Although Wasatch Front slopes are not yet blanketed in the greatest snow on Earth, the Utah Transit Authority is preparing for the first powder day of the 2025-26 ski season.
Regular bus service to Solitude, Brighton, Alta and Snowbird will begin on Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, while service to Snowbasin and Powder Mountain will resume on Friday, Nov. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 13, respectively. The routes were originally scheduled to resume on Sunday, but since many resorts have had to delay their openings due to weather conditions, the first day of ski service has also been pushed back, UTA spokesperson Gavin Gustafson said.
The ski bus to Sundance will begin operating on Saturday, Dec. 20, Gustafson added. The new start date for UTA ski service is still contingent on resort opening dates, so powderhounds should keep an eye on their favorite resorts for any changes.
Solitude could open as early as Thanksgiving day, while Snowbird, Alta and Powder Mountain are planning for an early December opening. Brighton has not yet announced its first day for skiers and snowboarders, and Snowbasin recently delayed its opening from Nov. 28 to ”the moment conditions allow," according to a post on the resort’s Instagram account.
Despite the delay to ski service, the transit agency’s ski bus operations won’t change much from last year, Gustafson said.
“I would recommend everybody check schedules, whether it be on rideUTA.com, or on the Transit app, or signing up for service alerts,” Gustafson added, “because while we mainly have a regular schedule, as we all know, when Mother Nature hits us with the snow, it can certainly throw things off.”
Canyon Service 1 and 2, two routes operated by third-party company The Driver Provider, will also return on Sunday, Dec. 7. The service replaces UTA’s 953 route up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Alta’s Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge, which was cut due to a driver shortage before the 2022-2023 ski season,
The Canyon Service 1 route will begin at Midvale’s Fort Union TRAX Station and will run in the mornings from 6 to 8:30 a.m., and again in the evenings from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The Canyon Service 2 route will pick up skiers and snowboarders from the 6200 South Wasatch Park and Ride and will offer 30-minute service up Little Cottonwood Canyon from 6:20 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
No cash is accepted on the routes, but riders can pay the $5 fare each way on their Transit app, ski pass or UTA Farepay card.
The full schedule for all six UTA ski bus routes and the two Canyon Service routes can be found on the UTA website, rideuta.com.