Alta
Slope Breakdown
Alta at a glance
Alta is a ski resort in United States, part of the Alta Ski Area area. It offers 93 km of slopes served by 12 lifts, with skiing between 2,600 m and 3,229 m (629 m vertical). That makes it the 19th largest of the 19 ski resorts in United States listed on Intski. The season usually runs from December to April. Alta leans towards strong skiers, with around 55% of the slopes rated expert (black).
Top features of this resort
Snow forecast
About 11 cm of new snow at the top (3,229 m) in the next 3 days, 2 cm at the base.
New snow and temperature at the top station. Estimated by Intski from the MET Norway forecast, updated every few hours. Where it snows most this week
Email me when it snows
An alert when 15 cm or more is on the way at Alta, and a heads-up before it opens.
Getting there & lift pass
Nearest airport
Salt Lake City (SLC) — about 37 km from the resort, straight-line distance, allow more by road.
Lift pass
Adult day pass around 199 USD (2025/26 season). Alta day pass.
About €1.90 per km of piste the pass covers (93 km).
Compare lift pass prices at all resortsPrice source, checked 2026-09-14
Alta resort facts
Difficulty shares from skiresort.info, applied to the area total.
About Alta
Alta is a ski area in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, in Salt Lake County, in the small town of the same name. It is one of the oldest ski resorts in the United States: the first lift opened in early 1939, and the place has held on to its traditions ever since.
Skiers only, and proud of it
Alta is a ski area in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, in Salt Lake County, in the small town of the same name. It is one of the oldest ski resorts in the United States: the first lift opened in early 1939, and the place has held on to its traditions ever since. The most visible of those is the ban on snowboarders. Alta is one of only three resorts left in the country that remain skiers-only, alongside its neighbour Deer Valley and Mad River Glen in Vermont.
The snow
Alta’s reputation rests on snowfall. It averages 545 inches a year, about 13.8 m, more than most Utah resorts, and it is regularly ranked as having the best snow in North America. Altitude does its part. The base sits at 2,600 m, higher than the top station of many European resorts, and the lifts rise above 3,200 m. Everything here is far above the 2,200 m line where altitude starts to matter for snow reliability, and the resort’s snow-sure tag is thoroughly earned.
The terrain
The skiable area covers 2,614 acres, just over 10.5 square kilometres, with 93 km of runs served by 12 lifts. That is a small lift count for the terrain, and it reflects how Alta skis: this is a mountain for people who want off-piste and ungroomed snow rather than long groomed pistes, and the site tags it for off-piste accordingly. The vertical is modest on paper, well under 1,000 m, but at this altitude and with this much snowfall the number understates the skiing. Put another way, 2,614 acres is a large expanse to be served by 12 lifts, which means much of it is skied rather than lapped, and the terrain between the lifts is as much the point as the runs beneath them.
No difficulty split is published, and the traditional-charm tag hints at a low-key, uncommercial atmosphere that many visitors value as much as the powder. Beginners and cautious intermediates will find Alta a harder sell than resorts built around grooming; advanced skiers will understand immediately why it is spoken of the way it is. The town of Alta itself is small, and Alta is a ski area more than a resort in the European sense: the lifts, the snow and the terrain are the point, and everything else is secondary.
Practicalities
Alta is unusually accessible for a major ski area: Salt Lake City airport is roughly 37 km away as the crow flies. The season runs from December to April. The resort’s official website carries lift information and conditions.
Frequently asked questions about Alta
No. Alta is one of three remaining ski resorts in the United States that prohibit snowboarding, along with Deer Valley and Mad River Glen in Vermont.
Alta averages 545 inches (13.8 m) of snow a year, more than most Utah resorts, and is regularly ranked as having the best snow in North America.
Its first lift opened in early 1939, making it one of the oldest ski resorts in the United States.
The base sits at 2,600 m (8,530 ft), and the skiable area covers 2,614 acres, just over 10.5 square kilometres.
Alta has 93 km of marked slopes: 14 km easy (blue), 28 km intermediate (red), 51 km expert (black), served by 12 ski lifts.
The skiing in Alta ranges from 2,600 m at the base to 3,229 m at the top — a vertical drop of 629 m.
The ski season in Alta typically runs from December to April. Exact opening dates vary by year and snow conditions.
Alta is better suited to confident skiers — only around 15% of the slopes are rated easy.
Alta has 51 km of expert (black) slopes — about 55% of the total. It is also known for its off-piste terrain.
An adult day pass in Alta costs around 199 USD (2025/26 season). Alta day pass.
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