Featured Video  Warren Miller - Interview with athlete Andrew McLean

Fall in Utah – White Mountains and Colorful Deserts

Are you ready for snow? Ready or not, it will soon be here. As I write this, a storm over Utah is dropping rain in valleys and snow on mountain peaks. The snow won't stick at our resorts – yet. But it will start piling up within a few weeks, ushering in another great ski season.

Warren Miller Entertainment’s 61st ski film – Warren Miller’s Wintervention – will be shown October 19-30 at various locations in Utah, and that is a sure sign the ski season is about to begin. The film can be seen at venues in Park City, Salt Lake City, Logan, Ogden and Orem. See the schedule.

Utah.com has an exciting interview with Warren Miller athlete Andrew McLean of Park City, who is in the Antarctica section of the Wintervention film. See the interview here.

Luxurious Deer Valley has been named the best overall ski resort in North America - for an unprecedented 5th time – by the readers of Ski magazine, and other honors will be coming in. Traditionally, Snowbird and Alta top the list for best snow on various magazine rankings.

We suggest booking early for the best resort lodging. Resorts are offering some great early deals. For example, Snowbird is offering an Early Bird special: "Ski Free, Stay Fourth Night Free" package for a four night minimum stay between Nov. 18, 2010 and Feb. 16, 2011 (blackout dates apply).

During the off season the resorts were busy making improvements, investing millions to expand skiable terrain, adding lifts and upgrading infrastructure to prepare for what may be our best season ever.

And we have a new ski resort, located in southern Utah above the town of Beaver. Called Eagle Point, it has been established at the site of the former Elk Meadows Resort. The new resort has completed extensive renovations on two lodges, has reconditioned lifts and made other significant improvements. It will welcome skiers and snowboarders beginning mid-December of 2010. It will offer 36 runs on 400 skiable acres, featuring a vertical drop of 1,400 feet. The base elevation is 9,100 feet above sea level and the area averages about 400 inches of snow a year. It should offer great skiing for people coming to southern Utah.

Fall Colors

Fall colors are waning now in northern Utah, but are coming on strong in the lower elevation areas in southern Utah. Foliage is ablaze with color right now along Highway 12 through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Monument Valley desert areas have vivid colors on vegetation in riparian areas.

In the St George/Zion Park area, colors become radiant in late October and peak during early or mid-November.

Winter's coming, but it is still a couple months away in southern Utah. Fall days there are delightful. Right now is the perfect time to ride the mountain bike trails around Moab and to hike the open, dry trails throughout our canyon country.

Book your ski trips now and then come on down and hike in our desert sunshine.

- Dave Webb

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