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SNOWBIRD, Utah -- The skiing's still good at Snowbird resort -- which is marking its longest season in 33 years of operation -- two months after other Utah ski resorts called it quits.
The snow was pasty and a little sticky with temperatures hitting the 60s, but there's still plenty of it -- about eight feet on the upper mountain.
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon stood atop Snowbird today to help celebrate its longest season, which is on track to hit 201 days of skiing since November 5th.
The resort already broke a record with 195 days of skiing -- counting only weekends since May 8, when it stopped every-day skiing.
Other Utah ski resorts closed in mid-April for lack of interest or because of Forest Service rules, but Snowbird is a year-round resort. It's mostly on private land -- and it keeps a 125-person tram running daily for sightseeing tours -- or skiing.
Snowbird has been blessed with more than 52 feet of snow since October, and resort President Bob Bonar says one spot in an alpine bowl still has snow 20 feet deep.
Business has been good at Snowbird -- so good the resort plans to spend $7 million installing a new, faster chair lift and boring a tunnel that will deliver skiers more easily to the resort's Mineral Basin backside.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
