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Alta, UT: Day I (December 12, 2010)

thetrailboss

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Date(s) Skied: December 12, 2010

Resort or Ski Area: Alta, Utah

Conditions: Clouds and fog giving way to sunny skies and temps in the 30's. 72 inch base, P/MG conditions.

2010-2011 Report #: Day 8

Trip Report: Our western vacation took us next to Salt Lake City for three days of visiting and two days of skiing. Upon arriving, I knew that I was in the right place:

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We checked in, visited the downtown, picked up our skis at Utah Golf and Ski and got ready for our big day on Sunday.

The drive from Salt Lake to Alta is barely 40 minutes and is very easy to find. I can see how Little Cottonwood Canyon can be interesting in snowy conditions.

We pulled into the Wildcat Base and got ready to go. Collins was on icing hold (a rare thing we were told) but Wildcat was ready to go (single pole double!):

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Within a few minutes of arriving I knew that I loved the place. It has a real nice relaxed vibe and the focus is on the skiing. It is sort of like Mad River Glen, but it is its own thing really. Everyone we met was friendly. And then there was the fact that they had a TON of snow that even covered the groomers:

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But anyway, first ride up Wildcat to Aggie's Alley was foggy:

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There was no wind, it was cool, and the snow was so soft. We headed down two warm up runs before Collins opened and hit Nina's Curve and Schuss Gully.

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Some folks might have thought we were nuts to be skiing in the woods, but the snow was just the ride density so that you could charge down the steep pitches and have great traction.

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Collins finally opened and we did a run down Main Street to West Rustler:

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The snow was amazing.

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The clouds began to lift and we headed to the Sugarloaf Lift. This lift offered great terrain variety that we spent most of the day exploring. It was the ideal place for me because you could fit in so many different types of terrain in one single lift ride--steep pow, bumps, trees, groomers, etc.

And did I mention all that snow??!!

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Sugarloaf with Devil's Elbow underneath it:

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We did a couple spins down Devil's Elbow and some of the surrounding terrain. J hit Razorback and I did Amen. We then wandered over to Supreme:

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Supreme was the first lift that I had used which had a conveyor belt for loading. The terrain up there was some serious stuff. We opted for a long run down Challenger to Sleepy Hollow and then down Big Dipper to Alf's Home Run to the bottom to grab an early lunch.

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The Rope Tow is classic and a great way to get in between both areas:

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The sun started to come out and we knew that the afternoon was going to be awesome.

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snoseek

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Nice pics. Alta is everything skiing was meant to be.
 

thetrailboss

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After lunch we headed back up Collins and to Sugarloaf:

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Yes, that is ski terrain and those are ski tracks! That is Greely:

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Glory Hole:

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Devil's Castle:

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Extrovert:

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Me standing at the top of Gravy Boat:

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More Extrovert:

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J was getting pretty tired, so we headed to Sunnyside. That is Supreme in the distance:

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Looking towards Sugarloaf:

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But skiing soft groomers just would not do and we hit the gnarly terrain under the lift named Vail. Yes, that is a detachable triple chair!

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Yummy!

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thetrailboss

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I headed back up Sugarloaf. Yes, that is Snowbird in the distance:

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But once again I needed to get off Piste. Keyhole Gulch:

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And remember that 72" is LOW snow conditions at Alta!

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Glory Gulch:

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Back up to the top for one more run. What a view:

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When what do my wandering eyes appear, but ropes dropping on Ballroom after lots of avi control had been done:

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I was there:

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Looking up Rustler:

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And I made it back down to the base. One of the best days in my life. That was until the next day at Alta...stay tuned for that report!
 

wlopowski

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Oh, got to love the "J was getting tired..." line. Always blame the wife! :p
 
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