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Opening Day Recap

The Southern Utah storms swept through the desert early this year – Bringing with it, the earliest opening day in history at Brian Head Resort! Read on for an opening day recap.

Substantial Snowfall

Thanks to substantial snowfall, low temperatures, and additional snow-making efforts, this is the earliest opening day in Brian Head Resort history. From mid-October to the beginning of November, the mountain began seeing regular snow storms consistently dropping 10-20 inches at a time. The first storm alone brought in 17” on October 24th.

In previous years, the resort would open nearer to Thanksgiving weekend. This season, trails were open two weekends ahead of schedule due to the additional snowfall. This amount of fresh powder before the holidays was a great sign, and the resort jumped into action with the goal to open earlier!

And We Are Open

Brian Head employees were stirring with anticipation. Who would get the bragging rights this year? On November 4th, 2022, Brian Head Resort opened its doors to the public, celebrating the first resort to officially open in Utah. The news was well received by the public. Opening day attendance was higher than ever. The resort staff could already expect an amazing season ahead of them.

The skies cleared just in time for a beautiful bluebird day on the mountain. Our Brian Head employees were excited to open ski season and share the signature “Utah Snow”. They welcomed our early arrival guests with music and giveaways. Eagerly awaiting first turns of the season. The addition of a hot chocolate bar kept the skiers and snowboarders warm between runs. 

Bragging Rights

The race for the first chair began early in the morning. Our first guests getting to Navajo Lodge hours before the grand opening. The first chair guests arrived at 6:30 to get the first chair! The Utah banner was brought out to the lucky first-chair folks, kickstarting an exceptional day on the mountain. The excitement and high energy seemed to set the mood for not only opening day, but the season ahead.

Take a photo tour below!

Conditions

Navajo Mountain was groomed and ready with fresh corduroy. The trails already had a base depth of 23” and more snow was on the way. By 9 am, Brian Head had three lifts open including: Paradise, Fun Run, and You’re Ready trails. Lift operators were especially excited to have Navajo Express, one of the two high-speed chairlifts, spinning for opening day. Skiers and Snowboarders had access to Navajo Peak, the highest point of Navajo Mountain, and enjoyed the crystal-clear views of Cedar Breaks in the distance. Low temperatures continued throughout the following weeks, creating ideal snow-making conditions to contribute to an already solid base depth for this early in the season. Brian Head had all of the remaining lifts spinning by early December. The historical opening day could not have been possible without our mountain operations team and resort staff working around the clock. 

Overall, it was a memorable day spent kicking the season off early and welcoming our community back to the slopes in Utah. It takes a village to get these resorts up and running every season, but we were ecstatic to provide the freedom to ski a little earlier this year. On behalf of the Brian Head Resort team, we hope you are enjoying this remarkable and record breaking ski season as much as we are! 

Follow us on social media to see the daily happenings at the resort and check out our Snow Report in the link below for up-to-date snow totals. 

Website Conditions Page

Signing off, 

See you on the slopes!

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