Record-Breaking Number of Skiers in Utah Last Winter
8th June 2023
Last modified on June 11th, 2023
It had the best snow ever recorded with visits up 22% on the previous record that was set a year earlier. PlanetSKI looks back at the season in Utah.
Ski Utah reports 7.1 million skier visits to the state in the winter of 2022-23.
The huge amounts of snow meant resorts opened earlier and the lifts were running longer, though many days were lost due to the bad weather with access roads closed and lifts shut.
We reported on the avalanches in the Little Cottonwood Canyon in this earlier report on PlanetSKI.
Nearly all of Utah’s 15 ski resorts broke their snowfall records.
Alta topped the chart with 22.9 metres (903 inches) of snow – the most ever at a resort in Utah.
Alta, Utah. Image © PlanetSKI
Utah skiers had a large number of powder days.
These are days that see over 12 inches of snow in a 24-hour period.
The average is 19 powder days per season, but last winter saw 44 powder days.
It has left fond memories.
The was also pent up demand from Covid-19 and its restrictions, combined with people not having to go into the office so often.
“The pandemic definitely opened up doors as far as people skiing and off-peak hours, with more people working from home and being able to take those conference calls from the slopes,” said the Director of Communications for Ski Utah, Alison Palmintere.
“It definitely opened up more opportunity for people to ski during the week.”
Park City, Utah. Image © Rob McAteer
PlanetSKI’s Rob McAteer visited Utah back in March:
Park City, Utah. Image © Rob McAteer
The resorts in Utah that had their longest season included Brian Head, Brighton, Deer Valley, Nordic Valley, Snowbasin, Solitude, and Woodward Park City.
Snowbird hasn’t finished its season, and is one of a handful of US resorts that hasn’t yet closed.
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