Ahh, the snow. The frozen moisture from the skies that comes down in ice form. Homer Simpson called it “white gold.”
And with this snow comes the increased anticipation for Salt Lake City’s 2002 Olympic Winter Games in just a few months.
Utahns have waited for this for years. In the early 1990s, the idea became feasible about hosting the Winter Olympics. We ran for the games in 1998, but Nagano, Japan, won the Games. Japan didn’t have much snow that year, which was an issue for the International Olympic Committee.
The weather in February of 1998 in Salt Lake City averaged a high in the mid 40s, and a low above freezing, according to the National Weather Service. It rained in the valley somewhat that year, and as it turned out, it wasn’t Salt Lake City’s best year for snow.
So far this winter, we have above average snow. KSL’s weatherman, Mark Eubank, compared this year’s winter to the winter of 1992, when Salt Lake City was pounded with the white stuff. We had so much snow that year, we didn’t know what to do with it all. It was a skier’s paradise, assuming they could make it up the canyons to the slopes.
What better year to host the Winter Olympics?! We have above-average snowpack so far. It is looking more and more like the winter of ’92.
Granted, we’re only one week into December, and I’m talking about something that won’t happen for three months. Nothing in life is as fickle as Utah weather. There’s an old saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Utah, wait 10 minutes. It will change.”
It is possible that the snow could go away and we could be left embarrassed in February because of the lack of snow, but I like our odds.
If the Olympics were to start this week, we would be in heaven. The main thing Olympic workers would have to worry about is how to handle the snow.
What does this early snowpack do for Utah?
It provides us with a snow base that will be around in the mountains for quite a while. Obviously, it is much colder in the mountains and the snow doesn’t melt as fast. It will stay there for many months to come. It will be there during the Olympics.
It helps Utahns get excited for those few weeks in February, where many hours and millions of dollars will have their moment of fame.
Not only does the snow make it exciting for holiday shoppers, but also for Olympic coordinators, workers, volunteers, athletes and everyone else who will participate in the Games.
Nothing brings the holiday spirit to me more than shopping those few days before Christmas with snow falling outside. Now, when I head to the mall in the snow to spend my hard-earned money, I not only feel the spirit of Christmas coming on, but also that Olympic spirit we have heard so much about.
We see the Olympic logo in the malls, on the freeways, on billboards and just about everywhere else in the Beehive State. We have spent so many years and so much money in preparation for just a few days in the spotlight. The early snow is making it that much more fun and exciting.
The workers who drive the snowplows might disagree with me, and emergency personnel would too. The more white stuff there is on the ground, the harder they have to work. The latter have to respond to accident after accident. It is tough to drive in the snow.
But accidents and frustrated snowplow drivers aside, there is excitement in the air for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
So the next time you are upset because of slow traffic due to too much snow on the ground, remember that, to Salt Lake City, that white stuff, especially this year, is white gold.
Lance welcomes feedback at: [email protected].