The snow is coming. Even this month, according to at least one forecaster, it could dust the tops of northern Utah’s highest mountains. OpenSnow.com meteorologist Evan Thayer reports that it might even be noticeable atop Hidden Peak at Snowbird or in the mountains above Alta with a good squint.
“Definitely not a guarantee,” he wrote in his blog, “but I would not at all be surprised to be sharing some webcams with a coat of snow in the high Wasatch/Uinta later this week.”
It’s not just Thayer who’s optimistic. Utah’s 15 public ski areas have begun releasing their tentative opening dates for the 2024-25 season, and some of them are betting big on welcoming skiers and snowboarders early this fall.
The boldest of them all is Utah’s southernmost ski area, Brian Head Resort. It plans to have lifts running by Nov. 8, which would be its second earliest opening ever.
Brian Head has the highest base elevation in the state, at 9,600 feet. Temperatures drop more quickly at that elevation and that plus investments in snowmaking, general manager Tom Pettigrew said in an email to The Salt Lake Tribune, fueled the bold opening-day prediction.
“With our snowmaking team’s hard work and Mother Nature’s cooperation,” he wrote, “we hope to open as early as possible and close as late as possible. The goal is to give people the freedom to ski.”
Brian Head’s earliest opener was Nov. 4, set during the epic winter of 2022-23 — a record-breaking season in numerous ways for the state. Its second-earliest opening on record is Nov. 10, which it achieved in 2000. The resort pinpointed that date again last season, but warm weather forced it to delay its start by a week. It still managed its longest ski season to date, however, at 174 days.
If it hits its mark this year, the ski and snowboard resort near Cedar City could have a monopoly on the Utah ski market until Nov. 22. That’s when three more resorts expect to welcome guests. They include: Alta Ski Area, Park City Mountain and Woodward Park City, Snowbird (Nov. 28) and Snowbasin (Nov. 29) also tentatively plan to be open over Thanksgiving weekend.
Unless it’s an abysmally bad snow year, plan on all Utah’s resorts to wake up before December ends. Deer Valley has pegged Dec. 7 to unwrap the first lifts and runs of its Deer Valley East development. Sundance Resort, just to the south, also has pegged that day for its opener. Nordic Valley near Eden, meanwhile, is aiming for Dec. 7 to shake off the stink of last season’s numerous lift malfunctions and fire. Powder Fridays at Eagle Point could begin as soon as Dec. 20, a resort spokesperson said.
Powder Mountain, also in the Ogden Valley, is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to its opening date. The resort will unveil one new and two upgraded public lifts this season. For the first time, though, it will set three other lifts aside exclusively for private use. Beaver Mountain and Cherry Peak have not yet picked start dates either. No doubt, all four hope to be open before Christmas.
Likewise, Big Cottonwood Canyon resorts Brighton and Solitude lack firm opening dates. Unlike those others, though, the friendly rivals will be racing to be the first in the state to open — or at least beat their neighbor to the start line.
Solitude currently holds the bragging rights. Last year it opened on Nov. 10 but, learning from the previous season’s mistakes, didn’t make its announcement until late in the day on Nov. 9. That gave Brighton no time to put the pieces in place to beat it to the jump.
Last season, Brighton built its mid-mountain Sidewinder Grill and upgraded its Crest 6 chairlift.
“We have no major projects that will slow our start this year,” spokesperson Jared Winkler said. “We’re ready.”
Will Brighton be able to beat out Brian Head? Only time, and winter, will tell.