Purpose
Snowbasin Cloud is a small, independent, non-commercial educational site about the Wasatch Range of northern Utah — the geology and history that shaped it, the meteorology that buries it in powder each winter, and the recreation culture that grew up around it. It exists because the answer to "why is Utah's snow so good?" turns out to be a genuinely great story involving a fault line, an Ice Age lake, a ruined watershed, a circus lawsuit, and the Winter Olympics.
Editorial standards
Content is written from published, citable sources, and numbers are given approximately where sources vary (snowfall averages, acreage, and the like). Elevation, distance, and snowfall figures are rounded. Where scholarship is genuinely divided — for example, the etymology of "Wasatch" — the page says so rather than picking a winner. Corrections are welcome.
Sources and further reading
- Jim Steenburgh, Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth (Utah State University Press) — the definitive lay-reader guide to Wasatch weather, by the University of Utah atmospheric scientist whose group studies lake-effect snow.
- Utah History to Go (Utah Division of State History) — including its history of Snow Basin and the Wheeler Creek watershed restoration.
- Weber State University digital exhibits — Ogden and Snowbasin local history, including the November 27, 1940 opening.
- Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest — land management, trail, and watershed information for the range.
- Utah Avalanche Center — daily avalanche forecasts and education.
- Ski Utah — resort histories, including the origin of "The Greatest Snow on Earth" slogan.
- University of Utah, Department of Atmospheric Sciences — published research on orographic precipitation and Great Salt Lake–effect snowstorms.
Image credits
Every photograph on this site is in the public domain or released under CC0. Originals are hosted with the site (no hotlinking). In order of appearance:
- Backcountry powder, Rodeo Ridge (home hero) — U.S. Forest Service, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Public domain (U.S. government work).
- Snow surrounds the Great Salt Lake and Snow in the Mountain West — NASA MODIS Land Rapid Response Team. Public domain.
- Alta City, Little Cottonwood Canyon (1870s) and Snow cave, Wasatch Range, winter 1868 — Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, New York Public Library. Public domain.
- Mount Superior from Alta (c. 1879) — Thomas Moran, watercolor. Public domain.
- Donner Hill / Emigration Canyon — CC0 dedication by the photographer.
- Stansbury map of the Great Salt Lake (1852) — Howard Stansbury expedition. Public domain.
- Snowbasin wildflowers and spring powder — U.S. Forest Service, Intermountain Region. Public domain.
- Mount Ogden from Pineview Reservoir — released to the public domain by the photographer.
- Upper Little Cottonwood Canyon at Alta — released to the public domain by the photographer.
- Autumn Comes to Ogden — NASA Earth Observatory (Landsat). Public domain.
Disclaimer
Snowbasin Cloud is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Snowbasin Resort, Sun Valley Company, Ski Utah, the U.S. Forest Service, or the State of Utah. Resort and place names are used descriptively and historically. "The Greatest Snow on Earth" is a registered trademark of the State of Utah. Nothing here is safety advice: mountain travel, especially in winter, carries real risk — consult official sources such as the Utah Avalanche Center and land managers before you go.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or credit concerns: email admin@snowbasincloud.net.