Worth
the Wait

Updated: 12.31.2023

Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but it’s been a wild start to the season and we currently have received the most snowfall in the lower 48 states, again. December has ushered some of the biggest storm cycles of our young season. Despite a prolonged stretch of mild, snowless weather, Alta Ski Area is reporting a 54-inch base from 146 inches of season-to-date snowfall. According to Open Snow data, our snowpack is exactly 100% of average for this time of year.

2023–24 by the Numbers

• Lifts Open: 5 of 5
• Open Runs: 100+
• Season-to-date Snowfall: 146"
• Settled Snow Depth: 54"
• Biggest Storm: 48" (December 1st–3rd)
• Greatest 24-Hour Snowfall: 20" (December 2nd)

With this recent opening of Sunnyside and Supreme lifts and its beginner and intermediate terrain, we now have all five lifts spinning and 100-plus open runs.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing to this point as we’ve already registered our first Interlodge and multiple delayed openings due to avalanche mitigation. Thanks for your patience as we continue to deal with everything Mother Nature throws our way, again.

While we don’t anticipate another 903-inch season, we are off to a great start with five lifts and 100+ open runs.

November 2023 | 44.5 inches of snow

This fall delivered a few shots of upper-elevation snowfall, but we were missing the one big storm that typically kicks off the ski season. Snowmaking crews did some heavy lifting when the temperatures permitted. Opening Day was delayed a week while we waited for Old Man Winter to return to his beloved Little Cottonwood Canyon. The one-week delay paid off as two quick-hitting storms dropped another 30 inches of snow and we opened with an Opening Day powder day.

November 25th: Sierra Kurian enjoys some Opening Day powder | Photo: Rocko Menzyk

For expert skiers, opening weekend of the 2023–24 kicked off with three days of powder turns and terrain openings in Collins Gulch. Intermediate skiers had to wait another few days for Sugarloaf to open for the season. Beginner skiers were left waiting, wondering when Sunnyside would see enough snow to cover the rocky terrain of the lower Albion Basin.

December 2023 | 88 inches of snow

Those questions were answered when the calendar flipped to December and an atmospheric river dropped 48 inches of snow from 4.81 inches of water. The storm began on Friday, December 1st, delivering 16.5 inches of four-percent density snow—about half the density of Alta's typical snowfall—and our first really deep powder turns of the season.

December 2nd: Evan Thayer reaps the rewards of his forecast | Photo: Photo-John

The next two days saw temperatures climb as the snow kept falling. December 2nd and 3rd brought another 39 inches of creamy 10–11.5%-density snow. The actual skiing lacked some of the Alta Magic, but the moisture-laden snow is great for base building—covering up a lot of rocks, stumps and other early-season obstacles.

December 3rd: Early-morning snow removal | Photo: Rocko Menzyk

The upside-down storm overwhelmed our fragile early-season snowpack. Without a big preseason storm cycle, the snow that fell in October and November often sat through stretches of cold and clear nights that drew moisture and structure from the snowpack. The beautiful stellar dendrite flakes slowly faceted, weakening the bonds in the snowpack. When Old Man Winter added another four feet of snow and nearly five inches of water to the mix, Alta Ski Patrol helped initiate our first major avalanche cycle of the season. This caused delayed openings and dialed back terrain expansion efforts while patrollers performed avalanche mitigation.

December 5th: Early-season avalanche debris on the Backside | Photo: Chloe Jimenez

Once the storm cleared, our crews went to work cleaning up avalanche debris and setting up rope lines for a Sunnyside opening. On Wednesday, December 6th, Sunnyside lift opened for the season, providing access to the majority of beginner and intermediate terrain at Alta.

December 9th: A bluebird powder day opening of Supreme | Photos: Photo-John

A two-day storm on December 7th and 8th dropped 28.5 inches of snow at Alta, just in time for the opening of Supreme lift. Supreme opened for the season on Saturday, December 9th, a bluebird powder day that provided some of the best turns of the season. Catherine's Area and Supreme Bowl opened on December 12th as Alta Ski Area crossed the century mark with over 100 open runs.

After a snowy start to the month, the Alta snow globe sat idle. Between December 9th and December 31st, the Collins Study Plot saw just 8.5 inches of snow over those 23 days. While not the longest dry spell in recent years, it was a far cry from the never-ending snowfall we witnessed during last season’s record-breaking 903-inch season. Despite the lack of new snow, the blue skies and sunshine provided great skiing conditions and relatively few operational hurdles through the holiday season.

December 2023 concluded with 88 inches of snow, only slightly less than the 43-year average December snowfall of 90.62 inches (97%).

While the season is still young, the tradition of stellar, early-season skiing at Alta continues. We are very lucky to call this mountain home and hope that you stay connected through the lens of Alta's Photo of the Day team.