Anonymous wrote:A lot of places close b/c bears awake from hibernation and the resorts' leases on natl forests expire (won't renew until Nov.). And the low crowds don't justify the operating costs.
Avalanche risks skyrockets in April too.
Having said that, there are are usually a few places that are open through late April . Alta and Snowbird (Memorial Day!) are the usual holdouts.
Wow, most of this is not correct.
No one is closing ski resorts because bears wake up.
The resorts do not have leases that expire at the end of ski season. They are open in the summer for hiking, biking and scenic lift rides.
Avalanche risk in Utah is highest in March, not April. April is actually one of the lowest risk months, after Dec-March.
It is true that Alta is on national forest land, but snowbird is mostly on private land. People always quote the national forest rules as a reason for resorts to close, but it’s actually the resort’s decision.
Alta closes because of several reasons, including the fact that their employees live at Alta for the season and logistically, they need to set schedules. It probably could stay open as long as snowbird because like snowbird, it’s mostly north facing. But they always close in April, or at least they have in the past decade. I can remember snowbird being open in July one year.