Alta, UT 2/6/19 - Can't get there from here

[Admin]

As of the time I'm writing this, the storm total is 54" and still counting. Of that, 21" has fallen since 4 pm yesterday. We got about a foot or more at my house in Cottonwood Heights when it came down hard & heavy overnight, and roads even in the Valley were a disaster this morning. Some Valley highways were even closed. For the first time in the 15 years that I've lived here, kids have a snow day at school today.

I left the house just before the anticipated Little Cottonwood Road opening time changed from 8 a.m. to "TBD". I nevertheless managed to put myself in a good position where I wouldn't be chased off by UPD officers, but by 8:45 a.m. UPD started coming around to let everyone know that the road is unlikely to open today at all. At that point I gave up and returned home to snow blow my driveway. BCC is now closed, too.

Those who made it up before the 5:30 a.m. road closure took a chance and are still Interlodged in Alta, and there's a good possibility that they'll be Interlodged until tomorrow. The ski area remains closed at this time.

So, as of now that makes 321" season-to-date with a settled base of 126". But of course, according to (only) Tony Crocker it's a below-average season in Utah so don't bother, you're better off skiing somewhere else this season.

 

[Admin]

Addendum: Just got a text from Alta Central indicating that Interlodge is lifted, "ped travel only straight to Alta to ski Wildcat/Collins. Do not drive anywhere, please obey so we can do it again." So those who got up pre-closure are having a country club day on limited terrain, but may not get out tonight. The road of course remains closed.

 

[mrgskier]

Yup. We were denied in BCC today. We headed up at 10am, drove 30 minutes only to be turned around by the sheriff just short of the resort. "It's a shit show up there" was the exact quote from the LEO. So, Crocker was right. Sub par season, everyone should go to Tahoe. They got 120" instead of the paltry 20" we got overnight.

 

[Admin]

Yup. We were denied in BCC today.

And then your wife suggested bowling? :-s

 

[Admin]

Well, the road did actually open just now, 4:38 p.m. Congrats to those who got a country club day by going up before 5:30 a.m., and are nevertheless going to sleep in their own beds tonight!

 

[BobMc]

The BCC didn’t close for avalanche reasons, they were turning people away for parking reasons. I left my house at 7:30 this morning, finally pulled into Brighton at 10:00 as parking was dwindling.

Great Western opening after two days was worth it.

Those $2375 Deer Valley passes are looking more enticing every year.

 

[Admin]

The BCC didn’t close for avalanche reasons, they were turning people away for parking reasons.

They actually did close mid-day for avi shooting. https://twitter.com/CanyonAlerts/status ... 5390954496

 

[EMSC]

So, as of now that makes 321" season-to-date with a settled base of 126". But of course, according to (only) Tony Crocker it's a below-average season in Utah so don't bother, you're better off skiing somewhere else this season.

Such acerbity... No need. Somehow you've forgotten the first words of one of his Utah posts just a 10 days ago:

Nobody said there's anything mediocre about this season. Average at Alta would be record breaking at the vast majority of ski areas in North America.

I think I need to move west this year. Most of the storms seem to be west or SW events meaning many only drop a few inches by the time they get to my poor little Eldora. Oh well, still very soft conditions and everything open... I just won't have to worry about too many road closures or face shots, sigh...

End of:

 

[Marc_C]

I think I need to move west this year. Most of the storms seem to be west or SW events meaning many only drop a few inches by the time they get to my poor little Eldora.

Yet consider last season, when our fortunes were reversed.

 

[Tony Crocker]

So, as of now that makes 321" season-to-date with a settled base of 126". But of course, according to (only) Tony Crocker it's a below-average season in Utah so don't bother, you're better off skiing somewhere else this season.

Still killing kittens, are we?

Average month/This season/Average to date/This season/Season-to-date percent of average

Oct: 28.50 30.5 28.50 30.5 107%
Nov: 76.77 63.5 105.27 94.0 89%
Dec: 92.00 72.5 197.27 166.5 84%
Jan: 95.40 110.5 292.67 277.0 95%
Feb 1-8: 25.96 56 318.63 333.0 105%

So Alta is finally above average after the recent dump. But only by 15 inches, so it needs to keep going to stay above average.

Admin really, really doesn't like those numbers? TAKE IT UP WITH ALTA SKI PATROL AND PLEASE THINK OF THE KITTENS!

Is this :dead horse: Absolutely. But since admin still doesn't get it, I guess I have to dot every I and cross every T.

And as EMSC noted, where does anyone get

you're better off skiing somewhere else this season.

out of anything I've posted??????

Since we're in critical mode here, I have one. Admin is skiing Alta almost every day. When you get to MLK weekend with added crowds, dumps of snow and road clusters, maybe, just maybe, he should have considered another Utah ski area that weekend????

Yup. We were denied in BCC today. We headed up at 10am, drove 30 minutes only to be turned around by the sheriff just short of the resort. "It's a [censored] show up there" was the exact quote from the LEO. So, Crocker was right. Sub par season, everyone should go to Tahoe. They got 120" instead of the paltry 20" we got overnight.

Since we're passing around the snark today.... Snowbasin reported 7 inches new on Feb. 6 and 25 inches in the past 3 days. Deer Valley (if you are on Ikon Pass) reported 15 inches new on Feb. 6 and 44 inches in the past 3 days. But no, it's better to ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) trying to get up a closed canyon, then boast about how awesome it is theoretically, than to actually go out and ski some of that powder that day.