Opening day shows Utah ski resorts are off to a promising start

PARK CITY — The general feeling was one of optimism — a little snow is better than none, and any turns made on skis or snowboards are good.

In truth, there was a good snow covering, not one Utah skiers are accustomed to, but the 20 inches some resorts were showing, a good mix of natural and man-made snow, offered some good skiing, albeit on limited terrain.

The snow that fell Friday, nearly three feet at higher elevations, was simply a nice chocolate coating on a caramel bar. A couple of feet of fresh, light Utah powder is considered the ultimate skiing experience.

Currently, seven of Utah's 13 ski areas are open. An eighth, Deer Valley, will open Saturday — as scheduled months ago.

Alta is reporting a base of 46 inches and has nearly half of its 116 runs open and five of its seven lifts.

Brighton has 16 of its 66 runs and four of its seven lifts open. Its base earlier this week was 45 inches.

The Canyons has 16 runs open and seven of its 16 lifts.

Park City Mountain Resort is expected to have 30 runs and eight of its 14 lifts open by the weekend.

Snowbasin has nine runs and three lifts open.

Snowbird has 25 runs open, has a 41-inch base and four of its 12 lifts. Plans are to have the tram open by the weekend.

Solitude is offering five runs and three lifts to skiers.

Beaver Mountain and Powder Mountain will open when conditions are right. Wolf Mountain, formerly Nordic Valley, will also open when improvements and snow allows.

Brian Head will open Dec. 10 and Sundance will open Dec. 9.

Deer Valley will open early Saturday with more than half of its lifts running. Erin Grady, communications coordinator, said the resort has a good base and that skiing should be good. A daily lift pass will be discounted to $55.

Officials at those resorts contacted said they would open more runs and more lifts as snow depths increase.

According to the National Weather Service, the weather pattern passing over Utah is more "normal" than the high pressure that hung over the state earlier this month.

The storm that hit Friday was followed by a second that hit on Tuesday. A third front is holding off the coast and is expected to pass over Utah this weekend.

Pete Wilensky, lead forecaster, reported that after the weekend storm, a drier pattern is expected to move into Utah next week.