Just under 4,000 people ventured to Deer Valley Resort’s Silver Lake lawn over the weekend for the return of the resort’s Mountain Beer Festival. Heavy emphasis on the “mountain” this year thanks to the weather.

Saturday festivalgoers drew the short straw: highs in the mid-50s made for chilly, see-your-breath conditions on the Silver Lake Express lift ride up, then rain for the first hour and even a stint of hail before the mountain weather cleared enough for patches of sun to warm the lawn.  

Luckily, the following day was “the most perfect autumn day in Summit County,” said Josh Hockman, the resort’s director of beverage. The best day ever had in the festival’s five years running, Hockman said.

Over the weekend, tents from 21 Utah breweries ringed the lawn, all repeat participants this time around. Each could bring four brews of their choice, encouraged to bring options the brewers themselves love best. 

On Saturday, rising Florida singer-songwriter Dylan Cotrone headlined the live music, with Philadelphia American rock band G. Love & Special Sauce performing Sunday.

Throughout the festival, Hockman wore his traditional felt Bavarian hat, adorned with pins from past beer festivals and his personal favorite, the road sign for M-22, the iconic scenic Michigan drive that originates in his hometown. 

But Hockman wasn’t the only one sporting traditional beer festival attire.

Eric Hitzelberger stood out on Saturday with his own Bavarian cap, decorated with silver souvenir pins and dangling charms from Germany, plus a feather sticking out the back. The real showstoppers were fuzzy edelweiss flowers pinned to either side, grown, dried and preserved by Hitzelberger himself. 

He and Sheila Jackson, both longtime Parkites with family ties to the Bavarian region, had originally planned to wear their whole lederhosen outfits but opted for warmer clothes after seeing the forecast. 

The two said they come to the beer festival every year and are happy to see a few of their favorite breweries participating, like Red Rock Brewing and Templin Family Brewing.

The point of the festival, in addition to trying some of the state’s best beers, was to talk to brewmasters themselves, like Tim Chappell of Chappell Brewing. 

Chappell and his wife, Jen Sehones, are the co-founders of the small Salt Lake City-based brewery. Chappell oversees the beer operations, while Sehones, a former math teacher, handles the books. Deer Valley’s Mountain Beer Festival is one event they always do together. 

“We look forward to this festival every year. And being a small business, this is our one date weekend. We come up and work together,” Chappell said. “We’re a skier-focused brewery anyway, and so this is right up our alley.”

Want to know how their popular Pie Hole strawberry rhubarb tart ale is made? He’ll tell you. Curious how their Ice Box IPA can be a 5% beer and still maintain the flavor of a heavy 8% equivalent? He’ll happily explain the process.

One way he makes the Ice Box IPA affordable is by using a hop extract for bittering to preserve the IPA flavor without sacrificing ingredients.

“When you add the hops in the cold side, they act like a sponge and they soak up a lot of your beer, so you have to sell them for a lot,” Chappell said. “(By using an extract) we can make this beer taste like an 8% double IPA that we’d have to charge $10 for, but make it a 5% beer and keep it at a draft price. Just using science to help us get the quality.”

That Ice Box IPA is what Chappell entered for the Best of the Fest crowd vote, rather than the popular Pie Hole, because Chappell is especially proud of it. Chappell said the competition element always provides fun banter between the Utah brewers. 

His brewery has made the top five each year they’ve participated but has yet to bring home the first-place trophy. This year’s was shaped like a Deer Valley deer head on top of a foaming beer cup, designed and 3D-printed by Salt Lake City artist Jesse Draper of Draper Art Fabrication. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Chappell’s victory year. But out of the 21 entries, the Ice Box IPA still made the top five, coming in fourth. That will again secure the brewery an invitation to next year’s Brewmaster Dinner, held the Friday before the festival.

Moab Brewery took home the trophy this year for their Helles O’High Water beer served during the festival as an optional Ratler, a 50/50 blend of light beer with a sparkling citrus soda. Festivalgoers could choose their juice mix-in, from orange or grapefruit sodas to Coca-Cola or pineapple juice. 

The win earned Moab Brewery its fourth out of five Deer Valley beer festival trophies, said Hockman.

It was a diverse group of winners. In second place was RoHa Brewing Project’s False Prophet Hazy IPA; third place was Roosters Brewing Co.’s Honey Wheat; Chappell’s Ice Box IPA came fourth; then fifth place was Etta Place Cider’s Mango Habanero Mead.

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Colder mornings and changing leaves don’t just signal the start of autumn in Park City. It also means it’s time for the Mountain Beer Festival at Deer Valley Resort.

But Director of Beverage Josh Hockman has been thinking about the festival, set for Sept. 18-20, all year long.

It’s his baby, an event he dreamed up and brought to life five years ago as a festival that not only brings beer lovers to beautiful Park City, but puts them in front of the brewers themselves.

“It was to be a two-way street for the guests or the attendees that are coming,” Hockman said. “Take the time. Like, ‘What hops did you use? Why are you proud of this? Where did the name Pie Hole come from?’” 

It was also created with an emphasis on Utah beers to reflect the resort’s values in supporting local businesses, said Hockman.

“All of our draft towers at Deer Valley have supported local Utah breweries … coming up on 30 years now,” he said. “We don’t want the Budweisers of the world and the White Claws of the world. They’ve got their place, but it’s not on our property.”

Nothing major is changing for this fifth iteration, Hockman said. The “meat and potatoes” of the festival should be familiar to returning attendees.

