ArcaMax

I love those rare occasions when vacation lemons turn into lemonade, as long as you are willing to squeeze the lemons yourself.

Last winter, when the forecast got worse by the hour for the latest storm primed to hit the East Coast, I was certain our flight from New York to Salt Lake City would be canceled the next morning. We were meeting extended family coming from the West Coast and I'd been through this drill before -- even ending up having to cancel the trip because there were no seats available.

So this time, I didn't wait for Delta to call me. The morning before the storm, I called Delta (Twitter would have been faster than waiting on hold!) and grabbed two seats on the last flight out that night to Salt Lake City -- before the storm hit.

Instead of worrying all night about whether we'd make it out of town, we spent the night in one of my favorite ski country hotels, the Montage Deer Valley. (Love their apres ski entertainment, especially the Nightly S'mores Hour offering homemade marshmallows, plenty of chocolate, homemade hot chocolate and giant board games and, for those who haven't had enough fun in the snow, the complimentary tubing hill.) The next day, we were in plenty of time to settle in with the family at a condo.

Instead of frustrating hours at the airport, we spent a blue sky day on Deer Valley's famously groomed slopes, stopping for an excellent lunch. (Deer Valley is as famous for its eats as it is for its grooming and customer service.) I didn't have to worry about snowboarders crashing into me (as has happened in the past) because Deer Valley is one of the last resorts left in the country that doesn't permit snowboarders, a policy their guests heartily endorse. (The others are Alta, also in Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont.)

"It's less intimidating for the kids who are learning to ski," said Jessica Willi, here from Rhode Island with her husband, Chris, 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.

Another plus for young families -- all the help you get from Deer Valley staff, anything from carting gear to helping you to get on the lifts, she said.

"The snowboarders make me nervous," said Jane Clements, 10, here with her family from Los Angeles.

"This is paradise for a family," added her dad, Mike, who said that he used to snowboard himself, but now with his three daughters, prefers the "pure skiing experience."

"No hot-doggers coming down the mountain," agrees Lesley Fry, here with her family from near Gainesville, Florida.

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