Snow blanketed Brighton Resort and Alta on Sunday, Oct. 11, and Monday, Oct. 12, giving Sandy-area skiers their first look at winter after one of Utah's worst seasons on record.
The accumulation arrived as remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel collided with cold air pushing in from the northwest, according to KUTV. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the merging storm systems lowered the snow level below 9,000 feet Sunday night into Monday morning.
The NWS forecast 4 to 10 inches of snow for the Upper Cottonwoods.
Brighton Resort cameras showed nearly the entire base area covered, with a few visitors getting in short runs even though lifts were not operating, Fox 13 reported. The resort closed its summer mountain biking, disc golf and scenic lift rides Oct. 11 due to weather and stayed closed Oct. 12.
"IT IS SNOWING ❄️ Snow has touched down in Big Cottonwood Canyon and it looks like more is inbounds tomorrow," Brighton Resort posted on X on Oct. 12.
Nate Fillnow, founder of The Daily Pow website, did not wait for lifts. He shared a video of himself skiing down a slope at Alta, according to Fox 13.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) warned drivers heading up Big and Little Cottonwood canyons to prepare for varying conditions and deployed snowplows on state roadways.
The 2025-26 season left Utah's ski industry far short of normal. Snowbird reported just 248 inches of total snowfall, less than half its 542-inch total the year before, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Eagle Point Resort in the Tushar Mountains recorded 113 inches against a 350-inch annual average and closed early. Three Utah ski areas shut down before spring, and the Tribune reported it was Utah's hottest winter in more than 150 years of NWS record keeping.
Forecasters expect a better season ahead. OpenSnow meteorologist Alan Smith said a storm tracking across the central Rockies would bring colder air and the first widespread snow to many ski areas in Utah and Colorado, KSL reported.
An emerging Super El Niño has raised expectations, though meteorologists call it a wild card. Past Super El Niños have produced both above-average and below-average snowfall.
An OpenSnow winter forecast published in August favors above-normal snowfall across Utah, with a stronger signal for Wasatch resorts including Alta, Snowbird, Brighton and Solitude. The best snow signal falls from January to March rather than early season, according to the forecast.
Several resorts have announced projected opening dates, according to Ski Utah via KUTV. Alta targets Nov. 20. Brighton has not announced a date.
Brian Head Resort aims for Nov. 6, Park City Mountain and Solitude for Nov. 20, and Snowbird for Nov. 27. Eagle Point will not open for the 2026-27 season due to the Cottonwood Fire.
