http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php...eld2=-111.62125
Skier219,
The site above is the official NOAA forecast for Alta. Looks like a multi feet dump this week. Really enjoyed the helmet cam.
The Colonel

Yeah, they will get a good shot of snow over the next few days, unfortunately it won't be powdery for a while because of the mild temps and high humidity. But it will be a great base builder (at the possible expense of avy instability on steeper slopes). As I was leaving yesterday, everyone was glad that the clear high-pressure weather was ending. Never thought I would see people cheering for clouds and overcast skies!

Been watching the weather up there since last week & They have been having real mild conditions..they set a record high min at Alta this morn. freezing levels are down to about 9000' but have been as high as 10000' the last few days. Still a blast to ski at I'm sure but not worth the expense...yet!

fish,
Alta is the mecca for skiers, always great and "worth it" regardless of conditions!
The Colonel

I know..I know...But Damb if it ain't snowing pretty good up in the WV Alpps..again ...

I was in Park City last week which explains the snow drought. Now that I'm gone, it's snowing again. Sigh... sometimes I think "the only way to get rid of this problem is move to the mountains" then I realize that that would just result in devestating droughts for the entire intermountain west. Or so it seems.

Anyway, the snow was good, and to be honest it's really tough to complain about 30-35 degree weather and deep blue skies. It was interesting to feel the snow firming up as the week went on. Even Jupiter Peak got firmer, where the temps were not above freezing while we were out there. The snow in the woods was still soft, but you had to avoid avy shots to get to the loose powder, which required some side-stepping.

This trip I decided to spend the whole time at PC to get to know the mountain, and I swear even after four straight days there I've skied less than half the mountain. But the next time to Utah, I think I'll need to do a long weekend and hit Snowbird and Alta. I'm tired of hearing everyone brag about those places and having no idea what they're like.

Also- I skied O-zone. Isn't that supposed to be a 50 degree pitch? I skied the chute right beside it just in case... Crush, Jimmy, anyone who's been to Jupiter Peak... is that as steep as it gets? The OMG factor was missing, though the chute was slick and likely a "no fall" zone when I went down it. Tell me it's steeper at Alta and Snowbird than that!

Surely you jest -- I was at Alta all week and it was the usual awesome skiing that you can't put a price on. I'd go back in a heartbeat anytime.

Because the humidity was so low, the snow stayed dry and powdery. There was also a temperature inversion, so I am not sure what that means about the freezing level data you reference (ie, it would have been cooler down low), but I skied up to ~10500 feet where it was warmer and still found powder. If we had similar temperatures on the east coast, it would have been mashed potatoes and slush.

Some wet heavy snow moved in Thursday-Friday, so it will be a couple days before they get back to dry Utah surface conditions, but that wouldn't stop me from skiing there. Heck, even with full-on spring conditions it's a fantastic place to ski.

That's a good reason to go . But seriously, I think you will like Alta/Snowbird. I've skied Park City and had a great time, but the terrain and scenery at the other two is awesome. If you like variety, Alta is great, and the vibe/atmosphere there is wonderful. Snowbird has some outstanding steep trails and some sick terrain. To me, both resorts are among the top 5 in the country.

Its 32 degrees at a station up at snowbird at 9640' right now but the temp drops like a rock as you head further up...Cold air & the Famed powder everyone likes to experience is coming back hard.

The not worth the expense comment is all relative of course..If your a guy like me who's making half of what I made last year at this time due to the economy & is coming off a new vehicle buy along with every other relentless expense that can be thrown at you & then you still remember the last time that you broke down & spent a couple grand to get "The Experience" just to get let down with Blahzay conditions out west,.. you tend to be a little wild wild west shy....some of you all are blessed to have money to burn...some of us just want to be carefull & not get burned! BRING ON ALMOST HEAVEN WV..For us PO FOLKS

Roger,
Yeah, Alta and Snowbird completely different than the Park City areas. The setting is much more high alpine which is crazy to think since they are very close to each other as the crow flies. Personally I love Alta just because of the vibe you get. I've never run into a rude employee or rude skier there; though I'm sure they exist. That and pretty much everything (providing it's been deemed safe by the avy control crew) you see is open to ski; just traverse and drop in.

On another note Alta will get skied out fairly quickly on powder days. If you want that serene feeling of grooving on your own stash then head to Solitude and get back to Honeycomb Canyon. It's beyond me why that place is so empty whenever I'm there but I'm always glad it is.

Thanks Monk. The first place we ever skied in Utah was Solitude- kind of spoils you. It seems like the breeze would blow in the evenings up Honeycomb Canyon and cover the tracks from the previous day. That place is phenomenal.

Er, wait... I mean, that place has got ridiculous lines and the ski patrol skis all the snow out before you even have a chance to get on the mountain. Solitude is awful, ice everywhere, virtually no snow, and bitter, bitter employees. I once saw someone lying in a pool of their own blood and the ski patrol just pulled the person's lift ticket and kicked them off the side of the slope. Don't ever go there...

What do you all think of Powder Mountain? Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread but it does not get much play on DCSki.

As for Fish...hope your situation improves and gets more to your liking. We are feeling the squeeze too. Probably gonna stay closer to home this year...Vermont on a shoestring may be our big splurge. (Actually I am engaged in that delicate dance of justification with the spousal unit as I write this). Signs are pointing to a positive outcome.

PS. That Solitude place sounds like a raw deal. I will tell everyone I meet to avoid it like the plague.

This from a VT ski friend,

http://list.uvm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0901D&L=SKIVT-L&D=1&T=0&O=D&P=62097

Actually, Pow Mow has gotten a lot of play over the years on DCSki. If you search back 2-4 years, you'll find a lot of discussion on it. I even posted some pix of a trip there.

Solitude: main disadvantage is a relatively high traverse to vertical ratio. The traverses are often slightly uphill, or require some moderate angle climbing. Some of the nice faces do get some funky sun exposure. As Denis mentioned in a thread a few years back, there are a few more cliff bands in the trees compared to Alta, and even Snowbird. (But I've encountered plenty of cliff bands in non-obvious areas in Alta.) You do need to know your terrain at Solitude if you are exploring. These may be some reasons why Solitude gets less traffic than Alta/Snowbird. Not that I'm complaining...

Powder is high on my to-do list. Everyone I've ever met who's skied there has loved it.

Just be aware that PowMow and Snowbasin aren't as high as the Cottonwoods. Sometimes snow at Alta is niar at the lower resorts. On a good day they're as good as it gets for me.