Season Recap: The Most Snow in Alta History

Be careful what you wish for.

That was the 2022-23 season theme at the Alta Peruvian, according to General Manager Todd Collins. This past season was record-breaking in almost every single snow category in Alta history.

The Year-To-Date snowfall number landed on 901 inches. That broke the prior YTD snowfall record by an unfathomable 154 inches, set in 1982. In March alone, Alta received 229 inches, which was by far the largest monthly total since skiutah.com started tracking monthly figures. By the end of the season, the snow base sat at an outrageous 195 inches.

The Peruvian throws a 100” party every year when the base crosses that threshold. By the end of this season, the staff was gearing up to throw another. All these shattered snowfall records are exhilarating when looking back. But in the moments during and immediately after some events is where the season’s motto came into play–be careful what you wish for.

Snow fell and accumulated at an unprecedented rate this year because the sun rarely came out over the past few months. That led to challenges for the Peruvian and all of Alta. Roads were constantly closed, roofs started leaking under the tremendous pressure of the heavy snow, and parking lot snow removal became a titanic task.

But, as with any obstacles in life, the glory for the Peruvian guests who toughed it out was unmatched. The Peruvian had “Country Club Days,” where, because of road closures, nobody from outside the canyon could come in so skiers staying at the Peruvian had all of Alta to themselves. More snow equals better skiing. It’s as simple as that. “People had the best skiing of their lives this year,” confirmed Collins.

The 2022-23 season will always be remembered as the year that shattered the snowfall record books. With great snow comes great challenges, and the Peruvian was more than up for the task. We’d like to give a huge thanks to the parking lot snow removal team, Scott and Kevin of Alta Snow Services, and Tim at Alta Snow Cat Services. Thank you to Marshall Mike Moray and his deputies for transporting our employees in and out of the canyon during closures. And an enormous thank you to the entire Peruvian staff who crushed every single day in this anything-but-normal season.

And, of course, we are so grateful for every one of our loyal Peruvian guests. Whether it was your first skiing experience or your thousandth, we hope it was truly the best skiing of your life. Let’s do it again next year!

Just be careful what you wish for.