I can confidently say I have one of the best jobs at Snowbasin Resort.
November 29th, Snowbasin’s opening day for 2024/2025, marks the start of my fourth season as a snow reporter. I get to provide daily conditions reports, operational statuses, travel updates, and more to provide visitors with the most up-to-date information possible, so they know everything they need to have a great day on the mountain.
While being a snow reporter is, in my opinion, one of the greatest gigs in the industry, it’s also almost as behind-the-scenes as it gets. The first question people ask when they find out what I do is, “Oh jeez, how early do you have to wake up to get to the mountain?!” And that is one of the most surprising parts about my job: all of the magic on my end happens from my office at home. I don’t step foot on the mountain until the lifts start spinning, at least three hours after my work is done for the day.
A Morning of Snow Reporting
My alarm goes off at 4:15AM on snow reporting days (4 days on, 3 days off one week; 3 days on, 4 days off the next). I give myself one snooze and then I’m up by 4:30AM, well before the early-morning hues begin to shift in the skyline above Strawberry Peak, visible from my home office window. I move quietly through the house, the world still around me, as I start the coffee pot, turn on my computer, and load up all the tabs I need for the morning.
While each mountain has its own way of reporting conditions, at Snowbasin our Ski Patrol takes one for the team and braves the bite of the predawn chill to kick off the morning snow reporting efforts. Their morning rounds start as early as 4AM and include checking the snow stake to post the official overnight and 24-hour snow totals.
I piece together data from Ski Patrol’s morning totals with reports from the National Weather Service forecasts to begin painting a picture of the day. NWS projects a 7-day forecast, with a comprehensive look at the upcoming 48 hours and a general overview of the remaining 5 days. I use these data to get a detailed idea of what the upcoming day has in store for temperatures, both highs and lows; projected precipitation; cloud coverage; and wind speeds and directions (including gusts), as well as an overall idea of what the rest of the week will look like.
Ski Patrol also provides an update on which lifts are spinning and whether any might be on an avalanche control delay or wind hold. At the same time, our top-notch grooming team gives an updated list of which trails they tackled the night before.
By this time, the aroma of coffee wafts into my office so I take a moment to step back into the kitchen and pour a cup, and now I have everything I need to get started.
How the Magic Happens
I craft a writeup for the day, giving guests an idea of what temps to expect, letting them know if their snow dances paid off, offering insight on whether winds might be problematic, and calling out some of the favorite trails that received a fresh groom overnight. I post it to our Mountain Conditions page, add notes if there are any events or races to be aware of, and send the update to the live site.
Next, I consolidate that writeup into a shorter blurb for a few different snow reporting outlets (including our very own Ski Utah snow reports!) and publish it to each site. This puts it in front of more potential guests, including those who live out of state and may be in the planning stages of an upcoming ski trip.
The most important numbers (fresh snow, daily high and low, and open/groomed runs) end up in a daily post on the Instagram and X accounts. This gives guests a consistent place to get a basic overview of what to expect on the mountain that day. Those interested in the in-depth breakdown can always head back to the full report on our Mountain Conditions page.
My favorite days, and I know I’m not alone in this, are those when we wake up to fresh snow and get to share the stoke with a Powder Alert. Anytime Snowbasin has 3” or more on the snow stake, we spread the news with an animation that totals up the amount we received. My excitement climbs alongside the snowfall as I watch the 24-hour replay of the snow stake to see what we totaled up to. It’s one of the best ways to amplify the excitement and get everyone ready for some of the best days on the mountain!
Our team also uses these tools to keep guests in the know about operational updates, lift holds, avalanche mitigation, parking updates, and other information that may affect their day on the mountain. No matter what the day might bring, our job is to keep everyone informed so they can have the best day at one of Utah’s greats!
All of this content is posted and live by 6AM, early enough to give guests ample time to prepare for the day ahead. Now it’s my turn to decide my plan for the day, whether I have some articles to write before I get to head up to the mountain, or if I’m going to load up and head out to be one of the first in the lift line. Not too bad of a gig, eh?
The Joy of Sharing the Stoke
As a snow reporter, I get to wake up every day ready to be one of the first ways people get excited to spend a day on the mountain. I love what I do and I love hearing from people who enjoy waking up a few hours later to see what they have to look forward to at the resort. Whether it’s carving groomers under clear, sunny skies or taking face shots on one of the deepest days of the season, any day on skis or a snowboard is a good one, and I’m grateful to be a small part of the joy from the predawn hours, to first chair, to the final run of the day.
