Donate
Year Opened 1931

Alta Ski Area

Welcome to Alta, an independently-owned ski area since 1938. Nestled at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon deep in the Wasatch mountains, Alta is known around the globe for its powder skiing. With an annual snowfall average of over 500 inches, powder days are a way of life here.

# of Lifts: 6
# of Trails: 118
Acreage: 2614
Avg. Snowfall: 546
Best Year: 2022-2023
Best Year Totals: 903
Region: Wasatch Front
Address: 10010 Little Cottonwood Canyon Rd, Alta, UT 84092

Historical Events at Alta Ski Area

  • April 7, 1869
Silver Discovery in Little Cottonwood

In 1869 – more than 100 years before Snowbird opened – a U.S. Army soldier prospecting for silver in Little Cottonwood Canyon made one of the most valuable discoveries in the Wasatch Mountains. Known as the Emma Mine and the namesake for the Big Emma run in Snowbird’s Gad Valley, the soldier’s find eventually produced more than $3.8 million in silver.

  • January 15, 1939
Opened Chairlift

On January 15, 1939, Alta Ski Area opened the second chairlift in the country – the Collins Lift. A ticket for the lift that first season was .25 cents.

Skip to content