Utah Resorts set Opening Dates

Now that the photos of the first flakes in the Utah high country have been posted, the next move for skiers and riders is to make plans for the first turns of the year.

With that in mind, most of the Beehive State’s mountain resorts have announced when they will first turn the lifts for the 2011/2012 season. These dates, of course, are dependent upon sufficient snowfall between now and then.

As is usual, the initial opening comes from the Wasatch Mountains. This year, Brighton expects to get things rolling on Nov. 10, followed closely by its Big Cottonwood Canyon neighbor, Solitude, on Nov. 11.

A week later, the other side of the ridge gets things under way, with Alta and Snowbird cranking up their lifts on Nov. 18 and 19, respectively. Park City Mountain joins the fun on Nov. 19, as does Brian Head to the south.

The following week brings in the northern resorts of Powder Mountain and Snowbasin on Nov. 24, and Canyons opens up for the season on the next day. Deer Valley joins in on Dec. 3, and Sundance completes the list of announced openings on Dec. 9.

Eagle Point, Beaver Mountain and Wolf Mountain have only said they plan to open sometime in December, according to Ski Utah.

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