Where to Ski And Snowboard - Resorts opening, but not Alta

Resorts opening, but not Alta

17th November 2009, by Chris Gill

Alta, Utah - 16 Nov

The ski season began for a handful more resorts last weekend, from the Alps to Canada – where Whistler displayed lots of dreamy powder pictures last week: the heavy snowfalls also prompted the first avalanche warnings of the season out there. Not so, in Utah …

Alta in Utah has just announced a delay to their scheduled opening day of 20 November – due to sparse natural snowfall. The decision was taken following little new snow and mild weather in the run-up to opening day – although wintry showers are forecast later this week.

Alta spokesperson Connie Marshall said, ‘We’ve decided to let Mother Nature do her thing. Snowmaking has been robust but without something in the pocket we just aren’t comfortable going.’

Alta isn’t without any snow and the resort crews have worked on cover for the Wildcat sector, but the slopes need more to make it worthwhile opening. And with daytime temperatures above zero at present, snowmaking has been confined to overnight efforts.

But other Utah resorts seem to be going ahead with their scheduled openings: Park City reported some fresh snow last weekend and still wants to open on Saturday 21 November, as does Snowbird. Three smaller resorts are already offering some skiing and riding.