presley (01/31/83)
We (the infamous rabbit!jj and I) just got back from a week's worth of skiing at Alta, Utah. If you're a ski skier, Alta is a great place; however, if you're a party skier, Alta would probably bore you to death, since there is practically no night-life. Monday (1/24) started with a base of 101, packed powder. Tuesday morning we had 8 new inches of dry powder. Being Eastern hard packed powder and ice skiers, we had trouble coping with it (oh no! where are my skis!?!), but a private lesson helped tremendously. Friday morning we had 16 inches of new powder and the slopes were practically empty until around 11:00, when they finally were able to clear the snow slide which closed the main access road a few miles south. Sunday morning we had another 14 inches of new powder; the roads didn't open again until 10:30 or so. The base Sunday morning was 139, three feet in a week, which ain't nothing to sneeze at, folks. The daytime temperature hovered between 20 and 40, with clouds, snow and sunshine sharing about equal time. To the two of us who were used to the eastern ski areas' prices, lift lines, etc., it was an eye opener. The all-day lift pass costs $10 (what is Killington this year? $22, $24?). They have a healthy attitude about where you could or couldn't ski. The only places you couldn't ski were those closed because of avalanche danger or outside of their limits. You could ski into unmarked trails if you felt like it (and a lot of people did, looking for untracked powder); if you cracked up, it's your fault for not knowing your limits (I like that attitude). The lift lines were almost nonexistent. Saturday the lift lines were "terrible" -- we had to wait 12 minutes on the Germania lift line. If you plan to go, get the $99 airfares and the 7-day MAP with lift tickets included. Oh yes, we stayed at the Goldminer's Daughter Lodge, which is about 30 yards from the lifts. For more info, either ask me or rabbit!jj.