- Brian Head Resort will open Friday after receiving at least 10 inches of snow this week.
- Deer Valley Resort joined a growing list of resorts unsure about opening dates due to warm conditions.
- Some showers are possible in northern Utah on Thursday, but drier conditions expected afterward.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's ski season is slated to officially begin this weekend, but the number of resorts pushing back their opening dates continues to grow despite this week's wetter conditions.
Brian Head Resort in Iron County reported on Wednesday that it has now received 10 inches of new snow over the past few days, which is enough to help it open on Friday. Resort officials intended to begin operations on Nov. 7, but that date was pushed back twice over weather conditions.
Similar delays are beginning to pile up across Utah's northern half after this week's stormy weather failed to produce much for the Wasatch Mountains. Not only has it been dry, but multiple resorts have reported conditions that are too warm for snowmaking operations this month.
It's why Deer Valley Resort in Park City announced on Wednesday that it can no longer guarantee that its slopes will be ready by Nov. 29 as planned. Officials said they'll have to wait until conditions improve before setting a date, which is to be determined.
"Our teams have been working tirelessly to prepare for what will be a historic winter at Deer Valley," said Todd Bennett, the resort's president and chief operating officer, in a statement. "This delay is entirely weather-driven. As soon as temperatures drop, our crews will move quickly and efficiently to open with the Deer Valley difference our guests and community expect."
The announcement came two days after Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon announced that it would postpone its opening day to Nov. 27, conditions permitting, for the same reasons. The resort initially planned to open on Nov. 14, which was the earliest of all the Wasatch Mountain resorts, but that was pushed back to Nov. 16 and then to Wednesday, before it was pushed back to the new date, Thanksgiving Day.
Alta Ski Area pushed its opening day from this weekend to Dec. 5, and Park City Mountain postponed its opening day, previously planned for this weekend, to a date yet to be determined, as well.
Snowbasin, Snowbird and Woodward Park City, which all planned to open during Thanksgiving weekend, are still hoping to be operational by then. Snowbasin Resort in Weber County was an outlier in this week's storms, receiving 8 inches of new powder from one of the two systems that passed through the state this week.
Some scattered showers are possible across northern and central Utah on Thursday as part of the latest passing system, but drier and milder conditions are forecast for the weekend as another system is projected to move south of Utah, said KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank.
Utah's resorts will likely keep a close eye on those conditions, but it's unclear yet what impact that may have on opening dates.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.
