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

[marzNC]

Since it's possible I'll get to Solitude in April, looking more at the Solitude website, I discovered a new service for Ikon and Solitude pass holders who take the bus. Sounds like free overnight storage for skis/snowboards.

Solitude Mountain
SKI & BOARD CHECK

Simplify your UTA Ski Bus ride by leaving your gear with us. We'll store 1 pair of skis or 1 snowboard per guest, free for Ikon Pass and Solitude pass holders. Limited to 7 consecutive days. Find our Ski & Board Check at the Guest Services desk, on the lower level of the Ski & Ride School building.

 

[marzNC]

Not surprisingly, Brighton, Solitude, and Snowbird parking filled up this Saturday morning.

The parking reservation system implemented by Alta for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays presumably means those with an Alta reservation know well before they start driving in the morning that there will be a parking space when they get to Alta.

 

[marzNC]

Latest tweet on UDOT Cottonwood Canyons about 2:45pm local time, Saturday, March 25 (original has links):

UDOT Cottonwood Canyons
#SR190 #SR210 travelers, if you’re up the canyons today, you know it’s busy. With the high volume of traffic seen in both canyons, downhill delays likely (peak travel is between 3-5pm). Be prepared for fully stopped traffic at times this PM in upper canyons.

 

[marzNC]

Snowbird is getting ready for the "spring season," meaning whatever happens after April 1 that becomes very weather dependent. The new twist is that there will be a Woodward park at Snowbird starting mid-April. Snowbird plans to be open daily until mid-May, then Fri-Sun weekends until late May. Of course, per usual not all lifts will stay open during late season operations.

 

[marzNC]

This UDOT video is from two years ago. I guess that's when the concept of Uphill Restriction was formalized as a cooperative effort between the LCC/BCC resorts and UDOT. An objective was to avoid people driving all the way up a canyon only to find there was no place to park legally.

Closures Restrictions

Read up on information about road closures and uphill restrictions due to congestion in the Cottonwood Canyons.

cottonwoodcanyons.udot.utah.gov

 

[marzNC]

SkiUtah has started a closing date list. Solitude staying open into May is a new concept. Given the deep snowpack, I'll be watching for changes in the coming weeks.

 

[marzNC]

Found that there was a video published a year ago that introduces the interlodge concept and reasons it's important in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

 

[AJM]

Found that there was a video published a year ago that introduces the interlodge concept and reasons it's important in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Thanks so much for sharing @marzNC , I was reading about the Interlodge situation down here in NZ and this video sure makes sense of it all !! We occasionally have our own smaller Interlodge scenario down here esp at Mt Hutt where the road can become very dangerous in certain situations so they'll close the road and everyone piles into the base building to wait it out. And our local hill Porters has had some major avy incidents over the years but they keep everyone about halfway down the access road now before they start mitigation. I do remember one day a few years ago when I got off the first lift with some friends and patrol were there asking us all to very quickly and quietly make our way down and leave the hill ..... the temps had spiked suddenly and the big face that dominates the bottom half of the hill was at risk of avalanching ..... we got the heck out of there !!!

 

[marzNC]

The deep snowpack and continued snowstorms has made it that much more important to pay attention to the latest info from UDOT for the Cottonwood Canyons roads. Especially for Alta/Snowbird in LCC. Looking over the tweets, Hwy 210 was closed on March 27 at 8am for several hours. Re-opened by lunch time. Traction Control was lifted later in the day. It was announced yesterday that today, March 28, the road will be closed at 11am for "for avalanche mitigation test firing." with ETO 12:30pm.

A classmate from North Country School is driving to Utah in the next few days. He's never been to Alta Lodge before and opted to go a week before our alumni gathering. Hoping by the time he gets into Utah, it won't be an issue for him to head up LCC.

Terrain off Supreme that's been closed since the last big storm is Scheduled for AM according to the Alta website. That includes Catherine's and Supreme Bowl. Used to be that didn't make a difference for me. But after years of working on technique and fitness, I enjoy Catherine's enough to not mind the short hike.

 

[Pequenita]

At Alta now, had to take break skiing, viz just deteriorated but wow this accumulation has been Incredible!. Friend trying to get up here between the many closures, now stuck waiting until the “possible” 3:30pm reopening of LCC. They closed the road between the Bird and Alta too this AM then it reopened. Really challenging trying to keep up with the openings and closures on the UDOT Twitter. I can see why this becomes frustrating.

