Ski season closing

DEER VALLEY — It was more like an opening than a closing — heavy snow, pockets of deep powder and nothing showing on the runs but skiers.

Yet, true to its schedule, Deer Valley closed Sunday for the 2002-2003 ski season. So did Powder Mountain.

Within two weeks only two ski areas — Snowbird and Alta — will be running lifts. The remaining 11 will be closed. And, most likely, looking forward to 2003-2004 with higher expectations.

The Canyons will close on Saturday, while Park City Mountain Resort and Snowbasin will wait until Sunday.

Brian Head, which received more than two feet of new snow over the weekend, will close April 20, along with Brighton and Solitude.

Alta will close on April 20, but then reopen for three days: April 25, 26 and 27.

Snowbird, always the last to close, will keep all its lifts open until May 11, then look at limited access on into May.

Sundance, Beaver Mountain and Elk Meadows closed in March.

For those waiting for the bargains before stepping into ski bindings, there are some out there as the season winds down, but not a lot of time to take advantage.

Each Tuesday at Brian Head, four skiers can get four passes for $38. Also, by taking four non-perishable food items to city officials in Parowan or Cedar City, a skier can get $10 off a lift ticket.

Park City is offering a $67 day pass for $45 during its final week.

By bringing in a one-liter empty bottle of soda, any soda, to the Solitude ticket office skiers can get a $44 pass for $34.

And The Canyons is offering a family pass where two adults and up to four kids can ski for $125 per day.

Utah's 13 ski areas were expecting great things from this season in light of the worldwide acclaim given Utah for the 2002 Winter Olympic — and they did derive some benefits.

Skiers who watched the Games from outside the state were drawn into Utah in record numbers. It was the locals — those who can hit the slopes in minutes as opposed to hours — who failed to buy lift tickets.

The impression was, as one local skiers said on a lift ride on Saturday, "You looked up, saw the brown foothills and figured skiing wouldn't be that good. But then you talk to people who did ski and you find out it was really pretty good."