SALT LAKE CITY — The recent series of snowstorms means some of the best powder has landed at Utah resorts and having it this early in the season is a rare occasion.
As the snow continued to pile up, so do early-season bookings and reservations at Snowbird.
The resort reported 61 inches of fresh snow fell since Sunday afternoon, with 9 inches falling Thursday.
In total, Snowbird has already surpassed 200 inches of snow, and it's only mid-December. On average, the resort gets 500 inches of snow each year so they are well on their way.
Experts in the business say conditions haven’t been this good, this early in a couple of decades.
"We're definitely seeing a lot of really positive guest feedback,“ explained Kelsey James, who works as the creative marketing manager at Snowbird.
Skiers and boarders know where the best snow is and many are changing or rearranging plans to take advantage of the powder.
"When we announced mineral basin opening last week, that was a huge game changer," James said. "We saw a real spike in bookings there."
James explained she's seeing people from around the country flood to Utah to get a taste of the best snow on earth.
"I picked up a hitchhiker last week and he was from Boston," she said. "He usually comes in March for a month but he said he saw the snow and came up came in December and said it was the best week of his life."
While Utah gets a little break from the snow over the next several days, very cold temperatures will keep the good times going in the Utah mountains.
The Utah Avalanche Center reminded that conditions will be dangerous through the weekend due to the heavy snow.
"Don't be lured by the beautiful sunny skies and fresh powder into thinking avalanche conditions are safe when they are not," a special avalanche bulletin reads. "Do not travel on, underneath or adjacent to slopes 30 degrees or steeper on slopes facing northwest, north, northeast and east where triggering large and dangerous avalanches is likely."
