Julie JagIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
No, seriously. This isn’t Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” It’s Utah’s tale of two seasons.
This 2025-26 ski and snowboard season has officially established itself as the least snowy winter on record. Alta Ski Area, which has tracked snowfall since the 1980-81 season, logged 320 inches of snow as of April 30, which typically is considered the official end date for ski season weather statistics. That total fell 3.5 inches short of the previous low, set in 2014-15. (Though, as noted by OpenSnow.com forecaster Evan Thayer, this season was only the 14th driest in the past 45 years).
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Skiers at Solitude on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.
Just three years ago, though, Utahns were practically drowning in snow. The 2022-23 season went down as the snowiest ever. That year, Alta recorded 903 total inches as of April 30 — or, as The Tribune reported, as much as three and a third 9th and 9th whales stacked atop each other.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Conditions at Solitude on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
By the numbers, Utah’s best year was 167% of the 10-year median of 539.75 inches. This year’s total snowfall was roughly 60% of that median.
Numbers alone, though, can hardly flesh out how disparate those two winters are. That calls for some visualization tools.
We revived our award-winning graphic that — in measurements that are uniquely Utahn — showed how much snow fell on each resort in 2022-23. This time, we added a line indicating where the 2025-26 season totals would fall on those graphs. Spoiler alert: This year, Alta could barely fit one 9th and 9th Whale into its snowpack.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
Will we be going through these motions again next season? Preferably not, as both seasons came with their challenges. At this point, Utah skiers and snowboarders aren’t looking for the best and certainly not the worst. Something right down the middle would suit them just fine.
Just as in “Tale of Two Cities,” in Utah’s mountains, hope springs eternal.
Total Snowfall Recorded by Alta Ski Area in Each of the Past 10 Winters
2025-26: 320”
2024-25: 537.5”
2023–24: 638″
2022-23: 903”
2021–22: 445.5″
2020–21: 486.5″
2019–20: 542″
2018–19: 626″
2017-18: 388”
2016-17: 596.5”
