Little Things Mean a Lot - 10 January 2026

Above: My Office, West Wing, Empire Lodge, Deer Valley, UT 10 January 2026.

My skiing partner Espresso and Mwah (sic) stopped at my office for the first time this ski season. Frankly, I was worried that the landlords might have made some unwanted changes without gaining my approval. I was pleasantly surprised. Two minor changes were made, but I was happy with both of them.

As I walked towards my desk at the rear of the West Wing, I was gratified to see the real log burning fireplace ablaze. The comforting after smell of burning log amplified the real mountain vibe of the lodge. I mused that the spirit of Edgar Stern still permeated the presence of Deer Valley. Stern, the first to adopt the luxury hotel concept for a ski resort, would have never installed gas fireplaces in his lodges.

I looked down. A new carpet added a flash of disproportionate renewal to Deer Valley's aging lodges. Zoom in on carpet portion in above image.

Hot chocolate in hand at the cashier station, I searched the usual table near the cashier for a cookie or a brownie. "Sir, you know we've added a selection of quality pastries. You might want to check them out at the breakfast station," said the cashier. I followed her advice and bought a "to die for" scone. Zoom in on the scone in the above image.

With all the mega changes going on at Deer Valley the small changes can go unnoticed. In addition to the small improvements at my office, I noticed some minor enhancements to the terrain this morning. A section of Trump run had been excavated to provide another access to Ontario run. The trail leading off Blue Bell run to Silver Buck run had been widened... a small, but great improvement to a trail that heretofore gave rise to dicey collision avoiding maneuvering.

How the little things are dealt with say a lot about the tone and fabric of an organization. The small changes I have seen at Deer Valley this season speak to a management on top of things, carrying forward the spirit of Deer Valley founder, Edgar Stern. Kudos, DV.