As in years past, festivalgoers park at Snow Park and ride the Silver Lake Express chairlift to the event at mid mountain on Silver Lake lawn. It’s family-friendly with a kids area that has face painting, balloon animals, a sand pit and the Deer Valley Creamery ice cream truck.

Guests over 21 can purchase taster tokens, the required currency to sample the breweries’ 4-ounce beer pours. So far, there are 20 confirmed breweries or cideries from across the state, and each is bringing four drink options — full-strength beers are very much included.

“I didn’t want the stigma of the festival to be like, ‘Oh, a Utah Beer Fest, and it’s only 5% beers,’” he said. “When folks … from around the world come, we need to be putting our best foot forward, or at least allowing the breweries to put their best foot forward because they’re the ones in the spotlight.”

With at least 80 different options, Hockman said there should be something for everyone. The event is beer-centric, of course, with plenty of brews ranging from pilsner to IPA. But there will also be Utah-made seltzers, a build-your-own-shandy concept from Moab Brewery, hard ciders, a mead from Etta Place and even two wines by Mountain West Cider’s winery business, MWCellars. 

“There’s definitely going to be plenty of beer, but then there’s also going to be those gluten-free options and those more fruit-forward options for folks,” Hockman said. 

New this summer is a change to the Deer Valley Pilsner, sold as the resort’s house beer. To start, it was made in partnership with Proper Brewing Co., which is based in Salt Lake City. 

This May, Hockman brought the beer even closer to home. Offset Bier, which originally opened in the Iron Horse district and now operates out of a bigger space near Quinn’s Junction, is the pilsner’s new brewer. Owner and beermaster Conor Brown will be at the festival and pouring samples for attendees to try.

“I think he is the best beer maker in the state of Utah, and he now has the capacity in his new location to make a crap load of beer,” said Hockman of the new partnership.

A few things have grown, like the number of retail vendors for people to peruse, and plans for a hammock lounge, but the biggest effort has gone into entertainment, Hockman said. Live music has always been part of the festival, but this year they’re bringing in two headliners. Rising Florida singer-songwriter Dylan Cotrone, who is currently touring with Sublime, will perform on Saturday, and Philadelphia American rock band G. Love & Special Sauce will headline Sunday.

“He was like my generation’s hipster in the late ’90s, early 2000s … brings a cool, funky vibe,” said Hockman about G. Love. “He does some stuff solo, but the big draw is when he gets with his guy Special Sauce, and they’re a duo. So we’ve got the creme de la creme of those guys on day two.”

As always, the main goal is to showcase the talent of Utah brewers, said Hockman.

“There are folks that are down to the nitty-gritty. Like, this is a passion project. I love it. There is no corner cut,” he said. 

Last year the festival grew by a day with the addition of a Brewmaster Dinner. Held the Friday evening before the weekend event, the five-course dinner pairs a beer from fan-favorite brewers with the creativity of the resort culinary team. 

This year, the dinner will be from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 18. It features Offset Bier, Chappell Brewing, Moab Brewery, Roosters and Second Summit Cider, the five who won last year’s fan vote, said Hockman. Deer Valley’s pilsner by Offset Bier will be used as the toast beer. To welcome guests, Dendric Estate will serve its Dry Cut cider. Tickets are $180 per person.

“This is the one event where I get to actually choose what I want to offer. So I selfishly pick (beers) from the breweries,” Hockman said. “We want to up the decor in that room so it feels like when you walk in, it feels like a German pavilion at Oktoberfest.”

On Saturday and Sunday, when festivities will run from noon to 5 p.m., Hockman can be spotted in his Tyrolean or Bavarian hat, a felt hat decorated with beer festival pins he’s collected from around the world.

The confirmed participating breweries:

• Epic Brewing Company
• Etta Place Cidery & Taproom
• Uinta Brewing Company
• SaltFire Brewing Co.
• Offset Bier Co.
• Chappell Brewing
• Bohemian Brewery
• Heber Valley Brewing Company
• Rabbit’s Foot Brewing
• Bewilder Brewing Co.
• Talisman Brewing Co.
• Moab Brewery
• Mountain West Cider
• UTOG Brewing
• Templin Family Brewing
• Second Summit Cider Co.
• Salt Flats Brewing Co.
• Roosters Brewing Co.
• RoHa Brewing Project

Festival pricing is tiered so people can customize their experience: a $20 non-drinker package gets access to the event, but no drink tokens can be purchased. General admission alone is $45. The $70 Session Package includes admission and three taster tokens, while the $90 Reserve Package has five tokens and a commemorative mug. The $155 Imperial Package includes eight tokens, a mug, a festival T-shirt and VIP barbecue access.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit deervalley.com/things-to-do/activities/mountain-beer-festival.

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The expansion of Deer Valley’s East Village has helped improve the fire mitigation and response systems across the resort’s 4,500 acres. Upgrades to snowmaking infrastructure, including remote system control, are part of the multi-organization collaborative project. 

Max Bervy, an assistant project manager with Extell Development, led the efforts to enhance fire response systems in the East Village development plans.

Because of the high elevation and dry climate, wildfires are a significant risk to ski resorts in Utah. Eagle Point Resort in Beaver, Utah, won’t open for the 2026-27 season because of wildfire damage.

Bervy was inspired by resorts in the South Lake Tahoe region, near where the 2021 Caldor fire tore through. The resorts temporarily converted snowmaking infrastructure for use by wildland firefighters, allowing the resorts to preserve most structures and land. 

Over the past few weeks, crews from the Wasatch Fire District visited the expanded area of the resort now in their jurisdiction. Firefighters are learning to adapt the water systems to their gear and are understanding the layout and terrain of the mountain.

