At 5:30 a.m. daily, snow rangers at Snow Basin, Alta, Brighton and Solitude start collecting snow and weather data, including such general information as present temperature, 24-hour maximum and minimum, wind direction and velocity, barometer, present weather, total snow depth and new snow in the last 24 hours. Also included are snow type, the surface on the ski slopes, skiing conditions, cross country skiing conditions, lift and tow conditions, and whether snow tires or chains are required.
At about 6 a.m. the snow rangers transmit the above information to Julian R. Thomas, a District Ranger in Salt Lake City. Alta and Brighton report by short-wave radio; Snow Basin by telephone.
After passing these reports on to the Weather Bureau and highway dispatcher, Ranger Thomas calls the local radio stations and the wire services.
His “Good morning, ski fans. This is Julian Thomas of the Wasatch National Forest. . .” is put on the radio by many stations as soon as it is received. The wire services put in on the wire in a slightly condensed written form which other radio and television stations and newspapers pick up.
Mr. Thomas’ “live” material, as used by the stations just as it is phoned in, has been well accepted, and skiers have come to believe in the “Voice of the Wasatch.” If Julian says the road to a particular ski area is icy, cars show up with chains in place. If he says a road will be closed until avalanche dangers are removed, the skiers know it, and the problem of roads clogged by uninformed and impatient skiers is virtually eliminated.
Additionally this year, Mr. Thomas has added a skiing tip to his recorded program, generally furnished by the Intermountain Ski Instructors Association.
The program has become a seven-day-a-week necessity, and one occasion when a report was skipped phone calls demanding information had to be answered throughout the morning. Skiers acknowledge that they listen even on days when they can’t possible get away from work or school.
As for the area operators, a typical reaction is: “We appreciate the honesty and informativeness of the ski report, and when Julian says ‘All runs are ski-packed and powder,’ we get ready for a big day.”
