Alta Ski Area

Alta Ski Area is a skier-only mountain located at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon. It is renowned for its high-quality, plentiful snowfall, also known as “Greatest Snow on Earth”. It is particularly popular among avid skiers for its challenging and diverse terrain, featuring a mix of steep slopes and deep powder runs. 

• Beginner runs: 15%
• Intermediate runs: 30%
• Advanced runs: 55%
• Expert runs: 0%
• Total ski runs: 119
• Terrain Parks: 0

• Summit elevation: 11068 feet
• Skiable area: 2614 acre
• Average Snowfall: 545 inch

Enlarged Trail Map

Alta Ski Area offers several different types of lift tickets. Below are the differences between the lift tickets.

Alta offers a few types of day lift tickets. The pricing varies based on peak and non-peak periods. If you already have an existing Alta card, you can easily reload the card online to avoid the lines at the ticket office. Below is a summary of the lift tickets.

• Full-Day Ticket: This ticket gives you a full day access from 9:15am - 4:30pm. For full-day tickets with 2 or more days you get one rest day, and so you do not need to ski consecutive days.
• Beginner Ticket: This ticket gives you access to the beginner terrain on the Sunnyside lift. There is also an half-day option with access to Sunnyside lift after 3pm.
• Alta-Bird: This ticket gives you access to both Alta and Snowbird for the number of days purchased. It can only be purchased in-resort at Alta or Snowbird.

All Alta season passes include free parking reservations, discounted rentals, and UTA ski bus benefits. This pass is ideal if you are planning to ski more than 11 days at Alta. Below is a summary of the passes.

• Full Season Pass: This pass gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to Alta throughout the ski season. It also gives one free day each at Snowbird, Deer Valley, and Brighton, but cannot be used on Friday-Sundays or holiday dates. There is also additional benefits such as discounted Ikon Base Pass add-on and all season free parking reservations.
• Mid-Week Pass (Adults only): This pass gives access to Alta on Monday-Fridays only.
• Alta-Bird Season Pass: This pass gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to both Alta and Snowbird throughout the ski season. It includes 2 free days each at Deer Valley and Brighton, but cannot be used on Friday-Sundays or holiday dates.
• Beginner Season Pass: This pass gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to the Sunnyside lift after 3pm at Alta throughout the ski season.

The Salt Lake Ski Super Pass gives you access to Salt Lake’s world-class resorts, Alta, Solitude, Brighton, and Snowbird, throughout the ski season with no blackout dates. 

• Available for purchase: Pre-ski season until around end of November
• Mountain Access: Access to Alta for the amount of days purchased. You can only access one resort per day, except for Brighton and Solitude, which can be skied on the same day.
• Days valid at Alta: There is the option of 3 to 10 days, which must be used within 14 days after the first day of use.
• Additional Benefits: Complimentary transportation on UTA ski buses and TRAX light rail, and discounted rentals.
• Ideal for: Skiing 3-10 days at multiple resorts.

You can access Alta Ski Area on 2 types of Ikon Passes. Ikon passes are available for purchase pre-ski season until around the end of November and are ideal for people planning to ski at multiple resorts. The differences between the passes are highlighted below.

• Ikon Pass gives unlimited access to 15 resorts and up to 7 days each at 40 ski resorts with no blackout dates throughout the ski season. You can access Alta Ski Area (or Snowbird) for a total of 7 days. 
• Ikon Base Plus Pass gives unlimited access to 14 ski resorts and up to 5 days each at 41 destinations with some blackout dates. You can access Alta (or Snowbird) for a total of 5 days except on blackout dates.

The Mountain Collective Pass provides 2-day access each to 24 ski resorts across 5 continents with no blackout dates. 

• Mountain Access: 2 days total at Alta Ski Area.
• Additional Benefits: Half-price for additional days at the Collective resorts and lodging deals.
• Ideal for: People who want to ski at multiple ski resorts for a short period.

Alta’s Alf Engen Ski School offers group lessons, private lessons, and multi-week programs for all skill levels.

• Adult Group Lessons (Age 13+): These lessons are for first-timers, beginners, or intermediate skiers, with a maximum of seven people per group. The lesson time is from 1:15pm to 3:30pm.
• Children Group Lessons (Age 4-17): For ages 4-12, there are lessons for first-timers to intermediate skiers. For ages 7-17, there is advanced and expert lessons available.
• Private Lessons (Age 4+): These customized lessons have the option of 6-hours, 3-hours, or 2-hour lessons. 
• Multi-week Programs: For ages 6 and above, there are programs spanning several weeks with one lesson every week. This is suitable for those seeking to improve their skills and to socialize with others.

Alta is located just less than an hour drive from Salt Lake City, Utah. It is known as the gateway to world-class ski resorts with the “Greatest Snow on Earth”, including Snowbird, Brighton, Deer Valley, and Park City. People often stay in the city for more accommodation options as Alta base village only has a few options including ski-in-ski-out lodging.

Alta Ski Area has five on-mountain dining options, below are the best-rated ones.

Located at the mid-station of Collins chairlift on the third floor of the Waston Shelter, this up-scale restaurant offers a bistro-grill menu with drinks. 

Opening hours (subject to change): 11:30am - 2:30pm (Wed-Sun)

Google Maps

This coffee shop offers beverages, waffles, and snacks. It is located at the base of Supreme and Sugarloaf lifts.

Opening hours (subject to change): 10am - 3pm

Google Maps

Located mid-mountain at the base of Supreme and Sugarloaf lifts, this restaurant provides a scenic view along with a variety of foods including burgers, sandwiches, and beer.

Opening hours (subject to change): 10am - 3pm

Google Maps

Address: Alta Ski Area, Highway 210, Alta, UT 84092

Phone number: (801) 359-1078

Google Maps | Official Website