Closing weekend at Deer Valley Resort drew skiers out for one last round of spring turns before the lifts stop spinning for the season on Sunday, nearly three weeks earlier than planned. After one of the lowest snow years in Utah on record and weeks of sustained warmth, Deer Valley’s groomed r uns narrowed into strips of skiable snow, bordered by dirt and brush. Beneath the lifts, sections of trail had already melted out, revealing bike paths shaped the summer before and hinting at the next season just around the corner. “It even smells like summer,” said Kelly O’Rourke. “It really doesn’t feel like winter, and it’s not even April, but we’re still going to ski as much as we can at other resorts before they close and just make the best of it. We’ll do a little snow dance for next year.”  O’Rourke skied 26 days this season — a far cry from previous years, but a testament to her commitment to making the most of the snow we had. She lives in Park City because she loves to ski, and even in a challenging season, that hasn’t changed. Despite the conditions, she came to Deer Valley on Saturday to spend time with friends and celebrate her final few turns of the year. More concerning than her ski day count, she said, is what the low snowpack means heading into summer. With record low snowfall, and 98% of the state in a drought, she’s concerned about what low spring runoff means for wildfire season. “That’s the next episode and the next chapter of all this — what it’s going to mean for fire. And we want to keep each other safe and enjoy the things we love to do here, and that’s scary,” said O’Rourke.  With spring conditions in full swing, skiers lingered on the mountain for one last weekend of slushy skiing before Deer Valley’s early season closure. Credit: Eric Ramirez for the Park Record Skiers shed layers as the sun came out, tucking their gloves into their pockets and tying the sleeves of their 80s style onesies around their waists as temperatures climbed into the low 60s on the mountain. After a few laps on the Deer Valley groomers carefully pieced back together overnight by grooming crews, many settled into the lounge chairs under the sun at Silver Lake Beach, waving to other season regulars and friends passing through the lift lines. Skiers accessed 15 lifts and 52 trails on Saturday, with a select few runs still open in the brand new expanded terrain off Park Peak, accessed by the new East Village Gondola and Pinyon Express lift.  The season marked a major milestone for Deer Valley, with the opening of its expansion adding more than 3,700 acres of new terrain, 10 new lifts and 100 new runs over the last two years. With the warm weather and a season cut short, Mike and Lynne Lee adjusted their winter plans as best they could. Lynne said she logged about 11 days skiing at Deer Valley, and filled in the gaps with trips to other areas outside the state.  For Lynne, skiing is about being with friends and the community around her. Mike, meanwhile, is a bit more competitive about getting his days in, and he spent much of the season teaching as an instructor and logging time on snow whenever he could. “It’s a social thing for me,” Lynne joked. “He likes to shred.” They have a group of friends coming into town to join them Sunday, gathering at Deer Valley for one last lap as the lifts spin for the final time this season.  While the locals spend the rest of the season hunting for snow at the last standing resorts in the area, visitors like Larry Rockafellow and Jane Motley were just happy to be on skis at all.  Rockafellow started The Villages Ski and Adventure Club in 2019 because he wanted to find more people to ski with — a challenge for someone living in central Florida. From there, the Florida-based ski club has grown to more than 200 members, and this year, they brought 24 people along to close out the season at Deer Valley this weekend. This weekend marked their first time at Deer Valley, and for many, their only ski trip of the year. “Deer Valley has been on my bucket list for years,” said Rockafellow. “It’s not what we expected but it’s been real fun. Good fun.” Shred for Red — a Blood Cancer United fundraising ski event supporting blood cancer research and patient services — took place during the spring this year, joining Deer Valley’s closing weekend. Credit: Eric Ramirez for the Park Record Jay Balacek has been coming to Park City long enough to know that not every trip lands in perfect conditions. He planned a few visits this winter, but his timing didn’t line up with the best stretch of the season. “We missed the sweet spot in the middle of the season, but that happens some years,” he said. “We weren’t expecting it to be closing weekend, but we’ve been coming here long enough that we remember the awesome years too.” Despite thin coverage and warm temperatures, he said the resort’s effort showed, and he and his wife were happy to be able to ski throughout the weekend on well groomed slopes.  “They’re still grooming, still trying, and you can tell,” he said. “We skied three hours yesterday despite it all — everything was groomed and nice.” For Balacek, a season like this doesn’t change much about the things they love here. What keeps bringing them back, he said, is everything beyond the snow — the vibe, the people, the place.  “We’ll make the best of it,” he said. “It’s beautiful weather. We’ll be out here this morning enjoying the heck out of it.” Between closing day celebrators costumed in everything from suit jackets and tutus to Hawaiian shirts and inflatable cow suits, more than 100 skiers fundraising for Shred for Red moved through the lift lines to celebrate the last few turns on Deer Valley snow and the money they raised for Blood Cancer United.  The annual event, now in its eighth year at Deer Valley, brings together skiers, survivors and supporters to raise funds for research, treatment and patient support for those affected by blood cancers.  Nine Olympians joined Shred for Red this year, skiing alongside participants throughout the day and supporting the event’s fundraising efforts, including two-time Olympic moguls medalist Shannon Bahrke. Credit: Eric Ramirez for the Park Record Participants fundraised a minimum of $1,000 to earn a lift ticket and spend the day skiing alongside other fundraising teams, local Olympians and other families connected to the cause.  Shred for Red teams moved through the resort completing scavenger hunt challenges like taking photos with certain Deer Valley staff or racing a participating Olympian down the race hill.  Mike Deady raised $7,900 for Shred for Red this year, finishing fifth among top fundraisers in his first year participating. The fundraising process, he said, helped him navigate his recent diagnosis and gave him a platform and a pathway to start talking about it. As someone who works in oncology, being diagnosed with skin lymphoma in 2024 forced him to see his work from a different perspective, as both provider and a patient. Shred for Red connected him with others who share similar experiences, like one physician from New York who is also a leukemia survivor, offering a perspective that resonated with Deady as someone now living on both sides of the field. But it also offered him a way to open the door to his own community to share his story and see who might step in. “I struggled with finding ways to talk about it and tell people about it, and it took me a while to work through that. Through this, I was able to reach out to a lot of people and it was really well received and people really showed up,” said Deady.  Deady and his family spent the day celebrating him and the cause at Deer Valley —  even if he hadn’t been on snow since late February, when warmer weather started pulling him toward his mountain bike instead. Michael Stone spent the day skiing with his son Reilly Stone, the 2023 Shred for Red Honored Hero, and Reilly’s friend Levi, both young cancer survivors who met at a camp for kids going through treatment. Now 8 and 9, Reilly and Levi skied together throughout the day, wearing matching armbands celebrating them as survivors, along with bib’s bearing the other’s name. For Stone, that friendship is at the center of what makes Shred for Red meaningful. Reilly Stone, left, with Olympian Dave Jarrett and Levi, right. Stone spent the day on the mountain with other participants, taking part in the event’s activities alongside Olympians and fellow skiers. Credit: Eric Ramirez for the Park Record Stone said they’ve met families from across the country through the event — people brought together by similar experiences and connected through skiing. “It’s been a really cool community to be part of. Maybe we’re just trauma bonded a little bit,” he joked. “But it’s really the nicest people out there and the most generous people, too.” Reilly, he said, was part of a clinical study just two years ago that has already moved into frontline treatment — a pace of progress that shapes how he thinks about the future, and the impact Shred for Red can have on the next generation, whether that’s two or ten years away. “What’s it going to be like five years from now? Ten years from now?” he said. “We’re here to help the next generation have a little easier time.” It’s something he sees as a direct result of the kind of fundraising happening on the mountain. “That’s what this is all about, getting that next generation of medicines and also finding solutions that have less side effects and are less toxic to these kids,” said Stone. Even with the season coming to an early close, Stone said they were glad to make it out, despite the challenge of weather we have faced all season. “We made it by the hair of our chinny chin chin,” he joked. The post Deer Valley season finale rings in spring appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less