Ski resorts prepare for influx of snow and people

GARDEN CITY, Cache County — Many Utah ski resorts are finally getting the snow they waited all December for, just in time for another big storm, heading into Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

Skiers and snowboarders are clearing their schedules to ride the powder at resorts like Beaver Mountain.

“Yeah, I’m probably going to be up here at least Sunday. Saturday if I can,” said skier Jonas Jensen.

“Yeah, um, luckily, my boss is pretty cool. So, it’s me,” added Dave Jensen.

It’s also a relief for workers at Beaver Mountain, the only Utah resort that depends completely on naturally made snow.

“I think we’re supposed to get another eight to 10 (inches) tonight and maybe another 10 tomorrow,” said Travis Seeholzer, mountain operations manager at Beaver Mountain.

WEATHER ALERT: Storms continue to line up for Utah snow, including Saturday, Sunday

Seeholzer said they are already looking ahead to the weekend, as they could get dumped on Saturday night into Sunday.

“We think the powder panic will probably be in full swing,” he said.

Seeholzer said one piece of preparation is making sure the parking lot is ready for all the visitors. The resort will have to bring in additional plow drivers, as many other ski resorts have to balance all that snow and the crowds coming in.

“I mean, this lift line will be full by 8 a.m. if we get a foot of snow, which is great. It’s fun to see people get excited, but our staff definitely has to be on their game, and we probably will have some additional help working snow all night,” Seeholzer said.

It’s the kind of challenge many resorts will face across the Wasatch Front this weekend and hopefully many others during the winter. But it’s a good problem for resorts to have.