What do you think the snowiest ski area in the Lower 48 has been this season? You aren’t going to believe it, but the answer isn’t Mountain Creek in New Jersey.
Unsurprisingly, the answer so far is the Alta Ski Area in Utah. So far, Alta has received 146 inches of snowfall. With a base depth of 65″, they’ve been able to open over 80 runs. On Saturday, Alta opened up the Supreme chairlift, meaning that all five of their major chairlifts are now open. This solid start comes after Alta received 903 inches of snowfall last season.
In terms of the other contenders, they unsurprisingly are also based in Utah. According to KSL, Snowbird is in second place with 138″, and Brighton is in third with 127″. Outside of Utah, the other major contenders are in Wyoming. Grand Targhee has received 126″, while Jackson Hole has gotten 125″. In terms of the leader in North America, Alyeska has received 226″ of snow.
Ironically, Alta had to delay the start of its season due to a lack of snowfall. Their snowpack has benefitted from two major snowstorms over the past two weekends. From December 1st through the 3rd, they received 48″ of snow. Another batch of snowfall came through late last week, with 20″ of powder on Friday.
While Alta won’t be seeing any major snowstorms this week, neither will most of the United States (outside of Alaska and New Mexico). The next round of storms could come around Christmas break. This is when Utah sees some excellent snowstorms, so let’s hope that these historical trends continue.
Correction 12/12, 10:00 p.m.– The title of this article has been updated to reflect that Alta has the most snow in the Lower 48, but not North America. Alyeska in Alaska has received more snowfall.
Image Credits: Ian Wood, Alta Ski Area
