It was supposed to be just another dusting. Then the flakes kept falling, and falling, and falling.
By the time Alta Ski Area opened its lifts Friday morning at 9, its slopes were already padded with almost double the maximum amount of snow OpenSnow forecaster Evan Thayer expected to see the entire day. And the white stuff was still coming down into the early afternoon. A total of 11 inches eventually dropped on the resort, producing the first powder day this month and just the second this season for resorts that were open over Thanksgiving weekend.
“I always say that when we have weak storms, it’s better than nothing because at least we have a chance we could be surprised,” Thayer wrote in his Daily Snow blog Friday morning. “Today, at least in Little Cottonwood Canyon, that appears to be the case.”
Friday’s forecast called for 1-3 inches of snow in the canyon. Instead, 6 inches had fallen at Alta by midmorning, according to resort reports. Some four inches had come down at Snowbird, which eventually milked 6 inches from the storm. Across the ridge in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton reported hauling in 7 new inches. Solitude also was blanketed, but since all the snow fell after 5 a.m., a resort spokesperson said the day’s totals wouldn’t be recorded until Saturday.
Other resorts around Utah didn’t get as much of the riches. Sundance Resort reported 3 fresh inches of powder. However, the rest of the state’s 15 public resorts, including Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain in Park City, all reported receiving an inch or less.
While Thayer may have been taken by surprise by the storm depth, other savvy skiers apparently were more optimistic. Alta started its weekend parking reservation program Friday and all spaces had been reserved as of Thursday night. Alta will require parking reservations Friday to Sunday and holidays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 6. Brighton has also begun its reservation program, and Solitude’s will begin Dec. 20.
The Ski Bus, which expanded its services to the Cottonwood Canyons this season, is also now in operation.
Utah’s Department of Transportation enacted the traction law at 10 a.m. in both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon. To travel through the canyons, four- or all-wheel-drive vehicles must be equipped with either 3-peak (3PMSF) or mud-and-snow tires or have chains on the two drive wheels. Two-wheel-drive vehicles must have chains on all wheels or be equipped with 3PMSF tires on all wheels. (Update: The traction requirement was lifted at 2 p.m.).
For resorts — or skiers and snowboarders — who missed out on Friday’s powder, don’t fret. Thayer said more snow should be on the way. If his reading of weather patterns is correct, the flakes will keep falling, on and off, through the weekend.
“The (storm) for Saturday night into Sunday is definitely stronger,” Thayer told The Salt Lake Tribune. “Usually when it’s showing stronger, it’s harder to get an upside surprise. But at the very least we should see a repeat of today with maybe 8 to 12 inches of snow for Little Cottonwood Canyon.”
In his blog, Thayer noted that the next storm might be “oriented a bit to our north.” That could be welcome news for Powder Mountain, Snowbasin, Nordic Valley, Cherry Peak and Beaver, which mostly missed out on the goods Friday. Powder, which has had just one lift running since it opened last weekend, is being called up to get a state-leading 14 inches, while most other northern Utah resorts could get 9 inches or more according to Friday’s OpenSnow predictions.
As with holiday shopping, though, skiers and snowboarders shouldn’t wait too long to get their turns in or risk missing out. After another small storm Tuesday, Thayer said the skies are looking dry until at least Christmas.
“This was our chance to get snow, pretty much,” Thayer said. “It isn’t favorable heading into Christmas. That doesn’t mean that we’re not going to get anything, but it’s not favorable.”
After a relatively dry spell since Thanksgiving, Utah resorts largely have been relying on machine-made snow. Most have a two-foot base or less, and OpenSnow reports only Eagle Point, with a 24-inch base, is above average for this time of year.
That isn’t any reason to get all Grinchy, though. If there’s a lesson to be taken from Friday’s storm, it’s that nature is full of surprises.
“It’s a slow start to the season,” Thayer said, “but it’s nice to remember that last year was a slow start and things turned around in January and we had an above average season. The good new is it’s still very early.”