“With the complexity and capacity that our snowmaking system has, it was kind of a no-brainer,” Bervy said.

Snowmaking infrastructure has long been an option for firefighting resources, but without an automated system it would take more time to set up hoses where they’re needed. 

Deer Valley recently upgraded its snowmaking systems across the East Village side to allow remote access to the whole system. Now, senior snowmaking manager Brett Hawksford can control the resort’s water system using an app on his phone. The system also has an increased water storage capacity and updated pump systems.

Wasatch County Fire District Chief Eric Hales said the technology upgrade will make it more feasible to use snowmaking systems as a primary firefighting response. 

Hales said the snowguns themselves likely wouldn’t be used for initial fire attack, but they can be used to moisten the land and air so potential fires don’t spread.

Once water is pressurized and flowing through the pumps, fire response crews around the mountain can use the snowmaking infrastructure as hydrants. With this system in place, crews don’t have to navigate tanker trucks up the narrow and steep roads if a fire were to break out on the mountain. 

Specific access roads for fire crews and helicopter landing zones were built into the resort’s design. Deer Valley and Extell also fitted side-by-side vehicles to serve as small fire trucks to access more remote areas of the mountain, if needed. 

Firefighters will carry adapters so their equipment can connect to the pipes on the mountain. Once the water is flowing through the pump system, they can essentially use the snowguns as fire hydrants. 

Because Deer Valley now spans two counties, the project requires collaboration between Extell, the Resort, Wasatch Fire District, Summit County firefighters. Chief Hales explained they have to coordinate with Ski Patrol, too, and transport with ambulances and medical helicopters. 

“We really wanted to get everyone on the same page and build a standard operating procedure,” Bervy said. 

Before the Deer Valley expansion, Wasatch Fire District operated within a small area of the resort. But with the opening of the East Village, the Fire District will operate within the new mountain terrain and more urban-style buildings. 

Fire District Battalion Chief RL Duke said one of the biggest differences his team will see with the expansion is the response to structure fires. The firefighters usually respond to smaller single-family homes, but now they’ll have to be ready for larger structures, including high-rises. 

When working in tall buildings, firefighters typically have to carry in their own oxygen in tanks. The tanks provide about 20 minutes of clean air. This makes it harder to fight fires since they have to leave the building to get clean air.

With the new development, Hales has advocated for the standardization of Firefighter Air Replenishment Systems, or FARS, being built into each building in the East Village. 

“Firefighters need two things: water and air,” Hales said. 

The buildings supported by FARS will have air hoses in their stairwells, alongside the existing water hoses.

“We’re able to hook into this air system that’s breathable air and we can refill those bottles,” Hales said. “We can keep that firefight and our folks a lot safer up there without having to bring additional equipment and resources to those various floors, which takes a lot of time and energy and manpower to do that.”

The East Village buildings will be the first in Utah built with FARS. Hales said the fire department has worked to add FARS in fire code standards for all high-rises in the area.

Other developments around the resort include drainage infrastructure that returns water from the snowmaking system to the Jordanelle Reservoir and Provo River, as well as treatment centers that clean lead and arsenic from the water. A 10,000-gallon water storage pond is being built that will provide water for firefighting helicopters if needed.

Fire mitigation isn’t new at Deer Valley. 

Jacob Ringquist, the resort’s slope maintenance manager, used to work as a wildland firefighter, so he cares deeply about protecting the forest. 

The difference between firefighting and slope maintenance is “proactive versus reactive,” he said. 

Most of those proactive efforts happen outside the ski season. This summer the resort used goats and sheep grazing to eliminate vegetation that ignites easily. The team is also collecting wood for pile burning, which will happen later this fall. 

The resort can still use its snowmaking systems for fire response and mitigation; it’s just more “hands-on,” Ringquist said.

“A better, healthier forest that’s more fire resilient (is) also better skiing,” Ringquist said. “As we grow and expand our footprint and what we manage, we’ll keep expanding our crew and what we do to be good stewards of the land.”

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Preparations are underway at Deer Valley Resort for The Fox US Open of Mountain Biking. The race, which will take place in September, will be the final stop in the Pro Downhill Series, the Official US National Mountain Bike Championship.

Professional mountain bike racing has a long history at Deer Valley. The resort was a hub for competitions during the late ’90s and early 2000s. Clay Harper competed at those races before founding the US Open in 2003.

“The races here in the late ’90s were the biggest in the world,” Harper said. “There’s so much history and we’re bringing it back.” 

Over the past 20 years, the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking has been hosted by various mountains across the country. Most recently, the race was in Killington, Vermont. Earlier this summer, Deer Valley and the US Open organizers made the move official. 

“We’ve discovered a great working relationship with Deer Valley and put together one of the best tracks in the world,” Harper said.

The length of the track, variations in terrain and easy access are what make it the best, Harper said.

Just over 1 mile long, the track follows the same part of the mountain from races in the past. Fans and Deer Valley locals will recognize some of the features from the races 20 years ago. Classic sections of trail like Little Niagara, The Quarry, Whiskey’s Rock and Psycho Spin that have come to define mountain biking will all be included with upgrades to match the progression of the sport.

The teams at Deer Valley are working on these upgrades now. The trails are wider in some areas, turns are built up to make them safer for riders and standard maintenance like clearing debris are all changes that will modernize the classic track.

“It’s a good partnership because Deer Valley has the scale and resources to take this to the next level,” Harper said. “They have the capacity to do what we need, and we’ve done it perfectly.”

