Typical operating window
December–MarchWasatch storms usually build the operational base from November into December.Verified planning context
Snow, weather and avalanche context
Historical patterns help you compare trips. They do not predict your week or replace the operator's daily decisions.
Strongest comparable snow evidence
1,248 cm median · 1,025–1,438 cm interquartile rangeNOAA GHCN station USC00420072, AltaTier B · observed reference · moderate confidenceSnow character
continentalCold storms can produce low-density powder. Wind slabs, persistent weak layers, and rapid warming still require daily assessment.Public avalanche information
Utah Avalanche Center Salt Lake forecastUse the original Salt Lake bulletin. Resort control and commercial operator assessments are separate systems.Weather and flight context
Pacific moisture and Great Salt Lake enhancement can produce intense, localized Wasatch snowfall.
- Heavy snowfall and low ceiling
- Canyon weather and access
- Ridge wind and flat light
Meteorological reference area
Snowbird and Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Includes
- Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, and named nearby reference stations.
- Excludes
- Other Utah mountain regions.
- Elevation
- No verified operator-terrain elevation band is public. Each evidence value retains its site elevation.
Evidence pack
Measurements, claims and gaps stay separate.
Tier BNearby reference-station snowfall1,248 cm median · 1,025–1,438 cm interquartile range
- Site
- NOAA GHCN station USC00420072, Alta · 40.5906, -111.6369 · 2655 m · 2 km from the catalogue reference
- Period
- July–June snow years, 1991/92–2019/20
- Completeness
- 22 of 29 snow years had at least 330 valid daily snowfall values.
- Method
- Quality-flagged daily SNOW values summed by snow year; incomplete years excluded.
- Limitation
- Alta is a nearby fixed station, not a measure of every Snowbird slope or heli-ski terrain.
- Global Historical Climatology Network DailyNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · accessed 2026-08-25
Tier CModelled snowfall water equivalent417 mm SWE median · 364–443 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Snowbird ERA5-Land grid cell · 40.6000, -111.7000 · 4.1 km from Snowbird reference point
- Period
- Calendar years 1991–2020
- Completeness
- 360 monthly means; all 30 calendar years contain 12 values.
- Method
- ERA5-Land monthly mean daily snowfall accumulation was multiplied by calendar days and 1,000, then summed by calendar year.
- Limitation
- This reference area supports evidence discovery and comparison. It is not an operating-area or tenure boundary. The sampled gateway cell can differ substantially from ski elevations. This unadjusted 0.1° reanalysis grid cell is not an observation, snow depth, or terrain-wide total. Grid elevation and wind redistribution can cause substantial local bias.
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
Tier EPublished commercial snowfall claim500 in / 12.7 m resort claim
- Site
- Snowbird resort, Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Period
- Baseline period not published by the source
- Completeness
- The source does not publish the underlying observation record.
- Method
- Interested-source claim. Heliski International has not reconstructed the measurement series.
- Limitation
- This is a resort marketing average, not a 1991–2020 station normal or a guarantee for heli-ski terrain.
- Snowbird facts and frequently asked questionsSnowbird · accessed 2026-08-25
Monthly evidence
Each cell keeps its measurement type and unit. Reanalysis water equivalent is not snow depth. Text-only cells preserve a representative data gap.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235.6 cm snowfall | 175.2 cm snowfall | 164.4 cm snowfall | 152.3 cm snowfall | 41.9 cm snowfall | 5.5 cm snowfall | 0 cm snowfall | 0 cm snowfall | 0 cm snowfall | 69.5 cm snowfall | 126.3 cm snowfall | 187.8 cm snowfall |
Commercial operator assessment
Operator assessment process not independently verifiedThe operator must assess current snow, avalanche terrain, weather, aircraft limits, and rescue options. No private operational plan is inferred.
Sources and evidence notes
- Snowbird facts and frequently asked questionsSnowbird · accessed 2026-08-25
- Published operator and trip inventoryHeliski International editorial team · accessed 2026-08-25
- Global Historical Climatology Network DailyNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
- Utah Avalanche Center forecastsUtah Avalanche Center and U.S. Forest Service · accessed 2026-08-25
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · accessed 2026-08-25
