January is Learn to ski month.
Each year, January serves as Learn To Ski Month at Alta Ski Area and ski resorts across the nation. Alta and the Alf Engen Ski School are here to help get you into the mountains and on skis. Whether you are stepping into skis for the first time in your life or looking to get back into the sport after a little hiatus, Learn To Ski Month is the ideal time to start building the foundation for this ski season and beyond.
Despite its reputation as home to the steep and deep, Alta Ski Area offers some of the best beginner skiing terrain in North America. Generations of skiers have learned to ski on the gentle slopes of the Albion Basin. The Transfer Tow and the new Little Griz and Big Griz ski conveyors in the Albion base area create the ideal training grounds for first-time skiers of all ages.
Learning to ski can be a very challenging pursuit that may seem unattainable to many, especially if you do not have friends or family that ski. The good news is that the Alf Engen Ski School has been teaching skiing for a really long time. We have one of the oldest ski schools in the country with nine decades of experience introducing new skiers to the sport. You are not alone in this endeavor—we will be with you from your very first step onto the snow through your first turns and beyond. Realistically, you are just a few weeks away from becoming a skier. If it's been a few years since you've skied and want to dust off your skills, the Sunnyside At 3 pass is a fantastic way to experience the joy of skiing again.
Alta Ski Area and the Alf Engen Ski School are here to help you, or someone you want to introduce to skiing, take that next step—in ski boots of course.
Learn To Ski With the Alf Engen Ski School
For nine decades, skiers have benefitted from the instruction and expertise of Alta's Ski School. Tradition, alongside decades of innovation, makes Alta Ski Area a premier destination for skiers seeking progression. From never-evers to off-piste experts, the variety of classes and quality of instruction will forever change the way you ski.
As one of the only ski schools in the nation that requires PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) Certification for every instructor, the lessons imparted by our staff teach skiers to challenge and overcome their fears on the slopes—and in their lives beyond the mountains.
In the words of longtime Alf Engen Ski School Instructor Mike Noble,
“Skiing can be an interesting afternoon. Or it can change your whole perspective on life”
Adult Learn to Ski Program
The Alf Engen Ski School offers an all-inclusive Adult Learn To Ski Program on Sunday mornings. This discounted four-week program will introduce you to the sport and culture of skiing and aims to have you riding chairlifts and linking turns on groomed runs in just four two-hour sessions. The Adult Learn To Ski Program is just $499 and includes lift tickets and four days of rental skis, boots, poles.
The second Adult Learn To Ski Program begins February 2nd and ends March 2nd. Lessons are Sunday mornings from 10:30am–12:30pm.
Adult Class Lessons
Need a little flexibility in your learning-to-ski schedule? The Alf Engen Ski School has a team of PSIA-certified instructors waiting to help you learn the basics through Adult Class Lessons. These 2 ½-hour lessons are a great way to learn a new sport while possibly making fellow first-time-skier friends.
Skill Class 1: First Time On Skis
- Have fun learning how to glide, change directions, use surface tows and a conveyor lift.
- The average adult takes one or two Skill Class 1 sessions before moving on to Skill Class 2.
Skill Class 2: Get Ready For Green
- Develop your control and confidence with turns for speed control and maneuverability. Ride a chairlift! Lift use is complimentary during Skill Class 2.
- The average adult takes one or two Skill Class 2 sessions before moving on to Skill Class 3.
Skill Class 3: Into To Green Runs
- Take your turning skills up the mountain to access the green runs in the beautiful Albion Basin. This phase of learning to ski can be incredibly exciting as you relax, experience the sensations of rhythm and move about much more freely on your skis. Careful, after Skill Class 3 you will identify yourself as an Alta skier!
- Purchase or possession of a Beginner Area Lift Ticket is required for Skill Class 3.
- The average adult takes two or three Skill Class 3 sessions before moving on to Intermediate Skiing in Skill Zone 4.
Single lessons are available for $155 or purchase a Book of Three Lessons for $375 and you should be well on your way to riding chairlifts and linking turns.
Beginner and Novice Class Lessons are available any day of the week—lift tickets are not included in Adult Beginner and Novice Class Lessons, but are typically not necessary until your third lesson. Once you’re ready to move from the Big Griz and Little Griz ski conveyors to the Sunnyside lift, a Beginner Area lift ticket is only $80 on off-peak days and $90 on peak weekends and holidays.
Adult Beginner and Novice Class Lessons >
Adult Private Lessons
Private Lessons are available through the Alf Engen Ski School for skiers who prefer the undivided attention of an instructor and a pace of learning adapted for each skier,
Kids Class Lessons
Share a passion for the lifelong sport of skiing with your children. The Alf Engen Ski School can help the newest skier feel comfortable both on and off the snow. Give your children a great ski school experience and create lifelong family memories of skiing together at Alta. Alf Engen Ski School's kid-focused pros will develop a foundation of skills for your child to enjoy a lifetime of skiing while having great fun and making skiing friends.
Kids First-Time Ski Adventures—an introductory class for kids ages 4–12 who have never skied before. Alta’s kid-focused pros will develop a foundation of skills for your child to enjoy a lifetime of skiing while having great fun and making skiing friends. All-Day and Afternoon adventures are offered and no lift ticket is required.
Kids Beginner Ski Adventures—work on wedge stops, consistent wedge turns and maintaining control on the easiest green slopes while skiing from Big Griz and Little Griz ski conveyors. All-Day and Afternoon adventures are offered and no lift ticket is required.
Kids Advanced-Beginner and Intermediate Class Lessons—will have your kids skiing from Snowpine and Sunnyside lift. Alta’s kid-focused pros will develop a foundation of skills for your child to enjoy a lifetime of skiing while having great fun and making skiing friends today. All-Day adventures only and a lift ticket is required for Sunnyside lift.
Kids Class Lessons with the Alf Engen Ski School >
Kids Private Lessons
Private lessons are available for ages four and up and will focus on developing your child’s skiing skills while having a great time on the mountain.
Learn more about Kids Private Lessons >
Learn To Ski via Alta’s Sunnyside At 3 Program
If you prefer to explore skiing on your own, the Sunnyside At 3 program is an approachable and affordable introduction to skiing at Alta Ski Area. Alta's Sunnyside At 3 program allows skiers to ski from the Sunnyside lift from 3–4:30pm daily. Utilize the Transfer Tow and Big Griz ski conveyor to learn the basics, take a few laps on the Snowpine lift and then test your newfound skills on the Sunnyside lift from 3–4:30pm.
Sunnyside At 3 lift tickets are $20 on off-peak days and $25 on peak days. A Sunnyside at 3 Season Pass is just $99.
Commit to learning to ski this season by purchasing a Sunnyside At 3 Season Pass and learn to ski on your own or with a patient friend or family member.
Learn more about Sunnyside At 3 >
Rentals From the Alta Ski Shop
Almost all new skiers rent skis, boots and poles to start. You will progress through varying lengths and performance levels of skis in a fairly continuous manner for a season or two. It is a mistake to purchase skis right away as you will either have skis that you progress beyond quickly or the skis will be too reactive and demanding of accuracy in your first days of skiing.
We recommend that your first equipment purchase, after a few days of skiing, be a perfect fitting, comfortable and skill-appropriate pair of ski boots. Alta Ski Shops have excellent up-to-date ski equipment to rent for your beginning adventures into skiing.
The Alta Ski Shop offers an Adult Sports Package—boots, skis and poles—for just $45 per day >
Junior Sport Packages are available from the Alta Ski Shop for $30 per day >
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