to be carved to pieces.  Its a wonderful place.

Sunday we traversed the pass (by car) to Deer Valley.  DV is - quite possibly - the most luxurious resort in North America:  rivaled only by Sun Valley, Bear Creek, and... shoot... Aspen?  Point is... DV is crème-de-la-crème.  Like our time at Solitude, we were met with fresh snowfall, brite blue skies, and nearly abandoned lift lines.

It occurred to me... rather, it was "confirmed" to me... that Deer Valley is a place I will spend my life seeking to find residence.  I'm not sure when, or how this will happen... but I assue you...... it will.  With average home prices approaching several several million dollars, and an area where land is becoming less and less available..... this could be the challenge of a lifetime.  I will succeed.

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