When October’s issue of SKI Magazine appears on newsstands this month, it will confirm what most skiers already know — that Deer Valley is the top ski resort in North America.

SKI Magazine leaked this year’s rankings Friday morning and Deer Valley President Bob Wheaton was delighted.

“It’s pretty fun. It’s the third time we’ve been number one.”

Wheaton emphasizes the resort doesn’t tailor its business plan just to earn magazine rankings, but it is clear he is pleased that, after having to settle for second place last year, SKI Magazine’s readers deemed Deer Valley worthy of the top spot this year.

“We don’t operate on the basis of rankings. We always try to do our best, to maintain a high level of quality throughout the operation,” he said.

According to SKI Magazine readers, Deer Valley was the best in 11 of the rankings 18 categories. While he hadn’t yet seen all of the results, Wheaton said he was told the resort was No. 1 in Slope Grooming, On Mountain Dining and Guest Service.

Of those and without hesitation, Wheaton said he is most proud of the guest service rating.

“When we excel in guest service it proves everyone is pitching in and doing his best,” he said. That includes, not only those in direct contact with guests, but the support staff, too,” he added.

Providing consistent high levels of service is especially challenging given the tight job market in Park City. “It speaks loudly to the fact that everyone is doing a great job every day.”

Despite the great publicity the October edition of SKI Magazine will generate, Deer Valley doesn’t plan to spend time resting on its laurels. According to Wheaton, the resort is in the final stages of opening up some exciting new terrain.

The new Lady Morgan lift, located skier left of Empire, is almost complete and will give skiers access to nine new runs and additional gladed areas. Among those new runs are a couple of greens and blues, but mostly blacks, he said with a chuckle. The area will also imp[rove access to and from Northside and Empire.

Parkites also have a second resort in SKI Magazines’s Top 10. Park City Mountain Resort earned 6th place among the country’s best ski resorts.

The top 10 resorts according to SKI Magazine’s readers:

Deer Valley, Utah

Vail, Colo.

Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C.

Aspen, Colo.

Snowmass, Colo.

Park City Mountain Resort, Utah.

Breckenridge, Colo.

Beaver Creek, Colo.

Steamboat, Colo.

Sun Valley, Idaho