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Snowstorm a welcome sight at Utah resorts as warm weather delays opening days

Posted at 4:26 PM, Nov 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-17 19:46:40-05

PARK CITY, Utah -- Doug Hollinger, the owner of Park City Clothing Company, was thrilled to wake up to snow on the ground Thursday.

"It was great. Finally. Just a little bit of snow that gets people interested," Hollinger said.

In order for customers to be interested in his merchandise, Hollinger needs some cooperation from Mother Nature.

"You’re not going to sell coats, gloves, and hats if its 55 degrees outside," Hollinger said.

It's the same deal at Main Street Deli, where owner Mike Lindbloom says colder temperatures bring in more customers.

"More importantly at this point we need to have temperatures, and we're getting those now, so at least they can make snow," Lindbloom said.

Deer Valley Content and Social Media Manager, Ryan Mayfield, says the resort is more excited about the cold temperatures than the snow on the ground.

"As soon as the temperature reaches 29 degrees, our amazing snow making crew can start blowing snow and really lay that 24-inch base that we need," Mayfield said.

In this ski town, they need snow, but also know they can't completely rely on it.

"I've been here long enough not to predict the weather," Lindbloom said.

"There's no crystal ball out there to tell you when we're going to get our snow and when we're going to get the cold weather," Hollinger agreed.

The latest snow storm didn't change opening dates for any local resorts. Many of them, including Park City Mountain Resort and Snowbird, pushed back their opening until late November. Deer Valley didn't have to push back their opening because they didn't plan to open until December 3.

Many other resorts are still finalizing their opening days. For updated snow reports and opening day projections for the various resorts in Utah, visit SkiUtah.com.