Ski resorts making final preparations for season

Mother Nature is playing nice with the Wasatch Front for now, but ask anyone who likes to strap a pair of planks or a board to their feet, and they'll tell you winter isn't far away — even if it is expected to be about 70 degrees outside this weekend.

But with scheduled openings only a few weeks away, most Utah ski resorts are busy making final preparations for the coming season. In fact, at Snowbird, the slopes already got a dusting of man-made snow as the resort made sure its equipment was in working order.

"We started to blow snow last week," Snowbird spokesman Jared Ishkanian said. "It's mostly to test our equipment and put down a little base."

The sun and warm temperatures will melt most snow blasted onto the mountains right now, but it's never too early to start getting the mountains ready.

At Park City Mountain Resort, the snow-making machines aren't going to be turned on until the temps drop a few more degrees, but there are still significant preparations going on. The resort has spent almost $10.5 million on improvements this summer, and the biggest changes will be a new lift and a thoroughly remodeled Midmountain Lodge.

"We did major renovations there this summer," Park City Mountain Resort spokesperson Paula Altschuler said. "We've been gearing up with that and the new lift. We're very excited and we put the most into improvements in Utah."

Deer Valley, likewise, is also waiting a little while longer before blowing a base layer of snow onto its slopes but is prepping for another big year of skiing nonetheless.

"Ours are all ready to be turned on as soon as the temperatures drop," Deer Valley's Erin Grady said. "And, knock on wood, we're heading in the right direction for another great year."

Ishkanian said Snowbird isn't going to unveil any big improvements for the coming season after the tunnel to the Mineral Basin opened not too long ago.

Instead, the resort up Little Cottonwood Canyon is happily touting the ranking it received along with neighboring Alta as North America's best ski resort by Outside Magazine.

"That was based on the snow and the terrain," Ishkanian said. "And it came from the editor of a very big magazine, so that means a lot to us."

With snow possible in the next few weeks, most resorts are anticipating an opening the weekend before Thanksgiving.

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com