ALTA, Utah — A late spring snowstorm brought Alta’s season snow total to 900 inches on Tuesday morning, two days after chair lifts stopped spinning.
“We just always close, and then we open it up for backcountry skiers," said Andria Huskinson, Communications Manager for Alta. "That's just kind of what we've always done.”
Alta always closes in April; it’s tradition. Even with 15 feet of snow still on the slopes, staying open wouldn’t be fair to their workers, said Huskinson.
“We have a lot of employees that live up here, and so they kind of need to know, like, 'Okay, I'll be here from November to April,'" she said. "The lodges, they have a lot of seasonal workers, so it just kind of makes it hard for everyone.”
Snowbird, the mountain right next door in Little Cottonwood Canyon, doesn’t plan on stopping the lifts any time soon.
“Snowbird really is a 365-days-a-year operation up here," said Sarah Sherman, Communications Manager for Snowbird. "We're really lucky to have a lot of staff that stays not just in the winter, but also through spring, summer and fall. So for their employees when the snow stops and the lifts stop spinning for skiing, they're still up here.”
Snowbird plans to stay open until at least Memorial Day; they haven’t even announced an official closing day. Their tradition is to have the longest season in Utah, said Sherman.
“We've already had a couple of our chairs close for the spring skiing," she said. "When that happens, we're able to tell some of our seasonal employees, you know, this date, Gad 2, for example, is closing, and they know that's coming in advance.”
Even once all the lifts stop running in Little Cottonwood Canyon, people will likely be seeking pockets of winter well into the summer.
“I bet people will be skiing in august, maybe September," said Huskinson.
Alta, Beaver Mountain, Cherry Peak, Deer Valley, Eagle Point, Nordic Valley, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin and Sundance have closed for the season.
The following resorts are still open:
- Brian Head: closing May 7 (bonus weekend May 6 and 7)
- Brighton: closing April 30, reopening May 5 and closing May 29
- Park City Mountain: closing May 1
- Snowbird: closing date to be announced. Open daily through May 14, then open Friday-Sundays and holidays through Memorial Day
- Solitude: closing May 21
- Woodward Park City: closing date to be announced
