Beaver Mountain still waiting to open
Dec 15, 2021, 6:04 PM | Updated: 8:54 pm
GARDEN CITY, Utah – Beaver Mountain was still waiting to open for the 2021 ski season even after this latest storm dumped snow across much of the state.
That area did not get nearly as much as the Salt Lake Valley.
The folks at Beaver Mountain were holding out hope that more snow later this week could get them on their way to opening.
When you’ve got some fresh snow, people like Zac Wiser are eager to get up the mountain even if there is a bit of sagebrush poking through.
“Not too bad, considering a week or two ago we had maybe a skiff on the mountain,” he said. “Oh yeah. Pre-season you always got to do a little bushwhackin’ you know, a little more obstacles there.”
Employees at Beaver Mountain were grooming a fresh eight to twelve new inches, preparing and hoping for more in the next couple of days.
“Hopefully this next little system overachieves a little bit,” said Travis Seeholzer, Mountain Operations Manager. “We like to see eight-inch forecasts turn into 12 or 14 more.”
I’m at Beaver Mountain today. They’re the only Utah ski resort that completely depends upon Mother Nature. I’ve got a look at how this storm helped out, coming up for @KSL5TV at 6. Also, watch this video. #snow #winter #skiutah #SpiderManNoWayHome #SpiderManNowWayHome pic.twitter.com/ua54PYHyX6
— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) December 15, 2021
Seeholzer said he often feels like a farmer waiting for rain since theirs is the only Utah resort that doesn’t make any snow.
“This time of year, it’s nice if you can get to it before it’s too deep and it’s really slow going because there’s no base underneath there and you’re bouncing off things.”
Their hope right now is to have the mountain ready to open ahead of the Christmas weekend.
Seeholzer said, “Last year it was not early and it’s challenging because we open right as the holidays are here. So, it gets busy really quick.”
Wednesday, they prepared their base in hopes that another fresh layer is on the way soon.
He said, “It’s just enough that we can start smashing some snow. And it really is key if we can get a little bit of that done before the next storm because the next few inches is a lot more valuable if it comes in stages.”
If our next round of storms pans out, Seeholzer said the plan is to get their ski patrol out on Saturday to set up the mountain in preparation for an opening before Christmas.
Last year Beaver Mountain opened on December 22.
