Votes:
Deer Valley is packed full of incredible terrain. With all that choice, most skiers spend the first part of their trip trying to figure out where the best runs are for them. You bounce between lifts, debate forks in the trail, and end up only getting your best turns halfway through the trip.
Carv helps shortcut that process. With data from 24,286,344 turns measured at Deer Valley, we can see where people at each level ski their best: where confidence builds fastest, where turns feel most controlled, and which runs people naturally lap.
This guide brings those insights together with local knowledge so you can get to your best skiing sooner.
Where Skiers Ski Their Best on the Mountain
We looked for the runs where skiers genuinely ski their best. Two signals told us where that happens:
- Ski:IQ uplift: Carv gives you an overall score of your skiing on every turn - Ski:IQ. When lots of skiers score higher on a run than on the rest of their day, the terrain is helping them ski with more balance and control.
- Repeat runs: Carv also tracks where people choose to lap.
By combining uplift, repeat behaviour and local insight, we can highlight the runs that consistently bring out your best turns.
Here’s what the data showed us:
This chart shows the Deer Valley runs where skiers improve the most compared to their usual skiing. Hawkeye, Edgar’s Alley, and Wizard consistently bring out higher-quality turns for beginners, intermediates, advanced and expert skiers.
Beginner
Recommendation: Hawkeye
Hawkeye is one of the few beginner runs where skiers consistently ski better than their daily baseline. It’s quieter than other green routes and mostly skied by beginners and early intermediates, which removes pressure and helps your turns feel calmer and more controlled.
Notable mention: Success
Success is one of Deer Valley’s classic beginner routes from Bald Eagle. It doesn’t give the strongest improvement in our data, but it’s one of the most frequently skied beginner runs on the mountain. Skiers choose it because it’s wide, predictable, and ideal for building comfort and mileage early in the trip.
Intermediate
Recommendation: Edgar’s Alley
Our data shows a clear lift in Ski:IQ for intermediates here. It’s slightly steeper than the blues on the Sterling side, which encourages cleaner, rounder turns without pushing you into terrain you’re not ready for. The groomed main face stays consistent, while one side often holds soft bumps you can dip into - a great place to start trying new terrains.
Notable mention: Solid Muldoon
Solid Muldoon shows consistent Ski:IQ uplift and appears repeatedly in intermediate and advanced skiers’ run histories. The top pitch is wide and steeper, giving space to start carving with more forces at play, while the lower section flattens out so you can reset. This blend makes it a natural progression run that builds confidence without overwhelm.
Advanced/Expert
Recommendation: Wizard
Wizard consistently produces high Ski:IQ scores for advanced and expert skiers, and they repeat it often. Despite being rated a double blue, strong skiers use it as a fun run: reliable snow, consistent pitch, and enough texture later in the day to stay engaging without tipping into full expert terrain.
Notable mention: Daly Bowl
Daly Bowl is not where we see advanced or expert skiers record their highest Ski:IQ scores, but it is where they choose to ski.In our data, Daly Bowl is one of the most frequently returned-to expert runs at Deer Valley.
The terrain here is steeper, and more variable than the groomed pitches that produce high scores. It asks you to adapt your turn shape, control speed confidently, and work with the snow that’s in front of you. In other words, it’s ideal terrain for building versatility.
Daly Bowl also sits just above the Daly Chutes, which are some of the most serious double-black terrain in Utah. It’s a place to test how the skills you’ve built on groomers hold up on steeper, more textured snow.
Hidden Gems
We looked for quiet runs with strong repeat patterns, supported by local insight. When a run stays under-the-radar yet skiers keep going back, it’s almost always a sign of terrain that simply skis well.
This chart compares how busy each run is (left to right) with how likely skiers are to return for another lap (bottom to top). Runs in the top-left are the real standouts: they’re quiet but have high repeat rates, meaning skiers who try them tend to immediately ski them again. Narrow Gauge, X-Files, Legal Tender and Mayflower Bowl all show this “hidden gem” pattern.
Beginner
Wide West
Early intermediates lap this more than expected. The repeat behaviour signals a confidence-building slope that feels comfortable and unintimidating, and importantly isn’t too crowded!
Intermediate
Legal Tender
Legal Tender is one of Bald Mountain’s classic blues. It sees stronger-than-expected repeat patterns in our data and is consistently recommended by locals. The pitch is just steep enough to stay interesting, but smooth enough that turns feel clean and confidence-boosting.
