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Show . v n r V r i I fM. V'V ii Let it snow, let it snow by Randy Hanskat Ah yes, the signs of winter are upon us. The frosted windows, the frigid temperatures, the urge to fidget with the skis hanging on the wall, the ice on the sidewalks, the . patches of white. Yes, the snow on Monday night and Tuesday was a welcome sight for everyone in town. But let's get down to business. What about the skiing? How soon can we ski, Mommy? First some figures. The National Weather Service station on Park Avenue measured four and one half inches of snow Tuesday morning in town, with a temperature of a chilly 13 degrees. Phil Jones, president of the Park City Ski Area, gleefully reported seven inches at the Summit House, with Deer Valley getting about the same. ParkWest snatched about four to five inches, while Alta piled up 24 inches, Snowbird 22 inches, Solitude 12 inches, and Brighton 10 incnes. For all it was basically the first real snow of the season. And for the last three nights it has been cold enough to blow snow. Jones and Joe Malina, king of Park City's snowmaking, say the area has been blowing snow on Lower Claimjumper, and in the Upper Hollow from the angle station down. These are two separate systems, but both can be run at the same time. Malina said that without some natural snow it would take a long time to open the resort. But if it comes down to it, snow can be made on Prospector, lower Clementine, First Time, Payday, and a few other runs. Yeah, enough about possibilities. When is the actual skiing going to-begin? to-begin? Park City is still sticking to its Nov. 18 opening day, says Jones, but it depends on how much natural snow comes down. The best bets for opening are the top half of the gon dola, and areas served by the Prospector chair. But we want to know inches. How many inches are needed? Jones estimates that 18 inches of packed snow will be enough to open. And that amount looks possible, he said, because the weather pattern has changed from sunny and warm to partly cloudy and showers snow on the mountains, rain in the valleys for the rest of the week. OK, but what if Park City can't come through? What is everybody else planning? Alta and Snowbird plan to open Nov. 19. Brighton is looking for Nov. 23, while Solitude wants another two to three feet of snow before it makes a go of it. ParkWest is shooting for Dec. 9, and Deer Valley waits for Dec. 10. All right, the future looks bright and snowy. But just to be safe, does anyone know any kind of Indian snow dances? |