Deep snow at Utah resorts is a welcome change from last winter

By Paul Foy
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — After several days of snowfall, Utah ski resorts have more than 3 feet of fresh snow, marking a big change from the dry holidays of last year.

The Wasatch resorts between Salt Lake City and Park City were swarming with thousands of skiers on Friday. Morning traffic was backed up in Little Cottonwood Canyon, home to Alta and Snowbird resorts, where skiers said it took 90 minutes to drive up the seven-mile canyon from Salt Lake City.

On the slopes, the soft powder was almost too deep to ski. Some joked about Utah’s version of a fiscal cliff, the negotiations that have paralyzed the nation’s capital.

“I went over a fiscal ledge at Snowbird and had to dig myself out of a hole,” said Jon Weisberg, who was skiing with a son-in-law from New York. “I was looking for a ski Sherpa to help me out. It took me 20 minutes to get up.”

Alta and Snowbird have received more than 13 feet of snow this season — more than twice the amount many Colorado resorts were reporting Friday. The Rocky Mountains are enjoying a rebound from one of the worst winters ever for snowfall last year.

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