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PARK CITY — The license plates aren't kidding: Utah really does have "The Greatest Snow on Earth." Or at least, the third-greatest, according to Tripadvisor's latest rankings.
Park City was awarded No. 3 Best Place to Ski in North America after Whistler, Canada, and Jackson, Wyoming. Park City also placed No. 7 in the world for 2023. The awards were chosen based on global ratings and reviews for top ski destinations from Nov. 1, 2021 to Oct. 31, 2022.
"We're thrilled," said Dan Howard, vice president of communications at the Park City Chamber of Commerce. "We've always felt that our area was one of the best places in the world, so it's really rewarding to have an organization like Tripadvisor verify our thoughts about the experience."
Howard said extra snowfall this season has allowed Park City to open all its resorts and lifts sooner than normal and have more terrain in operation. Ski Utah reported 92 inches of snowpack in Park City on Feb. 10. Park City has already seen more snow so far this year than all of last season and has already surpassed its seasonal average.
Utah reaches annual snowpack normal 2 months early. What happens next?
State water managers want to see the perfect conditions that will ensure that all of the water in Utah's mountain snowpack ends up in a lakes and reservoirs.
Ski Utah communications director Alison Palmintere said a greater amount of snow across all of Utah's ski destinations has allowed resorts to distribute guests out across a wider terrain.
"It may have felt more crowded last year, whereas this year we're able to spread out and enjoy the mountains," Palmintere said. "We really see more days of snow than sun, and we enjoy 8 inches of fresh powder nearly every day."
Snowpack is at 50-120% above the average rate across Utah, and the state's mountain ranges are expected to pick up another 100-200 inches of snow by spring. Utah also holds the top four spots in North America for resorts with the most total snowfall this season: Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude Mountain Resort.
"Snow quality is always the biggest driver of where people decide to ski," said Ben Cook, marketing and communications director at the Utah Office of Tourism. "So this year having this incredible snow is just perfect for the ski industry and tourism as a whole."
Cook said the second-biggest driver is ease of access to resorts, another strong point for Utah.
COVID restrictions still impacting Park City
Palmintere said the Utah ski industry is proud of how its resorts handled the pandemic in terms of implementing procedures and complying with local guidelines. She said the 2022-2023 season feels like the first year that the state is fully back to normal, which was also aided by the Sundance Film Festival resuming in-person festivities for the first time in two years.
Howard agrees it has been an amazing year for the Wasatch Front because Utahns tend to make their winter sports decisions based on the quality and quantity of snow. But he is quick to correct anyone who says the world is completely post-COVID, including Park City.
"We're still in a COVID environment in terms of people's travel and people's perceptions," Howard said. "Our economy is not as strong as it was prior to COVID, so we're not really returning to those patterns yet."
Howard said the high snowfall doesn't have a strong impact on Park City's visitor patterns because Park City relies on out-of-state and international travel much more than other Utah ski destinations.
"Park City tends to be a place that people decide they're going to go to, and they come whether there's a strong snow year or not," Howard said. He said Australia is Park City's No. 1 international market, but Australians haven't been able to return to the resort town in the same volume as before the COVID-19 pandemic because of travel restrictions.
Inflation and high interest rates have also had a huge influence on the tourism industry's slow return to its normal levels, Howard said. Domestic travelers who might have previously chosen Park City have also been more likely to look abroad since travel options are opening back up.
"I am really looking forward to the day that tourism resumes its traditional patterns pre-COVID globally," Howard said. "We enjoy hosting the world in Park City, and the best thing we can hope for is a return to some kind of normalization. So we're looking forward to the day that returns."
Season projections
Statistics on the number of skiers in Utah this season won't be available until spring. But an upward trend looks promising for the state's tourism and outdoor recreation industry, Cook said, with this year's snow looking even better than in years past.
Ski Utah reported a record-breaking 5.9 million skier days (defined as one person visiting a ski resort area to ski or snowboard) in the 2021-2022 season, up from 5.3 million in 2020-2021.
"The snow wasn't quite as good last year," Cook said. "It will be very interesting to see how this season stacks up."
February is traditionally a strong month for overnight travel to Utah ski resorts, Cook said, and he is optimistic about this season following the same trend.
Howard believes Presidents Day weekend and spring break will be some of the strongest times for Park City, especially with families visiting from California and New York. Easter falls within the traditional ski season this year, being on April 9, so Howard said he also expects that to be a busy weekend.
"I think that it's been a happy season so far, especially for Utah residents," Howard said. "That's always a great, great thing."
