Powder Mountain, UTAH, August 22, 2008 - Guests have come to expect personal attention and an atmosphere that makes them feel like part of the family. Our focus in 08/09 will be to ensure that the high guest satisfaction resulting from the “family resort” attitude continues even as more and more guests visit our mountain.

Mountain Adventure Center
A new Mountain Adventure Center located near the Timberline Lodge will house all of Powder Mountain’s adventure programs including Snowcat Powder Safaris, Mountain Adventure Tours and the Snow Sports School.

Lodge Improvements
The Timberline Ski Shop will be expanded for increased storage to hold the new rental stock purchased and for the new tuning equipment that will keep skis and boards in top shape.

SNOWBIRD, UTAH – Continuing the tradition of offering the longest ski season in Utah, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort will open Friday, Nov. 7. This year’s opening marks the second earliest start to a season in the resort’s 38-year history.

“This storm and the subsequent lake effect have provided a timely blanket of snow in Little Cottonwood Canyon,” said Snowbird President Bob Bonar. “Skiing early season powder is a great way to kick off the season.”

Snowbird will be offering the Aerial Tram and two lifts, Gadzoom and Mid-Gad, to skiers and riders beginning Friday at 9 a.m. Expected open terrain includes Regulator Johnson from the top of Hidden Peak, as well as Big Emma and Bassackwards. Additional lifts and terrain will open as conditions permit. The Snowbird Center and Creekside Lodge will be offering multiple food, merchandise and equipment rental options throughout the weekend.

The Wasatch was blasted with early season powder. Almost 3 feet of snow at Alta... and it's STILL snowing. This snow has helped the resorts, bump up opening dates. Here's the new dates:

Alta November 21st
Snowbird November 7th
Solitude November 14th
Brighton November 12th
Park City November 22nd
The Canyons November 27th
Deer Valley December 6th

Photos courtesy of Alta and Snowbird.

Additional Images: 

The first significant and lasting snows are headed into Utah this weekend. The National Weather Service has a winter storm watch out (see listing below). Up to two feet are possible for the higher elevations, aka Brighton and Alta. Even Deer Valley and Park City will pick up a foot of snow!

"...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM SATURDAY TO 6 PM MDT
SUNDAY ABOVE 8500 FEET...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SALT LAKE CITY HAS ISSUED A
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW ABOVE 8500 FEET...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM 10 AM SATURDAY TO 6 PM MDT SUNDAY.

NEW SNOW AMOUNTS OF UP TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY LATE SUNDAY
ABOVE THE 8500 FOOT LEVEL WITH 18 TO 24 INCHES ABOVE ABOUT 9500
FEET. SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW ARE POSSIBLE DOWN TO 7000 FEET ON
SUNDAY.

RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF UTAH SATURDAY
MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE...HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH SUNDAY. SNOW
LEVELS WILL INITIALLY BE ABOVE 9000 FEET SATURDAY MORNING THEN

Click Here for 20% Discount on Ski Rental Equipment

Salt Lake City Ski and Snowboard Rentals

Breeze Ski & Snowboard Rentals is conveniently located at 2354 Foothill Drive. Located at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon just north of I-80 right behind the Chevron gas station. Easy access from the Downtown hotels on the way to Park City, The Canyons, Deer Valley, Brighton, Solitude, Alta & Snowbird.

Labor Day was cold and snowy this year in Utah's high country. A few inches of snow fell above 9,000 on Monday, September 1. Hopefully this is a good start to the 2008-2009 season... Maybe it's a continuation of last years record snowfall.

Not really enough snow to ski on, but enough snow to start thinking about the ski season. Plan your Utah Ski Vacation now!

Snow at Alta

Alta is now selling powder cards for the 2008-2009 ski season. The powder card offers 10 days of skiing for $490. The card is transferable but can only be used once a day. If you and some friends plan on visiting alta this winter during separate ski vacations,the powder card great way to save some money on your lift tickets. More information on the powder card is available at: http://www.alta.com/pages/passes.php. The powder card is available until September 30, 2008 or while supplies last. If you ski over 10 days the powder card can be reloaded.

For those of you who have visited Utah on a ski vacation, you know the liquor laws are difficult to understand, and may hamper you apres ski activities. Those quirky laws may soon be a joke of the past. Utah regulators are looking to make your ski vacation a little less stressful.

There's legislation on the table to do away with the "Private Clubs". For those unfamiliar, a private club requires you to purchase a "membership" prior to entering. The "membership" term is really just another word for cover charge, but it confuses and annoys everyone, visitors and locals. We all hope the private clubs are a thing of the past. The membership turns away business, and gives vacationers something negative to tell their friends about when they get home. When I ask people what they think of skiing in Utah, the most common response is, "Love the Powder, BUT the liquor laws are weird."

Snowbird is now allowing scooters and mountain bikes access to the tram. You still need to pay for a tram ride and/or rent a mountain bike or scooter (if you don't have one). The mountain bike trails at Snowbird are steep and challenging, just like the skiing/riding. If you're just getting started don't worry, they have bike trails for all ability levels.

Visit www.snowbird.com/events/summeractivities/mtnbiking.html for more information.

Now that the snow has melted, Park City Mountain Resort is working on a number of improvements to the resort infrastructure. These projects are scheduled to be completed for the 2008-2009 Ski Season:

* A NEW high-speed detachable lift that will greatly improve access out of the Resort's base area. The new lift, replacing and realigning the current Ski Team lift, will take guests from the Resort's base area to the top of Crescent Ridge.

* Terrain enhancements to improve the skiing/riding experience on the mountain, including a new run and expanded snowmaking.

* Renovation of the Mid-Mountain Lodge.