The Magic of the Cottonwood Canyons: Part 2 | Why Is Utah Weather So Good for Powder? This is the second article in a two-part series discussing what makes great powder and the reasons why it is found in the Cottonwood Canyons near Salt Lake City, Utah. Part 1 sets the stage and presents the facts for why Utah has some of the best powder skiing in the world. Part 2 is for the weather enthusiasts and explains why […] Weather John Solder | July 19, 2025 0 Comments
Why Does It Snow So Much in Utah? Big Cottonwood Canyon (Brighton and Solitude) and Little Cottonwood Canyon (Alta and Snowbird) resorts are world-renowned ski destinations, and Utah is said to have the “Greatest Snow on Earth”. At first, this may seem odd and, frankly, a bold statement for a state probably better known for desert towers and slot canyons. So let’s unpack the claim and better understand what makes Utah powder so […] Weather John Solder | July 12, 2025 4 Comments
Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT, Closure Update for April 13, 2023 Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT, continues to face temporary closures until at least Thursday, April 13, 2023. The Utah Department for Transportation (‘UDOT’) has been closing State Route 190 during the day since April 8, 2023, for extended periods for avalanche clearance and mitigation. State Route 190 had to be closed every day this week from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 12, 2023 0 Comments
Wasatch Range, UT Report: 2 Ski Areas, a 1,300-Vertical-Foot Backcountry Couloir, and 1 Closing day Brought to you by Alta Ski Area Report From Sunday, April 18, 2021 We started at Alta. By 11 am we were on top of a 45-degree, 1,300-vertical foot couloir. We were in Brighton by noon and back at Alta for last chair at 4:20. Yesterday was a day that’ll be etched in the walls of my mind for as […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | April 20, 2021 1 Comment
Wasatch Mountains, UT Report: Pillows, Cliffs, & 22″ of Blower Pow in the Big Cottonwood Backcountry Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from Monday, March 22, 2021 I’ll take 20+ inches of blower pow on Monday morning. Couldn’t think of a better way to start the week honestly. Buddies Tommy, Adam, and I went for a walk in Big Cottonwood Canyon this morning. Storm totals in BCC ranged from 16-22″ (1.10 – 1.75 H20) according […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | March 23, 2021 0 Comments
Wasatch Mountains, UT Report: Big Cottonwood Canyon Pillows and Powder Stashes Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from St. Patrick’s Day, 2021 We took a stroll in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, this morning for St. Patrick’s Day. It was crisp and clear, and we heard that north-facing terrain was skiing proper. We set off from Spruces at 10:45 towards the sky. The more elevation we gained, the better the snow […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | March 18, 2021 0 Comments
New Salt Lake City, UT Airport Design Receives Social Media Backlash from Frustrated Travelers Everyone was stoked for the redesign of Salt Lake City’s international airport, which was supposed to cater to traveling skiers and make the overall airport experience better. But then the project completed some big milestones, the holiday season hit, and its new design began revealing potential flaws, which have since caused frustrated travelers to decry the new airport all over […] Martin Kuprianowicz | January 7, 2021 4 Comments
14 Tricks For Making Steep Lines Steeper: Misadventures From “The Chuting Gallery, a Guide to Steep Skiing in the Wasatch” This article was written by Will Thomas One of the key challenges of “extreme” skiing is explaining it to the uninitiated especially when you yourself are the uninitiated. With the influx of new backcountry users, the situation is fraught. Thousands of unsuspecting people have exchanged hard-earned dollars for sparkling new touring gear, and, even with a litany of hashtags, will […] Backcountry Guest Author | December 9, 2020 2 Comments
VIDEO: Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster Warns That it Will Be “A Dangerous Winter in the Wasatch Once It Snows” “There is no doubt that we’re going to have a dangerous winter in the Wasatch once it snows.” – Trent Meisenheimer, Utah Avalanche Center Lack of snowfall has caused the existing snow in the Wasatch to become weak, faceted, and sugary—the perfect recipe for avalanches. And worse yet, there’s no snow expected for northern Utah for at least another week, […] Avalanche AvyBrains | December 3, 2020 1 Comment
Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons, UT To Close Uphill Traffic on Busy Days This Winter Seven a.m.—powder day. Make coffee, grab a quick bite, pack gear into car—off for the races by eight. Stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic by eight-thirty. “It’s Saturday,” you remember. Little Cottonwood Canyon is always packed on a Saturday powder day. Thirty minutes pass and you make it a half-mile to the mouth of the canyon—it’s still dumping hard. As you creep […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | November 17, 2020 2 Comments
Wasatch Dispatch: March Comes Rolling Deep!! Deep Utah powder has covered everything! It just keeps snowing here in the Wasatch Mountains. Another right-side up storm: a foot of heavy snow to smooth the tracks, topped off by two feet of perfect blower powder. The best thing to do, so they say, is to go ski it. With a couple of options in mind, we figured today […] Backcountry John Solder | March 15, 2019 0 Comments
Wasatch Dispatch: Lisa Falls This past weekend was one for the books all across the Wasatch. People were getting after it! Lots of classic lines went down (hypodermic needle, Y-couloir) and even some of the once in a wild-hair line (Medusa face, yikes). But we had the big mama in mind, the most vert you can ski in the Wasatch, Lisa Falls. Clocking in […] Backcountry John Solder | March 1, 2019 0 Comments
Wasatch Dispatch: Code Blue | After the Big Storm After a long steady Wasatch storm cycle, and a lot of greybird skiing, the clouds finally cleared and the powder was waiting to be harvested under a deep blue sky. Fire up boys, we have a CODE BLUEBIRD! Multiple storms added up to multiple feet of new snow. But the best was saved for last, 2 feet of cold Utah blower […] Backcountry John Solder | February 15, 2019 0 Comments
Wasatch Dispatch: Skiing Big Lines | Heart of Darkness and Monte Cristo Direct Time to grab the ropes and harnesses. We were hungry for some exposed skiing. TL and Adam were game to tick off some classic Wasatch big ski mountaineering lines. There is something undeniable about steep ski to boot transitions, rappelling in the middle of a line, and traveling over big cliffs. Fully engaged skiing. We had Monte Cristo in mind from the […] Backcountry John Solder | January 11, 2019 0 Comments
Wasatch Dispatch: Full Sun After the Storm After two days of wind and heavy snowfall, the clouds rolled away revealing a new coat of 75 cm of creamy snow in the Utah backcountry. Jeremy and I pushed off early to get a jump on the frenzy but were greeted by next to no one almost all day. Nice to watch the day start from the top particularly with freshies at […] Backcountry John Solder | January 11, 2019 0 Comments
Brighton Ski Resort, UT To OPEN Nov. 8th | Big Cottonwood Canyon Resorts Win Just as we were thinking that Utah couldn’t be having a better start to winter we find out it can. We just found out that a second resort here in Utah will be opening Friday, November 8th, and it happens to be Solitudes neighbor who announced yesterday they would be opening on the 8th. Our snowmaking and grooming crew (and as […] Kyler Roush | November 6, 2013 3 Comments
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