Deer Valley or Snowbird?

Neither resort is anywhere near a sea, and swimming is a minor part of a summer stay at both. Deer Valley has the edge for a lake day because Jordanelle Reservoir is a short drive below the resort, and its state-park beach is pleasant on warm July afternoons. From Snowbird the Heber Valley reservoirs are about an hour away and the water is cold, so most guests use the heated pools. The Great Salt Lake nearby is somewhere to look at rather than swim in.

Deer Valley eats much better, because Park City is part of the stay. Main Street and the old-town lanes have far more steakhouses, sushi bars, modern American bistros and après-ski grills than a town of its size would usually support, and there is the turkey chili ritual at the base.

At Snowbird you eat where you sleep, in a small group of lodge restaurants, cafeterias and the dining room at the top of the tram. The food is competent and priced for guests who can't easily go elsewhere. Most guests drive down to Salt Lake City once or twice a week for variety.

Neither resort is a place for sightseeing, but Deer Valley has more to fill a spare afternoon. Park City's restored silver-mining Main Street, the mine headframes on the slopes, the Park City Museum in the old city hall and the Olympic park's ski jumps add up to a few hours of history. Snowbird's angular 1971 concrete lodges are the only built heritage in the canyon. The mining and temple-granite past has almost entirely gone, so museums mean a trip to the city.

Deer Valley's lodges are quiet after dark too, but Park City's Main Street is a few minutes away. Its saloons, cocktail bars and après-ski spots fill up on winter weekends. It is still a small-town night that closes early.

Snowbird's evening peaks at the end of the ski day, with a couple of lodge bars and a sunny deck. By mid-evening the base is empty. Getting to a livelier night means a mountain road drive in either direction.

Both are mountain bases of the first order, and the difference is in the type of skiing. Deer Valley is about immaculate grooming and cruising, with the huge Park City Mountain next door and summer trails for biking and hiking through aspen and fir. Snowbird is steeper and higher. The tram climbs to around 3,350m, with chutes, bowls and some of the deepest, driest snow on the continent, and the season often lasts into late spring.

In summer Snowbird turns to wildflower meadows in Albion Basin, wilderness hikes and climbing on granite walls. Deer Valley offers fly-fishing on the Provo River and paddling on Jordanelle.

Both share the same short list of nearby places: Salt Lake City about forty minutes away, then Midway, the Heber Valley, Sundance and Ogden. Snowbird does a little better because Park City, which is on Deer Valley's doorstep, becomes a real day out from Snowbird. Its Victorian Main Street, galleries and restaurants make a welcome change from the canyon. From Deer Valley, Salt Lake City is the only trip that feels like going somewhere different.

Deer Valley handles families with less effort. It has children's ski schools, wide beginner runs with no snowboarders, ski-to-the-door lodging and the tubing, coaster and ziplines at the Olympic park. Cost is the catch, since lessons and lift access add up fast.

Snowbird's car-free, compact base is easy to manage with children, and the summer coaster, alpine slide and ropes course are good fun. The mountain is mainly for strong skiers, though, so it suits older children better than beginners. At both resorts the altitude can tire small children, and the zoo and museums are in Salt Lake City.

Deer Valley is the easier place without a car. Fare-free buses link its base areas with Main Street, Park City Mountain and Kimball Junction, although the resort itself spreads over steep hillsides that are too far apart to walk between.

Snowbird is the reverse. Everything at the car-free base is a short walk apart, but a single winding canyon road is the only way out. Traffic jams it on powder mornings and avalanche control sometimes closes it, which can keep guests indoors for hours.

Deer Valley has Park City's Main Street, where galleries, western boots and hats, outdoor shops and upmarket boutiques fill the old façades, plus an outlet centre at Kimball Junction. Snowbird has a few base-area shops for rentals, goggles and resort-branded clothing. For any real browsing, Snowbird guests drive to Park City or Salt Lake City.

Both are expensive, but Deer Valley is in a class of its own. Slopeside lodging is almost all luxury, lift access is priced at the very top of North America, and meals and ski school cost to match.

Snowbird is costly in the usual way for a big Western resort, and multi-resort season passes reduce the lift cost for frequent skiers. At both resorts the reliable way to save is to stay in Salt Lake City or the Heber Valley and drive up, or to come in summer.

Deer Valley has a real summer programme. The Utah Symphony's outdoor festival at the Snow Park amphitheatre draws picnickers for classical, pops and visiting headliners, and the restored 1920s Egyptian Theatre on Main Street stages plays and small concerts all year. Snowbird has plaza concerts and its weekend Oktoberfest oompah bands in late summer. Beyond the odd après-ski band, theatre and orchestral music mean driving to Salt Lake City.

Deer Valley is the more restful stay overall. Quiet slopeside lodges, fireplaces, terrace hot tubs and some of the region's most polished hotel spas make comfort the whole point, and the Homestead Crater's warm spring is only about half an hour away.

Snowbird puts its relaxation in one place: the large rooftop spa above the main lodge, with a pool and hot tubs facing the canyon walls, which is best at dusk after a hard day. Outside the morning rush the canyon is still and dark, but there is less choice.