October 31st, 2006
Alta Ski Area - Why Ski Alta Utah?
You might ask why ski Alta Utah? The nice folks at the Alta Ski Area will tell you that Alta is a skier’s mountain, so no snowboarders allowed. Winter is here in the Rocky Mountains of Utah where you will find the greatest snow on earth. Don’t believe me? Just read the white Utah license plate. The license plate never lies. Plus they had the 2002 World Winter Olympics here because this is the place for wintery fun. I have been living in Salt Lake City Utah for over three years and my favorite thing about this place is the close access to high mountain peaks and a bunch of major ski areas.
MORE REASONS TO SKI ALTA
There are a lot of ski areas here, but my favorite (along with millions of other fans) is the Alta Ski Area. The scenery of the white rocky mountain peaks is my favorite! The people who work here are great, the atmosphere is fun even on a stormy day. Alta is also a small mountain town, and a neighbor of Snowbird Winter Resort where you can find great lodging. Salt Lake City is minutes away and Alta is like 30 some minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport.
The powder snow at Alta Ski area is awesome. The 2005-06 season at Alta Ski Area had 631 inches of snow! The ski area averages over 500 inches annually. If you want a comparison, Vail Ski area in Colorado got a total of 398 inches and Aspen Colorado got 308 during the 2005-06 season (those are about their averages). Although Colorado has some cool ski areas, none of them have an annual average over 400 inches. So if you are a skier looking for hard core peaks, runs and snow you gotta take on Alta. It will throw any challenge at you if you want it.
If you are an expert and haven’t tried it yet, you need to ski down Baldy Chutes. These make for great adrenaline runs. Although Alta’s ski lifts will take you up pretty high, you will still need to hike to the top of Baldy Peak to ski the Chutes. This just makes it extra special and the 360 panorama view at the top is amazing, you feel like you are in Nepal standing on top of the Himalayas surrounded by pointy mountain peaks in every direction. If you love skiing and the mountains, you have to come this winter and ski Alta. It will do you good.
If you love skiing you will love to ski Alta. Thirty five percent of it is black diamond. Forty Intermediate and twenty five percent beginner runs. So there is fun for everyone. If you are really really hard core, you can join Alta ski racing. You get a chance to do recreational racing or join the Alta Town Race Series which is open to anyone who wishes to participate as long as you are over 18. Plus, the men’s and women’s each have two divisions that split ability levels. If you are competitive in sports, this is a perfect reason to ski Alta.
Alta Ski area is also affordable compared to the many ski areas around the Rocky Mountains. When you think you’ve challenged all the runs, you can also try snowcat skiing for nothing more but pure powder skiing. With 2,020 skiable acres, and 116 runs in some of the most beautiful mountains, make sure you have your protein before you ski.