The review Alta was created by Skiresort.info, the world’s largest test portal for ski resorts.
Altitude difference
615 m (Valley 2600 m - Mountain 3215 m )
Lifts/ cable cars
10 · Cat-skiing
Number of lifts to get from one end of the ski resort to the other
→ 3 ← 2
Slope offering, variety of runs
Runs/slopes
Total 116 km
Intermediate
46.4 km
(40 %)
Run location
just above tree line, under tree line
Number of ski lifts
10 · Cat-skiing
Total capacity
13340 Passengers / hour
Length of all lifts
10.6 km Total
Worth knowing
- Artificial snow-making
20 % of the slopes have snow-making capabilities
- The valley run is always open when ski resort is open; without the valley run, ski operation is not possible.
Season 2008/2009
165 Days open
165 Days when valley run open
The slope preparation is excellent.
Tip: By new snow, an optimal slope prepartion is not always possible, even with a large effort. In addition, the new snow can not combine with the snow lying underneath and moguls are created quickly. For safety reasons, usually no slope preparation is possible during operating times.
Orientation (trail map, information boards, sign-postings)
Environmentally friendly ski operation
Public transportation/ on-site mobility
- Small ski bus offering
- No scheduled busses
Mountain restaurants, ski huts, gastronomy
5 Mountain restaurants & Ski huts
Accommodation offering directly on the slopes and lifts
Ski-in/Ski-out
There are many accommodations with direct access to the slopes and to lifts (Ski-in/Ski-out)
Towns/villages
- Alta
Distance to ski resort 0 km (directly at ski resort)
Guest beds 1140
Note: For the evaluation, only the accommodations which are located directly on the slopes and lifts, or have very easy access to the ski resort have been considered.
Information for families and children
- Beginner's lifts near the valley
Information for beginners
- Easy and manageable slope offering, which is easy to achieve
- Special slopes for slower skiers / beginners
- Beginner's lifts near the valley
Advanced skiers, freeriders
Information for advanced skiers, freeriders
- many freeride / deep snow areas
- some extremely difficult, steep and unprepared runs (Double Diamonds)
Slope offering advanced skiers
Note: Always mind the avalanche warnings and barriers, please. Never ski into a closed and unsecured area.
very many runs with ascent
Information for Snowboarders
- many freeride / deep snow areas
Offering snow parks
Cross-country skiing and trails
- Cross-country trail offering
Total trail length: 5 km
Conclusion
freeride terrain, rich of snow
no safety bars at the chair lifts, no chair lifts with bubbles
Detailed description of the ski resort
Approx. 2 km after Snowbird you reach the ski resort Alta. The highway 210 leads along the ski resort up to the Albion Base Station, were the road finally ends. There are enough parking lots along the road from the Wildcat Base until the Albion Base. The two base lodges are connected with a tow, called Transfer Tow. Some smaller rope tows pull the skiers back to the road and the parking lots. There is a short triple chair up to the Rustler Lodge. With the new high speed quad Collins Express you can flat via a mid station up into the ski area from the Wildcat Base. An old double chair, the Wildcat open up mostly advanced runs at the front side of the ski resort. From the top station of the Collins Express you can take the High Traverse to reach all the steep runs at the front side, or you can take an intermediate run down to the high speed quad Sugarloaf Express. You can reach the Sugarloaf Express also from the Albion Base either with the high speed triple chair Sunnyside or the double chair Albion. At this two lifts and at the double chair Cecret is the terrain for the beginners, the runs are very easy and wide, the perfect area for beginners as well as at the tow lifts. The triple chair Supreme takes the skiers up to Point Supreme, the highest lifted point in Alta at 10.595 ft. The start is abouve the Sugarloaf Express and the runs at Supreme are for experts only. From the top station of the Sugarloaf Express you can ski to Snowbird´s Mineral Basin. The Alta-Snowbird liftpass doubles up the terrain and offers great skiing possibilities. For a break you can go either to the Alf´s Restaurant or the Collins Grill in the resort. Additional restaurants are available at the base stations and in the hotels in Alta. As in Snowbird, Alta offers innumerable powder runs and mogul runs and is for the expert skier as well as for everybody the perfect ski resort.
Test Report issued on 2005-01-19
Highlights
Slope offering, run variety
Top ski regions • Tips for the ski holiday