Our keys to a successful second half of the season.
It may seem hard to believe, but we’ve already reached the midway point of the 2023–24 season at Alta Ski Area.
As of Thursday, February 15th, we are 80 days into the ski season with 66 days until our projected closing date of April 21st. With 389 inches of season-to-date snowfall, it’s shaping up to be a great final two months of the season. According to Open Snow, our current snowpack is 109% of average.
Recap of the First Half
The first half of the season got off to a fast start. By December 6th, Alta Ski Area had the most snowfall in North America. December quickly turned dry and the locals were getting a little antsy after three weeks without much action. Things got interesting shortly after the new year and a Not So Dry January saw 140.5 inches of snow—50% more than average January snowfall.
The snowy start to February was the Halftime Show that everyone was talking about around the water cooler. Seven feet of snow fell in the first 10 days of the month, ushering in one of the best stretches of powder skiing we've experienced this season.
February 7th: Georgie Knox out from behind a very snowy curtain | Photo: Chloe Jimenez
February 9th: Todd Ligare loved the halftime show | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Once the snow stopped, blue skies rolled in and our crews went to work opening as much terrain as possible. On Tuesday, February 13th, Alta Ski Patrol opened Mount Baldy and East Castle, providing our first wall-to-wall opening of the season.
The third quarter is off to an exciting start. We’re just halfway through February, and we’ve already received 94.5 inches of snow—which is 106% of our 43-year average for the month (89.28 inches). Alta Ski Area has the most snowfall in the lower 48 and the snow should continue into President's Weekend. The end of February looks to be action-packed. If you haven't done so already, now is a great time to Plan Your Trip to Alta Ski Area.
Our Keys to the Second Half.
Without further ado, here’s your Halftime Gameplan so we can correct a few mistakes from the first half and finish the third and fourth quarters strong.
Reserve Your Spot in the Big Game
Parking Reservations are required Fridays–Sundays and Holidays from 8am–1pm. Our last holiday weekend starts this weekend, which means parking reservations are required this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and President’s Day.
Pro-tip: If you have a parking reservation on a non-powder day, consider sleeping in or grabbing breakfast and plan to arrive after the morning rush.
Win the Turnover Battle
If you don’t have a parking reservation, you can still plan to ski after 1pm when reservation periods end. Around 1pm on reservation days is when we typically start to turnover in the parking lots. Starters head to the locker room and second stringers arrive to take their spot. We also see a lot of night-before and morning-of cancellations. Pay close attention to the waiver wire as these cancellations are automatically added back into our reservation pools.
Pro tip: We release additional parking for upcoming weekends on Sunday afternoons at 3pm. Set an alarm to increase your odds of seeing playing time in the third and fourth quarters.
Manage Your Parking Reservations
Avoid False Starts
Due to seasonlong snow removal operations, Alta parking lots do not open until 7:30am. If you are looking to backcountry ski before the lifts open, please make an Early Morning Parking Reservation.
Call An Audible
There are plenty of other ways to get to Alta without a parking reservation—or even a car.
- The Utah Transit Authority Ski Bus runs multiple times daily and is free for most Alta season passholders and Ikon passholders.
- The Cottonwood Connect is a Friday–Sunday and Holiday reservation-based shuttle service from Salt Lake City to Alta and the other Cottonwood resorts.
Utilize the Shotgun Formation
Because there are friends on powder days, carpooling with friends is a great way to enjoy a day of skiing Alta. Just make sure your friend has a parking reservation.
Choose Your Endzone
Alta Ski Area has two base areas to start and end your ski day. These base areas are connected via Transfer Tow or the Town of Alta Shuttle. Flip a coin and decide which base area provides the best homefield advantage:
- The Albion base area is ideal for beginners, families and those who are enrolling in a ski lesson with the Alf Engen Ski School
- The Wildcat base area is ideal for intermediate and expert skiers
The Passing Game
Alta Ski Area accepts the Ikon Pass and Base-Plus. But not the Ikon Base—that's considered an ineligible receiver. The Ikon Base-Plus is good for five days of skiing between Alta and Snowbird. The Ikon Pass is valid for up to seven days of skiing between Alta and Snowbird. Once your Ikon Base-Plus or Ikon Pass has been scanned, you can ski between Alta or Snowbird without using an additional Ikon day.
Spread the Field—Several gates connect Alta Ski Area and Snowbird Mountain Resort. Sugarloaf Pass provides the easiest access to Snowbird.
The Mountain Collective provides two days of skiing at Alta Ski Area and two days of skiing at Snowbird. Mountain Collective treats the two ski areas as separate resorts. If you want to ski Alta and Snowbird on the same day, you will use two Mountain Collective days. Or you can choose to pay a fee to upgrade your Alta day to an Alta-Bird day, or your Snowbird day pass to an Alta-Bird day pass.
Pocket Presence—Avoid the frequently-flagged pass interference penalty and always remember to keep your Alta season pass, Ikon Pass, Mountain Collective Pass, Ski Superpass or lift ticket in a pocket by itself. Our RFID Refs have been calling this tight all season.
Keys to a Solid Run Game
Alta Ski Area has 116+ named runs. While it’s not essential to learn individual run names, it’s a great idea to carry a trail map with you at all times—just don’t store it in the same pocket as your pass, you'll get flagged for pass interference.
Use the Whole Field—a lot of Alta’s best terrain is accessed via traversing. Often these traverses are marked with signs and discs. Remember to treat a traverse like a ski run or a highway. Don’t stop in the middle of a traverse. Do not take your skis off on a traverse.
Laterals—sidestepping is a big part of the Alta run game. Leave your skis on a shuffle laterally to the top of your line.
Hut, Hut, Hike!—Some of the best runs start with a well-timed hike. Be patient and follow your blockers until you see your opening.
Maintain Lane Discipline—once you’ve located your line, make sure to ski the fall line. Imagine what a snowball would look like rolling its way down a slope, then plan your ski line to match. And don't stop in locations where you cannot be seen from above.
Keep Both Feet Inbounds—ducking ropes is not permitted and will result in immediate disqualification.
Listen To the Coaching Staff
There’s still time to enroll in the Alf Engen Ski School. They've developed a playbook for maximizing your performance on game day. If you're looking for individual coaching, Private Lessons and Guides are available daily.
Our second Beyond the Blues adult program starts soon. This five-week program for intermediate skiers on Thursday afternoons is a great way to move from beyond groomed intermediate terrain to the vast off-piste and expert terrain of Alta.
Coaching With the Alf Engen Ski School
Avoid Delay of Game Penalties
It snows a lot in Little Cottonwood Canyon and Highway 210 can be an intimidating place to drive. Please make sure your vehicle complies with the Traction Law. Failure to comply with the Traction Law creates traffic-related delays and accidents. Penalties for non-compliance are stiff.
Proper Footwear
Traction devices are required during severe winter weather conditions on roads throughout Utah, including Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.
- AWD/4WD: M + S or M/S tires is the minimum requirement. Traction devices such as chains or 3-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) tires are also acceptable.
- 2WD: 3-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) tires (on all four tires) is the minimum requirement. Traction devices such as chains are also acceptable.
Alta Ski Area and UDOT work with local rental car companies to ensure select vehicles are equipped with proper snow tires that comply with the UDOT Traction Law. If you are planning to drive in Little Cottonwood, please consider renting from Go-Rentals, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, National and Rugged Rental
Pro-tip: Look for the UDOT Cottonwood Canyon Sticker.
Victory Formation
As long as we don't stray from the coach's second-half gameplan—or fumble at the goalline—our third and fourth quarters will spell victory and we'll be playing in super bowls of powder.
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