BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — Visitors heading to some of Utah's ski resorts on Friday experienced the flipside of the excitement over opening day.
With Solitude and Brighton resorts welcoming skiers and snowboarders up Big Cottonwood Canyon for their first official day of the season, many found a perfect storm of lines and traffic backups.
Video shared on Twitter early Friday showed an enormous line of people waiting to get up the lifts and enjoy the runs at Solitude. While the resort welcomed passholders on Thursday, it opened its gates to everyone on the holiday.
Video below shows long lines of people waiting to use lifts at Solitude Ski Resort (@ChirpyChett / Twitter)
Many of Utah's ski resorts moved up their opening dates due to the heavy snowfall in the mountain areas.
In a post of their own, the Utah Department of Transportation shared photos of vehicles lining roads leading to resorts and implored drivers to not park in "No Parking" zones.
"Parking into the uphill lane creates a safety hazard for pedestrians and other canyon travelers. Expect downhill delays this afternoon with the high volume of traffic in canyon today!" the UDOT post said.
Brighton officials announced their lot was full at about 10 a.m., but said spots usually open later in the afternoon. Solitude said its lot was full at 9 a.m.
Many took to social media to complain about the issues, with one person calling it "the new normal" in Salt Lake City, while others brought up the proposed gondola for Little Cottonwood Canyon and claiming it wouldn't solve the traffic troubles.
To make matters worse, Friday was the first opening day after the Utah Transit Authority announced the suspension of routes up Little Cottonwood Canyon due to staffing shortages and hiring challenges.
"How could they allow that happen?" asked Marty Everhard in a Facebook discussion on the traffic. "Everywhere a big push to limit cars and they cut service instead of improving it."