I bet. It took many hours before people could leave LCC. The Wildcat parking lot at Alta was something I won’t soon forget! Friend finally got up here safe. Glad you are too.

Oh, were you at GMD staring out the dining room window??? I was actually surprised that everyone who needed to make it out of the lot was able to before the road closed again at 10 on Friday! I was there Friday through Sunday. A friend and I made it in Friday morning and skied 3 runs, with a break, before the interlodge. Saturday was amazing conditions. The road opened over an hour before the lifts started loading, so committed skiers from the bottom of the canyon were able to get the goods, too.

Terrain off Supreme that's been closed since the last big storm is Scheduled for AM according to the Alta website. That includes Catherine's and Supreme Bowl.

They were open on Sunday.

 

[marzNC]

They were open on Sunday.

Thanks for the correction. The way the Alta website is updated, hard to know what's happened in the few days after a big storm unless checking all the time. I rarely do that even when I'm at Alta.

I was actually surprised that everyone who needed to make it out of the lot was able to before the road closed again at 10 on Friday! I was there Friday through Sunday. A friend and I made it in Friday morning and skied 3 runs, with a break, before the interlodge. Saturday was amazing conditions. The road opened over an hour before the lifts started loading, so committed skiers from the bottom of the canyon were able to get the goods, too.

Sounds like a fantastic weekend for those who were staying overnight in LCC.

 

[Pequenita]

Thanks for the correction. The way the Alta website is updated, hard to know what's happened in the few days after a big storm unless checking all the time. I rarely do that even when I'm at Alta.

Yeah, I did a crazy traverse from looker’s right of Sugarloaf to Supreme when I saw the latter loading. Lol.

 

[marzNC]

Yeah, I did a crazy traverse from looker’s right of Sugarloaf to Supreme when I saw the latter loading. Lol.

Yep, pays to keep an eye out. I've been lucky a few times to catch the Ballroom rope drop when unloading Collins.

I've gone out the former cat track that used to lead to the base of the Supreme triple on a morning when the snow was deep and there were only a few tracks. I would guess these trees look a lot shorter right now.

 

[bsskier]

Oh, were you at GMD staring out the dining room window??? I was actually surprised that everyone who needed to make it out of the lot was able to before the road closed again at 10 on Friday! I was there Friday through Sunday. A friend and I made it in Friday morning and skied 3 runs, with a break, before the interlodge. Saturday was amazing conditions. The road opened over an hour before the lifts started loading, so committed skiers from the bottom of the canyon were able to get the goods, too.

They were open on Sunday.

Yes, I was there and happened to stop skiing to take a break for lunch in the saloon (we were guests st GMD) and was also texting a friend trying to get up canyon when everything just went crazy. One of the last videos I took was stamped 8:31PM and cars were still stuck, spinning tires and the red snake went all the way into the lot. Below pic taken around 2:45, orderly abandonment of hundreds of skis. The skiing was divine my whole trip.

 

[Pequenita]

I have hilarious video of the cars getting stuck....a red tesla where everyone cheered when it got out, an SUV, a pickup truck...This was at 7:30.

 

[bsskier]

I have hilarious video of the cars getting stuck....a red tesla where everyone cheered when it got out, an SUV, a pickup truck...This was at 7:30.View attachment 20927

Incredible!

 

[marzNC]

It's not often that Ethan of OpenSnow has to revise his estimate upwards for LCC/BCC the same day as a Daily Snow forecast. Alta has already got 15 inches in the last 24 hours and is likely to get at least that much more in the next 24 hours.

 

[marzNC]

The road in LCC is closed again. No estimate as of 8am local time of when it will re-open on March 31. Last night there were three hours with >1 inch per hour snowfall. It snowed 5 inches around midnight, followed by 3 inches the next hour!

 

[marzNC]

The road in LCC is closed again. No estimate as of 8am local time of when it will re-open on March 31.

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.

Here's what shows up on the related website as of 8:30am MT.




Have a friend who will be driving up to Alta in a few days for the first time. I'll be riding to LCC/BCC with Bill next week. Trying to understand the best way to stay aware of the latest road conditions for future reference. Although by the time I land at the SLC airport, it may have stopped snowing for a bit.

 

[MaryVA]

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.

Here's what shows up on the related website as of 8:30am MT.

View attachment 20967


Have a friend who will be driving up to Alta in a few days for the first time. I'll be riding to LCC/BCC with Bill next week. Trying to understand the best way to stay aware of the latest road conditions for future reference. Although by the time I land at the SLC airport, it may have stopped snowing for a bit.

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!