By Lane Stilson
Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon will open this Friday -- the earliest opening date in the resort''s history.
The last time the resort opened in October was in 1983, said Carol Garner, spokeswoman for the resort. She said not all of the resort''s lifts will be available to skiers and snowboarders, but four of them will be running.
Brighton''s Oct. 29 opening beats other resorts by nearly two weeks. Most Utah ski resorts are expected to open between mid-November and early December.
Garner said Brighton''s snow base was 56 inches Tuesday but will accumulate more snow through the end of the week.
'We anticipate a pretty packed opening because of the great snow, the early opening and Halloween,' Garner said. 'It''s going to be a great party atmosphere.'
Garner said it was snowing at the time of the interview Wednesday. She also said the resort will see a huge snowstorm over the weekend.
Snowboarders at BYU are thrilled -- in the non-Halloween sense of the word -- about the early season opening.
'The snow gods have been looking favorably upon Utah,' said Josh Graham, 24, an illustration major from Port Washington, N.Y. 'Looks like my shrine to the snow gods has paid off.'
Jayson Wurtzbacher, 18, a psychology major from Detroit, Mich., said he''ll be missing Halloween parties in order to go snowboarding.
'I don''t care,' he said. ' will be my own Halloween festivities.'
As for Halloween activities in Utah Valley, students may want to save the Little Mermaid costume for next year.
Trick-or-treaters will likely see snowfall on their way around the neighborhood this weekend. According to the National Weather Service, the chance of snow is 40 percent Friday and 70 percent Saturday night.
Temperatures are expected to dip into the high 20s and low 30s this weekend, making a chilly night out for trick-or-treaters and partygoers.
Despite the colder weather and possible snow, many groups are still having Halloween activities outdoors. The BYU 57th ward is going to watch a scary movie in the bishop''s backyard.
The ward''s activities committee co-chair, Janelle Aguilar, 22, a nursing major from Bakersfield, Calif., said she expects tons of people to show.
They will be serving hot bread bowls with soup, apple cider and donuts as incentives for the ward members. She said nothing is stopping their party.
'If it snows, let it snow - just like song,' she said.
EXTRA INFORMATION:
Tentative Opening Dates for Utah Ski Resorts
Brighton -- Oct. 29
Brian Head -- Nov. 13
Park City Mountain Resort -- Nov. 13
Alta -- Nov. 18
The Canyons -- Nov. 19
Solitude -- Nov. 19
Snowbird -- Nov. 20
Snowbasin -- Nov. 25
Deer Valley -- Dec. 4
Sundance -- Dec. 11
Beaver -- no set date
Powder Mountain -- no set date
Source: www.skiutah.com