Saturday, November 27, 2021

Haves and Have Nots

The gap between the snowpack haves and have nots in the Wasatch Range right now is staggering.  There's essentially little to no snow below 7500 feet and on south aspects.  On the other hand, there is a very stout 30+ inches on north aspects at and above 9500 feet in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon.  

Collins Gulch is the one percenter of the Wasatch by snow depth.  Alta-Collins has 31" on the snow stake.  On the other hand, look across the canyon and there's little to no snow left on the south facing slopes.  


Today Alta had Collins, Sugarloaf, Sunnyside, and Supreme spinning.  Cover on the main runs is pretty good.  Off piste coverage is pretty good in some areas too (although not so good in others).  Contrast this with other Utah ski resorts that are either closed or spinning a couple of short lifts.  

I see this season as a harbinger of things to come, with the gap between the snow haves and have nots growing during the 21st century as the climate continues to warm.  If you think the upper elevations of Little Cottonwood are hallowed ground now, wait until 2050 or 2070.

2 comments:

  1. I think the WPT 5k needs to be moved to Alta Asap!

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