Julie JagThe weather app may say it’s 93 degrees outside, but Vail Resorts, Inc., says ski and snowboard season is around the corner.
The Colorado-based multi-resort company on Tuesday announced projected opening days for several of its mountains in the West. And while Park City Mountain — Vail Resorts’ lone Utah property — will not try to rival Colorado’s Keystone Resort for the honor of being the first in the nation to spark up its lifts, it shouldn’t be too far behind.
Park City Mountain expects to open up its slopes on Nov. 20. That’s the same day as Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada, and California’s Heavenly and Northstar ski areas. It’s also on par with when Park City Mountain was scheduled to open last season.
Due to the extremely dry start to the winter, though, the largest ski area in the United States instead opened the 2025-26 season on Dec. 5.
Predictions of a super El Niño weather system have fueled Park City Mountain operators’ optimism for an on-time opening in 2026-27.
Park City Mountain is the first of Utah’s 16 ski areas to announce a targeted opening date.
(Thaniel Cebulla | Brian Head Resort) A snowboarder enjoys spring corn skiing at Brian Head Resort on April 20, 2026.
Last season, Brian Head Resort opened first on Nov. 21 after delaying twice from its initial prediction of Nov. 7. This year it could be the first to open again.
As the state’s southernmost ski and snowboard area, it is forecast to receive above-average precipitation from the super El Niño without the increased temperatures predicted for resorts in the Wasatch Mountains.
A recent forecast from OpenSnow meteorologist Alan Smith said, however, that the brunt of the super El Niño will not hit Utah until January through March.
Prices for the Epic Local pass, which in Utah is good only at Park City Mountain, start at $829 for adults ages 31 and older and $659 for ages 13 to 30. The full Epic Pass, with access to 42 Vail Resorts-owned properties and about 90 ski areas total, starts at $1,119 for adults, $889 for ages 13 to 30 and $569 for ages 5 to 12.
(Megan Banta | The Salt Lake Tribune) People line up for the Payday and Crescent lifts at Park City Mountain Resort as a winter storm dumps snow and lowers visibility in Park City on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026.
A one-day Epic pass at Park City Mountain starts at $141. Adult single-day lift tickets cost $325 in advance and up to $364 at the ticket window — among the most expensive in the nation.
Epic Pass prices increase Sept. 7.
In an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune last month, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz said the company would begin to turn its focus from expanding Epic Pass destinations to improving customer service. Katz said he would like to have Park City Mountain and other resorts rival the hospitality found at Deer Valley Resort.
Julie left the beach of Santa Cruz, Calif., where she worked for 17 years, for the mountains of Salt Lake City in 2019. She has covered the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Maverick's big wave surf contest and two Olympics. A Colorado native, she enjoys creating her own adventure, occasionally with her husband and two kids in tow.