The winter of 2016/17 has been one for the ages, and it just keeps getting better and deeper. Over the course of three days from February 22nd – the 24th, northern Utah ski resorts once again got hammered, with snow totals exceeding four feet of snow in favored areas. Alta Ski Area is one such resort that scored big with a total of 44 inches in three days.
According to Ski Utah, Brighton Resort, surpassed their annual average snowfall (500”) with this last storm, and now has a total 514 inches for the 2016-17 season.
“This season Mother Nature has already been so good to us with nine Utah resorts reporting well above a 100 inch base,” says Nathan Rafferty, CEO/President of Ski Utah. “We are looking forward to a long healthy season with March, historically one of Utah’s snowiest months, right around the corner.”
If you’ve been lucky enough to ski this deep powder and feel like you need a break (yea right) then get ready for more. Another decent storm system is heading toward the Wasatch for early next week. Evan Thayer from Wasatch Snow Forecast says some weather models suggest a prolonged northwest flow (the kind we like) that could deliver significant accumulations.
This amount of snowfall also causes problems, with multiple avalanches reported in the backcountry and considerable danger being reported from the Utah Avalanche Center. Things got so unhinged that two natural avalanches in Little Cottonwood Canyon crossed the highway and hit a parking lot over the course of 24 hours. UDOT has enacted canyon closures every morning for slide control work.
Here’s a look at the impressive snow totals from SkiUtah: