Bear with me on this one.....
If you ski in the mid-west, you will find yourself on a small hill with one or two lifts, and a couple of choices of terrain and trails. Yet, the ski areas are popular, and the skiers are excited. The culture of skiing and snowsports is evident around the fireplace in the chalet at the bottom of the hill. People compare equipment, talk about technique, discuss the conditions, etc. Its really a good time.
I grew up in Vail, moved to Crested Butte at age 22, had a career in the ski industry which allowed me to ski all over the world. IMO the best ski areas in the world are Whistler/Blackcomb, BC....Cortina, Italy.....Valle Nevado/La Parva, Chile.....Verbier, Switzerland......and St. Anton, Austria. There are plenty of other greats, and on given days some of them may be better than the afor-mentioned list. The skiing in New Zealand is also fantastic, and the skiing in Australia is descent.
With that said, some of the most fun I have had skiing has been in the mid-west. There is a small ski area in northern Wisconsin called Mt. Ashwabay. Its about 300 verticle feet. But it has a beautiful view of Lake Superior, a great bunch of enthusiastic skiers, good food in the chalet, and simply an outstanding atmosphere.
The Blue Hole in New Mexico, or the Crater in Utah are analogous.
Most of the dives that people do in the RMO region are training dives... An opportunity to work on skills in an otherwise un-remarkable atmosphere. I haven't logged all of my Crater dives, but I would bet that the number is somewhere around 60. I'm certifying a class there again in a couple of weeks.
It is always a pleasure to see friends there, compare stories, and best of all, to improve skills so that when we are able to take trips to The Keys, Cozumel, Vancouver Island, Bonaire or Palau, we are prepared to be better and safer divers while on those trips.
So, combining a ski vacation at Park City with some dives at Homestead Crater sounds like a blast to me!