Deer Valley or Denver?

There is no coast near either place, so here the two come out about level, and in both you swim at a reservoir. In Deer Valley that means Jordanelle's sandy state-park shore just below the resort. Denver has Cherry Creek and Chatfield on the edge of the city. Either way, the water is worth a swim only on hot July and August afternoons, and otherwise you are in a pool.

Denver gives you more variety and more character at the table. Its pride is beer, poured in warehouse taprooms in RiNo and around Coors Field. Green chile, breakfast burritos and the Vietnamese and Mexican kitchens along Federal Boulevard give it a casual regional flavour, with food halls and chef-run places in Highland and LoHi on top.

Deer Valley eats well but narrowly. You get polished lodge food on the mountain and the famous turkey chili at the base, then steakhouses, sushi and bistros on Park City's Main Street. It is almost all upscale, with no markets, street food or cooking you would call local.

Denver has the sightseeing that Deer Valley mostly lacks. Around Civic Center Park you find the gold-domed Capitol, the Denver Art Museum with its strong Native American collection, and the Clyfford Still Museum. Then there are the brick warehouses of LoDo, Larimer Square and the Beaux-Arts hall of Union Station, enough for two or three good days.

Deer Valley's heritage borrows from Park City: a restored silver-mining Main Street, the Park City Museum in the old city hall, and the ski jumps and museum at the Utah Olympic Park. That is an afternoon, pleasant on a snow-day off rather than a reason to come.

Neither is a clubbing town, but Denver gives you far more choice of evening. You can watch a game in a LoDo sports bar, drink cocktails in a RiNo warehouse, find a dive bar on East Colfax or have a relaxed neighbourhood night in Highland, with bars open until 2am.

Deer Valley itself goes quiet when the lifts close, apart from fireside lounges. The fun is a few minutes away in the après-ski saloons of Park City's Main Street, which are cheerful on winter weekends but small-town in scale and early to close, as most people are aiming for first chair.

Both are serious mountain bases, but Deer Valley puts you right on the mountain. Its groomed runs start outside the door, Park City Mountain adjoins it, the Cottonwood Canyons powder is about an hour away, and in summer the lifts serve biking and hiking trails through aspen and fir.

Denver is a gateway rather than a base. Red Rocks and the Golden foothills are half an hour out, the Flatirons and summits over 4,000m are close at hand, and Rocky Mountain National Park is a fine day out. The ski resorts are around two hours along a traffic-prone I-70, though, so for skiing Deer Valley is far simpler.

Denver gives you a longer and more varied list of outings. Boulder under the Flatirons, Golden's brick downtown, the mining towns of Georgetown and Idaho Springs, Manitou Springs, and Estes Park or Breckenridge further out all make easy drives.

From Deer Valley, the main trip is Salt Lake City and Temple Square about forty minutes away, with Midway, the Heber Valley steam railway and Sundance closer by. They are pleasant but modest, and here the scenery outshines the towns.

Denver works for more families, because it has things to do even if you don't ski. City Park holds the zoo and the Museum of Nature & Science with its dinosaurs and planetarium, and the Children's Museum, aquarium and amusement park sit together by the South Platte.

Deer Valley is excellent for families who ski. It has well-run ski schools, wide beginner runs with no snowboarders, ski-to-the-door lodging, and tubing and an alpine coaster at the Olympic Park. Off the slopes there is little for children, and lessons and lift access quickly add up. In both places, small children may struggle with the altitude for the first day or two.

Deer Valley is easier to manage for the stay itself. Fare-free buses link the base areas with Main Street, Park City Mountain and Kimball Junction, and slopeside lodging means the car can stay parked for days.

Denver's flat downtown is walkable, with a free shuttle along the 16th Street Mall and a train from the airport to Union Station. Beyond the centre, though, the city sprawls, and Red Rocks, the mountains and the ski areas all need a hire car. In both places you will drive for most outings.

Both places do best at the same two things, mountain gear and Western wear, so new ski boots or a pair of cowboy boots are easy to find in either. Beyond that, Deer Valley's shopping is essentially one street. Park City's Main Street makes a pleasant afternoon of galleries and boutiques in the old mining town, the outlet centre at Kimball Junction adds bargains, and for anything more people drive to Salt Lake City.

Denver has several shopping districts rather than one street, so it suits a trip where browsing is part of the plan. Cherry Creek is the polished end, with its upscale mall and surrounding boutiques, while South Broadway's vintage clothing and record shops have no counterpart in Park City. The outdoor flagships are bigger here too, though anyone hunting serious luxury labels will find little in Denver.

Denver is much cheaper, though it has ordinary American big-city prices rather than bargains. Hotels are dearest during conventions and the ski season, and you will need to budget for a car, but taquerias, breweries and free trails keep costs down.

Deer Valley sits at the very top of the ski market. Luxury slopeside lodging, lift access and mountain meals all cost accordingly. Summer is easier on the budget, and staying in the Heber Valley and driving in is the usual way to save.

Both places have a summer amphitheatre, but Denver's is in another league. Red Rocks, a stage set between huge sandstone monoliths, is a pilgrimage for concert-goers. In town, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts houses theatre, Broadway tours, the Colorado Symphony, opera and ballet, and Colfax and Five Points add rock and jazz rooms.

Deer Valley's highlight is the Utah Symphony's summer festival on the lawn at Snow Park, a lovely picnic evening. Add the Egyptian Theatre's plays and small concerts on Main Street, and that is about all, especially in winter.

Deer Valley is the more restful place to stay. The whole resort is built for comfort, with quiet lodges, hot tubs on snowy terraces and polished hotel spas used to ski-weary legs. The warm spring inside the Homestead Crater at Midway is half an hour away.

Denver's wellness is mostly day spas and yoga studios, although it has the better hot springs within easy reach. The historic mineral pools and steam caves of Idaho Springs are under an hour west.