Western Weather 2010-14
- Thread starter mbaydala
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A Wasatch weather question:
I'm flying in to SLC Thursday night 3/1 and meeting a friend who now lives in Seattle, for 4 days of skiing 3/2 to 3/5. I know it is early, but the UAC forecast has made me optimistic.
On powder days on previous trips, my friend and I have generally gravitated toward areas with lower skier densities and have been willing to trade off LCC's terrain advantage and a few extra inches of snow for low-competition, all-day fresh tracks. For example, two years ago, we have managed to squeeze 2 and 1/2 + days of quality freshies out of one storm by skiing Snowbasin the first day (a Thursday) and Powder the following two days. We're considering this approach again this year, but it has been two years since I've made it to Utah (knee injury last year) and I'm having a hard time remembering what kind of storms (i.e. from what direction) vastly favor the Cottonwoods over the Ogden resorts.
In other words, is the currently predicted storm one of those systems likely to generate a deep powder day in LCC, but only a shallow refresher at Snowbasin, or is the predicted system likely to be somewhat more evenly distributed. (I know LCC almost always has some snow advantage.)
I ask, because this year we are considering finding a cheap motel room in Ogden for the 1st two nights, rather than basing ourselves out of Salt Lake as we have in years past.
If the forecast holds (i.e. high pressure after Friday) we'll probably migrate down to Salt Lake for a day or two at Alta or Snowbird. If it would work out, we'd love to ski a couple of runs with some FTO LCC locals.
Thanks.
I'm flying in to SLC Thursday night 3/1 and meeting a friend who now lives in Seattle, for 4 days of skiing 3/2 to 3/5. I know it is early, but the UAC forecast has made me optimistic.
On powder days on previous trips, my friend and I have generally gravitated toward areas with lower skier densities and have been willing to trade off LCC's terrain advantage and a few extra inches of snow for low-competition, all-day fresh tracks. For example, two years ago, we have managed to squeeze 2 and 1/2 + days of quality freshies out of one storm by skiing Snowbasin the first day (a Thursday) and Powder the following two days. We're considering this approach again this year, but it has been two years since I've made it to Utah (knee injury last year) and I'm having a hard time remembering what kind of storms (i.e. from what direction) vastly favor the Cottonwoods over the Ogden resorts.
In other words, is the currently predicted storm one of those systems likely to generate a deep powder day in LCC, but only a shallow refresher at Snowbasin, or is the predicted system likely to be somewhat more evenly distributed. (I know LCC almost always has some snow advantage.)
I ask, because this year we are considering finding a cheap motel room in Ogden for the 1st two nights, rather than basing ourselves out of Salt Lake as we have in years past.
If the forecast holds (i.e. high pressure after Friday) we'll probably migrate down to Salt Lake for a day or two at Alta or Snowbird. If it would work out, we'd love to ski a couple of runs with some FTO LCC locals.
Thanks.
Marc_C
Active member
Oh joy....from today's [3/14/12] avi advisory:
This is not only depressing, but it's starting to question my intention to purchase the Snowbird spring pass. Given current snowpack and forecasts, I would not be overly surprised at an earlier than anticipated Snowbird closing this season, and since I will not be in town the first two weekends in May.......
UAC":3m3q0vx6 said:
This is not only depressing, but it's starting to question my intention to purchase the Snowbird spring pass. Given current snowpack and forecasts, I would not be overly surprised at an earlier than anticipated Snowbird closing this season, and since I will not be in town the first two weekends in May.......
Marc_C
Active member
An excerpt from today's avi bulletin from the UAC sums up this season:
And then there's this - today's avi danger rose...
Grey in the rose means bare ground. :-(
We looked at snow numbers yesterday from the Alta Guard Station and found that this season has even less snow for this time of year than the previous record low snow season of 1976-77. We have a measly 283 inches so far and if we get less than 30 inches between now and the end of April, we will officially break the over-60-year record for the least amount of snow in a season. Wow! So if this seems like a horrible winter it's because it IS.
Yesterday it seemed like winter had been cancelled due to lack of interest. I saw not even one car in any of the usual backcountry parking areas in Big Cottonwood Canyon including the usually-overflowing Spruces lot. There is almost no snow on south facing slopes up to about 9,000'. I saw more snow on those slopes last year in July.
The remaining snow should be frozen solid this morning as temperatures began to plummet around midnight and they should bottom out today in the mid teens.
