About one-third of the Intermountain West’s ski areas have yet to set an opening date. Here’s a list

In one of the driest years the West has seen in decades, more than a third of the nearly 100 ski resorts in the Intermountain West have yet to set an opening date.

Several have already opened — all in Colorado. But dozens of others in the region remain either undecided or have moved that date back from their original announcement. 

“Anyone who has been in Steamboat, or has been anxiously watching our mountain cameras, knows that Mother Nature hasn’t been cooperating this pre-season,” Dave Hunter, the Colorado resort’s vice president of operations, said in a news release. “Normally this time of year we have more than 20 inches of snowfall that has remained (not melted), a 10- to 20-inch mid-mountain base, and 200 hours of snowmaking under our belt. This year we haven’t been able to capitalize on extended snowmaking temperatures and windows with only eight hours of total snowmaking.”

Members of the Silver Fork Ski Mountaineering team meet after skiing at Brighton Resort on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

1 of 2

Snow is made and blown near the lodge at Brighton Resort on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

2 of 2

Snow accumulation hasn’t been the only challenge many winter sports communities are hoping to recover amid the pandemic’s economic impact. Hiring enough workers to run a resort and the surrounding support services has been another challenge, as the Deseret News recently reported.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches — traditionally the opening weekend for many ski areas across the West — here is a list of resorts throughout much of the Intermountain West and when they hope to open for the 2021-22 ski season. Opening dates may have changed by the time you read this:

K. Sophie Will is a Deseret News contributor. @ksophiewill