Utah’s skiers and snowboarders will likely have to wait at least another week to get onto the slopes.
Brian Head Resort had been the most aggressive of the state’s 15 public ski areas when it set its projected season-opening date for Friday. But the state’s southernmost winter resort, based near Cedar City, announced Tuesday that warm weather has forced it to delay those plans.
Operators now hope to open the ski and snowboard area Nov. 17. That matches the projected opening dates for Alta Ski Area, Solitude Mountain Resort and Park City Mountain Resort.
Brighton Resort often plays the season-opening spoiler by starting its lifts a day — and sometimes just a few hours — earlier than any other resort in the Wasatch Mountains. Last week, though, spokesperson Jared Winkler would only commit to the resort hoping to be open by Thanksgiving weekend.
Warm evening temperatures have created a hiccup for ski areas relying on human-made snow to help them kick-start the season. For the last week, however, temperatures at Alta have only dropped to the mid-40s, according to wunderground.com. At the Passenger Ropeway Safety Committee meeting Monday, lift operations managers for several resorts said preparations for the season have been on hold as they wait for temperatures to drop. That happened Tuesday and temperatures in the 20s and below are expected through at least Saturday according to the National Weather Service.
This season is expected to be snowier than usual in Utah, though not to the same extent as the last one.
Last season, when Utah received a historic amount of snow, Brian Head opened on Nov. 4. That was the resort’s earliest opener and the fourth-earliest known season opener in state history.
