If this is as bad as it gets, we have it pretty good.
Entering our 88th year, we envisioned a normal Alta season—month after month of snowy nights and deep days. Slopes of Alta marked with fresh tracks of celebratory powder 8s—and powder 88s—waiting to be erased by the next round of snowstorms. Mother Nature had other plans.
Alta and most of the West have been experiencing a weird “winter”. A wet October gave way to the driest November on record. A few well-timed dense December storms had the lifts spinning and fresh snow falling through the holiday season and the New Year started with a bang. But much like a firework show ringing in a new year, the sky filled with a flurry of activity, and then nothing. Almost three snowless weeks passed until a couple-inch storm breezed through in the final days of the month. The high pressure continued into the first week of February, as we were quietly enjoying some pretty great skiing.
Despite the historically low snow totals, Alta Ski Area has been open wall-to-wall, with 97–100% of our terrain open daily since the New Year. The off-piste skiing stayed chalky and fun while our grooming teams worked hard to put down a fresh surface each morning.
Don't Call it a Comeback.
We made it through the Best Worst Start on record and our 88th season is finally beginning to feel like winter. A recent mid-February pattern change has ushered in the return of winter storms. We ended the first half of the 2025–26 season with a foot of fresh snow and celebratory powder 8s in Romantic Alta. A cold winter storm during Presidents' Week delivered more than a quarter of our season-to-date snowfall. Through March 1st, the 2025–26 season is off to the least-snowiest start in the 46-year history of the Collins Study Plot.
The second half of the season started with a 53-inch storm cycle during Presidents' Week.
The weather has been active and looks to stay snowy through the first week of March. Due to a slow first half of the season, a second-half comeback is unlikely to bring our season totals close to meeting our 45-year average annual snowfall of 548 inches. But as we witnessed over the past few weeks, the mountain is skiing well and we are ready to ski whatever Mother Nature throws our way.
Which had us thinking, "If this is as bad as it gets, we have it pretty good."
February 2026 | 72.5 inches of snow—79.5% of average
The first week of February was sunny and dry, allowing Alta Ski Patrol to open the Main Chute of Mount Baldy for the first time this season. As we approached Super Bowl Sunday, our attention turned to a forecast calling for a potential pattern change.
A lovely pattern change.
Between Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine's Day—the halfway point of the season—we received a heartwarming gift from Mother Nature. A cold front moved into Utah on Monday, delivering the first inch of February snow. The cold front helped open the door for another storm moving into Alta from the southwest. Seven inches of fresh snow fell overnight—our first true powder day in a month.
February 11th: Turner Barbour gets some long-awaited snow in the face | Photo: Tyler Struss
The storm picked up again overnight, dropping another four inches of dense snow before the skies cleared. The final four inches created a clean canvas across the mountain and Alta Ski Patrol opened additional terrain, the perfect opportunity to test the ski legs we've been building up throughout a dry January.
February 12th: Erin Spence remembered how to ski powder | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Following a month of high pressure, a foot of fresh white paint was just what we needed to spruce up the place for the busy Presidents' Day Weekends. Our grooming teams went to work, dressing up Alta in fresh corduroy. Our lifties carefully manicured their ramps and liftlines. And Alta Ski Patrol freshened up the turns with additional terrain openings. On Valentine's Day, we grabbed our partners and laid down powder 8s in Devil's Castle. Romantic Alta was back and the forecast was looking quite lovely.
February 14th: Leo Schor and Eliza Cowie love some Valentine's Day Powder 8s in Devil's Castle | Photo: Photo-John
A Presidential Storm—53 Inches in 100 hours.
We kicked off the second half of the season as a cold winter storm moved into the Wasatch. In a season filled with near-misses from splitting storm cycles, dense snow, southwest flows and underproducing storm totals, we prepared for the worst. But the downgrade never came, the split never happened and Mother Nature hit us with everything she had.
A cold winter storm arrived on Presidents’ Day. Under blue skies and through blustery winds, skiers enjoyed an incredible day of wind-buffed turns on the Backside before clouds rolled in and graupel pellets began falling. The wind and graupel continued through the night and into the next day. By the last chair on Tuesday, almost a foot of graupel had accumulated around the mountain. The little ball bearings landed on the smooth chalky slopes of Alta, rolling into every nook and cranny, refilling ski tracks between laps.
February 17th: Thayne Rich surfs the graupel | Photo: Tyler Struss
After a short break in the action—one that has too-frequently turned into days and weeks of high pressure—the snow started falling again. Overnight, another six inches of snow had fallen. And that’s when a cold front moved in and the snow really started stacking up.
Twenty-five inches of snow fell in a 12-hour period, peaking at back-to-back four-inch hours. It was a dream day for storm skiers—grab the low-light lenses, a backup buff, cinch up your jacket hood, take to the trees and just keep skiing as the turns get deeper with each lap.
