Ski Alta -- Utah's Snow Fields
Wide Open Mountain Trails, Big Skies and Powder Near Salt Lake
With seven mountains, from 4,875 feet to 10,465 feet altitude, snow sports at Alta Ski Area are only 45 minutes from the airport. Fly in and ski the same day.
Located in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest close to Park City, Alta Ski Area is at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. In winter it is all snow, with the highest snowfall in the region. It is about powder here, more than 500 inches a year and it is all for skiers, no snowboarding allowed.
Just arriving here is a stunning experience. On all sides steep mountain walls rise to 10,000 feet or more and all are snow covered, Skiing is king at this former mining town, and it is so good that skiing so good that Europeans regularly travel here, eschewing their native Alps
What makes Alta great is the combination of attributes that make it a destination. The first is the snow, plenty of it and so dry a powder that it is like skiing a cloud. Another is the spectacular views from anyplace in the valley or up on the mountainsides. Sharp peaks and ridges are all around, visible from every trail.
But the true drawing card is the trails - wonderful trails spread out over miles of mountainsides. While known as an experts' mountain, Alta offers a number of trails that even an experienced beginner can easily negotiate and appreciate.
Alta has two base lodges, Wildcat Base and Albion Base, but start from the upper, Albion Base and take the Sunnyside lift. At the top, Dipsy Doodle and Alf's will take you to the Cecret Lift and at its end take Rabbit Trail, on the left. These are all short green (beginner) trails. From here there are a number of green options.
If you are an intermediate skier, or even a confident beginner, take the Supreme Lift and then follow Upper Big Dipper and/or Rock N' Roll, both intermediate trails. At the bottom, follow Rabbit down to the base of Cecret lift to the Sugarloaf Quad. This is a long ride up and down mountainsides to another peak.
Here, take Collins Return to Mambo, then Mambo to Meadow, Rustler Cat Track and Corkscrew to the base of the long Collins Quad at the Wildcat Base. This is a long and beautiful run with plenty of chances along the way to stop and watch advanced expert skiers (and a few who aren't so good) tackle the off-piste double-black snowfields.
The Collins Quad is not only the longest lift but it is unusual in that it angles off in a different direction at the Mid-Mountain Meeting Place. Getting off or on here is discouraged.
From the top of Collins pick up the Devil's Way and Devil's Elbow trails to get back to the Sugarloaf lift. This whole miles-long journey is over challenging but do-able blue (intermediate) trails.
For experts there are plenty of options. Off the Supreme Triple there are black trails close to the lift line, and off to the left are untrammeled trails in Catherine's Area that are accessed by hiking. From the Sugarloaf Quad look for hike-in skiing in Devil's Castle or off trails from the top. From the top of Collins Quad High Traverse, High Race Course and High Sunspot provide access to the steep powdery West Rustler slopes and glades.
For the brave, take the Ballroom Traverse from the top of Collins Quad for access to the wide-open snowfields of the Ballroom Area or take the Wildcat lift from the Wildcat Base to ski the solid black slopes on this edge of the area.
Access Alta Ski Resort from Salt Lake City airport by taking I-80 to I-215 and signs for Snowbird and Alta on Route 210. The highway is closed from time to time because of avalanche danger.
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