Of course this happens in April. After an extremely dry winter, most skiers and snowboarders had written off the season. Then… BAM! The biggest storm of the 2010 ski season slammed into the Wasatch Front, dumping seven feet of snow in seven days… in April.
The week-long storm started small but created consistent snowfall every day. Skiers rejoiced but still hit the resorts with spring in mind. But winter came back with a vengeance on Monday night when the front walloped the mountains with over 20 inches of snow.
As a result, Tuesday morning was a powder day for the ages. Avalanche danger rose so high that Little Cottonwood Canyon remained closed all day for control work. Interlodge restrictions went into effect at Snowbird and Alta. Solitude and Brighton filled with powder-mad skiers and riders who clambered to float on runs buried under two feet of snow, only to find themselves laughing in waist-deep fluff too thick to get any speed in.
The snow was so incredible, workers at Black Diamond in Salt Lake City were allowed a powder day, even though the quarterly all-employee meeting was scheduled at 8:30 am. President and CEO Peter Metcalf sent out an email, citing the, “epic forecast of THREE FEET of snow in the Wasatch in 24 hours” as reason enough to quit work and “go get some powder.”
The backcountry didn’t fare so well, however. The Utah Avalanche Center forecast rated the danger as “high,” with avy conditions dangerous and unmanageable. Even if ski touring parties did venture into low-angle, protected terrain, breaking trail in waist-deep snow was described as “wallowing.”
Damn, doesn’t it just figure that the greatest storm of the winter arrived two weeks before most ski resorts close. At least Ullr is giving us the goods late than not at all. It’s probably best to look at this April storm as icing on the cake… lots and lots of snowgasmic icing.
For a complete rundown of Utah ski resort storm totals, click over to SkiUtah.com
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