Utah LCC/BCC 2022-23 conditions, parking - Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton

[marzNC]

For pictures of avy debris on SR210 on April 16:

DCSki Forums

A vibrant community of skiers and snowboarders.

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JimK is retired and spends part of the winter at his son's place in SLC. He's a great ski photographer.

 

[marzNC]

The pass options in BCC seem quite different for locals for 2023-24. I haven't checked for several years since it's just to satisfy my curiosity.

Since Solitude is owned by Alterra, in addition to Ikon pass options Solitude also has "local passes." there is an unrestricted, unlimited pass for kids 12 and under, and ages 13-22, for $489. People who buy one now can ski this spring season until May 18. The Midweek pass for $425 is good Mon-Thu.

The season pass for Brighton is $869 Unlimited without Ikon Base. The Midweek pass is good Mon-Fri for $569.

 

[marzNC]

The midday closure for SR210 ended earlier than expected. The road was re-opened at 2:00pm. Based on the fact that the groomers were very firm the first hour or so, it probably got colder than expected. As soon as the announcement was made by UDOT Cottonwoods, Alta was broadcasting the update. It was scrolling on the LED screen at the base of Collins.

 

[Chuyi]

The pass options in BCC seem quite different for locals for 2023-24. I haven't checked for several years since it's just to satisfy my curiosity.

Since Solitude is owned by Alterra, in addition to Ikon pass options Solitude also has "local passes." there is an unrestricted, unlimited pass for kids 12 and under, and ages 13-22, for $489. People who buy one now can ski this spring season until May 18. The Midweek pass for $425 is good Mon-Thu.

The season pass for Brighton is $869 Unlimited without Ikon Base. The Midweek pass is good Mon-Fri for $569.

The bus stopped running. Solitude parking is free for cars with 4+ passengers. Next season's unknown is UTA bus schedule & price of parking pass 4 solitude.
Brighton is changing its parking rules for 23/24. It looks like a system similar to Alta. Brighton season pass holders have free parking with reservation. Ikon pass holder may have to pay price not clear.

 

[marzNC]

Given the deep snowpack, Snowbird will be open for quite a while longer. However, the number of lifts open will be limited per usual. The new element will be the Woodward Mountain Park in Mineral Basin. It's right next to the border with Alta near the top of the Sugarloaf lift.



Woodward Mountain Park

 

[marzNC]

The official total at Alta for the snowstorm today, April 18, is 5 inches. But per usual there are places where it will be deeper than that tomorrow. It's going to be quite cold for a few days, so the powder will be cold snow until the Closing Weekend, April 22-23.

 

[Pequenita]

lol @ labeling the snowcat.

 

[marzNC]

lol @ labeling the snowcat.

Good luck if you can find the skier on a jump (is that what they are called?) in the picture of the Woodward Park. When I realized the snowcat would provide perspective, then it was worth posting the picture. In comparison to the terrain park at Park City, those are huge. I took it from the Baldy lift.

 

[marzNC]

Bit of a strange day as far as snow was concerned at Alta today. The air temperatures were quite cold, well under 25, but the sun was very strong and baked the snow fairly quickly in the morning. There were a few places in the trees with cold snow, but not many and you had to know exactly where to look.

By 3:00, there were no skiers going off the High T or on the Backside.

 

[marzNC]

When I'm at Alta Lodge for more than a few days, I start looking at the NOAA forecast because it's updated twice a day. It's been snowing since early morning on Thursday, April 20. The next storm is expected April 21-22. Quite a way to end the season since Closing Day is April 23 for Alta.

Snowbird is staying open, at least until late May and could go longer. Solitude is staying open until May 21. Brighton has special stuff going on in May too. Of course, there will be limited lifts and reduced operating hours during the extended weeks.

 

[marzNC]

Given the high winds on April 20, Snowbird didn't open Mineral Basin much. The tram and Baldy were on wind hold first thing in the morning. A few hours later, @SnowbirdAlert stated that Baldy and the Alta/Bird connection would be closed all day. A few hours after that, Mineral Express and the Peruvian Tunnel were closed. In short, there was no way to ski from Alta to Snowbird all day.

Given how windy it was, with low visibility because it was snowing, when I went across the EBT from Sugarloaf to Collins about 10:15 and 2:15, it was no surprise that Mineral Basin wasn't open.

 

[marzNC]

Here's what Evan of OpenSnow had to say this morning about the storm that starts some time today, April 21.

". . .
It shows max amounts of about 10". I think the forecast of generally 3-6" outside the Cottonwoods feels prudent with 5-10" in the Cottonwoods. However, there is a good NW flow component to this storm, and as such, I wouldn't be shocked if LCC did better than 10". Most of the snow should fall after closing at 4pm, so perhaps the best skiing will be Saturday morning.
. . ."

