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Snow falling on the Welcome to Alta sign and old Collins single chairs at the base of Alta

New Decade. Same Alta.

By Adam Fehr 01-22-2020

Januburied: The New Year is off to an incredible start with over ten feet of snow In January.

To start the new year, a series of storms made their way up Little Cottonwood Canyon, dumping ten feet of snow on Alta Ski Area. The snow started on January 1st and has yet to slow down. January snowfall totals are now up to 123", with more on the way this week.

While the locals are having a hard time recounting all of the amazing ski days already this month, the new Season Totals feature on our Weather and Snow Report page keeps track of every inch of snow at Alta since the 2004-05 season. Click here to see how this season is stacking up compared years past.

January Storm Totals

January Snowfall fun Facts:

With all of this new snow and deep powder turns also comes a ton of early mornings and hard work from the Alta Ski Patrol and mountain operations team. Give them high-five the next time you see them on the hill. A snowy Little Cottonwood canyon also spells slower canyon driving, more patience from everyone, and most importantly, chains, 4X4 vehicles and great tire tread.

With new snow on 15 of 22 days this month—an average of six inches of new snow per day—the skiing conditions have been all-time.

Taylor Pratt enjoys 13" of Alta Magic on a bluebird day in January

While easy to write off as powder-induced hyperbole, there have been many superlatives overheard at Alta— such as "best run ever" and "deepest day of my life."

Alta locals digging out in-between storms

Now that we've had a couple of days to dig out and regroup, let's look at how the recent storms have affected our season outlook.

Januburied:

  • 10-Year Average January Snowfall = 80.11"
  • January 2020 Snowfall, thru 1/23 = 132" (and counting)
  • January 2020 = 164% of average

Great Start to the Season:

  • 10-Year Average Season-to-date Snowfall thru January = 237"
  • 2019-20 Season-to-date Snowfall thru 1/23= 327" (and counting)
  • 2019-20 Season = 137% of average

As any honest stockbroker will tell you, "past performance is not indicative of future results," but with 321" already on the books, we are well on our way to meeting Alta's 547 inches of average seasonal snowfall.

With 100" base in mid-January, Alta is fully open and the coverage is great.

With more snow in the forecast, now is the perfect time to ski Alta. Plan Your Trip or buy your lift tickets in advance to save up to 20 percent off.

Take a snowy jaunt through this snowy january as captured by alta photographers:

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