There are also now several wooden features built throughout the track, including the platform where competitors will begin the race.

Greg Fisher, event and programming manager at Deer Valley, said the lumber for these features comes from trees that were cut down throughout the resort while building the trail. The wood was milled at the resort, too. 

“This track has a ton of character,” Harper said.

Part of what makes Deer Valley stand out as a host is the energy around Park City and Utah as a whole. 

The Fox US Open of Mountain Biking has its biggest fan base in Utah, Harper said. Having the race in a town with so much to do brings out more excitement from the fans and the competitors.

Trails around Deer Valley will be open during the competition, and the race track itself will open to the public after the competition.

Spectators can access the race from the Snow Park lodge area with a free ticket or purchase a lift ticket to get a closer view of the race track on Bald Eagle Mountain.

The 2026 Fox US Open of Mountain Biking will take place from Sept. 11-13. Friday night, invited athletes will compete in the “Best Whip,” a big air jump competition at the Silver Lake Lodge. Professional classes will race Saturday with the youth and amateur races on Sunday.

For more information on scheduling and to reserve tickets, visit deervalley.com/usopen

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Attendees at Thursday afternoon’s Creative Academy cooking class got Kansas City barbecue chef Ryan Arensdorf and a few of his secrets all to themselves.

The self-described “mad scientist” of barbecue has made a name for himself in Park City with annual visits to Deer Valley Resort for Taste of Luxury, Creative Academy and the Fire and Flavor Festival, extending his stay exponentially over the four years. 

This year he’s staying for three weeks. Thursday’s class was an add-on due to extra time. He’s also added a third weekend at Fire and Flavor and will also stay to support the resort during the Chef’s Table Festival. 

Jacob Musyt, vice president of food and beverage at the resort, said Arensdorf’s cooking classes sell out every year, so they end up adding an extra one. Musyt said the resort prioritizes classes with guest chefs to allow the dining experience to last longer than the meal.  

“You don’t have to just tell people you ate something that was amazing. You can maybe duplicate things or take something you’ve learned and try it on your friends,” Musyt said.

He opened the class of 16 with an introduction to Arensdorf and encouragement to ask tons of questions and eat tons of food. Then the chef ran through his extensive career background before launching into his cornbread recipe. 

It’s not just the measurements — grams, not volume — that make his cornbread so good, but the methods. Massaging the sugar into cubed butter, mixing the dry and wet ingredients gently by hand, then pouring the batter into a 450-degree cast iron pan are essential to achieving the perfect crust, and the perfect bubble on his cornbread.

Then he moved on to talk about the meats, the highlight for guests.

One couple had returned for the class after enjoying last year’s class so much. Another couple had been gifted the class from their son for Father’s Day. There were quite a few Texans in the crowd, who shouldered Arensdorf’s lighthearted insults to Texas-style barbecue. Many had their own smoking setups at home, some more robust than others, and needed Arensdorf’s help with his specialty: brisket.

“I’ve never seen brisket that moist,” one man said as Arensdorf sliced into a finished piece during the lesson. “Me either! Sorry, honey,” a woman said, giving an apologetic hug to her husband, drawing laughter. 

Brisket is difficult because there are so many factors that can result in an overcooked, underseasoned, overly fatty result. For Arensdorf, it starts with the trimming, which he calls “shaping.”

Starting with a cold piece of meat, he told the class that shaping is the process of removing excess fat and getting the piece into a more uniform shape, avoiding sharp edges.

Unlike Texas chefs, who cut off large percentages of the meat to ensure perfection, Arensdorf prefers as little waste as possible. He’ll even use the heat from his hands to massage the meat into shape rather than fully relying on a knife. The trimmings, he’ll render down to beef tallow, or smoke and toss into sides like his baked beans.

After he’s done shaping, the chef will “slather” the meat with an acid, a yellow mustard in this case. Then fully coat with seasoning and let it sit uncovered in the fridge for at least two hours.

“The air is your friend. You do not wrap it. It’s going to pull the moisture off of that mustard, dry it out, and that’s going to become tacky feeling,” Arensdorf said. “That tack is called the pellicle. That’s what smoke sticks to. So when you blast it with smoke, if you got that on there, you have a better chance of a good smoke ring.”

He went through his smoking process, what temperatures to hit and for how long, detailing when to wrap the brisket so the bark, the hard layer of seasoning, doesn’t slide off. Then there’s “burping” or letting the meat slowly cool.

He showed a few tests of a ready-to-eat brisket. When poking with a meat thermometer, there should be almost no resistance, like a baked potato. It should be able to stay intact with pencil-thin slices. Held over a finger, it should be flexible enough to arch over while staying together. Then the pull test, where two ends of the slice break evenly across when tugged.

Of course, Arensdorf talked about the iconic Kansas City burnt ends, which he calls a “meat pillow.” He prefers to cook those on the brisket, then cut into cubes when slicing everything. 

As part of the class, he walked the group out to his barbecue truck parked on the Silver Lake lawn for a tour of his setup.

Then it was time for dinner, a buffet of his potato salad, cornbread, cheesy corn, brisket, burnt ends, sausage, pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, pickles and original sauces.

While eating, Arensdorf divulged a few more tips, like how he makes his sausage, what sauces pair best with what meats, the recipe to his potato salad — a class favorite — and how to rig a regular at-home grill into a functional smoker.

Arensdorf’s food truck, KC Que, will be at the Fire and Flavor Festival at Deer Valley again this upcoming weekend, serving plates of his Kansas City-rooted barbecue. And if all goes well, Park City should see him a lot more regularly in the next year, he hinted.

