EDEN, Utah — Utah is coming off what should have been a big holiday weekend for businesses in the Ogden Valley, but a resort that rises above it all wasn’t able to accommodate a single customer.
Nordic Valley normally offers an affordable, approachable option for skiers of all abilities, and that attracts plenty of visitors which, in turn, boost the surrounding economy.
“We rely on this snow economy, I guess you would call it, to sustain us for the rest of the year," explained Lori Mortensen, Owner, Diamond Peak Mountain Sports.
Mortensen's shop has carved out its own name with the help of the slopes for more than three decades. But this season has been a tough one.
“Oh, gosh, we’ve never seen it this bad," she said. "The lower elevation, snowmaking…super challenging this year.”
Nordic Valley got off to a slow start, with low snow conditions not allowing the resort to open until mid-January, only to be forced to close again one month later on February 11. Aerial views captured Monday showed just how thin the cover became, even bare in many spots.
Utah ski resorts find creative ways to keep pass holders engaged during low-snow winter:
The downstream effects are felt acutely, and not just at the resort.
“When people have to lay off people, especially the locals that don’t want to drive down through the canyons or mountains to get a job, it’s really hard,” said Mortensen, whose own store is at half the staff they typically hire for the season
Ogden Valley Pizza estimates sales are down by about 20 percent compared to past winters.
“You could say that for any company up here," shared manager Jake Johnson. "The more people coming up to the valley, just means more business for anybody up here.”
Nordic Valley management here is not giving up. The forecast shows colder temperatures moving in, supporting snowmaking, and they’re optimistically eyeing a reopening as soon as Friday.
While some feel the winter days may be whittling away, the snow that socked in the valley early Tuesday was a sight for sore eyes.
“It’s refreshing," Johnson said. "We’ve been waiting for quite a while.”
Locals are holding out hope that the snow pattern gives mountain crews what they need to start spinning lifts again, so everyone can enjoy a much-needed, late-season boost.
“We usually typically get a majority of our snow right now, and there’s still a couple months of winter left, even though it doesn’t feel like it," said Mortensen. "I’m pretty positive we’ll end good. We’re not great this year, but we’ll end good.”
