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SALT LAKE CITY -- The month of November ends in a few short hours, and for Utah's winter sports industry it couldn't come sooner. This month has been a dry one.
| Reservoir | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Causey | 51% |
| Deer Creek | 82% |
| East Canyon | 75% |
| Echo | 54% |
| Hyrum | 71% |
| Jordanelle | 74% |
| Lost Creek | 74% |
| Pineview | 62% |
| Rockport | 73% |
| Willard Bay | 88% |
The lack of snow has winter retailers a bit anxious. At Wasatch Touring last weekend, they sold more bikes than skis -- something unusual for the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Our sales are of course lower when there's not a lot of snow. It's a little bit like farming. We need the weather to cooperate to have the best ski sales," says Dwight Butler, co-founder of Wasatch Touring.
| Resort | Opening date |
|---|---|
| Alta | Open |
| Beaver Mountain | TBA |
| Brian Head | Open |
| Brighton | Open |
| The Canyons | Open |
| Deer Valley | Dec. 5 |
| Park City | Open |
| Powder Mountain | TBA |
| Snowbasin | Open |
| Snowbird | Open |
| Solitude | Open |
| Sundance | Dec. 11 |
| Wolf Creek | Open |
Related:
Ski resorts fight global warming; Utah gov unsure
Ski resorts typically use the Thanksgiving weekend to kickoff their winter seasons, but if global temperatures continue to rise, fewer and fewer resorts will be able to open for the traditional beginning of ski season.Thanks to heavy June rains, reservoir storage is solid -- in the 70 percent-plus range. Still, McInerney says the warming climate is delivering less snowpack, more rain, a later start and earlier end to winter, and more extreme weather. So, when moisture does come, it will come in bigger events.
"My feeling is we'll see more of these type of episodes in the future, five, 10, 15, 20, out 50 to 100 years from now," McInerney says.
Ski Utah says despite the dry weather, nine resorts are open and there are number of very good deals right now for locals, lift tickets and lodging.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
