SUMMERHAVEN, Ariz. (KGUN) — Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley doesn’t look like this every year. They are boasting 30 inches of snow after a winter storm last week and an extra dusting Friday night and Saturday morning.
“Top tier, definitely fresh powder, still fresh powder everywhere on the sides and off the trails,” said snowboarder DeMarco Doiron.
Skiers and snowboarders we talked say they are happy they finally made it up on a Monday. Many of them say they made multiple failed attempts since the snow came in. The Pima County Sheriff's Department closes the road or restricts access depending on road conditions.
“To sum it up, I'm surprised there aren’t more people here,” said Doiron. “Because I tried the last two days. I was in line for the past two days, but I didn’t have a vehicle they were allowing. It was chains and 4 x 4.”
“The line probably stretched for 2 miles by the time we left it,” said snowboarder Peter Marozzi of his nearly 3-hour wait before calling it quits. “It was just crazy how many people wanted to get up here to see a little snow,”
Ski Valley Area Manager Graham Davies says despite the challenge some had in getting up the road this weekend, he’s thrilled with the recent snowfall.
“It is a morale booster. With COVID-19 and the fire it has been a long year and without the storms around Christmas it was depressing. So it's a big boost to have something come in,” said Davies.
They are limiting how many people can hit the slopes and the restaurant due to COVID-19.
We are requesting you ride the lift with who you rode to the mountain with, social distancing in line, masks are mandatory in the facilities that kind of thing,” said Davies.
The people we talked to say they are glad their ski trip finally worked out. But some of them say some signage further down Catalina Highway over the weekend might have been helpful.
“A sign in the beginning would have been nice, like you can’t get up without 4x4 or chains definitively, because it wasn’t very definitive,” said Doiron.
A Pima County Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson says they communicate road conditions and restrictions on their social media platforms and the phone number. That number is 520-547-7510.
Ski Valley also wants to remind you they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
