Although both Deer Valley and Park City Mountain opened last weekend, few trails are open, with daily high temperatures in the 50s.
Even at upper elevations, conditions look more like spring than winter.
In the backcountry, Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Drew Hardesty described conditions as “stop-and-go mashed potatoes.”
“We just have a pretty thin and threadbare snowpack, just one to two feet of snow up high, and the only cold snow that exists is along the higher reaches of the north-facing aspects – and that’s fairly wind-damaged,” he said in a KPCW avalanche report Dec. 12.
For snowshoers, fatbikers and cross-country skiers, options are scant in the Wasatch Back.
On Thursday, the Mountain Trails Foundation encouraged bikers to enjoy paved paths or frozen dirt trails around town instead of searching for snow.
It says singletrack trails at Bonanza Flat are still too soft for fatbiking. Meanwhile, although the foundation is grooming Nordic track at Bonanza, the cover is thin and variable due to warm weather.
Soldier Hollow, outside Midway, is one exception for Nordic skiers eager to start their seasons. On Friday, Dec. 12, it opened about one kilometer of trails, or roughly 0.62 miles, thanks to manufactured snow. Staff recommend skiing early in the morning, when weather is cooler.
It’s an unusually dry start to the winter for Utah. KSL reports snowpack is the lowest it’s been for early December in at least 25 years.
Warm temperatures will likely continue next week. The National Weather Service reports Park City will see high temperatures in the low 50s through Tuesday, while Heber City could have highs in the mid- to upper 50s next week.
Early forecasts show a mix of rain and snow could arrive Tuesday night, Dec. 16.
