At long last, our uniquely long 2020 offseason is coming to an end. Finally, mercifully, ski season is just around the corner. Without bars, restaurants and the promise of awkward post-election family gatherings for the holidays, skiing and snowboarding offer a welcome reprieve from the monotony of life during a pandemic, which has been exacerbated by cold temperatures and vanishing daylight. Though some details remain fluid, Utah ski resorts have announced tentative 2020-21 opening dates and COVID restrictions intended to keep everyone safe.
Some resorts—e.g., Park City, Brian Head, Woodward, Alta, Snowbasin—are opening within the next week, making them an ideal Turkey Day destination during a holiday week that otherwise lacks some spirit. Others are a bit more conservative, targeting early December to ensure all their I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed. Every resort in Utah is implementing standard safety precautions like mandatory face masks and physical distancing when indoors and loading the lifts, but restrictions regarding lift ticket sales, skier capacity and parking vary between resorts. Park City Mountain, for example, requires purchasing a lift ticket in advance and making an online reservation to ski. Snowbird is limiting skier capacity by requiring parking reservations.
Below is a listing of all the planned Utah ski resort opening dates and current COVID restrictions. Visit the individual resort websites before heading to the hill to make sure you’ve done everything required to hop on the lift without complication.
Alta
- Opening Date: November 23
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Not Required
- Parking Restrictions: Limited
Beaver Mountain
- Opening Date: TBA
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Not Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Brian Head
- Opening Date: November 20
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Suggested
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Brighton
- Opening Date: TBA
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: Limited
Cherry Peak
- Opening Date: TBA
- Reservations Required: TBD
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: TBD
- Parking Restrictions: TBD
Deer Valley
- Opening Date: December 5
- Reservations Required: Not Currently
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Eagle Point
- Opening Date: December 18
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Nordic Valley
- Opening Date: December 4
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Not Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Park City Mountain
- Opening Date: November 20
- Reservations Required: Yes
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Powder Mountain
- Opening Date: TBA
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Snowbasin
- Opening Date: November 25
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Snowbird
- Opening Date: November 30
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: Reservations Required
Solitude
- Opening Date: TBA
- Reservations Required: Not Currently
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Required
- Parking Restrictions: Paid Parking Only
Sundance
- Opening Date: December 4
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Suggested
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
Woodward Park City
- Opening Date: November 20
- Reservations Required: No
- Advance Lift Ticket Purchase: Suggested
- Parking Restrictions: N/A
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