Utah Celebrates Over 700 Inches of Snowfall in Record Time — and Skiers Are Taking Full Advantage

Utah is living up to its tourism tagline of having the “Greatest Snow On Earth,” and there is plenty of it to go around as the state is now celebrating over 700” of snow so far this season. 

The record-breaking snowfall milestone officially happened at Utah’s Brighton Resort, located 30 miles southeast of Downtown Salt Lake City. The 703-inch season of snowfall was recorded on Thursday and is the earliest time this achievement has happened since Utah began record keeping of snowfall in 1943, according to data shared with Travel + Leisure. 

“To put this season’s snowfall in perspective, Utah typically receives an average of 500 inches per season. Seven hundred inches is the equivalent of ten cars stacked on top of one other. 2022-23 has been a banner year for Salt Lake area ski resorts,” Visit Salt Lake’s President & CEO Kaitlin Eskelson said in a statement shared with T+L. 

To recognize the historic snowfall, Ski Utah, Visit Salt Lake, The Utah Office of Tourism, and the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City installed a 700” tall banner on their building to show the scale of the snow. 

“Ski Utah is thrilled to witness this historic season,” Ski Utah’s President Nathan Rafferty said in a statement shared with T+L. “We knew we had to celebrate this feat in a big way in the middle of Salt Lake City.”

While the snowfall may be record-setting, the Salt Lake City Airport says they are ready for the challenge. 

“The record-level snowfall means more passengers with skis flying through SLC International Airport. We logged the busiest day ever this past President’s Day, which was in part due to the many holiday skiers returning home.” Salt Lake City Airport’s Director of Communication and Marketing Nancy Volmer shared in a statement to T+L.

Over 25 million passengers traveled through the Salt Lake City Airport in 2022, according to the hub. Volmer adds that, “The snow has tested the talents of our award-winning snow removal team too, but the crew has risen to the challenge and kept the airfield clear and safe for take-offs and landings.” 

For Utah’s Office of Tourism Managing Director Vicki Varela, the snow is postcard worthy, ”I flew over Big and Little Cottonwood canyons on my way into Salt Lake yesterday [and] the majesty was breathtaking. Skiers and drought watchers alike will celebrate this.”