Early snow, good turnout create best ski season

It's not official yet, but there's little doubt now that Utah will post its best ski season in recorded history.

The only question now is by how much?

Good early snow, followed by record turnouts over the Christmas holidays, Presidents Day weekend and now, it appears, the Easter weekend, have all helped to clinch the title.

Kip Pitou, president of Ski Utah, predicted total figures would be "5 to 8 percent above last year, and remember last year was a record that was 7 percent ahead of the previous year.

"There's no question, we're going in the right direction. But, we've been lucky this year and have had excellent snow conditions. The only area of the country with more snow than Utah is the Tahoe (California) area, and it has had too much snow at times."

Utah recorded 3.38 million skier days in 2003-2004, which is up from 3.14 million the previous year.

Latest snow reports show Solitude has the highest total depth with 562 inches, which is 62 inches above its annual average of 500 inches.

Jay Burke, marketing director for Solitude, said the resort began measuring snow in October, "when there was measurable snow on our measuring stake. Other areas waited until November, which explained some of the difference. Also, the south-to-north storms have favored us this year."

Records show that if average totals are met that resorts in the Wasatch Mountains can expect another 66 inches.

Alta has hit is annual average of 506 inches and The Canyons is only 31 inches from hitting its average.

Within the past month, other areas of the country have much improved snow conditions.

In Colorado, for example, Vail held a base of 42 to 54 inches in early February, where depths on Tuesday were 61 to 83 inches. Aspen Mountain is reporting 51 to 58 inches.

Sugarloaf in Maine was reporting snow depths of 9 to 15 inches in early February, but is now up to 44 to 86. Whiteface Mountain in New York was reporting 24 to 40 inches, but is now reporting 34 to 50 inches. And, Stowe Mountain in Vermont was reporting 32 to 44 inches and had 90 percent of its mountain open. It is now reporting 26 to 40 inches.

Mammoth Mountain in California is reporting a base of 156 to 180 inches. The resort with the widest range is Alyeska Resort in Alaska, which is reporting a spread of 18 to 152 inches.