ALTA. To passionate skiers, that word is almost holy. At a minimum, legendary. Year after year, snowstorm after snowstorm, Alta UT serves up the deepest, driest snow on Planet Earth. There is something about its place geographically. It even receives more snow than its neighbor, Snowbird. One drive up the windy Little Cottonwood Canyon to its end, where Alta sits, and you are in an alpine world completely different from other Utah resorts. The mountains are big, steep, and you can hear the thump thump thump of helicopters lifting riders to greater heights in search of that lifetime run. Also, this place was designed by Alf Engen, who wound the trails down the mountains following natural contours. Unlike many resorts which seem to just chop and slash trails to make a ski area.
It was here, in the 1990s, that my friend Tully and I got to Alta one morning when the canyon opened after it was closed for 24 hours due an avalanche. And the snow kept coming. Once on the slopes, I was simply flabbergasted to be able to ski in snow up to my waist, and sometimes flying right over my shoulders. It is so feather light you can do it. You just have to experience to believe it. You’ve got to have momentum to turn. And to get momentum, you have to point directly downhill. And you don’t actually need to see your skis! Trust. You have to point your skis downhill and trust that the snow will be your brake.
I got to Alta on a Monday in February 2023, and the temperature was seriously cold, maybe 5 degrees, and while the snow wasn’t brand new, it was still that legendary quality! There was plenty of parking. Even at 10:00.
There are some tips I can offer about Alta. The first is to try to ski on a weekday. If you have to go on a weekend, get started up the canyon at 6:30 a.m. Otherwise, catch a Utah public bus. Try to catch it at one of its furthest stops, so you can get a seat on the bus! Either way, experience this place. Then you too can bring home legendary stories!
Cabin Fever Chronicles - Getting Outdoors with Rod 