October Powder Storm Totals – Who Got The Goods?

The storm was forecast to be a decent size specifically for Montana and Wyoming however it appears that Utah took first place when it comes to snowfall count. Taking out 8 spots in the top 15 it would appear that the system which formed off the pacific diverted lower than planned and got stuck on the famous Wasatch front. October snow can be sometimes good and sometimes bad, if the temps continue to stay in the low 30s then this most recent snowfall will create a great base for the upcoming season. It will also mean any snowmaking that is to commence will already have a base to bond with. We looked at which snow resorts claimed the highest natural snowfall in the last 24 hours – check it out below.

Snowbird Snowstake this morning. #1 - Snowbird: 18” / 45cmTaking our first place is Snowbird Resort and to be honest we are not shocked. Every year Snowbird is blessed with 500”+ of abundant snowfall due to the position of the resort deep in the canyon. We woke up this morning and could not stop watching the time-lapse on the snow-stake positioned at mid mountain. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowStash | Ski resort travel (@snow.stash) #2 - Big Sky: 16” / 41cmAs predicted by Powderchasers Big Sky Resort in Montana was able to clock up 16” of fresh snow across the huge ski resort. Thanks to an elevation that rises well over 11,000ft (3,430m) its no wonder the top of Lone Peak is now covered in a white glow. This makes the centre piece of the resort look fantastic against the Autumn backdrop below. Opening day is only 44 days away so wont be long until the mountain is in full operation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Big Sky Resort (@bigskyresort) #3 - Park City: 14” / 35cm Coming in third is Park City Mountain Resort who notched up 14” of fresh Utah powder snow. It was enough to stop all summer activities and looking at the snow cams it was easy to think the mountain was mid-winter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Park City (@pcski) #4 - Alta: 13” / 33cmIt would appear the weather front decided to stop on Snowbird and dump down before heading over the ridge to Alta. Alta ski resort came in 4th on the list with 13” of fresh snowfall measured across the resort. We can hear the sounds of keen skiers getting those ski’s out of storage as opening day is less than 40 days away. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alta Ski Area (@altaskiarea) #5 - Deer Valley: 12” / 30cmRounding out the top 5 is the legendary ski resort of Deer Valley which is also found in Utah sitting high and proud above the southern end of Park City. 12” of wonderful Utah powder blessed the slopes of this ski only ski resort who is looking to welcome back riders from 5 December 2021. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deer Valley Resort (@deervalleyresort) #6 - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort: 11” / 28cm The first Wyoming ski resort to enter the list is none other than Jackson Hole Mountain resort. Offering up the highest elevations of any ski resort in Wyoming and one of the longest continual vertical drops in the country its no surprise that they could catch a few inches from this storm. 11” of snow fell across the resort giving riders of the famous Tram some spectacular views from the summit. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (@jacksonhole) #7 - Mammoth Mountain: 8” / 20cmHeading back over to the west we have Mammoth Mountain in California, the only Cali resort on this list which is likely due to the ski high elevations of the resort. It feels like just we were watching Mammoth celebrate their end of season festivities and now they are prepping for opening day. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mammoth Mountain (@mammothmountain) #8 Solitude: 8” / 20cmNot letting Little Cottonwood Canyon have all the fun the ski resorts found deep inside Big Cottonwood Canyon got their own quota of fresh snow. Solitude mountain resort notched up 8” of fresh Utah powder snow quickly changing the scenery deep in the canyon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Solitude Mountain Resort (@solitudemountain) #9 Brighton Mountain Resort: 8” / 20cm Rounding out the top 10 for Utah is Brighton Mountain Resort also found inside Big Cottonwood Canyon who alongside neighbouring Solitude Resort saw 8” of fluffy Utah snow bless their ski slopes. It won’t be long until the chairs are spinning and the skiers and snowboarders are lapping it up under the lights of their famous night riding. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brighton Resort (@brightonresort) #10 Grand Targhee: 7 inches / 18cmClosing out the top 10 is the second most well-known ski resort in Wyoming Grand Targhee who saw 7” of fresh storm snow fall across the resort. Have an easterly aspect means that when the storms roll in across the country this mountain resort normally gets hammered with storms that can cross the sky-high Teton range. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Grand Targhee Resort (@grandtargheeresort) #11 - Brian Head: 5” / 13cmNot letting the mega Utah resorts claim all the fame the smaller resort of Brian Head got a nice 5” across the resort, and that was at the base village area. Located in southern Utah Brian Head’s base elevation is over 9,000ft with some chairs rising to over 10,900ft so its no surprise that they could capture some fresh snow from this cold front. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brian Head Resort (@brianheadresort) #12 - Beaver Mountain: 4” / 10cmThe last Utah skiing resort on our list is Beaver Mountain which is the most northern Utah ski resort. Notching in 4” of snow might not be enough to get the base going however what it does help with is cooling down the surface of the resort in preparation for snowmaking. Something Beaver Mountain is great at specifically in the beginner and family zones of the resort. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beaver Mountain (@skithebeav) #13 - Sunrise Park: 2” / 5cmThe only Arizona ski resort to make the list is Sunrise Park thanks to the high elevation. It likely that the storm front continued in the southern direction after hitting Utah and deposited what it had left on the slopes of Sunrise Park. The 2” is probably going to melt away in the next 24 hours but none the less its great to see resorts this far south getting some good snow in October. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunrise Park Resort (@sunriseskiaz) #14 - Whistler Blackcomb: 2” / 5cmThe only Canadian resort we could see that got some snowfall from this cold front as it passed was Whistler Blackcomb resort. Taking a look at the snow cams we can see that majority of the snowfall has fallen at the summit of the two mountains giving the peaks a nice white top which will certainly look the part when the storm clears. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Whistler Blackcomb (@whistlerblackcomb) #15 - Sun Valley: 1” / 2.5cmClosing out the list is the only resort in Idaho which has reported snow in the last 24 hours. It would appear that with the storm centre heading down Montana, Wyoming and Utah that the outer edges of the storm were able to stretch out to reach Sun Valley. None the less its great to see Bald Mountain transition from Autumn to winter with a white cap on top of the summit. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sun Valley (@sunvalley) Want to stay up to date with all the news we find interesting? Make sure you follow us on our socials where we post all the latest updates.