All Images: Otto Solberg, Courtesy of Snowbird | Featured Skier: Colin Becker
The faucet was fully open in Little Cottonwood Canyon this weekend. Both Alta and Snowbird were hit with a large, moisture-laden storm that caked the iconic ski areas from top to bottom. Both have reported over 34″ since the start of the new year, with the majority of that snow falling this past weekend.
On Saturday morning, January 4th, Snowbird announced they had been digging out since early that morning. “We’ve received over 13″ of snow since 4 AM with rates up to 4″ an hour,” the resort announced in an Instagram update. “Big thanks to our teams who have been digging through the dark.”
It can be incredibly difficult for a resort to open during storms of this magnitude. SR-210, the iconic road that delivers skiers from Salt Lake up Little Cottonwood Canyon, underwent avalanche mitigation each night courtesy of the fine folks at the Utah Department of Transportation Avalanche Safety.
If you’re heading into the Cottonwood Canyons, be sure to read up on Utah’s new traction laws which are now in effect. You’ll need to pull over for tire inspection if you haven’t already obtained your approval sticker. And if you don’t want to deal with all the hassle, consider taking the UTA Ski Bus with multiple stops in Salt Lake and service in both canyons.
To tie you over until the next storm cycle hits, be sure to dive into the photo gallery below. If you had any trouble finding the right stashes at Snowbird this weekend, check in with featured skiers Thorn Merrill and Collin Becker. They can help you out next time.