February 18th: Kalen Griffin loves storm skiing | Photo: Tyler Struss
February 18th: Grant Howard seeks shelter amongst the trees | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
February 18th: Blake Wilson, pow!| Photo: Rocko Menzyk
With snow collecting on Highway 210 and another strong wave of snow on its way, Alta Ski Area and neighboring Snowbird made the decision to turn off the lifts for the day. Allowing skiers time to start making their way down the snowy and icy canyon before the road got worse. A few hours after the skiers and employees made it out of Little Cottonwood, Highway 210 closed and our first Interlodge orders of 2026 went into effect. The snow kept falling through the night, eventually breaking before dawn. In total, 47.5 inches of snow had blanketed—and buried—Alta Ski Area.
February 19th: The GMD Patio during the first Interlodge of 2026 | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
February 19th: Lift Ops snowblowing Collins lift bottom terminal | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Following an early morning of ski area and highway avalanche mitigation, Interlodge was lifted, Highway 210 re-opened and eager powder skiers slowly made their way back to Alta. Under clear blue skies, skiers enjoyed the deepest powder day of the season, so far. It was the picture-perfect powder day we had daydreamed about between chalky laps amid a dry January.
February 19th: Andrew Pollard digging into a four-foot storm | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
February 18th: Dash Longe scores fresh tracks | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
But the snow wasn’t done just yet. The northwest flow lingered through the evening and into Friday morning. The cold air managed to squeeze a little Alta Magic out of the atmosphere. Another six inches of pixie dust refreshed Thursday's tracks, leaving another clean canvas and 53 inches of fresh snow from the storm cycle.
The Presidents' Week storm cycle brought 53 inches of snow to Alta—over a quarter of our season-to-date snowfall.
February 20th: Myles Barrett skis 53 inches of fresh snow in Spiney Chutes| Photo: Rocko Menzyk
February 20th: Myles Barrett appreciates a cold northwest flow | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
As the storm finally left Little Cottonwood Canyon, our teams went to work, digging out, grooming the main corridors and opening additional terrain throughout a powder-filled weekend. The northwest flow delivered and the wind-buffed and chalky slopes provided the perfect foundation for fresh snow and deep powder turns.
Presidential Storm Stats
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25 inches of snow in 12 hours
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33 inches of snow in 24 hours
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47.5-inch storm total
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53 inches of snow in 100 hours—25% of our season-to-date snowfall
The final week of February was a return to the dense snow and high snow levels from earlier this season as another eight inches of snow fell at the Collins Study Plot. While a bit of a mixed bag around the base areas, the upper elevations skied great through the end of the month as we experienced the return of windbuff and chalky snow.
February 25th: Zuri McLoughlin and Lupe Hagearty surf the wind buff | Photo: Tyler Struss
In total, February recorded 72.5 inches of snow, 79.5% of the 45-year average of 91.18 inches. February water was 8.47 inches, 118% of average (7.15"). Despite above-average water totals, February marked our fifth consecutive month of below-average snowfall. Meteorological winter drew to a close as the warmest winter on record in nearby Salt Lake City. These warm temperatures have suppressed snowfall totals at the Collins Study Plot, while water over the past three months was slightly above average. It's been an unusual winter, but the skiing has been consistently great.
March 2026 | 44.5 inches and counting
Like a lion.
Historically, March has been Alta's snowiest month, averaging close to 100 inches of snow over the past 45 years. Sure enough, we began the month with a promising forecast calling for back-to-back midweek storms.
The first storm was familiar for this warmer-than-average winter—10.5 inches of dense, but fun, snow. The snow level remained low enough to enjoy creamy turns at lower elevations and lighter snow at higher elevations.
March 3rd: David Berthiaume skis fresh snow on his birthday | Photo: Tyler Struss
As the low clouds lifted and the skies cleared, the snow seemed to dry out even further. The break between storms offered a great window for Alta Ski Patrol to open additional terrain and for Alta skiers to practice some powder 8s—and powder 88s.
March 4th: Alta skiers put down some powder 88s | Photo: Tyler Struss
March 4th: Wind buff laps with friends | Photo: Tyler Struss
The next storm made its way into Utah on Wednesday afternoon. Strong winds buffed out turns around the mountain, covering up the day's tracks and smoothing out surfaces for the next round of snow. The cold front arrived that evening, signalling a more traditional storm for the Wasatch. The forecast models improved as the storm approached.
The snow started falling overnight, and four inches were reported by first chair. It was a great day of cold snow and storm skiing that seemed to improve with each hour and each lap. If the northwest flow stayed in place, forecasted snow totals of one foot may be wildly underestimated.
March 5th: Tommy Flitton skis the storm | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
The snow continued to fall through last chair when the northwest flow started working its magic. Snowfall rates picked up through the night and into Friday morning. By first chair Friday morning, another foot of snow had fallen—and the Alta Magic show wasn't done yet.
