SALT LAKE CITY — A good sign the ski season started early is when the annual pre-season press conference to the coming season happens when resorts are open. What's good for the resorts is also means a lot for those who don't ski or snowboard.
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Some Utahns live for the days when snow piles high enough to hit the slopes. But every resident needs the snow to pile up high, and this is a year of early season optimism.
"We've got Alta reporting 100-inch snow depth and it's late enough in the season where we're going to keep that snow that is up there right now," said Nathan Rafferty with Ski Utah. "I was up at Alta yesterday hiking around and I tell you, what it looks like february up there. It's spectacular.
It was easy to gauge the health of Utah's snowpack by the enthusiasm at the Ski Utah opening press conference.
"We haven't seen an early season like this and quite some time. The snowpack is really, really awesome," said Kelsey Johnson with Snowbird Ski Resort.
Three resorts hare already opened, with Brighton always angling for first. But this year it was Brian Head in southern Utah that took that spot. Regardless, the resorts are thrilled, but so are the water watchers.
The cold is keeping the snowpack strong and providing some astounding numbers:
- Bear River Basin - 293% of a normal Nov, 14th
- Weber-Ogden Basin - 351%
- Provo-Utah Lake-Jordan - 329%
- Southwestern Utah - 598%
"According to the Wasatch Snow forecast, we've already reached the same snow water equivalent that we normally see on Jan. 1," added Rafferty.
For resorts and tourist businesses, that means money on top of the record set in last years dismal snow season.
"We were hoping to bump past the $2 billion mark," said Rafferty. "Last year spending was at $2.35 billion, and the previous high was $1.7 billion."
Those figures are great for the economy, but for all the non-skiers or snowboarders, the importance is more basic; it's about having enough water for basic needs and to save the Great Salt Lake.
