Deer Valley or Sun Valley?

Neither place is for a beach vacation. The difference is in the water. Deer Valley's Jordanelle Reservoir is a short drive down the hill, with a sandy state-park shore and water that is comfortable on hot summer afternoons.

Sun Valley's best swim is Redfish Lake under the Sawtooths, an hour away. It is a far more beautiful setting, but the water stays cold even in August. In both, the heated pool at your hotel is the dependable option.

The two are close, and both offer resort-town dining with more restaurants than their size would suggest. Deer Valley eats on two levels: polished lodge food on the mountain, with the base-area turkey chili as a skier's ritual, and a wider spread of steakhouses, sushi and bistros on Park City's Main Street.

Ketchum's kitchens lean more on local produce, such as Idaho trout, lamb and elk, and in summer there is a farmers' market and patio dining. The catch is that some places shorten their hours or close in spring and autumn.

Both give you an afternoon of history, and the stories differ. Park City is a restored silver-mining town, with mine headframes on the slopes, a museum in the old city hall and the Olympic Park's ski jumps from the 2002 Games.

Sun Valley's story is the resort itself. It was built by the Union Pacific in 1936 with the world's first chairlifts, and the lodge corridors are lined with film stars. Hemingway's grave in Ketchum adds a literary pilgrimage.

Deer Valley is the better bet for a night out, though only because Park City's Main Street is a few minutes away. Its saloons, cocktail bars and après-ski spots fill up on winter weekends, but it stays a small-town scene with hardly any clubs, an early close and Utah's liquor rules in the background.

Ketchum's evenings are quieter still: a handful of saloons, wine bars and hotel lounges, the occasional band, and nights that end soon after dinner outside the peak seasons.

Both are mountain bases of the highest order, but they feel quite different. Deer Valley is about choice and polish: immaculately groomed runs, Park City Mountain next door, and Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude within an hour for deep powder. In summer, lift-served biking and hiking trails run through the aspens.

Sun Valley is rawer. Bald Mountain's runs fall long and steep with hardly a traverse, there is backcountry touring in the Boulder and Smoky Mountains, and the Sawtooths add alpine lakes, climbing and rafting on the Salmon River. Fly fishers have Silver Creek and the Big Wood.

Deer Valley has much more to offer off the mountain. Salt Lake City is about forty minutes away, with Temple Square, the State Capitol and its museums, and the Swiss-styled village of Midway, the Heber Valley steam railway and Sundance are closer still.

From Sun Valley the outings are mostly into empty country: Hailey's small main street, the log-cabin outpost of Stanley, or Shoshone Falls two hours south. Boise is too far for an easy day trip.

Deer Valley handles children better. It has ski-to-the-door lodging and runs free of snowboarders, and the Olympic Park adds tubing, an alpine coaster and ziplines. Salt Lake City's zoo, museums and planetarium are within reach for a day off the slopes.

Sun Valley is safe and relaxed, with a separate beginner hill and quiet Ketchum streets. But nothing is built just for children, rainy days are hard to fill, and teenagers who don't ski may get bored.

Both work without a car inside the resort, in different ways. Deer Valley's fare-free buses tie its base areas to Main Street and Park City Mountain, but the resort sits on steep hillsides, so walking between villages rarely works. Its big advantage is Salt Lake City airport, only about forty minutes away.

Ketchum is flat, compact and easy to walk, with a valley-long bike path and a free bus to the lifts. Getting there is harder, though: the local airport in Hailey is small, and the larger ones are a long drive over roads that can be snowy.

Neither is a shopping destination, and each has its own specialities. Park City's Main Street mixes galleries, ski shops and western boots, and the outlet centre at Kimball Junction is there for bargain hunters.

Ketchum is better for fly-fishing tackle, western art and cashmere boutiques, and its gallery walks give an evening some focus. Its prices are high and the range is narrow.

Both are costly, and Deer Valley is among the most expensive ski destinations anywhere, with mostly luxury slopeside lodging and lift access at the very top of the market. Sun Valley is a little less punishing, though its second-home crowd keeps prices high and there is little budget lodging.

The ways to save are similar. At Deer Valley, people stay in the Heber Valley or Salt Lake City and drive in. At Sun Valley, they stay further down the valley or come in spring or autumn.

In both, summer music on a lawn is the highlight. Deer Valley hosts the Utah Symphony's outdoor festival at Snow Park, and it has more going on in winter, with the restored Egyptian Theatre on Main Street staging plays and concerts all year.

Sun Valley's summer is fuller. Its music festival brings a professional orchestra to the lodge pavilion for several weeks with free admission, and figure skaters perform on the outdoor rink on summer evenings. The rest of the year is close to silent.

Both are restful, and the difference is polish against wildness. Deer Valley's strength is its slopeside hotel spas and hot tubs on snowy terraces, with the warm spring inside the Homestead Crater in Midway as an unusual outing.

Sun Valley has spas and heated outdoor pools too. Its distinctive soaks are the undeveloped hot springs beside the creek up the Warm Springs valley, reached by a dirt road and nothing like a spa.