Wildcat Base - Alta Ski Area
Nestled in the far reaches of Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the center of the Wasatch National Forest, about a mile beyond Snowbird Ski Resort, lies the famed Alta ski station. If you’re looking for deep powder skiing, Alta manages to come up with the goods year-in year-out. The average annual snowfall is a whopping 500″, and the area is reliably carpeted with snow. But if you’re a snowboarder don’t bother to read any further as Alta enforces a draconian skiing-only policy, and no snowboarding is permissible (their loss!). The skiing at Alta lies on the slopes of three moutains, the Devil’s Castle, Mount Sugarloaf and Mount Baldy, all of which soar to over 10,000ft. There are two base areas which lie at the foot of the slopes, Wildcat and Albion.
Alta was a thriving mining town in the frenetic silver rush of the 1880s. It was a rough, savage town, with many whisky bars. The town garnered a certain reputation because of several drink-induced shootings. But when the silver boom came to an end, the town fell apart, helped on its way to oblivion by fire and several avalanches. In the 1930s Little Cottonwood Canyon was rediscovered by a different kind of prospector, looking for an abundance of cold white snow, rather than shining metal. A scout for the Forest Service reported that the area was ideal for skiing. Together with the Salt Lake Winter Sports Association, the Forest Service set up a small skiing operation at Alta. To begin with they installed just one lift, serving a small amount of terrain.
Nowadays Alta has grown into a huge world-class skiing area with a great reputation for superb powder skiing. The 2 base lodge, Wildcat and Albion sit at the bottom of over 2200 acres of skiable terrain.
Alta’s snow record is as valuable to beginners as to experts. There’s nothing worse than to start out your skiing career on thin snow. The main beginner’s area is located above Albion base. The Sunnyside lift leads to the start of 2 brilliant green runs, Crooked Mile and Dipsy Doodle, both easy-angled and forgiving of novice errors. From the top of Sunnyside you can also venture up the Cecret chair to 2 more recommended trails, Rabbit and Sweet ‘N Easy, both picturesque and rewarding.
There’s more terrain available to Intermediate skiers. One idea is to ride the Supreme lift up to the shoulder of East Castle. Stop a moment to take in the beautiful mountain views, then swoop down Upper Big Dipper run. Another great set up trails starts from the top of the Sugarload chair. If you want the longest possible run, glide down Collins Return to Mambo, head on down to join Meadow, next Rustler Cat Track, finally Corkscrew to reach the bottom. An exhilirating descent.
Expert’s are spoilt for choice. One favorite area is West Rustler, reached via High Traverse off the top of the Collins lifts. Several lines like Watson’s, Annies’, Jake’s, Santa Clause, Jitterbug and Christmas Tree take deep powder down the north-west facing steep slope. An alternative is the Ballroom Traverse accessible from the Collins chair. You’ll tiptoe your way across the north face of Mt Baldy, before picking a spot to plunge down the wide open bowl. The earlier your drop, the easier the angle. For the real devildares, the Baldy chutes, off the summit ridge of Mount Baldy, offer palpitation-inducing thrills.
Alta has no ski-village as such, and this is its biggest downside. If you’re the party-animal sort that likes to hit the busiest bar for wild evenings Alta will prove a disappointment. But thre’s lots of ski-in ski-out lodges to pick from. Alta Lodge, Rustler Lodge, Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge and Snowpine Lodge can all be recommended.
Best Ski Resorts‘ (from 100BestEverything) rating (out of 5 stars) 4-expert,3-intermediate,2-beginner.
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