Unpopular opinion: I stay in northern Utah for the summers, not the winters.
There are only 2 types of people who love the winter:
1. Snow sports people.
2. Antisocial homebodies who don’t want to leave their houses, and like that winter gives them a built-in excuse to stay inside. Incidentally, these are the psycho people who want covid restrictions to last forever, for the same reason.
Type 1 is much more common. It seems like almost everyone in this state is here because they love snow sports. Even many people who love roller coasters seem to spend their time skiing or snowboarding in the mountains in March and April instead of in the valley riding coasters after the parks reopen for the season.
Skiing is ok for me. I do enjoy it, but it requires a lot of gear that I don’t own and it takes a lot of effort to drive up to a resort in the snow. I haven’t gone in over a decade either. Plus, it’s expensive, and it’s inherently dangerous (I’ll be honest: blue runs freak me out, I’ve done them once or twice but I need to stick to green). I’d rather save my money for roller coasters, carnivals, and water slides in the summer. It’s funny that people freak out about sketchy carnival rides when you are FAR more likely to break a bone skiing and crashing into a tree than on a carefully engineered ride that’s tested whenever it’s moved to a new location.
Because the thing is, summers in Utah are fantastic, once they finally arrive (and they take forever to arrive; cold and rainy days sometimes stick around until shortly before Memorial Day Weekend). But the temperatures are fantastic, there is virtually no humidity, and there is so much sun. And there are so many fun activities to do.
Conversely, southern California has this “June gloom” thing which I hate, making the skies all foggy and overcast and depressing during the best months of the year. But the winters are not bad.
The summers are why I stay in Utah. Yes I have school, yes I work for a local company, yes the majority of my social network is located here. And yet, the biggest thing keeping me here is the summertime. The feeling of the first 70 degree days is ecstatic.
Even so, realizing that I hate November, December, January, February, and the first half of March reminds me that yes, I need to leave soon, to go to California or Florida where I will hopefully never see snow again, unless it’s on a hike. And where the theme park industry is centered (and in CA: animation and SWE too). I hate the feelings of encroaching despair I get in September, too, when the last water park closes for the season, the leaves turn from light green to yellow, and chilly winds start to pick up.
Even so, it’s time to be happier. I’m stressed about the Cornell competition which we’re crazy far behind on, and I’m stressed about being able to review enough math before the end of the summer. All the same, I’m excited. My time of the year is coming. The second half of May, June, July, August, and the first half of September. This is what I look forward to every year. This is what I live for. This is what keeps me here in Utah. All my season passes are purchased and ready to go: Cherry Hill, Lagoon/LAB, Cowabunga Bay, Splash Summit, Scera Park Pools. So, it’s time to plunge in and love it.
1. Snow sports people.
2. Antisocial homebodies who don’t want to leave their houses, and like that winter gives them a built-in excuse to stay inside. Incidentally, these are the psycho people who want covid restrictions to last forever, for the same reason.
Type 1 is much more common. It seems like almost everyone in this state is here because they love snow sports. Even many people who love roller coasters seem to spend their time skiing or snowboarding in the mountains in March and April instead of in the valley riding coasters after the parks reopen for the season.
Skiing is ok for me. I do enjoy it, but it requires a lot of gear that I don’t own and it takes a lot of effort to drive up to a resort in the snow. I haven’t gone in over a decade either. Plus, it’s expensive, and it’s inherently dangerous (I’ll be honest: blue runs freak me out, I’ve done them once or twice but I need to stick to green). I’d rather save my money for roller coasters, carnivals, and water slides in the summer. It’s funny that people freak out about sketchy carnival rides when you are FAR more likely to break a bone skiing and crashing into a tree than on a carefully engineered ride that’s tested whenever it’s moved to a new location.
Because the thing is, summers in Utah are fantastic, once they finally arrive (and they take forever to arrive; cold and rainy days sometimes stick around until shortly before Memorial Day Weekend). But the temperatures are fantastic, there is virtually no humidity, and there is so much sun. And there are so many fun activities to do.
Conversely, southern California has this “June gloom” thing which I hate, making the skies all foggy and overcast and depressing during the best months of the year. But the winters are not bad.
The summers are why I stay in Utah. Yes I have school, yes I work for a local company, yes the majority of my social network is located here. And yet, the biggest thing keeping me here is the summertime. The feeling of the first 70 degree days is ecstatic.
Even so, realizing that I hate November, December, January, February, and the first half of March reminds me that yes, I need to leave soon, to go to California or Florida where I will hopefully never see snow again, unless it’s on a hike. And where the theme park industry is centered (and in CA: animation and SWE too). I hate the feelings of encroaching despair I get in September, too, when the last water park closes for the season, the leaves turn from light green to yellow, and chilly winds start to pick up.
Even so, it’s time to be happier. I’m stressed about the Cornell competition which we’re crazy far behind on, and I’m stressed about being able to review enough math before the end of the summer. All the same, I’m excited. My time of the year is coming. The second half of May, June, July, August, and the first half of September. This is what I look forward to every year. This is what I live for. This is what keeps me here in Utah. All my season passes are purchased and ready to go: Cherry Hill, Lagoon/LAB, Cowabunga Bay, Splash Summit, Scera Park Pools. So, it’s time to plunge in and love it.
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