Stein Eriksen Lodge

Stein Eriksen won the giant slalom at the Oslo Winter Olympics in 1952, in front of a home crowd, and then crossed the Atlantic to teach Americans to ski. Thirty years later a lodge at Silver Lake, halfway up Deer Valley above Park City, opened under his name. Stein Eriksen Lodge still carries it, and its heavy timber, stone and carved wood recall the mountain houses of his country.

History

Born in Oslo in 1927, Eriksen took gold in the giant slalom and silver in the slalom at the 1952 Games, then won three gold medals at the 1954 World Championships in Åre. He moved to the United States and ran ski schools at a succession of resorts, becoming one of the best-known figures in American skiing, with a fluid style much copied and a front flip on skis that made him a showman. When Deer Valley opened in 1981 he became its director of skiing, a post he held for the rest of his life. The lodge opened in 1982 and has grown since with new wings and suites. Eriksen died at his home in Park City in December 2015, aged 88.

Architecture and design

The lodge is built in a Norwegian manner: heavy timber beams, stone chimneys, wood-panelled rooms and a great hall around a fireplace. Carved details and Scandinavian textiles carry the theme indoors without turning it into a stage set. The buildings stand at the edge of the runs at Silver Lake, so that skiers can come down to the door and leave from it in the morning. Outside, a heated pool sends up steam into the cold air all winter.

Rooms and suites

The rooms vary widely in size, and many of the suites are condominium-style units with kitchens, living rooms and fireplaces, privately owned and let through the lodge. They suit families and groups who come for a week of skiing, and the larger ones sleep several generations at once.

Dining

Glitretind, the main restaurant, is named after one of Norway's highest mountains and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with views over the slopes. The Troll Hallen Lounge, with its fireplace, is the place for a drink and a lighter meal after skiing, and the terraces fill on sunny afternoons in spring.

Wellness

The spa occupies a large wing of the lodge, with treatment rooms, a fitness centre and relaxation areas, and the heated outdoor pool and hot tubs lie close by. In summer the same doors open onto hiking and mountain-biking trails, and the lifts at Silver Lake carry riders up the mountain.

Weddings and events

Weddings are held on the terraces and lawns with the mountain behind them in summer, and indoors in the lodge's function rooms through the year. The lodge also hosts corporate meetings and retreats, and its position at mid-mountain puts the slopes at the door for groups who want to ski between sessions.

Location

Silver Lake Village, at the middle of Deer Valley, gathers lifts, restaurants and shops around the lodge. Deer Valley keeps to skiers only, with no snowboards on the mountain. Park City's Main Street is about 15 minutes down the road by car, and Salt Lake City International Airport about 45 minutes. For a luxury hotel in Park City, the mid-mountain position matters most in winter, when guests ski from the door and come back for lunch.