SPRING SKIING IN UTAH
Forget spring, the powder is still dumping in Utah. It's still winter on the slopes. If you're thinking more of golf clubs than lift tickets, take the advice of Deer Valley's P. R. Manager, Erin Grady: "People can go skiing in the morning and be golfing in Salt Lake in the afternoon. The conditions are amazing. There are early signs of spring in Salt Lake, but it's definitely winter in Park City."
It's winter in Little Cottonwood Canyon as well, as anyone lucky enough to go to Alta knows. "Spring skiing at Alta is one of the most fun times of the year," says Connie Marshall, Alta's director of marketing. "The skiing is like January, 14-22 degrees, like a winter day. We passed the 600 inch mark of snow for this year, we're already 100 inches over our average," she says.
The town of Alta will have its annual 'Spring Festival' starting Friday, April 4th, through Sunday, the 6th. There will be a meat lover's barbecue for only $1.00 Friday at Albion base, and free ski demos throughout the weekend.
Alta will be open until April 13, then close for five days and reopen the following weekend, April 18-20. That means there will be two of the traditional and famous parking lot tailgate parties; bring something to grill and drink and have fun hanging out with a parking lot full of people.
Brighton, at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, will offer night skiing until April 5th, and won't close until the 20th. Area Manager Randy Doyle says, "It's some of the best skiing of the year, we're still powder skiing, and you don't have to worry about rocks. We just got over 11 inches of new snow." The snow still has its structure, it's not springtime wet or slushy. All lifts are open.
One of the best things about Utah's slopes at this time of year is that they are well groomed and uncrowded. Skiers and snowboarders will often have a whole slope to themselves. In addition, lift ticket and lodging discounts have already begun. Brighton is offering a two-for-one ticket deal. If you aren't going with a friend, just ask someone at the ticket window if they would like to split a ticket with you, and you can ski or ride for $26. Snowbird has a money-saving 'April Escape Package,' a lodging/lift ticket combo for $119 a day, with a three day minimum, valid until May 3. Snowbird stays open longer than any other Utah resort.
Brighton's Doyle, like many at Utah's other resorts, thinks it's a shame that people lose interest in skiing as soon as Easter comes. But the one thing to remember is that Easter was nearly a month early this year. It really is still ski and snowboard season. And in Utah, they're getting the powder dumps to prove it.