For details on how to see Arensdorf at the next Fire and Flavor Festival event, visit deervalley.com/things-to-do/activities/fire-and-flavor-festival.

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Duke, the newest and youngest member of Deer Valley Resort’s ski patrol team, is already training seriously for his new job. The 13-week-old Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever will soon be saving lives as an avalanche search and rescue dog.

Ski patroller Luke Badger, who is in his fourth season at Deer Valley, applied to become a handler when the resort decided to bring on the recruit this season. The resort’s expansion coincides with two older patrol dogs retiring, so it was the perfect time for Duke to join the team.

Badger was always interested in becoming an avalanche dog handler after volunteering with the avalanche dog program and raising his pet schnauzer named Herbie. At Deer Valley, the dogs belong to members of ski patrol, so Badger would be bringing an avalanche dog into his personal life, along with having a companion at work.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Badger said. “How can you pass this up?”

Sierra Prothers, the resort’s avalanche dog coordinator, explained the important role that handlers like Badger play in the pup’s growth. 

“Although the Deer Valley dog team and patrol help out with many aspects of training,” Prothers said, “all of Duke’s humans play a large role in making sure that everything Duke is introduced to is a positive and fun experience and that he enjoys being an avalanche search and rescue dog.”

Duke is a very social dog, as most puppies are. He seems very pleased with all the attention he gets around the resort and returns the affection with tail wags, kisses, smiles and running to meet new people. Even after a long day of play, he couldn’t resist greeting new friends on his way to a nap.

When he’s on duty, though, Prothers said it’s important that people give Duke and Badger plenty of space, especially if you see them out skiing. Skiing near the dogs is especially dangerous, even for ski patrollers, because sharp ski edges can harm dogs. Prothers said she’s seen these injuries end canines’ careers, so it’s especially important to give all patrollers and dogs space on the mountain. 

“Always ask the human if you can interact with our dogs,” Prothers said. “This includes calling its name or whistling, anything that might distract the dog from its work.”

It’s best to assume the avalanche dogs are always working, even if they’re just walking to or from the lifts. The dogs will rest in their kennels on busy days, but if there’s ever a white flag with a dog near the ski patrol shack, that means they are ready to meet visitors.

Even if the dog isn’t working, Prothers said visitors should still ask the handler before approaching. In any situation, asking first allows handlers to inform visitors how they’d like to introduce the dogs to new people. 

And for a puppy like Duke, it’s good practice for meeting people in different scenarios. Badger’s main priority is to set Duke up for success as a rescue dog, and this is one way visitors can help. 

“An avalanche dog’s role in a search is to locate human odor under the snowpack and alert the human to that location, usually by barking and digging at the strongest point of odor,” Prothers said. 

All avalanche dogs are certified through Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. There are three classes of certification for an avalanche dog. Right now, Duke is a C-level dog, meaning he’s only a candidate in the program and hasn’t passed any training exercises. 

Duke’s training will primarily be done playing hide-and-seek games. Search and rescue must be exciting and fun for the dogs. If they think it’s a game, they’ll do their best work.

Soon, they’ll play hide-and-seek in the snow. Badger will hide in a snow cave, and Duke will have to find him. After Duke masters the challenge of finding his owner based on scent, he’ll play the same game with other humans hiding in snow caves. 

Once Duke passes the first level of obedience and avalanche rescue tests, he’ll receive his B-level certification. Then he’ll be able to work within Deer Valley’s boundaries to start finding humans who have been buried in avalanches. With an A-level certification through Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, he’ll be able to work anywhere in Utah. 

Prothers said most avalanche dogs finish training and become fully certified by age 2.

Along with lots of hide-and-seek, Duke is learning everything a normal 13-week-old dog would: how to sit, not to eat food off the ground, potty training and sleeping through the night, which Badger is particularly happy about. He’s also learning how to ride a ski-lift and just went on his first backpacking trip in the Uinta Mountains. Badger said he did extremely well and had a great time. 

Badger had an idea of what he was getting into when he signed up to raise an avalanche dog, but this has been a very different experience than raising Herbie. 

“It’s been a surprise still, having a puppy with this much drive,” Badger said.

The two may play like brothers, but Duke’s personality and size set him apart. When choosing puppies for avalanche work, Prothers said they look for confidence, curiosity, and hunt drive. Right now he’s only a little bigger than his brother, but Duke is expected to be anywhere from 35 to 50 pounds as an adult. 

When Duke isn’t on duty, his favorite pastimes include playing tug with his brother Herbie and melting hearts.

“It’s hard not to fall in love with Duke,” Badger said.

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What started as a weekend of live-fire cooking has fanned into one of Deer Valley Resort’s signature summer culinary events. The Fire and Flavor Festival returned this year with five weekends, up from one in its inaugural year, with a fresh lineup of guest chefs and outdoor cooking.

Park City residents Sten and Amy Rasmussen couldn’t be more thrilled.

“It’s just such a great local event. Easy to take the bus, easy to take the lift, always got live music, it’s always a fun time,” said Sten. Amy added, “We’re huge fans.”

As followers of Australian live-fire specialist Sarah Glover — who headlined the inaugural event with Kansas City barbecue chef Ryan Arensdorf — the Rasmussens came last year for the chance to meet the Aussie in person. When Glover returned to open this summer’s lineup earlier this month, the couple came back for another of her meal plates, and again, they weren’t disappointed.

