BRIGHTON, Utah — A sense of normalcy returned to Utah ski resorts as an overnight storm dumped large amounts of the precious snow that skiers and snowboarders had yearned for over the last few weeks.
But that massive snowfall has also forced the early closures of multiple resorts out of an abundance of caution for visitors.
Alta announced it would be closing completely at 2:30 p.m., while Snowbird will shut down several of its lifts between 2:30 and 3 p.m., with only Chickadee remaining open until 5 p.m.
"Thank you for your patience while our teams work through this storm event that has delivered 41 inches and counting," Alta wrote on social media. "We will try again tomorrow."
Brighton Resort said it will close at 5 p.m. after receiving 17 inches of snow in 24 hours.
Most skiers said they had been hoping for a storm like this one.
“Even though we haven’t had that much snow, the skiing here at Solitude has been really good,” said Eric Rodin.
The late-February timing was unusual but welcome.
“It’s kind of different that, you know, that it’s happening toward the end of February, but it’s welcome,” Justine Arellano said at Solitude.
Earlier Wednesday, the Brian Head Resort posted "Powder Alert!" after receiving an additional 10 inches of snow on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, bringing its total to 21 inches over the last 48 hours.
"It’s deep, it’s soft, and it’s time to get after it," the resort said, adding that access to its terrain is now at 100%, with up to an additional 19 inches of snow on the horizon.
Up north, the snow was coming down so fast in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton wrote "Holy Smokes," and shared a video of an employee operating snowblowers to clear pathways to get people on its runs.
"It snowed more than we thought it would and it’s still going!" the resort shared on social media.
Hope on the horizon for Utah ski resort forced to close over lack of snow:
Over in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Snowbird reported that it had received 18 inches of snow in the last 24 hours, with 12 inches falling overnight.
Overnight snow totals at Utah ski resorts:
- Soltitude: 11 inches
- Brighton: 9"
- Deer Valley: 8"
- Park City Mountain: 8"
- Woodward Park City: 8"
- Powder Mountain: 7"
- Alta: 6"
- Beaver Mountain: 6"
- Nordic Valley: 6"
- Snowbasin: 6"
- Sundance: 5"
While people are no doubt excited to get to the mountains to enjoy the latest gift from the skies, resorts and the Utah Highway Patrol are warning drivers to be careful on the roads, as the snow has created hazardous driving conditions in some areas.
"If you don’t have a properly equipped car with 4x4 please consider coming up a different day," said Brighton.