Advanced
Narrow Gauge
Narrow Gauge shows a clear pattern in our data: advanced skiers come back to it more often than other advanced runs. It’s a quieter black on Bald Mountain with a consistent fall line. Locals back it too.
X-Files
X-Files is a favourite among advanced skiers who want to dip a toe into skiing trees. Hidden near Daly Bowl, it rolls through a wide band of well-spaced evergreens on a shaded, north-facing pitch that preserves soft snow for days. It’s where our data shows people consistently come back to, but it’s one of the lesser skied runs.
Expert
Mayflower Bowl
Mayflower Bowl gives expert skiers room to open things up. It mixes steeper pitches, soft snow in the bowls, and a few groomed options that feel great first thing in the morning. Our data shows experts regularly choose to ski it again, even if it is not where they score their highest turns.
How to find your best turns...
Beginners in DV typically work on:
- Bringing skis parallel
- Turning both skis together
- Staying balanced between turns
Beginners who start shaping their turns more smoothly feel noticeably more in control. That’s why Carv’s Parallel pathway includes the skill ‘Making smoother turns’.
The simple goal
Move away from rushed, “Z-shaped” turns and guide your skis through calmer, rounder arcs. This helps you manage speed without forcing it and keeps your balance steadier.
Try this cue
Imagine each turn following the rounded corner of a box rather than a sharp pivot.
A Carv-style tip you might hear
“Start the turn gently, then let your skis come across the hill to slow down - don’t rush the finish.”
Intermediates in DV typically work on:
- Building pressure gradually
- Controlling turn shape
The biggest improvement often comes from cleaning up the transition between turns - exactly what Carv’s Smoothly Linking Turns skill targets.
The simple goal
Release pressure at the end of each turn so you can move cleanly into the next one. When you stop holding the turn too long, everything feels lighter and more connected.
Try this cue
Experiment with timing: release a touch earlier, then a touch later, to find the smoothest rhythm.
A Carv-style tip you might hear
“Think of the end of the turn like a loaded spring - release it smoothly to move into the next turn with flow.”
Advanced skiers in DV typically work on:
- Building more edge angle
- Controlling speed with turn shape?
Advanced skiers unlock new power when they learn to tip their skis further on edge with control. That’s the core of Carv’s ‘Getting lower to the snow’ skill.
The simple goal
Increase edge angle while staying stacked over the outside ski. As edge angles rise, turns tighten, pressure builds, and carving becomes more dynamic.
Try this cue
Feel when your ski locks onto its edge - then add just a little more angle through the fall line, keeping the outside leg strong.
A Carv-style tip you might hear
“Extend your outside leg as you increase edge angle, and pull your inside knee upward.”
Expert skiers in DV typically work on:
- Building versatility
Improvement at this level comes from expanding the terrain you can ski well - and moguls are one of the fastest ways to build that versatility. That’s where Carv’s Absorbing Moguls skill comes in.
The simple goal
Use your ankles, knees, and hips to absorb each bump so the terrain doesn’t knock you off line.
Try this cue
Imagine skiing under a low ceiling: flex as you go over the bump, then extend into the trough to stay centred.
A Carv-style tip you might hear
“Flex to absorb the bump, extend into the trough - use your full range so the bumps work with you, not against you.”
What is Carv?
Carv is made up of small sensors that clip onto your ski boots and track every movement your skis make through each turn. That motion data is sent to the Carv app on your phone, where your skiing is broken down, you get a simple overall score, and you get the option of real-time coaching in your earphones.
Because such a large community skis with Carv, we now have over one billion recorded turns. That scale lets us spot clear patterns:
- which runs consistently help people ski better
- where skiers build confidence quickest
- which routes people quietly return to again and again
This guide uses those patterns - plus input from Deer Valley locals - to highlight where skiing is at its best in Deer Valley.
The best ski days are the ones where everything feels right. Your skis respond. Your turns flow. You forget about the map and focus on the moment.
With the right runs - and the right coaching - you can skip the trial and error and get to those moments sooner.
If you’re interested in trying out Carv this winter, you’re in luck. We’re running demos at events in Deer Valley, Palisades and Winter Park this winter. Sign up to an event near you below.