Why is the snow in Utah so good?
Utah is known for its great ski conditions. The snow is often ‘powder’ snow and this is optimal for skiers and snowboarders. Powder snow is dry and doesn’t stick together; as a result it won’t stick to skies and snowboards either. This provides a higher top speed, and quite often a softer landing on wipeouts.
As the temperature decreases the moisture in the air also decreases. Since there is no moisture there is nothing to cause the flakes of snow to stick together. Utah specifically is a little bit higher than many other places. As a result the air is thinner. This thinner air has less moisture in it, which means that the powder snow is more common.
Some have claimed that the salt in the area is the reason why the snow in Utah is so good, that’s not the case however. Salt lowers the melting point of ice and snow, as we learned above it’s the dryness that makes the snow in Utah so good. If the melting point lowers then the snow would melt quicker, this would create slushy conditions, not optimal for skiers and snowboarders.
These dry factors are the reasons Utah is often consider to have the best snow in the world. Unless you like snow ball fights, then it’s the worst snow in the world.
