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Utah’s ski resorts shatter previous visitation records with help of long winter

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Utah’s ski resorts shatter previous visitation records with help of long winter


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s record-breaking snowfall also led to records being broken when it comes to ski resort visitation, state ski experts say.

Ski Utah, a nonprofit that promotes the state’s ski and snowboard industry, reported Thursday that preliminary numbers indicate that the 2022-2023 ski season will produce a record 7.1 million skier visits this season, which is a 22% increase from the previous record set during the 2021-2022 season. In addition, at least 12 of the state’s 15 resorts broke their visitation records.

“We are thrilled to have been a part of this historic season of endless powder days, record-breaking snowfall and boundless fun,” said Nathan Rafferty, the organization’s president, in a statement.

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A big reason that the numbers are preliminary at this point is that some resorts remain open, even at the beginning of meteorological summer. Per Ski Utah, Woodward Park City remains open through Sunday and Snowbird Resort plans to reopen for Father’s Day weekend, June 17-18, conditions permitting.

Once all 15 are closed for good, it will put to an end a very long season. Utah’s 2022-2023 ski season began when Brian Head Resort opened on Nov. 4, 2022, marking Utah’s fourth-earliest start on record. A series of storms that developed midway through the season kept resorts going as long as they did, many closing only because they didn’t have the staff to keep up operations.

Utah ended up with 44 powder days, which are days of over 12 inches of snow in a 24-hour span. That’s well above the annual average of 19, according to Ski Utah. Those storms didn’t only help Utah set an all-time snowpack record, but several resorts ended up with record-high snowfall levels. Alta Ski Area topped them all, reaching 903 inches, or more than 75 feet, between October and April.

“The 2022-2023 season had a fantastic start, with resorts opening earlier than originally anticipated due to an abundance of early snowfall,” Rafferty said. “The snow just didn’t stop falling until May.”

Meanwhile, the estimated 7.1 million skier visits during the winter translated to about $2.54 billion in spending, about an 8% increase from the previous season. The 2021-2022 season helped bring in $256.8 million in state and local tax revenue, according to Ski Utah.

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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Utah

Utah is now completely out of drought status

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Utah is now completely out of drought status


SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in five years, the entire state of Utah is out of a drought status.

The latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows no part of the state being in drought status, though about 25% is still considered abnormally dry.

“Portions of the state, mainly along that eastern and southern border, are abnormally dry,” KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said. “But basically, we are completely out of a drought.”

Johnson says this is because Utah’s most recent wet winters have been crucial in restoring the state’s water supply.

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“We’ve had two really good winters, one of them record-setting, as far as snow-water equivalent. So this has been huge for getting us on the right path.”

However, Johnson said whether we stay out of drought conditions will be contingent on how hot it gets this summer, and how much rain Utah gets when monsoon season hits. 

“If we’re not in a drought, now we are planning for the next,” Johnson said, quoting a saying from The Utah Department of Natural Resources. “That just kind of comes with the territory…we are one of the top three driest on average so it’s not foreign territory for us to have dry weather.”

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“Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites

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“Planting parties” at Utah Lake working to rid the lake of invasive phragmites


UTAH COUNTY, Utah — The Utah Lake Authority is hosting “planting parties” to put native vegetation in places where invasive plant species had previously been spreading.

Phragmites are a type of reed that have been taking over at Utah Lake and places across the country. Utah Lake Authority’s Deputy Director Sam Braegger said they have been partnering with other agencies to keep the phragmites at bay.

Now Braegger said they’re working toward revegetation with lots of groups who want to help them plant more native species.

“It’s been great to have groups come and help in that way, and I think they find it very fulfilling to spend an hour or two on the shoreline,” he said. “Our staff are all out there with them. They get to learn and ask questions about the lake. And then, help give back in putting plants into the ground.”

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Utah Lake Authority has spent more than 15 years dealing with phragmites, according to Braegger.

“Beating back the phragmites has been necessary for some time because phragmites is very aggressive,” he said. “It grows in very thickly, so it’s terrible habitat. There’s not very much of wildlife, birds and fish, that can get in there.”

This is the Utah Lake Authority’s first time doing a “concentrated revegetation” effort.

“We’ve put out some seed before, in recent years, but just seed is all we’ve done,” Braegger said. “This year, for the first time, we’re going out and actually planting 10,00 plugs.”

Braegger said the goal is to plant over 40,000 seed plugs next year.

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Heather Peterson is a reporter and producer for KSL NewsRadio. She also produces Utah’s Noon News.

Potentially toxic algal bloom detected at Utah Lake

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Videos show fireworks veer into crowd at Stadium of Fire concert in Utah, injuries reported

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Videos show fireworks veer into crowd at Stadium of Fire concert in Utah, injuries reported


Multiple videos have surfaced Thursday evening showing a fireworks display at the Stadium of Fire concert in Provo, Utah, with rogue shots straying into the audience. Early reports state that one person was taken to a hospital with serious injuries while others were reportedly injured.

Several firefighters immediately responded to reports of injuries in the crowd, according to Fox 13 in Salt Lake City.

Fireworks at large gatherings in Utah are nothing new, like the ones that lit up the sky above the stadium for the grand finale of the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games at the Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The incident happened at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the football facility for Brigham Young University. Just as the national anthem is heard ending, and as four fighter jets fly over the stadium, a fireworks display begins behind the stage.

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Fireworks shot into the sunlit sky vertically, but stray sparks are seen firing horizontally into the crowd near the stage. Crowdgoers were reportedly seen waving their hands in the air for officials to render help.

Freedom Festival, which facilitates Stadium of Fire and other yearly events across the country, tweeted that all fireworks were “thoroughly checked” before Thursday’s show and then checked again after the incident.

“Safety is of the utmost importance to us. All pyrotechnics at Stadium of Fire are thoroughly checked before the show, and were rechecked after tonight’s incident. Our thoughts are with those who were impacted, and we are following up with them to make sure they are okay.”

UTAH FIRE CAPTAIN DIES IN COLORADO RAFTING ACCIDENT AT DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT

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After a pause in activities, the concert resumed with Jonas Brothers taking the stage around 9 p.m. and closing out the show with no other reported mishaps.

Provo Police Department spokesperson Janna-Lee Holland told KUTV the incident happened just after the flyover.

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The number of injuries and each of their severities is unknown at the time.

Videos like the one seen in this tweet show pyrotechnics not only firing into the stands, but also onto the field where people were either standing or in a seated area.

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