Solitude forces winter’s hand, opens for skiing at last

At last, ski season has arrived in northern Utah.

Solitude Mountain Resort resisted resetting its opening day for a fourth time and instead fired up its Link lift on Thursday. The resort reported receiving 4 inches of snow within the past three days, but most of the coverage on Easy Street, the lone run that will be open, will be human made.

“We have forced Mother Nature’s hand,” Amber Broadaway, Solitude’s president and chief operating officer, said in a statement, “and — through investments in snowmaking capabilities this past summer — found a way to welcome skiers and riders to Solitude.”

More natural snow is on the way this weekend, according to the OntheSnow.com forecast. It calls for Solitude to see 2 inches both Friday and Saturday and 5 inches on Sunday. The OpenSnow.com extended forecast calls for more than 30 inches in the next three weeks.

Skiers and snowboarders may be reluctant to get their hopes up, however, after seeing storms fail to materialize multiple times over the past month. Solitude originally set its opening date for Nov. 14, then Nov. 16, then Nov. 19 before finally making the date stick Thursday.

“We’re grateful this Thanksgiving for everyone making turns with us this weekend and, especially, for our operations team,” Broadaway said. “Thank a snowmaker!”

Solitude may have won bragging rights for being the first Wasatch Mountains ski and snowboard area to open the 2025-26 season, but it wasn’t the first in the state. That boast goes to Brian Head Resort, just north of Cedar City. It opened Friday with its Navajo Express lift and added a second lift, Pioneer, on Thursday. It now has seven runs open.

Brian Head reported seeing 17% more visits during its first four days this season compared to last season. The resort was also the first to open in 2024-25 with its Nov. 8 start date.

Solitude will not require parking reservations through opening weekend, and parking will be free through Dec. 4.