Alta’s opening weekend for the 2013/14 ski season was better than anyone could have expected! A few major fall storms blanketed the Wasatch, which was quickly consumed by backcountry skiers skinning and hiking up Alta’s runs. But a week before opening day, Alta closed the mountain to uphill traffic. A few smaller storms blew through that week, but then a huge wind event on opening day through Saturday threatened to wreck everything. Luckily, that was far from the case.
Myself, along with Justin Lozier, made it up to Alta for our first turns of the season on Sunday, and had a blast. A surprising amount of terrain was open, with several lifts running, including Collins, Sugarloaf, Sunnyside, and Wildcat. Upon making our first turns on what felt like baby deer legs, we discovered the snow was smooth and creamy with a few powder pockets left over in protected areas. The groomers under the Collins lift were fast, soft and fun, with only a few icy spots in high traffic areas like Corkscrew. Justin and I made laps under the chair on Mambo, Main Street and Meadow. After warming the legs up and finding ourselves pitifully out of shape, we hit up the tree runs like Fred’s Slot and Spruces, where snow had collected from the wind, providing soft turns.
Later in the day, fog descended on the upper mountain, so Justin and I headed over to Wildcat, which also skied really well. Everything off the shoulder like Stimulation and Punch Bowl were smooth and creamy, but the best run was Bear Paw as a rocky, side-step access kept sane skiers away, leaving fun, yet punchy snow all the way down to the bottom of Wildcat.
But the run of the day was Stonecrusher. We were surprised to see the lower traverse was open, despite tons of rocks that had to be carefully negotiated. The risk of dull edges and scratched bases was worth the risk, as Stonecrusher saw little traffic, leaving the best snow on the mountain for ourselves. Linking powder pillows together, Justin and I slashed curves into the gut of the run, capping off what may have been the best first-day-of-the-year in recent memory.
So if you’re a skier that’s on the fence about heading to the Wasatch before Thanskgiving for fear of low snow, don’t worry. Alta has a huge amount of snow that is sking really good right now. Get up there before the crowds!