#6 — ALTA/SNOWBOARD, UTAH
WEBSITE: ALTA.COM/SNOWBIRD.COM
VERTICAL: 3,240 feet (Snowbird), 2,020 feet (Alta)
ACREAGE: 4,700
SNOWFALL: 540 inches
TICKETS: $93 (combined)
If you like heaps of dry powder, sweet terrain and sunshine, then Alta and Snowbird are the places for you. While both mountains maintain separate identities, both areas benefit from nearly bottomless and dry champagne and natural terrain carved by the Wasatch range. Oh, and you can ski them on the same ticket.
Snowbird is a bit more fast-paced and hectic, mostly due to the Tram, which races up nearly 2,900 feet of vertical in mere minutes, whereas Alta is a bit mellower, with its “slower†high-speed Collins quad, zipping you up in nine minutes.
But more similar than different, the two resorts both offer up rugged cliffs, steep trees, tight chutes and open faces for you to drool over. There isn’t a park and pipe scene at AltaBird, but no one seems to care. With easy access to the backcountry, close proximity to Salt Lake and the same community of like-minded individuals riding in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta/Snowbird provides a world-class skiing experience. As they say, go for a week and you’ll stay for a lifetime.
THE TOP 12
#1 Whistler/Blackcomb, BC
#2 Aspen/Snowmass, CO
#3 Sqaw Valley, CA
#4 Jackson Hole, WY
#5 Mammoth Mountain, CA
#6 Alta/Snowbird, UT
#7 Breckenridge, CO
#8 Telluride, CO
#9 Mt. Baker, WA
#10 Big Sky, MT
#11 Copper Mountain, CO
#12 Park City, UT
