We aren’t even a full week into 2023, and already it has been a bizarre year.
Many of us are still trying to dig out from an epic snowstorm the likes of which we have not seen in over a decade, maybe two decades. It’s been a long time since we measured the snowfall from one storm in feet. Over the weekend, I attempted to take the dog for a walk on the Rail Trail. I don’t know how tall he is, but he definitely doesn’t fit in a purse. He stands somewhere between my kneecap and mid-thigh. Our walk though was more of a tunneling/jumping/plowing strategy with hopes of forward momentum. At times, the snow was over my dog’s spotted head. We didn’t make it that far, but it took us a long time to go nearly nowhere.
After our 100 yards per hour walk, we arrived home to see trash and recycling all over the street. The waste collection service hasn’t been able to pick up garbage or recycling for weeks. A few days ago, I received an automated voice message from Republic Services explaining how a literal perfect storm has resulted in delayed services. Roads leading to the dump were too icy for the trucks to attempt, and the unrelenting snowstorm made it nearly impossible to collect trash anyway. To make matters worse, because Christmas and New Year’s Day fell on Sundays, both holidays were observed the following Mondays, meaning the dump was not open for business. Not knowing when the service would resume, neighbors left their bins out. Many of which were knocked over by snowplows. From what I’ve read online, it seems this scenario is being played out across town. Snow isn’t the only thing littering the city right now.
The flakes also created a lot of parking problems — with simply nowhere else to put the white stuff, many would-be parking spots were used as temporary snow storage. That seemed to be the case at Deer Valley on Monday. By 9:30am lots were already at capacity. I was one of the hundreds adding to the congestion — a Monday morning gamble that went the wrong way. (I should have hopped on the bus.) I managed to snag one of the very last parking spots, mostly because the attendant hand-picked me from the line of cars and said, “Put your Jeep in 4-wheel drive and think skinny thoughts. You might be able to make this work.”
I did, with little more than one inch to spare.
Other drivers weren’t as lucky and were turned away. Some decided to salvage their ski day and park at China Bridge instead. That used to be a decent Plan B. At least until cars started catching fire in the garage, which is what happened on Monday afternoon. At the time of my deadline, details were still sparse. But video from KPCW shows a car fully engulfed in flames and firefighters on the scene. Fortunately, no one was hurt and damage appears to be limited.
Tragically, the same cannot be said for an event that happened at Park City Mountain, also on Monday. According to news reports, a resort employee was riding the Short Cut lift when a tree – possibly succumbing to the weight of the snow — fell on the cable, which caused the employee to fall from the chairlift. Sadly, the employee did not survive the fall.
Living at a ski resort, we’re generally aware of the potential impact of a lot of snow — everything from a delightful powder day to traffic accidents to avalanches — and it can get wild. But even the most imaginative among us would struggle to envision the snow causing a tree to snap, resulting in such a devastating outcome.
May the rest of 2023 be a little more predictable.