Warm Winter Forces Early Utah Ski Resort Closures, More Dates Pending

Snowbasin Resort wrapped up its 2025-26 season on March 22, roughly a month ahead of schedule, after accumulating just 118 inches of snow this winter against a typical average of 325 inches. The 3,000-acre Weber County resort, which hosted the downhill, Super-G, and combined alpine events at the 2002 Winter Olympics, became the most significant casualty in a string of early Utah closures driven by a record-warm winter and a mid-March heat wave that accelerated snowpack melt across the West.

Three smaller resorts had already gone dark before Snowbasin's announcement. Cherry Peak shut down as early as March 11. Eagle Point and Nordic Valley followed in mid-March, with Eagle Point's closure particularly jarring given that the resort had been targeting Easter weekend, April 5, as its closing date. Tanner Larsen, Eagle Point's representative, explained the reality on the ground to the Salt Lake Tribune: "We were down to only just a handful of runs this weekend, and we're looking at temperatures over next weekend, and we're like, 'There's just no way.'"

Snowbasin general manager Davy Ratchford framed his resort's situation against a stunning three-year reversal. The 2022-23 winter produced over 500 inches of snow at Snowbasin. This season delivered 118 inches, according to Ski Utah. "It's crazy to think that just three years ago we had the most snow we've ever had and, three years later, we've had maybe one of the more challenging seasons in history," Ratchford said. "This is not ideal. This is not what we wanted. But Mother Nature had a little bit of a different plan for us this year."

The temperature swing that finished off the snowpack was severe enough to create new safety concerns on the mountain. KSL reported that the record-breaking warmth raised the threat of wet avalanches for anyone still attempting to use mountain terrain, adding urgency to the resort closures beyond simple business calculations.

OpenSnow forecaster Evan Thayer offered little hope for a late-season reprieve. "A monstrous heatwave is bringing record-shattering temperatures to the West, including Utah," Thayer said. "This early heatwave will accelerate an early melt-off of the snowpack and could spell an early demise to some of the mid-elevation skiing. At this time, no obvious signs of snow in the forecast."

Utah's situation mirrors conditions across California and Idaho, where multiple ski areas also closed ahead of schedule. The financial toll is registering at the corporate level as well. Vail CEO Rob Katz, in a March 9 company report, called it "the most challenging winter across the Rockies that we have ever experienced with the lowest snowfall levels in more than 30 years for our Colorado and Utah resorts, combined with warmer temperatures, resulting in reduced terrain throughout the quarter and into February." Season-to-date skier visits at Vail's North American resorts fell 11.9% compared to the prior year, and total lift revenue dropped 3.6%, with additional declines in ski school, dining, and rental revenue.

The warm temperatures also hampered snowmaking throughout the season, leaving resorts without a reliable backup when natural snowfall fell short.

Several major Utah resorts remain open with projected spring closing dates on record with Ski Utah: Park City is targeting April 20, Deer Valley is set for April 19, and Brian Head has its sights on May 10. Brighton, Powder Mountain, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance, and Woodward Park City had not announced closing dates as of late March, leaving their seasons contingent on whatever conditions the coming weeks deliver.