 

[marzNC]

With Alta Lifts closed after April 23, Evan of OpenSnow is still paying close attention to the incoming storm this week because Alta Ski Patrol uses the end of April for the official season snowfall total. Probably because there are seasons when there is a bonus weekend or two after 7-day operations end in mid-April.

His post today includes a picture of Northern Lights that were visible in Utah. They were also seen in the NC/VA mountains several weeks ago.

Aurora Over Utah + Chasing 900" | Utah Daily Snow Forecast | OpenSnow

Snow showers develop in the high elevations of Utah by this afternoon and continue through Tuesday. It's not a big storm,...

opensnow.com

" . . .
What does that mean for the forecast? I think most areas will generally be in the 2-6" range, but the Cottonwoods could do a bit better with 4-8" of snow likely through Wednesday morning. Alta is now closed as of today, but they continue to track official totals through April 30, which means they basically have to get there with this storm. They are at 894" and need just 6" to reach the coveted 900" mark. Please please please! Let's hope and pray we get there.
. . ."

 

[marzNC]

Fans of Alta didn't have to wait long before the snowfall total went above 900 inches for the 2022-23 season.

April 25, 6am MT

NINE HUNDRED INCHES | Utah Daily Snow Forecast | OpenSnow

Our storm brought anywhere from 3 to 11" of snow to northern Utah mountains since yesterday. We see additional Tuesday snow...

opensnow.com

April 25, 2023

Alta surpasses 900 inches of snowfall in 'unprecedented' season

Alta’s current total of 903 inches shattered its previous record of 748 inches set in the early 1980s.

www.deseret.com

 

[marzNC]

The Mayor of the Town of Alta published a letter recently that provides praise for the hard work that many people did over the last couple months to keep people safe in LCC. It was a difficult balance between keeping the resorts and businesses open while minimizing the risks from potential avalanches impacting the road and buildings. The population of the town is a few hundred people. Most of the resort employees commute from the city on SR210.

Note that the "Snowbird Village" is a separate entity from the Town of Alta.

When SR210 closed at 9am on April 10, everyone staying in LCC had been warned that it would be days before the weather would change and allow the road to re-open to unrestricted travel. UDOT and Utah Avalanche had plenty of work dealing with avalanche mitigation and clearing wet slides before that was possible on April 14. After that there were day-to-day decisions made about midday road closures.

April 17, 2023

https://townofalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-4-14-Message-from-the-Mayor.pdf

 

[Chuyi]

Fans of Alta didn't have to wait long before the snowfall total went above 900 inches for the 2022-23 season.

April 25, 6am MT

NINE HUNDRED INCHES | Utah Daily Snow Forecast | OpenSnow

Our storm brought anywhere from 3 to 11" of snow to northern Utah mountains since yesterday. We see additional Tuesday snow...

opensnow.com

April 25, 2023

Alta surpasses 900 inches of snowfall in 'unprecedented' season

Alta’s current total of 903 inches shattered its previous record of 748 inches set in the early 1980s.

www.deseret.com

Can't ski it. Canyon closed

 

[marzNC]

UDOT Cottonwoods has been warning that SR210 would be closed starting April 30 for a few days. BCC has also had lengthy midday road closures in the past week. Once again night time lows will be over freezing an daytime highs will be in the 40s and 50s. Similar to the situation that resulted in a multi-day road closure April 10-13. Until the snowpack melts off significantly, not particularly a surprise given the threat of wet slides that will be big enough to reach and cover the road.

Alta Lifts closed on April 23. Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude are continuing operations in various ways in the next few weeks. None are operating as they normally do during mid-season.

 

[marzNC]

Oh geeze, now UDOT is dealing with mud slides on the canyon road with lots of tree debris. Also big and small rocks are ending up on the road. SR210 was closed on 5/2 with no ETO. There are pictures and videos on Twitter.

@UDOTCottonwoods about SR210, 5/2 late afternoon
"Mudslide crossed the road earlier today, ~4’ deep, 100’ wide with large woody debris. Slow moving debris flow, @UtahDOT & @UDOTavy are slowly and cautiously assessing impacts."

SR190 is open. So people can get to Solitude and Brighton, which are staying open for a few more weeks.

 

[marzNC]

Snowbird is hosting the Woodward Peace Park Championships (snowboard freestyle) on May 6.

Peace Park for the People| May 6 | Snowbird.com

Experience the Woodward Peace Park Championships course for yourself on May 6 during a 'Peace Park for the People' day – with pros in attendance, prizes and more.

www.snowbird.com

 

[marzNC]

Well, SR190 and SR210 were open on May 3. The hazards now are mud and rocks, large and small. There are plenty of pictures and videos in @UDOTCottonwoods tweets.