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

[newbieM]

Wish I was up there this week! My BF and friends are having so much fun. Snow is a little heavier than usual and the crowds are out but its great.

 

[MaryVA]

Wish I was up there this week! My BF and friends are having so much fun. Snow is a little heavier than usual and the crowds are out but its great.

I'm a little nervous that all this snow will be more than my east coast 4 and 6 year old can handle, but otherwise I am really excited!

 

[marzNC]

The latest on the UDOT Cottonwood Canyons Twitter feed is that the March 31 ETO is 11am. There was a "natural bank stuff at Laurel Pines (MP 9.5)" that has to be cleaned up. The earlier ETO was 9am.

Scratch that . . . new tweet says "No ETO" for Hwy 210 in LCC.

Hwy 190 in BCC is also currently closed. Last ETO was 11:00am MT.

 

[marzNC]

I'm a little nervous that all this snow will be more than my east coast 4 and 6 year old can handle, but otherwise I am really excited!

The kids will be fine. What's their favorite mountain so far?

My daughter was 7 for her first spring break trip to Alta. When I picked her up from the first day at ski school, she was actively hunting powder on the sides of the groomer we skied as a last run before heading back across the transfer tow to Alta Lodge. My friend's kids were young tweens for their first trip to Alta. Even her daughter who didn't like ski school at our home hill (Massanutten) had to admit that Alta Ski School was fun. Her family has very good luck with powder storms, both in VA and at Alta.

The greens off Sunnyside are groomed the most during and after snowstorms. However, there are opportunities to get into powder close by. The instructors take the kids who are up for it into the trees all the time. Another friend's 6yo twin daughters loved doing that after a lesson or two during their first time at Alta Lodge.

 

[MaryVA]

The kids will be fine. What's their favorite mountain so far?

My daughter was 7 for her first spring break trip to Alta. When I picked her up from the first day at ski school, she was actively hunting powder on the sides of the groomer we skied as a last run before heading back across the transfer tow to Alta Lodge. My friend's kids were young tweens for their first trip to Alta. Even her daughter who didn't like ski school at our home hill (Massanutten) had to admit that Alta Ski School was fun. Her family has very good luck with powder storms, both in VA and at Alta.

The greens off Sunnyside are groomed the most during and after snowstorms. However, there are opportunities to get into powder close by. The instructors take the kids who are up for it into the trees all the time. Another friend's 6yo twin daughters loved doing that after a lesson or two during their first time at Alta Lodge.

That sounds like a blast. My kids have only skied Bryce so far, so Alta is going to blow their minds I think (hopefully in a good way). We put in over 20 days this season at Bryce though and both are pretty strong skiers for their age, especially my 6 yo who joined Bryce's race development team this season and really took to it. Still, they've only ever skied ice and slush so they are going to have to learn some new techniques.

 

[marzNC]

That sounds like a blast. My kids have only skied Bryce so far, so Alta is going to blow their minds I think (hopefully in a good way). We put in over 20 days this season at Bryce though and both are pretty strong skiers for their age, especially my 6 yo who joined Bryce's race development team this season and really took to it. Still, they've only ever skied ice and slush so they are going to have to learn some new techniques.

My daughter had only skied at Massanutten and a few hills in NC before going to Alta. She was skiing the easier black (Paradice) from the top of Mnut by age 6, thanks to the fact that she loved Mnut ski school. I put her in Alta Ski School at Level 5 to start with. She had a ball. Spent the next few years in Level 6. She was skiing Devil's Castle in Level 8 by age 12. While only skiing about 10 days per season at Massanutten as a tween.

Sunnyside not only has the long greens, it also has blues that aren't always groomed after a snowstorm that drops a few inches, plus Vail Ridge that is legitimate black terrain with trees. The instructors use Vail Ridge to introduce kids who are ready to deep snow. One time my daughter and her friend were in a combined Level 6/7 class with two very experienced instructors. The other mother and I were lucky enough to be riding the lift above Vail Ridge when the class was headed in. The snow up up to the thighs of most of the kids.

Solid fundamentals from Virginia will work well on the soft snow at Alta.

 

[marzNC]

Another daytime interlodge is in effect for Alta and Snowbird. Possible that interlodge began last night and was never lifted, but not quite sure.

Alta Lift Co. decided not to open at all on March 31. 23 inches in the last 12 hours. The road in LCC remains closed with no ETO as of lunch time.

Hwy 190 in BCC has an ETO of 12:00 noon. They are clearing "Debris estimated 10’ deep near Rock House."

 

[contesstant]

I'm flying into SLC with the family on Sunday morning and taking the shuttle up the mountain. Looks like there's going to be a window without much snow on Saturday and Sunday morning before it starts coming down again Sunday night. I really hope it holds!

The way this winter has been, you aren’t wrong to be concerned. It has been NUTS with snow totals obliterating forecasts, and snow on days it was supposed to “clear out”. The roads are AWFUL today. I stayed home. Too many people with ill-equipped vehicles and questionable driving skills.

 

[marzNC]

Brighton has decided to extend their season into May! Only the Milly lift after the end of April and a short break. Regular hours and lifts April 1-30. Brighton is selling a Spring Pass for $399.

 

[marzNC]

Solitude managed to get enough staff to the resort soon after Hwy 190 opened around noon to open a few lifts by 12:30. Planning on getting a couple others running this afternoon too. Honeycomb Canyon won't be open on March 31. Solitude got 17 inches overnight.

