BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — Over at Solitude Mountain Resort, the team is up early in the morning to make snow.
It’s a months-long process because they start maintaining the snow-making machines in the summer, and then when the conditions are just right, they create snow. Todd Dohman, the slopes maintenance manager, said the temperatures must be in the 20s, but ideally the teen-degrees with no humidity.
“The water comes out of Twin Lakes and our partners at public utilities release it for us and store it on the mountain,” he said.
He said this snow helps create a good foundation for people to ski and snowboard.
“The light, fluffy powder that we all like to ski on doesn’t do much for creating a base layer, so this wetter snow and manmade snow creates a better job packing and turn it into the base we need,” he said.
He said they have the snow-making machines on during the right weather window, which is in the early morning hours and the evening. He said they are hoping to open for Thanksgiving Day.
“I think we all like making snow, and it’s pretty fun,” he said. “Building the slopes is a good time.”
