LOCAL NEWS

Utah ski resorts welcome snow, ready for crowds

Dec 9, 2021, 6:25 PM | Updated: Dec 10, 2021, 5:37 am

LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah – Skiers, snowboarders and Utah’s ski resorts were rejoicing Thursday to finally have a powerful winter storm arrive.

Park City resident Anna Grossniklaus arrived mid-day at Alta Ski Area.

“We were getting more excited as we drove up,” Grossniklaus said.

After a promising October, followed by a disappointing November, those hitting the slopes were hopeful that this storm will turn the season around and that December will deliver plenty of the white stuff.

“It is incredible,” Maddi McKinnon, who took a few runs before her shift as a massage therapist at Snowbird. “It is so much fun to finally have snow. I’ve been watching this storm all week so I am stoked.”

“I’m just excited to get covered in snow,” said Ian Pawlak from Salt Lake City.

With snow and excitement in the air, it’s only a matter of time before ski resort parking lots and canyon roads are packed with cars.

“It was empty the past couple of weeks and now we’re going to have to go through the nice canyon lines that everyone loves so much,” Pawlak said.

Ski resorts said they are ready for the crowds.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Andria Huskinson, communications manager for Alta Ski Resort, said. “We finally have snow after we got hardly any snow in November.”

Even though Utah is experiencing a shortage of workers, especially in the leisure and hospitality sector, Alta and Snowbird say they have enough employees to run mountain operations.

“We’re all staffed up,” Huskinson said. “I think we are still hiring in our food and beverage, but that’s kind of normal for this time in the season.”

“We’re really lucky right now to have the staff needed to get the mountain open and running,” Sarah Sherman, communications manager at Snowbird, said.

While they wait to hire more restaurant staff, Snowbird is requiring dining reservations during busy times. To attract more employees, Snowbird has a hiring open house planned for Dec. 16.

“We’re looking for a lot food and beverage, restaurant employees,” Sherman said.

Ninety minutes to the north, Snowbasin resort reports that it’s nearly fully staffed and ready for the season and just announced its opening day will be Saturday.

It’s a change from this summer when Snowbasin had to cancel several concert events because of severe staffing shortages in its food and beverage operations.

KSL 5 TV Live

Local News

Man being taken on stretcher to an ambulance figures blurred...

Lauren Steinbrecher

West Jordan man trying ‘to be funny’ allegedly shot and killed best friend

Investigators believe a joke between friends turned into the shooting death of a West Jordan man. The fatal mistake is also turning into a message police hope every gun owner can hear.

9 hours ago

Matt Gephardt meeting with Denis Hawkins after a rental car company after they ignored his calls fo...

Matt Gephardt

Get Gephardt helps Spanish Fork man clear up insurance claim for rental car damage

Get Gephardt clears up an international rental car insurance standstill.

9 hours ago

small housing units...

Debbie Worthen

Utah’s micro-shelter pilot program gets extension to help homeless

A micro-shelter pilot program will stay in place for at least six more months.

9 hours ago

A trench used for training a team of firefighters to be a part of Utah County's Special Response Te...

Shelby Lofton

Heavy Rescue school students respond to real-life emergency during trench collapse training

A team of firefighter students training to be on a Special Response Team rescued a man buried in a trench collapse the week they'd been studying trenches.

9 hours ago

The Cache County Council took up the e-mail controversy...

Mike Anderson

A single text stirs political fallout in Cache County election

A text message is blowing up into a whole lot of political fallout in Cache County.

10 hours ago

A map shows where the Chief Toquer reservoir will connect to the Ash Creek Reservoir....

Cary Schwanitz

Feds pour $7 million into southern Utah water pipeline project

A project to build a new pipeline that will run from the Ash Creek Reservoir to the Chief Toquer Reservoir received $7 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

11 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Utah ski resorts welcome snow, ready for crowds