BRIAN HEAD, Utah — Ski season may still be weeks away, but Utah’s ski resorts are already looking ahead.
Brian Head saw its first snow of the season Tuesday morning and is targeting November 6 for opening day. But how do you pick an opening date this early — when you don't know exactly how much snow is coming?
For skiers, the formula is pretty simple. More snow.
“Just hoping for more snow, you know, that’s all we can hope for,” skier Patrick said.
Victoria Gorman said seeing the seasons change is already getting her excited for winter.
“It’s fun to see the colors change and know that winter’s coming," she said. "Looking forward to, you know, powder days.”
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But for a resort, picking an opening date takes a little more than hoping for powder. At Brian Head, they’re looking back before they look ahead.
“We do look at our historical information. What does snow tell us about temperatures, overnight lows? We're looking into October as, what's our historic snowfall during that time frame?” explained Tom Pettigrew, general manager of Brian Head Resort.
Brian Head also has a couple of things going for it. The resort has the highest base elevation of any Utah ski resort at nearly 10,000 feet, with the top of the resort approaching 11,000 feet. Its location in southern Utah can also put it in a position to benefit from different storm tracks.
“That means that sometimes we're benefiting from the southern track or southern flow of the jet stream," Pettigrew said, "and sometimes we're benefiting more from that northern flow or far enough north, so we can kind of get both sides of that."
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The resort is also investing heavily in snowmaking. It recently spent nearly $1 million to improve its snowmaking system. One of the major upgrades increases the diameter of its main trunk lines, allowing the resort to deliver about 50% more water to Navajo Mountain, where it starts the season.
“We really lead with the mantra of skiing first,” Pettigrew said. “That’s part of who we are as a company at Brian Head. If we can ski, we are going to go skiing.”
So when a resort announces an opening date this early, it isn't necessarily a forecast for how the entire winter will go.
It's a target based on historical weather, the resort's location and elevation, and its ability to make snow.
Brian Head is now about five weeks away from its targeted opening.
“But it’s about five weeks until our opening day. So, you know, it’s close,” Pettigrew said.
And skiers are already hoping for a good season.
“More powder would be great, yeah, but honestly, even in our worst year, it’s still a good time up in the mountains,” skier Gregory Karr said.
For now, the calendar says November. The weather, of course, will have the final say.
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