Utah’s lowest-elevation ski resorts, Cherry Peak in Richmond and Nordic Valley in Eden, are just now — in mid-January — celebrating their first week open. It’s a late start to the season after Utah finished its warmest year on record.
“We pride ourselves on being the most affordable and most accessible,” said Katie Nielson, director of resort services at Nordic Valley. “But the same geography that makes us accessible makes the low snow and warm years extra challenging for us.”
Only two of 43 trails are open, and managers are still hiring staff. Many part-time employees left for other work when they couldn’t get hours in December, Nielson said.
The mountain, with a base at 5,365 feet, received five inches of snow Jan. 7-8, which by itself wasn’t enough to open. Last summer, the resort invested roughly $300,000 in a new snowmaking system, along with repairs to electrical equipment and pipes. Making snow uses a lot of electricity, but in current conditions, it’s essential. Nielson was glad to see the upgrades pay off.
“I can definitely say we wouldn't be open today if we hadn't done those snowmaking improvements,” she said.
As long as temperatures drop below freezing overnight, Nielson expects the existing snow to stick around. Snow guns cannot run when it’s warm, though, so warm days slow down how quickly they can open more trails.
The struggle isn’t the same everywhere in Utah. Above 9,000 feet, snow levels are around or above average. Middle elevations down to 7,500 feet have some snow. But spots below about 7,500 feet are struggling, according to McKenzie Skiles, director of the University of Utah’s Snow Hydrology Research-to-Operations Laboratory.
“We kind of have a tale of two winters happening in the Wasatch right now,” Skiles said.
Utah has had low snow years in the past, she said. But this season’s warm temperatures mean precipitation has fallen as rain at higher elevations.
“It doesn't feel like a normal winter. It feels like, potentially, winters of the future when things are just warmer and drier,” she said.
Elevation is a key factor in determining which areas get snow instead of rain, even among sites that are close together.
On Ben Lomond Trail in Weber County, for instance, snow water equivalent is on track to tie the lowest recorded level, based on a measuring spot at 5,970 feet of elevation. Ben Lomond Peak is doing better, at 88% of the median.
The orientation of ski trails also makes a difference, with south-facing slopes getting more sun and potentially losing snow faster. Shorter days mean there’s less time for snow to melt, Skiles said.
Utah’s mountains typically reach peak snowpack in late March or early April, so Skiles said there is still time for snow to fall. But relief is not in the forecast.
“It's not going to be solved over the next two weeks,” she said. “We're going into a period of high pressure with no precipitation.”
Nordic Valley wants to increase its snowmaking capacity, which will depend on the landowner expanding the pond the resort draws water from to make snow, Nielson said. They’re also looking to expand upward and open for summer activities once their new lodge is complete.
As for staffing, low snow years happen, she said, but that won’t deter leadership from hiring for all positions next winter.
“We want to be popular. We want to be busy,” Nielson said. “But we're also very honest when we're hiring folks, a lot of our seasonal employees, we say, ‘We will get you full-time when we can.’”
In the longer term, the changing climate could have other implications, such as for the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. Skiles isn’t too worried about Utah hosting downhill skiing. But the Paralympics, which happen later in the season, and Olympic cross-country events, which are required to take place below 6,562 feet of elevation, could face challenges.
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
