Flashback to last time it snowed early September in Utah

**Endlessseason** · 09-20-2006, 04:58 PM

A few of you have asked how long it has been since it snowed this early in Utah. How would you know that I keep track of this stuff? Huh?
Actually, it was three years ago (on September 10th, 2003) that we had the last early snowfall. Somehow the original thread has disappeared so I'm reposting some of this stuff.

Here are a couple of pics from that day:

The sweet spot:

That was also the week that Tom came through town and we had ourselves a little get together at the Blue Iguana downtown.

Jayfrizzo, GT40, Meatsofevil, Woodsy, Lumpy, Altachic, MacDaddy, ColdSmoke, RedBaron, Tom, and a couple of girls whose faces I can't see were in attendance.

Fun times. Fun times.

The long-lost Frizzo

...and a little singing...

(Lumpy and Woodsy did karaoke as well but I don't have any pics)

I don't know how this thread got distappeared but there's some history here that needs to be preserved.

**release** · 09-20-2006, 06:18 PM

Hey Ron, I've got a spot reserved on my coffee table for your History of Utah Skiing when you get around to writing it. Yeah, your website is great, but I am looking forward to the book. I know you've got a mind full of trivia that needs to be shared and archived. Thanks.

**pointedem** · 09-20-2006, 06:38 PM

ron what was the last el nino year here?

and was it good?

**powstash** · 09-20-2006, 07:36 PM

03-04 season was, if I remember correctly was a slow starter but really ramped up in Feb/March. I dunno, that was the last year I worked at the resort under a boss that didn't ski and didn't like it when I skied. I don't like that guy.

**soul_skier** · 09-20-2006, 09:40 PM

this season i'm predicting heavy snowfall around thanksgiving, christmas to early january, and late march....

**Endlessseason** · 09-20-2006, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by powstash

03-04 season was, if I remember correctly was a slow starter but really ramped up in Feb/March.

Yep, the 'Stash remembers correctly that it was a ramped-up year. The '03-'04 season started on Nov 6th with the Brighton opener. Snowbird opened on the 14th with a decent 70" season, but only a 26" base. The season came in real cold. In fact, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving there was an LCC frostbite warning due to -45 temps (with the windchill factor).
LCC had 290" by New Year's Day, with a 100" base. We had a very deep and successful Utah Mini, including a super-deep day at Snowbasin (many of you will remember that epic day). Alta broke 500" on March 5th, and hit 600" on April 21st (unfortunately Alta had already closed on the 18th, but some of us crossed over from the Bird and had it basically to ourselves

).
Personally, it was a personal-best year for me with 30 different ski resorts skied; 21 of them within a one month period of time.
The only really bad deal is that even with all that snow, the Bird made the ridiculous decision to close in the middle of May (the 16th) rather than go a couple of weeks longer and close on Memorial.

Originally Posted by pointedem

ron what was the last el nino year here?
and was it good?

The last El Nino year here was '02-'03. It was a solid season with almost 500" and there were plenty of highlights. Although the first couple of months threatened to tie the worst year ever in the Wasatch (which was 1976 with only 150 inches by New Year's) things turned around and we didn't tie that dubious record. Instead, the Bird set an all-time ticket sales record on New Year's Day '03 and, thankfully, we ended up getting another 300+ inches before the Bird closed on Memorial.
This was also the second year that Alta decided to break with tradition and stay open until the last weekend in April, rather than the 3rd weekend as they had done for 65 or so years.
'02-'03 was also the year we had that awesome western Canuckian Summit with all that pow, and also that first infamous Silverton Mini. Oh...and I can't forget to mention the very first Heli-Mini. (Yo! Release!)

The most recent 'severe' El Nino was '97-'98. I remember it well. Solly opened earlier than usual--on Nov 8th that year, and we'd already had tons of pow by Thanksgiving week in the Cottonwoods.
The season started off strong and kept providing consistent storms throughout. There were even a couple of good overnighters (with 30+ inches each) by Christmas.
That was actually the season that ended with 24" of pow on June 17th, which was Snowbird's final week of the '97-'98 season.

Welcome back 'Los Anos Ninos'.