Welcome to Alta Ski Area, one of the three remaining ski only resorts in all of North America! Alta Ski Area opened in 1938 and recently marked their 80th anniversary in 2019. Home to an average of 500+ inches of snow each year and one of the few beginners areas located in an avalanche area depending on the conditions.
Personally, I didn’t learn to ski growing up and was fortunate to take my first ski lessons at Alta Ski Area in Utah in 2020. And I fell in love! After two full seasons learning to ski, Alta continues to be one of my favorite resorts after being able to ski at seven different resorts so far!
How to ski at Alta? Here are your ski pass options for Alta Ski Area:
- Alta Daily Lift Ticket
- Alta Season Pass
- Alta and Snowbird Season Pass
- Ikon Pass: beginning in the 22/23 season, you’ll need to purchase the Ikon Base Plus pass or the full Ikon Pass
How to start your day? Breakfast, Yoga, or hit the slopes!
If you are an Alta Lodge guest, enjoy a complimentary breakfast before hitting the slopes. Due to limited restaurants in the small town of Alta, a population of about 400, several of the ski in ski out accommodations offer meals included in their nightly rate.
Are you a yogi? Alta Lodge offers daily complimentary yoga classes from 7am-8am during the winter months. Start your day off with a great yoga session before hitting the slopes!
Do you have kids? Alta Lodge offers a Kids Club that allows the parents to go off and enjoy a great day on the slopes while the Alta staff keep your kids entertained with a variety of activities throughout the day. And they are just a lift and ski run away!
Once you finish breakfast, it’s time to hit the slopes! Here’s where I recommend starting your day based on your ski level:
Beginners: ski down the bunny hill, take the transfer tow, and take the Sunnyside lift to enjoy some great green groomers! Check out this blog for 30+ tips for beginner skiers.
Intermediate/Advanced: ski down the bunny hill from Alta Lodge and take Collins up to the top of the mountain. I loved starting my day here because you have the option to ski down the Collins half of Alta or easily head over to ski Sugarloaf and Supreme lifts, where I find they have slightly easier blues than skiing down Collins. This is how I personally like ski my days at Alta so I can ski the enter mountain!
Looking to sneak over to ski at Snowbird?: Take Collins, ski down to Sugarloaf and take Sugarloaf to the top, then take Collins Return to arrive at the Mineral Basin side of Snowbird.
Where to enjoy lunch at Alta?
Alta Lodge: Ski down Mambo to Meadow to the base of the Collins lift and head over to the beginner lift that will take you up to Alta Lodge. Here you can enjoy a delicious lunch where they have daily specials available to ALL Alta skiers in addition to the hotel guests.
Mid Mountain:
Collins Grill: located in the middle of the mountain near the Collins lift. You can enjoy more casual dining on the first floor or head up the stairs to enjoy nice table cloth lunch.
Alf’s: If you are near the Supreme or Sugarloaf lifts, Alf’s will be your go to spot for lunch!
How should you spend the afternoon?
I personally love to ski near the Collins lift in the afternoons, then Alta Lodge guests can go back to the hotel to enjoy afternoon tea available from 3pm-5pm and your classic apres ski when the bar opens at 4pm.
Enjoy the late afternoon relaxing by enjoying the sauna and hot tubs with a view or napping before dinner. Then hotel guests can head downstairs for your complimentary dinner at Alta Lodge. Not staying at Alta Lodge? Head back to the valley via car or take the 953 bus. Check out this blog on how to take the UTA Ski bus for FREE.
Planning to park at Alta Ski Area? Make sure to get your reservations for the weekends from mid-December to mid-April from 8am-1pm. Here’s a link to Alta’s parking information.
I hope this inspires you to visit one of my favorite ski resorts and to make the most of your time on the slopes.
With wanderlust,
Haley
Halesyah 