Salt Lake City, UT – Perhaps no one dreams more of a white Christmas than ski resort operators. But across the western U.S., some are getting more than they bargained for.nAs much as four feet of heavy, wet snow has fallen since the weekend at Utah’s ski resorts. Sitting atop colder, drier snow that fell earlier, avalanche hazard kept Little Cottonwood Canyon Road closed until 1 p.m. on Monday, confining guests at Alta and Snowbird within buildings and keeping them off the ski slopes. Violating such “interlodge” restrictions comes with a misdemeanor charge, subject to a hefty fine.
It’s all courtesy of the “Pineapple Express,” a potent stream of moisture originating near the Hawaiian Islands that streams across the Pacific Ocean until it slams into mountains along the West Coast of the U.S. There, it’s already dumped over 15 feet of snow on Mammoth Mountain, Calif., and it’s not done yet.
Mammoth residents and guests have been stranded by not only deep snow, but howling winds as well that severed phone service to Sugar Bowl Resort near Truckee, Calif. At Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort in Twin Bridges, Calif., those winds toppled a tree that fell upon a chairlift cable on Sunday, knocking five riders to the ground. Other ski areas have remained closed, waiting out the storm for a powder day that promises over six feet of new snow surrounding the Lake Tahoe basin.
Mammoth officials are claiming the deepest snowfall in the world right now, but the Pineapple Express is a warm flow, and rain has fallen at lower elevations across the West. Sundance Resort in Utah, for example, has picked up 28 inches of snowfall from the system, and over 11 inches of rain below the rain/snow line that rose to nearly 8,000 feet on Sunday. That’s an unheard of amount of rain in the arid high desert of the Intermountain West.
Ski industry officials, though, are nonetheless grateful for the storm as the calendar enters Christmas week.
“This has been a phenomenal start to our season,” said Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty, referring to more than 200 inches accumulated in the state thus far this season. “Utah can guarantee holiday visitors a very white Christmas and incredible mountain conditions this year.”
“The timing of this storm was ideal,” added Andy Chapman, Tourism Director of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. “It came in quickly and left a ton of snow, making for some of the best conditions we’ve ever had for the Christmas holidays.”
In fact, nearly 20 feet of snow has fallen at some Tahoe area ski resorts since late October. According to Chapman, that’s also a win for Lake Tahoe businesses, with many tracking ahead for lodging and dining reservations compared to years past.
“We are a snow-driven economy,” said Chapman. “When Mother Nature delivers, the visitor experience is enhanced and businesses large and small prosper.”
The snow piled up in southwestern Colorado as well, as Wolf Creek received 27 inches, Crested Butte and Silverton 26 inches and Monarch 22 inches. Snowfall totals were in the double digits for many other resorts nestled around the state. Both Arapahoe Basin and Loveland received 18 inches of new snow, Copper and Eldora were both covered in 14 inches, and Aspen Highlands 13 inches. In the northwest part of the state, nearly a foot of fresh fell at Steamboat as that resort welcomed 11 inches. Snow fell at both Aspen Mountain and Purgatory where 10 inches accumulated over the weekend.
“Colorado’s ski industry is poised for a busy season,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “We’ll likely see the early season momentum continue with resorts being active over the holidays due in part to the great snow conditions and abundant events.”