The resort and its small town at the base grew organically around a united love of thrills on snow (which it has aplenty). There are precious few places in the world like Alta. Alta skiers are a welcoming bunch (to everyone but snowboarders it's skiers only at Alta), eager to share their arcane knowledge of hidden powder stashes, down-mountain strategies, and the history and lore of this classic American resort. For Salt Lakers who learned to turn at Alta, the saying goes, "If you can ski here, you can ski anywhere."īut don't worry. And the lift-accessed stuff is steep, challenging terrain - it will push the beginning skier, but the payoff is worth it. Alta ski resort is one of America's oldest and is home to some of Salt Lake's most spectacular terrain, much of the skiing at Alta cannot be accessed by lift. ![]() Now, that's the way to spend your golden retirement.Alta-tude is the manifestation of a complicated pleasure-pain principle. Not just because of the powder but also because 80-year-olds and 80+ skiers shred for free. (If, for whatever reason Alta isn’t enough, you can head over to Snowbird, accessible via a public bus or the gates).Īlta is a place that you can happily return to year after year. But skiers know Devil’s Castle best as for the powder-filled, wide-open bowl formed at its lower slopes. The cliff face of Devil’s Castle is rugged, dark limestone, the backdrop to the Albion Basin. If it's open, do the roughly 45-minute hike up to the summit of Mount Baldy and hit Baldy Chutes. If you're looking for technical, tight chutes, Hourglass Chute and Eagle's Nest also run on the front. One of the definitively more famous expert runs on the mountain's frontside is High Rustler. Alta can easily boast of having some of the gnarliest in-bound runs in the country. To find the best lines involves a lot of traversing and real intimate knowledge, so try shredding with a local where possible. An additional advantage is that both slopes and lift queues are devoid of crowds, big or small. ![]() It has managed to keep its authentic spirit, where it's all about skiing, which is world-renowned. The area is reserved for skiers only, so snowboarders don’t need to apply.įounded in 1936 (as the area's silver-mining days were coming to an end), through the help of skiing legend Alf Engen, it's the country's second oldest ski area, after Sun Valley. The skiing takes place on Mount Baldy's, and Point Supreme's peaks. , and you can pretty much get flats and steeps in the very same run. There's 2, 614 acres of rugged, steep terrain, 11 lifts and 116+ trails. ![]() Of course, the winter storms can be a real hazard if you're trying to get to the canyon and the road is closed off because of an avalanche. ![]() Where it's located, the resort makes for a perfect snow trap when the almighty winter storms come in, offloading feet after feet of white fluff. It often dumps so much that when skiers finish their runs, they realize that they can do the same run again with absolute fresh tracks. The resort is 25 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, and about 45 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport.ĭrop the name Alta and what comes to mind? Dry, light-as-a-feather, ever-so-deep powder? Free refills? Five-hundred-forty-seven inches on average is a piece of snow statistics to remember. The independent and family-owned Alta Ski Area is situated right outside of Alta, sitting at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, by State Highway 210, deep within the Wasatch Mountains.
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