Alta Ski Area
| Alta | |
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established 1939
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 Alta
Location of Alta, east of Sandy
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| Location | Alta, Utah, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Sandy, Utah, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°34′51″N 111°38′14″W / 40.58083°N 111.63722°WCoordinates: 40°34′51″N 111°38′14″W / 40.58083°N 111.63722°W |
| Vertical | 2,020 ft (616 m) |
| Top elevation | 10,550 ft (3,216 m) |
| Base elevation | 8,530 ft (2,600 m) |
| Skiable area | 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) |
| Runs | 116+ total 25% easiest 40% more difficult 35% most difficult |
| Lift system | 7 chairlifts - 2 hi-speed quads - 1 hi speed triple - 1 fixed triple - 3 fixed doubles 5 surface tows. |
| Terrain parks | 0 |
| Snowfall | 514 in (42.8 ft; 13.1 m) |
| Snowmaking | yes |
| Night skiing | none |
| Website | Alta.com |
Alta is a ski area in the western United States, located in the town of Alta in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, in Salt Lake County. With a skiable area of 2,200 acres (8.9 km2), Alta's base elevation is 8,530 ft (2,600 m) and rises to 10,550 ft (3,216 m) for a vertical gain of 2,020 ft (616 m). One of the oldest ski resorts in the country, it opened its first lift in early 1939. Alta is known for being very high altitude and receives more snow than most Utah resorts, its average annual snowfall is 514 inches (13.1 m). Alta is one of three remaining ski resorts in the U.S. that prohibits snowboarders, along with nearby competitor Deer Valley and Vermont's Mad River Glen.
Alta is one of the oldest ski areas in the U.S. and is one of just three ski areas in the U.S. that limit access to skiers only. Located at the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon barely 30 miles (48 km) from the Great Salt Lake, Alta resides in a unique micro climate characterized by over 500 inches (1,270 cm) of high volume, low moisture snowfall annually.
The Alta ski area features long, straight, fall-line pitches. Among the most well known and most favored are Alf's High Rustler, Eddies High Nowhere, Stone Crusher and the Baldy Chutes. Though widely respected as one of the most challenging of in-bounds ski areas in the world, Alta has always viewed itself as a local's and family oriented ski area with over half of its terrain devoted to intermediate and beginner skiers.
The community of Alta was established in 1871 as an offshoot of the silver mining operations in Little Cottonwood Canyon. A fire destroyed most of the town in 1878, then a cataclysmic avalanche in 1885—combined with the decline of mining—heralded a period of dormancy for the town. The area experienced a modest resurgence in mining in the 1900s, but the town declined again shortly thereafter, and was deserted with the exception of a few hardy miners who continued to intermittently prospect the area.
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Wikipedia