Mountain Review: Alta
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
10
Snow:
9
Resiliency:
7
Size:
9
Terrain Diversity:
9
Challenge:
6
Lifts:
7
Crowd Flow:
7
Facilities:
6
Navigation:
10
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $118-$159
Pass Affiliation: Ikon (excl. base pass), Mountain Collective
On-site Lodging: Limited
Aprés-ski: Limited
Nearest City: Salt Lake City (45 mins)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Top-tier snow quality and accumulation
Breathtaking mountain aesthetic
Terrain diversity
Local feel
– Cons
Lack of reasonably-priced lodging
Ban on snowboarders
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 11
Trails: 119
Beginner: 15%
Intermediate: 30%
Advanced/Expert: 55%
VIDEO
Mountain Review
One of the few ski-only resorts left in North America, Alta lives in the Little Cottonwood Canyon, just a short drive from Salt Lake City and next to neighboring Snowbird. While other nearby mountains provide more acreage, Alta offers unbeatable snow quality and impressive terrain diversity, earning its place as one of the most competitive ski destinations in the country.
Alta offers some of the best snow at any major North American resort. The resort sees top-tier accumulation and notably light snow, allowing for both deep powder and sweet, effortless turns. It’s difficult to find this combination anywhere else.
After especially heavy snowfall, Alta will occasionally close and force everyone indoors for avalanche control. Once the mountain reopens, however, visitors will find fresh powder. In recent years, Alta has employed snowmaking at the beginning of the season to ensure a resilient base layer of snow.
Alta’s terrain consists mainly of thinly wooded glades and bowls, with more concentrated trees found in a few areas. More than half of the resort consists of black diamond terrain, and skiers who love steep, powdery moguls will find nirvana here. Intermediates can find blue runs off any lift—many of which are groomed—and bowl skiing in the wide, mellow Ballroom area. Beginners won’t find many options at Alta, however. Only the Albion/Sunnyside area services green trails, and the old mid-mountain Cecret lift has been removed, cutting off beginner access to that (admittedly small amount of) terrain.
Alta doesn’t mark any of its runs as double blacks, but don’t be mistaken—there’s plenty of expert terrain here. Visitors will find plenty of cliffs and precipitous pitches here, many of which involve navigating around trees or rocks. All terrain not blocked off by rope is fair game, and many of the best runs here are unmarked on the trail map.
It’s debatable whether Alta’s ban on snowboarders has a perceptible effect on the mountain’s snow quality or crowd flow. But one major side effect is the resort’s lack of terrain parks. Given the snowboarder-heavy demographic of the freestyle community, it’s not exactly surprising that Alta doesn’t feel the need to cater to them.
The general vibe you’ll get at Alta is truly special. The resort’s lack of an overly developed base area makes it feel local compared to other, more commercialized destinations. Most lifts independently service hundreds of acres of terrain, and the right trails bring you to terrain that feels completely isolated. Upper areas of the mountain offer views of neighboring peaks, and if you’re in the right place on a nice day, you can even see down into parts of Salt Lake City.
Alta boasts a modern lift setup. Now that the resort has upgraded its Supreme lift to a detachable quad (replacing both the previous Cecret and Supreme lifts), the overwhelming majority of terrain sees high-speed lift service. In recent seasons, Alta has fitted most lifts with safety bars. Every major junction area offers two lift options, preventing excess lines from building up at any one lift. However, the base areas can get crowded on busy days, and the Albion base, serviced by the Sunnyside high-speed triple and Albion double lifts, could use a capacity upgrade.
While Alta’s Albion and Wildcat base areas are quite a ways from one another, the resort offers a transfer tow that links the two together without the need for an arduous catwalk. In addition, slopeside hotels offer miniature chairlifts or rope tows so guests don’t have to hike up to the entrances. But getting around the resort isn’t always easy. A lot of terrain at Alta, especially bowls and expert areas, requires traversing to get to or from. In addition, the most demanding terrain requires hiking to get to.
At Alta, inclement weather can cause visibility problems. Snowstorms occur often, and a lack of concrete surroundings in open terrain make it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead and stay on your desired run. It’s best to stick to well-defined trails during these times, but luckily, all runs eventually lead back to the base.
Both base areas have their own lodges with rental shops, and each slopeside hotel offers public but expensive dining options. The resort also has two mid-mountain lodges, allowing those who want to stay in upper-mountain areas to take breaks without going all the way down to the base.
Alta is a decently-sized resort, and most visitors will need a few days to cover each mountain area. But for those who want more, Alta offers direct lift access to and from the neighboring Snowbird ski resort. Visitors can ski both mountains on the same day with an AltaBird ticket or the Ikon Pass. Those looking to stay for multiple days may want to consider splitting their days between the two resorts.
Getting There
With no traffic, Alta is approximately 30 minutes to an hour from parts of Salt Lake City, and about 45 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport. The road into the Little Cottonwood Canyon is a two-lane highway that can get backed up in the early mornings on powder days and weekends.
A number of shuttle services exist between Alta and the airport, Salt Lake City, and the nearby ski town of Park City. The public UTA bus system provides direct service from several nearby Salt Lake City suburbs and transfer service from most other Salt Lake metro area towns.
For the 2021-22 season, Alta has implemented a paid parking reservation policy that takes effect on weekends and holidays. Visitors must pay $25/day to reserve their spots in advance, but guests who have purchased their tickets from Alta.com get a $10/day reduced rate. The fee is waived for season passholders.
Lodging
Lodging at Alta is limited. Most hotels are nice, with ski-in/ski-out access and pools or hot tubs, but quite expensive. For many, it will make sense to stay at Snowbird base, which has more reasonably priced options.
The cheapest lodging can be found in nearby Salt Lake City. However, the Alta access highway can get seriously backed up on weekends or holidays. In addition, this road can close due to inclement weather.
Aprés-ski
Alta is not the place for nightlife, but there are a few bars with really good aprés-ski deals connected to the hotels.
Verdict
For skiers who value snow quality and a natural, local feel above all else, it’s hard to find a better mountain than Alta. Lift ticket prices undercut many competing resorts that offer similar terrain but can’t match in accumulation and powder. However, the mountain’s ban on snowboarders and expensive lodging may be dealbreakers for some.
