Articles by Mike SandyAlta Ski Area in Utah
ALTA, Utah, March 24, 2024 — Alta had received 17 inches of snow overnight. And another three inches of snow fell while we skied. Since it was late in the season, the mountain was uncrowded—we were one of the first to ride Supreme. My first run of the day was my favorite run of the 2023–2024 season:
I had never considered skiing Main Chute until one day in April 2007 while skiing at Alta with my friend Steve and his friends Kevin and Drew. Main Chute is a steep, rock-lined couloir that cuts through the rugged northeast face of Mount Baldy, the 11,068-foot peak that serves as the boundary between the Alta and Snowbird ski areas in Utah. The chute is accessible via a hike from either ski area. It’s a popular destination—when it’s open. Avalanches coming down from Mount Baldy put the terrain in Collins Gulch at risk; therefore, Alta’s ski patrol only opens Baldy’s chutes when the avalanche danger is low. The last significant snowfall had been ten days earlier; the snow was stable. Main Chute was open. We decided to go.
Catherine’s Area is a series of small drainages at the edge of Alta’s eastern boundary. My friend Brendan and I were introduced to Catherine’s Area for the first time in 2007. A two-minute hike from the top of the Supreme lift brought us to a ledge that served as the beginning of a traverse. It hadn’t snowed for two days, but we still found fresh powder in Catherine’s Area.
We skied a few turns in one drainage, then crossed over a small ridge into the next to find even fresher snow. The run was short but sweet. Once we reached the flats, instead of following the gully back down to the Supreme lift, we stayed high and made our way out to the west-facing slopes below the ridge connecting Patsey Marley and Mount Wolverine. We found more fresh snow there too. That tour cemented Catherine’s Area as a go-to destination that season.
Although the runs in Catherine’s Area are short, especially for the effort required to reach many of them, the area remains a favorite of mine. It seems you can always find good snow there, even several days after a storm.
On the (first) closing day of Alta’s 2021–2022 ski season, I ventured into Catherine’s Area in the afternoon to see if I could find more of the four inches of creamy powder that had fallen overnight. I was pleased with what I found. I compiled a short video to capture the experience of skiing Catherine’s Area (complete with my heavy breathing from the short hike and long traverse). Enjoy!
Returning from last season’s calf and knee injuries has been more difficult mentally than I anticipated. Most days I just don’t have it. I’m not even sure what it is, but I often find myself fearful on trails and terrain that have never posed a challenge in the past.
But I keep skiing. And I keep struggling.
I thought of different ways to challenge myself and to keep things interesting. I went to resorts I had never skied before (despite living nearby for over a decade), including Park City and Deer Valley. (I’m also planning to ski Solitude for the first time next week.)
This week, I decided to ski from every lift at Alta and Snowbird, which seemed like a fun gimmick to try. I have an Alta-Snowbird season pass; I figured I should take full advantage of it at least once.
I arrived at Snowbird early enough to catch the first (public) tram to the top of Hidden Peak. Mineral Basin didn’t open yesterday, so I figured its south- and southeast-facing runs would be loaded with powder snow because of the storm’s strong west-northwest winds.
I was right. The 19 inches of fresh powder on White Diamonds was some of the deepest I’ve ever skied.
A late-season storm of huge proportions dropped 26.5 inches of snow starting on Thursday afternoon. The timing was perfect for this ski day to be one of those ridiculously great ski days in the Wasatch. In addition to the snow that had already fallen, there was a 100 percent chance that it would snow all day today, too. In addition to the previous snowfall superlatives, it is April, so many people have already given up on skiing for the season, which would leave the mountain uncrowded.
ALTA, Utah — My friend Steve plans to ski in every calendar month this year. With that goal in mind, and a sliver of snow still left on Gunsight at Alta Ski Area, he invited me to join him for another summer ski day.
ALTA, Utah — On Monday, July 7, my friend Steve sent me a photo from his cell phone of the snow still left on Gunsight at Alta. I asked if he would be up for skiing it that weekend. He replied that he and his friend Jorden had already planned to ski the chute on Sunday, and that I could join them. And so a plan was born.