“I’ve always cooked over fire like she does. She’s kind of the inspiration,” Sten said. “So we have to come up for her no matter what.” 

Now the Fire and Flavor events are just part of the Rasmussens’ summer schedule. They even came back for the second weekend this Saturday to celebrate their friend Bill LoPatriello’s 72nd birthday.

Bill has been in Park City since 1990, and his wife, Cindy LoPatriello, since 1979 while the Rasmussens moved to town 12 years ago. The couples became friends in 2022 at a City Park event on Miners Day. Sten considers Cindy the “unofficial mayor” of town. 

“She taught us a lot about Park City that we never even knew,” he said.

All of them are “Vibe Tribers,” and enjoyed the live music put on by Mountain Town Music, and all of them ski Deer Valley.

Bill was easy to spot on the Silver Lake Lawn, navigating monsoon-caused puddles in a wheelchair, right arm braced in a cast. This birthday had extra significance to the loved ones donning party hats and “Happy Birthday” glasses with him.

“He was in a kiteboarding accident recently. He’s lucky to be alive,” said Cindy. He broke his femur and his wrist, and got a gnarly cut on his eye, she said, pulling up pictures from the hospital eight weeks ago. They sold the kites a few weeks later.

Bill’s on the road to recovery now. He munched on an ice cream sandwich, joking, “In my younger days I’d be drunk.”

The local following is one of the best parts about the Fire and Flavor Festival, said the resort’s director of beverage, Josh Hockman. He helped bring on Utah breweries Moab Brewery, Uinta Brewing Co and Roosters Brewing Co. to pour some of their favorite summer brews during each weekend.

For the resort’s new executive chef, Sam Phelan, this festival is selfishly a chance to play. He’s easy to spot, too, with his usual straw hat as sun protection.

His team served a lobster fried rice, a Cuban sandwich and a salmon plate on Saturday and Sunday, embracing the live-fire method with charred lobster tails hung from chains over a vat of smoldering coals, whole salmon filets nailed to wood boards perched over the fire and even the sandwiches pressed between hot cast iron skillets. 

The Alabama native said he’s become passionate about live-fire cooking during his time with the resort and, now in the executive chef role, plans to continue the tradition. With culinary operations expanding as two new lodges come online in the 2027-28 winter season, his team is using the Fire and Flavor Festival to sample menu items that may reappear at the Park Peak or East Village locations. 

Having five weekends instead of just one means even more opportunity to experiment, he said. 

“I am excited to see Fire and Flavor this summer really evolve,” Phelan said. “We’ve got some cool concepts that we’re putting together every weekend, and every weekend is going to be different coming from Deer Valley, as well as we have different chefs coming in.”

Glover opened the series, followed by Matilda for the second weekend. Hockman said that, while Glover is a large draw, it was important for their team to highlight a local business as well. Matilda served their signature pizzas made on Gozney ovens, with flavors like thai curry and vodka pepperoni as well as a classic margarita.

Next weekend, Overland Cookery, an adventure-focused outdoor private chef company, will be the featured guest. Then, to close out the series, Arensdorf will return for back-to-back weekends on Aug. 1-2 and 8-9 with his signature Kansas City-style barbecue.

The festival is free to attend, and attendees can purchase a $13 scenic lift ticket to ride the Silver Lake Express; kids ride free with each paying adult. Food tickets are available for purchase on site for $25, good for any of the available plates, and beer tokens are $10. For more information, visit deervalley.com/things-to-do/activities/fire-and-flavor-festival.

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Sam Phelan still remembers the first time he stepped into a professional kitchen. He was 13 years old, tagging along with his older brother, Hutch, who worked as a sous chef at a country club. By the end of the day, he was hooked.

More than two decades later, he’s overseeing the kitchens at Deer Valley Resort as its newest executive chef.

The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Deer Valley as the resort continues its largest expansion in history, with new on-mountain culinary facilities at Park Peak Lodge and East Village Lodge planned to open by the 2027-28 season.

But for Phelan, the promotion is as much about preserving what guests already love as it is about leaving his own mark.

“I’m not going to mess with the Deer Valley cookies. I’m not going to touch the carrot cake, the turkey chili,” he said with a laugh. “I really care about Deer Valley. I really care about the teams, the legacy, and I care about what’s coming as well.”

Raised in Mountain Brook, Alabama, he began cooking professionally at age 15 in a neighborhood pizzeria before deciding to leave Alabama to attend the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont.

“I took a big risk to leave the South and go somewhere completely different,” he said. “It was kind of scary … but really exciting.”

Through the program, he completed an internship at the Icarus restaurant in Boston. Then, after finishing school, he landed another internship during the opening of Stone Mountain Lodge at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont. It was there that he first experienced skiing and resort hospitality.

“I got a fair taste of a ski resort and working in a big hotel ski resort, getting to ski a little bit and work, and I think that’s where I decided hotels and resorts were what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve worked in small restaurants, family-owned restaurants. As fun as they were, I liked the structure that hotels and resorts offered. They offered a little bit more stability, too.”

He finally moved west for a role at Stanly Ranch, Auberge Collection in Napa Valley, where he worked at the property’s fine-dining restaurant serving 60 guests a night. There he met a Chilean chef who became both a mentor and, ultimately, the reason he moved to Utah three years later.

His mentor relocated to Park City and, just a few days later, called Phelan with an offer.

“‘I need you out here. Can you get out here in a week?'” Phelan recalled. “I said, ‘Sure, can.’ So I packed up my truck and drove 10 hours to Park City, not knowing much about Park City other than it’s a ski town.”

