On Tuesday, September 22, more than four months after the state’s final ski resorts closed for the 2025-26 season, several high-elevation areas in Utah got their first taste of winter. Hopefully it won’t be long until the state that is famous for its champagne powder and the best snow in the United States will be skiing and riding soon. With the super El Niño growing, that could mean a great 2026-27 season.
Last season, Brian Head pushed its season to 160 days, which solidified it as having one of the longest in Utah this winter. The resort kicked off last season on November 21, 2025. This season, it plans to open on November 6, which would be the earliest in the state.
The resort invested more than $2 million in upgrades this summer ahead of the 2026-27 season, and $1 million was focused on improving its snowmaking capabilities. Brian Head Resort installed a new pipeline on Navajo Mountain, allowing up to 24 snow guns to run simultaneously (up from 18). The added capacity will take advantage of cold snaps and build terrain more quickly at the start of the season
In a bold move that goes against most of the ski industry, Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) will offer $9 lift tickets at all nine of its U.S. ski resorts this winter (including Brian Head). Tens of thousands of $9 tickets will be available at MCP resorts in Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon. Select lift tickets also include $10 in resort credit that guests can use at on-mountain stores and restaurants. Kids 12 and younger also ski free all season at every MCP ski resort through the Power Kids Pass, with no purchase required.
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Here’s a list of ski resorts’ opening dates:
- Alta: Friday, November 20
- Brian Head: Friday, November 6
- Deer Valley: Saturday, December 5
- Park City: Friday, November 20
- Powder Mountain: Friday, December 11
- Snowbasin: Friday, November 27
- Snowbird: Friday, November 27
- Solitude: Friday, November 20
AccuWeather‘s El Niño snow forecast calls for an early start to the snow season across the Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and central and southern Rockies in 2026-27. A potentially record-setting El Niño is expected to shape the winter, and the outlook points to a very different winter from last year. With the chance of the super El Niño giving skiers and riders a greater chance of skiing Utah’s famous powder, the excitement for the 2026-27 season is building. The opportunity to ski at extremely low lift ticket costs at MCP resorts only adds to the potential of a great season.
