Alta Ski Resort passes 400 inches of snow for the season
Feb 17, 2024, 5:10 PM | Updated: Feb 19, 2024, 7:21 am
ALTA — Of all the places to go and see fresh snow, nothing was going to stop Dave Kliger from visiting the backcountry at Alta.
“Little Cottonwood Canyon is a magical place,” he said. “Not only is it outrageously beautiful, the amount of snow we get is just off the charts.”
Saturday morning, Alta Ski Resort passed 400 inches of snow so far this season.
Lots of people visited the resort to enjoy the new snow that fell overnight.
Alta Ski Resort has received 400 inches of snow so far this season, and it has outdoor enthusiasts coming to enjoy the snow. (Mark Less, KSL TV)
Across the street from Alta Ski Resort, ski and snowboard tracks were visible on the mountains.
“The powder skiing here is as good as probably any place in the world,” Kliger said, who skied some of that backcountry terrain.
Parker Duke and his friends, who live in Salt Lake City, also spent their Saturday morning enjoying the snow.
“The snow is great,” Duke said. “Yeah. The last week has been really enjoyable. “We’ll take it. Yeah. Slow start this year, but happy we’re starting to accumulate some snow now.”
Avalanches still a concern
All that snow, though, often means avalanche concerns.
Amanda Hankison, who was also in the backcountry with Duke, teaches avalanche safety classes with the Utah Avalanche Center.
Hankison said it’s important to be aware of potential avalanche danger.
“Especially getting out of the resorts, it’s more appealing with more people moving up here, people are getting more curious about the backcountry,” she said. “It’s just really important to know what you’re doing if you’re getting into avalanche terrain.”
Kliger says he is careful and hopes everyone else is, too, especially with 400 inches and plenty of winter left.
“It is amazing and we are getting more snow next week,” he said. “I hope it just keeps coming.”
Alta averages about 500 inches of snow a year.
In 2022-23, Alta broke a record with 903 inches of snowfall.