 

[marzNC]

The Brighton parking lot looks pretty full on the webcam. Brighton tweeted a video of a boarder heading slowly down in thigh deep powder with plenty of snow still coming down.

 

[marzNC]

The Twitter feed for Snowbird updates related is called Snowbird Alerts. Here's the afternoon update on the Snowbird conditions webpage:

Resort Status Update​

Straightline travel is now in effect. Guests may travel from building to building in the Snowbird Village ONLY.

Travel through parking lots is not permitted.

With 23" of new snow in the past 12 hours, Snowbird will not be opening for skiing and riding today due to ongoing avalanche mitigation for the road and resort.

Highway SR-210 remains closed with no estimated time of opening.

 

[marzNC]

I can't imagine this happens too often in BCC. This morning the road is open. The Solitude and Brighton parking lots are filling up fast as of 8am. Not only is it a Saturday after a huge snowstorm, the road is going to be close going uphill for at least an hour later in the morning. There was a warning about the partial closure last night, and a reminder at 6am this morning.

Tweet by UDOT Cottonwood Canyons on April 1, 2023

#SR190 will be locally closed at 9:00am for @UDOTavy avalanche mitigation by helicopter.

Uphill closed Torpedo Hill (MP 4)
Downhill closed the Cut (MP5)

ETO 10am - will update if delay > 15 min.

 

[marzNC]

Based on what I'm reading on the Brighton website for 2023-24 season passes, having days when free parking on weekends fills up by 9am but there are still people driving up the BCC road hoping to park may be over. At the least, there will be a parking reservation system although it's not clear what fees will be involved. The current paid parking only has about 100 spaces, which is about 5% of the available spaces. Here's the policy for 2022-23.



Solitude went to all pay parking a few years ago. By 2021-22, Alta changed to all pay parking Fri-Sun and holidays, except during early season. This season Snowbird is a mix of free parking, pay-in-advance parking, and pay-at-the-lot parking.

All the LCC/BCC resorts provide free parking for most season pass holders, as well as free access to UTA buses. Ikon pass holders can use it as a UTA bus pass. Ikon does not parking any discount for parking fees at the resorts.

 

[marzNC]

The Alta pay parking reservation system has been working fairly well from what I can tell.

Turns out the system being used is based on scanning license plates after the lot has filled up. Meaning there is no need to show anything when driving into an Alta parking lot, or parking in a town space along the road after reaching Alta. There is a fine for not having a parking reservation that is substantial enough to deter people.

Parking is free at Alta any day after 1pm.




We parked at Alta using Bill's car for a Saturday a year ago when staying in SLC for my friend's son's spring break trip. I just made a reservation for next Saturday I'll be staying in SLC with my daughter and Bill before we move to Alta Lodge on Sunday. In both cases, they had a day ticket so could use a discount code so that parking was $10 instead of $25. She wants to ski Alta with her ski buddy that day. He's doing a long weekend with his father at Alta Lodge during his college spring break. They became friends as tweens doing spring break trips for a few years and haven't skied together for a while.

 

[marzNC]

I have never looked at the Solitude webcams before the last few days. They are by far the most transparent about lift lines. There is more than one webcam that shows a lift line. Also has a parking lot view that is useful for getting a feel for how quickly it can fill up on a Saturday morning in early April that is also a powder day with blue skis.

 

[marzNC]

By the afternoon of April 1, UDOT lifted Traction Control for both Hwy 210 and Hwy 190. The debris field that had to be cleared off that day on the LCC road was "Estimated 10’ deep, 150’ wide."

After a couple dry days, the heavy machinery will be in action again soon. Here's a bit what Evan posted this morning on OpenSnow about what's coming:

OpenSnow Utah Daily Report, April 2, 2023
" . . .
OK... so we know we have a big storm [starting tonight]. The riding should be great at most areas Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. What about logistics? The last storm closed LCC for a day and BCC was even closed for a long period. Well, anytime you get 30-50+" of snow in 48 hours, you're going to have issues. But when you consider how much snow we already have and how little time most of it has had to settle this season, I think it's very likely to cause headaches again. I would say it is VERY likely that LCC in particular will close for periods of Monday and Tuesday and there's a decent chance LCC won't be able to open at all on Tuesday. I can't say that for sure, but we are reaching critical mass on snowfall right now and keeping people safe is priority #1. Be aware and have a backup plan.
. . ."

 

[marzNC]

Although the Solitude website noted on April 2 that Honeycomb Canyon would be open, as of 10:45am the rope was still across the entrance. That webcam was pointing elsewhere yesterday so the situation may change later in the day. Note that the bottom of the trail sign is buried because the snow cover is so deep!

 

[marzNC]

As another storm cycle starts in LCC/BCC . . . here's the announcement at the top of the Alta webpage tonight, April 2:

"Interlodge, road and ski area closures are likely in Little Cottonwood Canyon Sunday night-Wed due to incoming forecast. Hwy 210 will close at 10pm tonight."

Hwy 190 in BCC is closing at 12:30am.

There is no ETO for BCC or LCC for April 3.

 

[MaryVA]

I’m at Alta Lodge now and the word is that we will likely be in max interlodge (have to stay in main areas of lodge and out of our rooms because they’ll be doing mitigation right above the road) through Tuesday.