He then became chef de cuisine at Apex at Montage Deer Valley, eventually working his way into a sous chef position before moving to Waldorf Astoria Park City and later a resort in Midway.

In the summer of 2022, he was recruited to Deer Valley as executive chef of Silver Lake Lodge, working under then-resort executive chef Peter Menteer before being promoted to resort executive sous chef in 2024.

During that role, Phelan oversaw culinary operations while mentoring and teaching other chefs, which he described as “all the best parts of my job.” That won’t change with his new position, he said. 

“(We have a) world-class team, and we want them to get excited and try stuff. I want them to come up with ideas and play with the food and try it out, get them some ownership, and so that they have something to be proud of when their item gets put on the menu,” he said. “That’s what’s important about being a good culinary leader, is giving them the space to experiment and try and either succeed or fail, because I think that’s how we grow.”

As a prominent ski resort, Phelan said, Deer Valley naturally draws talented chefs from around the world, some seasonal, but many stay long term. It’s a melting pot of cultures in the kitchen, which not only shows up on resort menus but also creates a unique environment for the staff.

Phelan said diners may notice smaller changes that reflect his own culinary style — clean, ingredient-driven cooking informed by Asian, Southern and European influences.

“I love simplicity. Simplicity is best,” he said. “I like being versatile. I like experimenting, I like playing with foods and flavors and trying new things with my team. … I’m still testing and always evolving. That’s the great thing about being a chef. I don’t like to settle for one thing or at a certain level. I want to keep creating.”

He also plans to continue expanding Deer Valley’s outdoor and live-fire cooking program, which has become a personal favorite, especially with the five weekends of Fire & Flavor Festival starting this Saturday.

“We’ll keep cooking outside because I’ve learned to love outdoor cooking and live-fire cooking,” he said. “Those things are growing near and dear to my heart, and I think we’re going to keep doing it.”

The festival, back for its second summer, will have a different guest chef each of the five weekends, like Sarah Glover and Matilda, with Phelan’s own team designing a few options for attendees to sample. For the first weekend, Phelan plans to showcase a few flavors from his Alabama roots, including a smoked chicken with white barbecue sauce and pimento cheese.

He credits former executive chef Menteer, whose departure created the opening, with helping prepare him for the role.

“It’s been a fun time working with the people here, getting to know the history, getting to know the outlets. Working with Peter was fantastic, Phelan said. “I am bummed that Peter’s gone, but at the same time, I wish him the best in his career. He’s got a cool opportunity to create something with the company he’s going to, and I hope he crushes it, because he will.”

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Alli Childress is a mountain biker, but rather than going on her own, the mother of three prefers to ride with her family, including 6-year-old Bex, 9-year-old Brodie and 11-year-old Brantley.

The Childress family stood together at Deer Valley Resort on June 19, the opening day of summer operations. They donned helmets, gloves and pads and prepped their bikes for a swift descent down the mountain. 

When asked why they like mountain biking, Bex exclaimed that he didn’t like it. 

“I love it!” he said. 

Oldest Brantley added, “Wheelies are the best.” He explained that sometimes he scares his mom with his mountain biking antics and tricks.

“They’re incredible,” Alli said. 

Her kids, Alli said, have surprised her with their capabilities.

Downhill mountain biking is now something the Childress family does together throughout the summer. They ride the chairlift up the mountain and descend, taking their favorite trails back to the lifts to do it all again. 

Deer Valley is the family’s chosen mountain biking destination for summer. The resort, which halted mountain biking operations last year, is ready to welcome bikers once more to its trails. 

Downhill mountain biker Rachel Seibert said the sport is an avenue to engage with a new community that’s not easily found in the wintertime. Skiing, she said, can be more of a solo sport. But mountain biking is where new friends are easily found. 

Seibert has a Deer Valley Resort pass for the summer. She said she is excited to be back and biking at one of her favorite destinations for downhill trails. She also enjoys runs like Fire Swamp. 

“I haven’t hit the upper section, but the lower section is super fun,” Seibert said. “I love the drops.”

Winding through trees, Seibert likes to descends on two wheels at top speed. This is her fourth season as a downhill mountain biker. She said the sport allows her to access new ways of learning because it focuses and calms her mind. 

“It’s very high consequence,” Seibert said. “It really relaxes me, even though that sounds a little contradictory. But also the friends that I’ve made through mountain biking have been out of this world.”

For Deer Valley employees in charge of summer operations, community is the main focus.

Kevin Kirksey, vice president of marketing at Deer Valley, said it’s all about creating great stories about the mountain to get more people to visit and “create more amazing experiences for them once they are here.”

Kirksey is new to the Deer Valley team, joining as vice president of marketing nearly two months ago. 

“I’m just really looking forward to having a summer here at Deer Valley and really enjoying a lot of the different activities that are just so much better in the mountains,” Kirksey said. 

That includes mountain biking, hiking, scenic lift rides and events from concerts to food festivals. 

“It’s kind of just a mix of really wonderful things that you can do every weekend as well as during the week to enjoy time up here in the mountains,” Kirksey said. 

Deer Valley hosted its third annual Mountain Pride Day event in partnership with the Summit Pride Foundation on Sunday. The family friendly event, Kirksey said, celebrated inclusivity, community and a belief that everybody belongs in the mountains. 

Mountain Pride Day featured outdoor yoga, live music by Will Baxter Trio and a community Pride Ride down Holy Roller from the top of the Sterling Express chairlift. It was one of Deer Valley’s first “big moments” for the summer, Kirksey said. 

