“Worst season ever” was a declaration we heard countless times this past winter in much of the United States. No doubt, conditions were poor throughout many mountain ranges, and the Wasatch were no exception. Utah’s winter snowpack reached its peak going into March, a full month ahead of its average season high, and at that point it was just 62 percent of the normal season totals. Alta saw just 321 inches throughout the season. That made it the lowest winter total since 1980. The resort’s 44-year historic average is 548 inches. In the past 10 years that’s dropped to 518 inches. Snowbird, right next door, is also no stranger to 500-inch seasons. But the “Bird” barely broke the 300-inch barrier in 2025-2026. And as a result, we saw lower visitation numbers across the country’s top resorts.
But are we conflating those figures with the “worst season” narrative? There’s no rule of logic that says one must be a result of the other. Snowbird put the whole thing into perspective with a new season edit that showed off the resort’s “Greatest Snow on Earth” claim.
On one hand, the resort is obviously showing off that a season with historic low snow totals for them is still the stuff most dream of. Three hundred inches still equals 25 feet. The mountain’s “how lucky are we” tagline in the video is tongue in cheek, because by “we” they mean Snowbird.
But on the other hand, showing off what its “worst season ever” looks like is also about just being excited for any chance to go out and do something you love. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, after all. So, how lucky are “we,” any and everybody who even got the chance to take just one trip last season, or especially the folks who logged at least 100 days?
“When the snow fell, we were more dialed than ever. Mentally and physically ready to make the most of each day, each lap, each turn,” a narrator says.
If nothing else, last season just made me more excited for next season. When winter comes back around, when that first big storm pops up on a forecast, and when we get that first lap in — whether it’s in a couple feet of fresh power or over a patchy groomer — we’re all going to be frothing just the same.
