LOGAN CANYON, Utah — It’s fair to say Utahns sprinted to the slopes at the first sight of snowfall on Saturday, and while all ski resorts have had their struggles with the warm temperatures this winter, most have been able to remain open.
“This storm delivered 10” of fresh snow to Snowbird for guests to enjoy," Snowbird said in an announcement. "Despite an unusually dry stretch to start the season, the same year-after-year, powder smiles returned to the Wasatch today."
It’s been a very different story, however, for Beaver Mountain, which still hasn’t opened its gates.
“We have a lot of people, employees, ski patrol, kind of on standby at this point, just waiting for it to snow,” said Beaver Mountain general manager Travis Seeholzer. "And we've had a lot of snowfall really this year. We've just had the warm temps and the rain that followed it up."
Seeholzer said it was the first time since the 1970s that they weren’t able to operate on Christmas Day.
“The decision was kind of made for us, regrettably. But yeah, it stings,” he said.
The challenge Beaver Mountain faces is that it doesn’t have any snow-making and truly relies on the natural stuff.
“We don't have a sufficient water supply, and snow-making requires lots and lots of water to make snow, and we have continued to drill and look for different water sources, but that's really the biggest hindrance,” Seeholzer said.
It takes time to get the slopes ready after snowfall, but Seeholzer said Saturday's weather brought them a lot of hope.
“Looking for a little clarity on the forecast around New Year's, because we're hoping to get more snowfall then, and once we open the doors, we'll have a lot of people up here and just making the assessment if the snowpack can handle that, and if the temps will allow that,” he said.
Beaver Mountain is optimistic about re-opening soon and is hoping to have another update in the coming days. They are encouraging Utahns to keep an eye on their social media pages or visit skithebeav.com.