Weekly live music at Silver Lake will kick off in July with food trucks and family friendly offerings. Then there’s the twilight ride series and guided hiking.

For Jacob Musyt, vice president of food and beverage, the real star of the summer show is, well, food and beverage. 

That includes the Fire and Flavor Festival at Silver Lake, when chefs bring live-fire cooking to the mountains every Saturday and Sunday from July 11 until Aug. 8. Each weekend brings a different lineup, including open-fire seafood, regional barbecue and highlights from local breweries. 

“It really comes down to understanding when our guests are coming, who our guests are,” Musyt said. 

Musyt said he’s most excited for events that bring the community together. 

“It’s just the experience that we’re creating every weekend,” Musyt said. “The mountain community hanging out outside, listening to music, drinking beer and eating food. That’s what I think summer is all about and that’s what I’m really excited for.”

A full list of summer events can be found on the Deer Valley Resort website at deervalley.com/things-to-do/events. 

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For most riders dropping into one of Deer Valley Resort’s mountain bike trails this summer, the work beneath their tires may go unnoticed.

The sculpted berms, smooth rollers and carefully shaped jumps are designed that way.

“Flow style” mountain biking — where riders move continuously downhill with minimal braking or pedaling — only works when thousands of hours of labor disappear into the background.

After a year of closures, construction impacts and one of the largest transformation periods in resort history, the crews responsible for maintaining Deer Valley’s summer terrain say reopening trails this season has been equal parts rebuilding project, engineering challenge and race against time. 

“I think of it as waking up the trails from their hibernation,” said Deacan Spierling, a bike patrol trail worker, as he used a shovel to pat down and smooth out the approach to a jump on the Tsunami trail. 

As the trails emerge from their winter slumber, timing and weather play a critical role in the process to get things ready for opening day, crews say. 

“If people aren’t up there riding them, nature tends to take over a little bit,” said Dan Ward, the resort’s mountain bike trail supervisor, while walking between work zones on the upper mountain.

That takeover comes quickly, he said.

Grass creeps into trail corridors. Fallen trees accumulate. Winter runoff cuts channels into surfaces. Snow lingers long after lower elevation terrain has dried out. And after large-scale resort construction altered portions of the mountain, some trails required something more substantial than maintenance.

“The ski run construction totally eliminated probably about a quarter mile of trail right here,” Ward said, referencing the meadow section of the Tidal Wave trail. “We’re left with the task of redesigning and putting features back in.”

Throughout the upper mountain, crews have spent weeks reopening trail corridors, rebuilding jumps, reshaping turns and reconnecting trail systems before opening day which is scheduled for June 13.

Despite the workload, staff estimated roughly 90% of terrain was approaching readiness for the season by mid-May.

The work itself is considerably more technical than many riders may realize.

On jump trails, trail builders begin by measuring grades and estimating rider speeds before construction even starts.

A black diamond jump trail, for example, typically follows specific downhill grades that help crews estimate how quickly riders will approach features, explained Ward.

“There’s no school of mountain bike building a jump,” he said, noting that construction relies on testing, experience and repetition.

Crews build features, visually inspect them and eventually ride them repeatedly before public opening. Adjustments to takeoff angles, landing zones and speed control often happen multiple times before trails are considered complete.

“We’re not just throwing people at it willy nilly,” Ward said.

That process becomes more important on trails where mistakes carry consequences.

Some jump lines feature gaps ranging between roughly 25 and 35 feet and are ridden at high speeds.

“If you hit the jump and it puts you forward or back, there can be consequence to it,” he said.

Safety, workers say, shapes nearly every decision.

Many members of the trail crew also work winter ski patrol, creating a beneficial overlap between emergency response experience and trail construction.

Crews inspect trails daily, coordinate with bike patrol staff and intentionally build rest areas into trail networks where riders can stop before fatigue becomes dangerous.

“If people are just jamming the whole trail, they get fatigued, and that’s when accidents start happening,” Assistant Patrol Manager Steve Campbell said.

The result is a balancing act between progression and accessibility. Trail crews must create experiences that are exciting for experienced riders while remaining approachable enough for beginners and resort visitors.

That balancing act has become increasingly important as summer visitation changes.

Workers say demand for hiking continues growing alongside mountain biking, and resort leadership is increasingly focused on summer operations and expanding recreational opportunities.

New terrain under construction near Deer Valley’s East Village expansion will largely focus on cross-country riding, workers said, while hiking infrastructure continues receiving additional attention.

The growth comes as crews confront another challenge entirely: getting visitors to stay off trails before conditions are ready.

During spring melt, muddy riding creates deep ruts that significantly increase repair work.

Workers pointed to fresh tire tracks crossing still-soft sections of trail while explaining that early season riding often extends closures rather than shortening them as it can be difficult to smooth out those tracks.

This year, crews said conditions have helped.

Lower snowpack and earlier melt allowed workers to begin projects roughly three weeks ahead of anticipated schedules, particularly on the upper portions of the mountain, which, in the past, have not opened until a few weeks into the season.

Machines are operating seven days a week in some areas while hand crews move between maintenance projects across the mountain.

For riders arriving this summer, most of that work will remain invisible.

And that’s the point. Because the best trail work, the crew suggested, is the kind riders never notice at all. 

For those looking to improve their skills, learn the ins and outs of the mountain trail network or new to mountain biking, Deer Valley’s mountain bike school offers private lessons and a variety of bike clinics for all ages and skill levels. 

For information on lessons, see deervalley.com/plan-your-trip/bike-lessons.

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