Here's a photo of the fabulous riding conditions from a south facing slope along the Park City ridgeline at 9,500'.
And then there's this - today's avi danger rose...
Grey in the rose means bare ground. :-(
Isn't someone supposed to blame Tony's multiple visits to Utah for this record-breaking season?
My recent Utah skiing
2008-09: 14 days, 3 powder days
2009-10: 12 days, 5 powder days
2010-11: 14 days, 7 powder days
2011-12: 13 days, 5 powder days totaling about 5 feet new snow, so no complaints here.
2008-09: 14 days, 3 powder days
2009-10: 12 days, 5 powder days
2010-11: 14 days, 7 powder days
2011-12: 13 days, 5 powder days totaling about 5 feet new snow, so no complaints here.
Marc_C
Active member
Are ticket sales really that far below last year at this time? I dunno, but the snowpack certainly is - Snowbird is reporting 80" at mid-mountain. Last year it was more than double that right now. Yes, last year was an outlier, but the same thing happened in 2007(or 03?) when they also pulled the plug mid-May when we had a sudden, very hot spring, dropping the May snowpack to ~65".Admin":mu8b7jyi said:
Edit to add: I notice today that both High Baldy and the Cirque traverse are closed.
Marc_C":3pg5tqzt said:
I know that you were sick this past weekend and never made it up. I was there. Trust me, there's plenty of snow. Cover isn't the issue. Remember past seasons where there was basically nothing below Little Cloud? Snowbird is wall to wall, top to bottom right now save for a couple of thinner patches on lower Silver Fox and Adager where the brush is poking through.
But with the crummy winter people have packed it in much earlier than normal. That was clearly evident by traffic levels at Alta over the weekend and the subdued scene in the Wildcat parking lot on Sunday. I've got to think that 95% of the traffic at Snowbird right now is confined to season pass holders. That's simply not a profitable recipe.
Marc_C
Active member
I'm not so sure that 95% passholders at this time of year is pretty much the same every year.
Regarding coverage, I'm not thinking about right now, but two weeks from now. With only 80" today, that wall-to-wall coverage is going to go really fast. Currently we're loosing about 3" of snowpack at 9500' daily.
Regarding coverage, I'm not thinking about right now, but two weeks from now. With only 80" today, that wall-to-wall coverage is going to go really fast. Currently we're loosing about 3" of snowpack at 9500' daily.
I'm fairly sure going back into the 1980's and 1990's Snowbird has closed before Memorial Day in low snow years, so this was no surprise to me and MarcC noted that it happened in 2007 with a similar snowpack. It's a chicken and egg situation. The low snowfall season is depressing both the snowpack and skier visits.
With regard to non-season passholders we know from last year that Snowbird is raking it in from them on powder days after the other places close. How many of these people show up when there is a deep snowpack but no powder is another question. Snowbird can't predict the powder but does choose to remain open on a limited basis with the deep snowpack.
Mammoth gets decent business for Memorial Day and went to rather extreme measures in 2007 to keep WROD's open to Main Lodge. This year might be somewhat better than that because total snowfall is similar but most of it came in March/April this year vs. February in 2007 followed by very warm and dry March. The opposing argument would be that more early snow plus a ton of snowmaking in 2006-07 may have produced a more durable snowpack. This year's manmade base got trashed during an extended warmup over the holidays and early January.
With regard to non-season passholders we know from last year that Snowbird is raking it in from them on powder days after the other places close. How many of these people show up when there is a deep snowpack but no powder is another question. Snowbird can't predict the powder but does choose to remain open on a limited basis with the deep snowpack.
Mammoth gets decent business for Memorial Day and went to rather extreme measures in 2007 to keep WROD's open to Main Lodge. This year might be somewhat better than that because total snowfall is similar but most of it came in March/April this year vs. February in 2007 followed by very warm and dry March. The opposing argument would be that more early snow plus a ton of snowmaking in 2006-07 may have produced a more durable snowpack. This year's manmade base got trashed during an extended warmup over the holidays and early January.
berkshireskier
Member
Isn't it golf season in Utah yet? 
berkshireskier
Member
Now that ski season is almost over in North America, I was hoping we might revive the thread discussion from a few years ago of whether golf is a "sport" or a "game". LOLMarc_C":1y1oym4l said:It is possible to play flog year round in UT. Why anyone would want to is a question better suited to a clinical psychology discussion forum.berkshireskier":1y1oym4l said:Isn't it golf season in Utah yet?
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