Utah’s 15 resorts are antsy to begin operations after making more upgrades over the summer, following another successful ski and snowboard season last year.
Mother Nature, however, has other plans.
Brian Head Resort in southern Utah was set to go full send on the state’s 2025-2026 ski season this weekend, but that’s no longer the case. Low snowfall, combined with warm temperatures in recent weeks, has made it difficult to create additional snow, forcing the resort to push its opening day from this Friday to Nov. 14, weather permitting.
“We’re eager to welcome skiers and riders for another great season, but warmer temperatures haven’t allowed us to capitalize on our snowmaking upgrades,” said Amber Palmer, the resort’s marketing manager. “Our mountain operations team is working hard to make snow every time temperatures drop so we can open as soon as possible.”
That would push it to the same weekend as Solitude Mountain Resort, which seeks to be the first to open within the Wasatch Mountains. Yet, the resort is also tracking conditions to make sure it can open on time.
Last month produced a ton of moisture across Utah — it was Salt Lake City’s wettest October on record. However, the relatively little snow, spacing of storms, and warmth toward the end of the month complicated some snowmaking needs to open in early November.
Resorts need freezing temperatures and drier conditions for efficient snowmaking operations, explained Marc Lodmell, marketing manager for Solitude Resort.
One factor that helps is that a massive cold front delivering robust moisture across the Pacific Northwest is expected to impact northern Utah, but KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson says it’ll mostly move north of Utah and lose steam as it moves east. Its southern end is projected to deliver 0.10 to 0.25 inches of precipitation along parts of the Wasatch Front between Thursday and Friday, and higher totals closer to Logan.
The National Weather Service projects that Utah’s mountains will get a light dusting of snow, with a few inches possible. Temperatures will also tumble about 20 degrees, which could help resorts with snowmaking operations in the region.
Some resorts don’t announce their opening dates because of how fluid conditions can be at the start of the season. Either way, it’s something that Lodmell and other resorts will track as they handle customers eager to hit the slopes for the first time this season.
“Everyone’s really excited. You see the other resorts opening, and we’re ready, and we want to be the first resort in Utah to open,” he told KSL.com. “Our guests know that, so they’re really itching to be up there.”
Projected opening dates at Utah's 15 resorts
- Brian Head Resort: Nov. 14
- Solitude Mountain Resort: Nov. 14
- Alta Ski Area: Nov. 21
- Park City Mountain: Nov. 21
- Snowbasin Resort: Nov. 28
- Snowbird: Nov. 28
- Woodward Park City: Nov. 28
- Deer Valley Resort: Dec. 1 (Nov. 29 for season pass holders)
- Powder Mountain: Dec 12
- Eagle Point: Dec. 19
- Beaver Mountain: TBA
- Brighton Resort: TBA
- Cherry Peak Resort: TBA
- Nordic Valley Resort: TBA
- Sundance Mountain Resort: TBA
*All dates subject to change based on conditions and other factors.
What’s new this year?
Deer Valley Resort’s expansion plans continue to highlight changes at Utah’s resorts. It unveiled its new ski map last month, which features seven new lifts to help it double its skiable terrain. Powder Mountain, which is planning to expand its terrain soon, also announced new items as part of a “skiable museum” feature that it’s building.
Those are part of almost $600 million in capital investments that Utah’s resorts plan to spend between fall 2024 and spring 2026, said Nathan Rafferty, president and CEO of Ski Utah, the nonprofit that markets Utah’s resorts and snow tourism.
“A lot of these things are huge, big money upgrades, and they are not as sexy as they are efficient,” he said during the organization’s annual preview event on Wednesday. “They help people move around — whether it’s snowmaking or gondolas.”
Other notable additions at resorts
- Alta Ski Area: Four new Wyssen towers were added to help with avalanche mitigation, and a project to realign its Supreme chairlift is on track to be completed this winter. Ground broke on an expansion of its Albion Day Lodge, but that's not expected to be ready until next season.
- Beaver Mountain: Marge's Cabin, a new lodge honoring the legacy of resort fixture and majority owner Marge Seeholzer, will open this season.
- Brian Head: Expanded snowmaking operations and new gladed runs this year. The resort also improved its rental operations and ski patrol equipment.
- Brighton: A new slopeside restaurant slinging waffles, along with improvements to the Snake Creek area.
- Eagle Point: New condominium buildings with trailside access above its Tunnel Vision underpass. It also added a new fitness center within its Canyonside Lodge.
- Nordic Valley: New snowmaking operations were added to improve access to the Nordic Express.
- Park City Mountain: The addition of the new Sunrise gondola, a 10-person lift that will improve transportation ro Red Pine Lodge and beginner terrain. The resort also replaced and expanded snowmaking pipes to help build more snow.
- Snowbasin: An improvement of the Becker Lift, which is now a high-speed detachable quad that will cut the ride time nearly in half. Resort officials also plan to debut new RFID gate access at its base-area lifts this year that can help reduce wait times.
- Snowbird: A new mid-mountain restaurant called The Nest is open this year.
- Sundance: The opening of The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort, a ski-in/ski-out hotel with 63 rooms near Outlaw Express. It features an art gallery and other unique elements. The resort is also working on a mountain expansion that's slated to be completed next year.
- Woodward Park City: A new unlimited skiing and riding pass (aside from blackout dates) starting at $449.
Many resorts are looking at future upgrades, as well, especially as the demand for skiing and snowboarding in Utah increases, said Jared Winkler, vice president of marketing for Brighton Resort. It comes as the 6.5 million skier days reported last year generated $2.51 billion in visitor spending last year, the University of Utah reported earlier this week.
“I think it says skiers and snowboarders take Utah seriously,” Winkler said, of the spending both skiers and resorts are putting up.
Meanwhile, Utah Transit Authority plans to have the same ski bus service that it provided last year, including the CS1 and CS2 routes to Big and Little Cottonwood canyons that debuted in 2024.
Service to the Cottonwood canyons, as well as Powder Mountain and Snowbasin, is slated to return on Nov. 23 and last until mid-April, conditions permitting, said UTA spokesman Gavin Gustafson. Service to Sundance is scheduled to begin on Dec. 20 and continue until late March.
