Deer Valley during Sundance?
 

Our family has skiied Deer Valley for many years--we love it there. However, this year the school break dates coincide with the Sundance Film Festival. Has anyone been in Park City during this time? It is extra fun, or just too extra crowded and crazy? Not sure if we should go during these dates...

A friend of mine has gone several years in a row during the film festival (she goes to movies and she skis). I'll ask her.

HI lacohn,

I live in Park City and attend a few films at Sundance every year. It's outstanding and lots of fun. However, it is very , very busy in town!

If you are going mainly to ski, it's a great time to ski because the slopes are very uncrowded. Most of the lodging is taken with "industry" people who are in the films (and parties).

If you want, you can try to catch a few films too. Unless you go to the great lengths required to get tickets, you will have to try for wait list or morning of release tickets. Not a bad deal. The documentaries are the best.

I would stay AT Deer Valley (if it's in your price range). Then you can ski and take the shuttle to Main Steet - IF you want, but by staying at DV, you won't have to deal with the worst of the crowds unless you want to join the show.

Also, I would plan to eat in a lot as restaurants are difficult during Sundance. I would inquire of the restaurants in DV as to their Sundance seating/reservations policies, and make some in advance too.

Make your reservations now!

My friend confirmed what Dayle says - 1) if you're skiing, great, the mountains are empty; 2) advance restaurant reservatons are a must; 3) stay nearer to Deer Valley than to Park City to avoid traffic; and 4) there are a ton of people in town, so yes, so yes, it's extra-crowded, parking is hard to come by, etc. She did not think it was a deal-killer!

Thanks so much for your wonderful advice. I guess we'll book a place right in Deer Valley near the slopes. It would be great to get some film tickets while we're there too! We'll be there mainly for skiing, so it sounds great. Thanks again!

lacohn,

Go to sundance.org to see the hoops to jump through for Sundance Film Festival tickets. Note: Most of the films are adult interest films. None are rated, some are appropriate for a wide range audience, some interesting for mature teens, some moving documentaries, the occasional comedy (Napolean Dynamite) but you just never know which is part of what makes the festival interesting. Short film descriptions are in the catalog and on line.

Our fmaily made the mistake of skiing at Deer Valley during Sundance a couple of years ago. It is too crowded and crazy. Restaurants are packed. You can expect long waits (1 to 2 hours)for tables. Make dining reservations now.

The traffic was quite heavy. It would take us 30 minutes to go somewhere in the evening that should have taken five minutes.

The slopes were not empty or even uncrowded. The main lifts in the center of the mountain all had significant waits between 10am and 2pm (something you otherwise never experience at DV). It was better on the black runs and at the far edges of the mountain. Lots of people skiing while talking on their cell phones. Lots of people typing away on their blackberries in the lift lines and not moving up or missing the empty chair because they aren't paying any attention to their surroundings (far more than you usually see at Deer Valley).

On a positive note about skiing during Sundance, it was a good week for checking out the latest in ski fashions.

Unelss you are film buffs and want to try to catch a few films or spot celebrities, I'd advise you to ski elsewhere. If you love Deer Valley, you will probably like Beaver Creek or Telluride.

One of the keys to getting around the Park City area during Sundance is to use the FREE and FAST shuttles. Driving your own car is not the smart thing to do.

Obviously padams had an entirely different experience than I have every year when skiing during Sundance.