Feet of new snow in Utah mountains, and extended ski seasons
Apr 5, 2023, 6:57 AM | Updated: Jan 5, 2024, 3:08 pm
Thirteen inches of snow fell Friday night into Saturday at Snowbird Ski Resort. Needless to say, the resort was busy on Saturday. (Snowbird Ski Resort)
(Snowbird Ski Resort)
Sound up for continuing snow/weather updates 👇 on KSL NewsRadio:
SALT LAKE CITY — Think of the 2022-2023 winter season as payback for all of the years that skiers and locals wondered, “what happened to old-fashioned Utah winters?”
This one is for the record books, for real.
The latest storm totals from Ski Utah tell the tale — 27 inches of new snow overnight at Alta, 25 inches of new snow overnight at Snowbasin and Snowbird.
STORM TOTALS ARE BIG! Little Cottonwood Canyon has seen over 5 FEET of snow since Sunday! #utwx pic.twitter.com/k3trUJRH3O
— Matthew Johnson (@KSL_Matt) April 5, 2023
There is so much snow at Snowbird, the resort reported around 8 a.m. they had moved to maximum interlodge status. The town of Alta is also reporting they are in interlodge status.
On its webpage, Snowbird defines an interlodge event as “when snow levels are so great and avalanche danger is so extreme that patrons and employees of Snowbird are confined to resort buildings while avalanche work is being done.”
This morning, Snowbird officials reported the resort had passed its all-time season total of 783 inches and had passed the coveted 800-inch mark, too. In just two days, Snowbird has received more than 60 inches of new snow.
And there’s more exciting news for winter sports enthusiasts. Many Utah resorts are extending their seasons. Here are the known closing dates as of today, courtesy of Ski Utah:
Alta – April 23, 2023
Beaver Mountain – April 9, 2023
Brian Head – to be announced
Brighton – April 30, 2023 – Extended Date! Millicent Chair Meltdown open daily May 5-29
Cherry Peak – April 15, 2023
Deer Valley Resort – April 23, 2023 Extended Date!
Eagle Point – April 2, 2023
Nordic Valley – April 9, 2023
Park City Mountain – April 23, 2023 Extended Date!
Powder Mountain – April 16, 2023
Snowbasin – April 23, 2023 Extended Date!
Snowbird – Daily through May 14,
then open Fri-Sun through at least Memorial Day / May 31
Solitude – Daily through May 7,
then open Fri-Sun through May 21, 2023 Hours & Lifts
Sundance – April 2, 2023 – Bonus days Friday, April 7 + Saturday, April 8
Woodward Park City – April 30, 2023
Getting to the resorts
Extreme snowfall is a double-edged sword though, in that all the snow is also affecting the canyon roads that get you to the lifts. As of Wednesday morning, the Utah Department of Transportation had announced that Big Cottonwood Canyon would not open on Wednesday. There is no word yet about Little Cottonwood Canyon.
With continued snowfall and a very high risk of avalanches, SR 190/Big Cottonwood Canyon will not open today. As such, Solitude will not operate for skiing or riding today, 4/5/23. @UDOTcottonwoods pic.twitter.com/1j4JfrIR37
— Solitude Mountain Resort (@SolitudeMTN) April 5, 2023
🚧 #RoadClosureAlert 🚧
REMINDER: Both canyons are closed for avalanche hazard/mitigation, slide debris clearing.#SR210: closed, no ETO#SR190: closed, will not open today (4/5), no ETOWhen we have an update, we will share. Be patient, plan travels accordingly. @UDOTTRAFFIC pic.twitter.com/slDijvSGab
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) April 5, 2023
What’s next for Utah weather?
On Wednesday morning, KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said lake effect snow was expected to continue through Wednesday morning. And there’s another chance for snow Wednesday afternoon. But he also said that’s the last of the snow this week.
On Thursday, Johnson said northern Utahns will have sunshine and a high in the 40s. By the weekend, even warmer with highs in the 50s and near 60.
(https://www.ksl.com/weather/forecast)