The snow kept piling up and the road conditions deteriorated throughout the morning. A planned midday avalanche-mitigation closure of Highway 210 was implemented earlier than expected. Skiers who had made it to Alta before the closure were treated to a country club-like day of powder skiing as the snow kept falling.
March 6th: Powder couple Piper Kunst and Tristen Lilly storm skiing | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Once Highway 210 reopened, afternoon skiers were greeted with plenty of fresh tracks and deep powder turns thanks to the prolonged northwest flow. The snow eventually let up in the afternoon, but not until 24 inches of snow had fallen in just 24 hours—producing the deepest powder days of the season.
March 6th: Anna Tedesco puts the hood up and skis the storm | Photo: Jasper Gibson
Our crews went to work, digging out and opening new terrain. Alta skiers enjoyed a bluebird weekend filled with deep powder turns and powder 8s in Catherine's Area, Ballroom, the Backside and Devil's Castle. In a season filled with warm temperatures and dense snowfall from southwest flows, an unexpectedly deep powder day from a prolonged northwest flow was a welcome sight—a reminder of what makes Alta Ski Area such a special place, even in a below-average winter.
March 7th: An Alta skier catches a bluebird Backside rope drop | Photo: Photo-John
March 8th: Skiers hike the Devil's Castle apron bootpack | Photo: Photo-John
As quickly as the March snowstorm arrived, high pressure moved in, and the possibility of new snow disappeared from the forecast. The second week of March provided a familiar return of sunshine with chalky turns and groomer laps.
The second half of March is underway and the forecast is calling for unseasonably warm weather. Spring skiing season has arrived—a little earlier than expected—but in a season filled with unexpectedness, we'll embrace whatever Mother Nature throws our way and just keep skiing.
How did we get here?—The Best Worst Start
As of March 1st, the 2025–26 season is off to the least-snowiest start in the 46-year history of the Collins Study Plot.
While our season-to-date snowfall is 58% of average, our season-to-date water is closer to 86% of average. Warmer storms throughout the season have delivered plenty of dense snow and graupel to our snowpack. Snowfall at Alta Ski Area has an average density of 8.36% over the past 45 years. This season's average density is a whopping 12.43%. The additional density has helped our settled snow depth hold up during longer stretches of high pressure and the low sun angles of winter have kept the snow cold, dry and chalky across all of Alta's high-elevation terrain.
Despite just 215.5 inches of season-to-date snowfall on March 1st, we’ve been enjoying some great skiing with 97–100% of our terrain open and the recent return of powder skiing.
January 2026 | 69 inches of snow—72.5% of average
New Year, New Snow—Our First Taste of Winter.
Following a slow start to the 2025–26 season at Alta Ski Area, the holidays and the first 10 days of January delivered fresh snow. Skiers enjoyed a white Christmas and a series of storms that wrapped up 2025 and brought a fresh start to Alta in 2026.
January 8th: Georgie Knox bounces through blower powder | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
January 9th: Michael Cherchio dives into 22 inches of Alta Magic | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Powder skiing during the first half of January was as good as it gets. It only took a couple of storms and a few deep turns to rewrite the narrative. Winter was here—until it suddenly wasn't. New Year, New Snow >
The Miracle on Chalk—A month of high pressure and high vibes.
The storm moved on from Little Cottonwood and a stubborn ridge of high pressure took its place. But even as 66.5 inches of fresh powder turned to chalk, our skiable terrain increased, carrying us through a mostly snowless second half of January.
February 4th: Jenna Henry skis chalk on Alf's High Rustler | Photo: Tyler Struss
On February 2nd, Alta Ski Patrol opened the Main Chute of Mount Baldy. For the first time this season, Alta Ski Area was open wall-to-wall—with 118 of 118 runs open and a 60-inch settled snow depth. From Westward Ho to Catherine's, from the top of Baldy to the bottom of the Big Griz ski conveyor, we’ve been skiing everything, embracing the opportunity to explore new areas of the mountain and enjoying the slopes and runs often overlooked on powder days.
February 6th: Berkley Stone crushes Main Chute | Photo: Tyler Struss
January 22nd: Jazz Vitale explores Supreme bumps | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
February 1st: Sunnyside laps under the sun | Photo: Photo-John
Our snowcat teams have been working their tails off, laying down fresh corduroy each night and adding new runs to the daily grooming report. Weekend skiers have been treated to fresh air and bluebird skies. Families have been enjoying Sunnyside laps in the sun.
As the world looked to the powder-filled snow reports from New England and Japan, we have been quietly enjoying some pretty great skiing under milder weather and sunshine. We managed to open wall-to-wall—with 97–100% of our terrain open during periods of high pressure. The grooming, wind buff and chalk skiing have been incredible all season. Our friends and families have been exploring every part of the mountain, building up their ski legs and enjoying the sunshine while we waited for the flakes to start flying again.
If this is as bad as it gets, we have it pretty good.