Friday, March 13 sets up as an early-speed, late-softening kind of day around Salt Lake. There is no fresh snow to chase this morning, but there is still plenty of good skiing if you play the timing right. Alta is sitting at a 98-inch base with 0 inches in the past 24 hours, Solitude has a 74-inch base with 80 of 82 trails open, Brighton is at an 83-inch base with 73 of 77 runs open, Deer Valley is at a 46-inch base, and Park City is holding a 64-inch base with 40 of 41 lifts open.
The biggest theme is wind. Alta is already reporting moderate northwest wind at the top of Collins with temperatures around 31°, and today’s mountain forecast there calls for a windy day with a high near 38° after a 30° low. Across Big Cottonwood and the Park City side, the pattern is similar: sunny skies, no new snow, and enough west to northwest wind to make the best skiing feel front-loaded. If you want the best mix of edge hold, comfort, and visibility, the smart move is to ski the morning and treat the afternoon as a softer-surface bonus round rather than the main event.
Today’s Utah ski setup
- Fresh snow: None of the core resorts in today’s report picked up new snow overnight or in the past 24 hours, so this is not a powder chase.
- Best window: First chair through late morning looks strongest, especially on groomers before the sun and traffic loosen things up too much.
- Main weather factor: West to northwest wind is the thing to watch, especially in exposed upper-mountain terrain.
- Surface trend: Expect firmer morning snow, then progressively softer and more spring-like conditions as the day warms.
Resort-by-resort conditions
- Alta: Alta is reporting 0 inches in the past 12 and 24 hours, a 98-inch base, and 260 inches for the season. Temperatures are 41° at the base, 32° mid-mountain, and 31° at the top of Collins, with moderate northwest wind under partly cloudy skies. Alta’s weather board calls for a low-light lens this morning, and parking reservations are required from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
- Solitude: Solitude is showing a 74-inch base, 224 inches for the season, 0 inches in the past 24 and 48 hours, 80 of 82 trails open, 9 of 9 lifts open, and 30 groomed runs. Mid-mountain is 33° with clear skies, a 23° wind chill, and 15 mph SSE wind. The daily mountain message points to crispy groomers early, softer snow later, and Honeycomb Canyon open wall to wall except Fantasy Ridge.
- Brighton: Brighton is at 0 inches overnight, 0 inches in the past 24 hours, an 83-inch base, and 233 inches year to date. Terrain is 94% open with 73 of 77 runs and all 9 lifts open. The mountain forecast calls for a mostly clear overnight low of 32°, then a sunny day with a high near 42° and west wind around 9 to 13 mph. That lines up with a groomer-first kind of morning before the snow turns more spring-like.
- Deer Valley: Deer Valley is reporting 0 inches overnight, 0 inches in the past 24 hours, a 46-inch base, and 144 inches year to date. Terrain is 74% open with 150 of 202 runs and 25 of 31 lifts open. The mountain weather report calls for a sunny high near 48° with west wind around 7 to 13 mph, which points to fast groomers early and a softer follow-the-sun approach later in the day.
- Park City: Park City is showing 0 inches overnight, 0 inches in the past 24 hours, a 64-inch base, and 157 inches year to date. Operations are listed at 60% of terrain open with 212 of 350 runs, 40 of 41 lifts, and 5 of 8 terrain parks open. The mountain weather report calls for a sunny high near 44° with west wind around 8 to 14 mph, so this looks like another strong morning-groomer day before the surface gets more worked in.
What the weather means for your day
The latest mountain forecast points to a dry Friday with warming temperatures and enough wind to matter on the high terrain. Alta’s forecast calls today windy with a high near 38° after a 30° low, while Brighton, Deer Valley, and Park City all point toward sunny skies and highs in the low-to-upper 40s. That should translate to classic March timing rules: firmer snow and better structure early, then more forgiving corn-ish turns in the right places by late morning and early afternoon, especially on sunnier aspects.
If you are deciding where to go, the Cottonwoods still offer the deepest coverage, but the best strategy anywhere is pretty simple today: start on groomers, stay aware of wind on the ridges, and move with the softening snow instead of forcing winter expectations onto a spring setup.
Reddit pulse this morning
- A same-day r/UTsnow thread joking about Alta’s lens advice is a funny reminder that light can get a little weird in the early hours even on a day that trends brighter later.
- There is also fresh community chatter around “How’s Snowbasin?”, which fits the bigger statewide mood today: people are looking for the best timing and surface quality more than hunting storm totals.
Daily gear call
What to wear
- Layers: Go with a midweight base layer and a light insulating midlayer. It starts cool enough to want real coverage, but this is not a deep-winter bundle-up day.
- Shell: Wear a proper shell, especially if you are skiing Alta, Solitude, or Brighton. Wind protection matters more than heavy insulation this morning.
- Gloves: Medium-warm gloves are the sweet spot. If you run cold or plan on exposed lifts early, bring your warmer pair for the first few laps.
Best ski choice
- Best overall pick: An all-mountain ski is the call today.
- If you love early corduroy: A frontside or firmer-snow setup makes a lot of sense for the first half of the day.
- What to skip: Big powder boards are unnecessary unless you just want the extra platform for softer afternoon snow.
Goggle lens
- Early: Start with a low-light to mid-VLT lens if you are heading into the Cottonwoods first thing, especially with the mix of clouds and early-morning flat light.
- Later: Bring a brighter sun lens for late morning into the afternoon once the light sharpens up.
Overall day quality
7/10 — ███████░░░
This is a good skier’s day, just not a storm skier’s day. Coverage is still strong in the Cottonwoods, operations look healthy across the board, and there should be plenty of quality laps if you get after it early. The lack of fresh snow and the building wind keep it out of the top tier, but the morning should still be very worth your time.