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TR Alta in April 2017

marzNC

Angel Diva
My 2017 April trip to Alta Lodge was more about meeting friends from assorted connections than hard core skiing. I was on the slopes April 5-13, starting with the day I arrived. Per usual for a late season trip, conditions ranged from cool mornings when groomers were the only fun places to ski to warm afternoons when calling it quits by 3:00 or 3:30 was the most sensible approach. The bonus was a powder storm in the middle of my stay that dropped almost 20 inches of fluffy snow overnight. Other highlights included the last week ever of the Cecret and Supreme lifts and a Demo Day with fresh snow.

Snow coverage in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) was better than in recent years. There was well over 120 inches. The storm April 8-9 put the season total over 500 inches. What made the snowstorm even better was that the first 4-5 inches was relatively wet and helped to cover up and even out the frozen areas off-piste. That meant powder turns the next couple days without reaching bottom in most places.

I spent more time skiing groomers than usual, including off Sunnyside and Cecret. Partially because of snow conditions. But mostly because I was having fun introducing a friend and her kids to Alta. By the end of their ski vacation, they had ridden every lift. It was a great start for a family at a big mountain for the first time who learned at Massanutten (northern VA) only on holiday weekends for a few years.

I took a lot of pictures from Supreme and Cecret. Those lifts will be replaced during Summer 2017 by a single lift that starts from Alf’s. My guess is that the views from the new Supreme quad will be somewhat different.

More posts to come . . .

Looking back while riding Supreme
Alta Cecret Supreme Apr2017 - 2.jpg

View of Supreme Bowl and Supreme Point (peak on right) from Cecret, "meadow" on left is where some people come out after skiing Catherine's
Alta Cecret Supreme Apr2017 - 1.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
The trip started on a positive note. My Southwest flight into SLC arrived 30 min early, pretty unusual when flying west. My ski buddy Bill picked me up and we were at Alta Lodge just in time for lunch at noon. It was a spring skiing day and I headed out to get my MCP set up by 1:30 in order to ski off the Supreme lift. Was using my new Stöckli Stormrider 85 skis that I bought in Taos in February. Had a good time on the groomers and finished with a few runs off Collins right up until 4:30.

The 50% MCP rate off the combo Alta/Snowbird price was $64 for 2016-17, so a bit less than the afternoon ticket that starts at 12:30. (Cheaper PM ticket exists for 2:30-4:30.) I had used my three included days at Alta/Snowbird during an earlier spring break trip with my daughter in March. The Alta Lodge had the option of a “convenience” ticket that is good during a guest’s stay. It’s direct-to-lift, tied to a credit card, and automatically charges an appropriate rate. Meaning if someone starts their skiing after 12:30 then only is charged for a PM ticket and on additional days the rate is lower. I assume the other lodges at Alta could provide convenience ticket too. Day tickets were $82-93, depending on how many days (N of N+1).

April 6 was another spring skiing day. The groomers off Supreme were perfect and empty until about 11:00. Met up with a new friend from another ski forum for a few runs off Collins in the late afternoon. Off-piste had softened up nicely. We quit just before the lift closed at 4:30.

Didn’t do much “adventure” skiing. Went out Yellow Trail a couple times to get a better sense of where to go. Had gone out twice in recent years while following an instructor. Bill and I hiked Catherine’s once, but it had warmed up a bit too much since the storm. Used the Mountain Goat to put skis on my back because the demo skis had heavy demo bindings. It has advantages.

Stormrider 85 skis meet Alta, on Supreme lift
Alta Apr2017 general - 1.jpg

Checking out Yellow Trail when there is good visibility and reasonable spring conditions. Pics taken in gully next to Glory Gulch gully. The two skiers below are on traverse that leads to the Sugarloaf lift.
Alta Apr2017 general - 2.jpg Alta Apr2017 general - 3.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Everyone was very hopeful about the snowstorm predicted for the weekend of April 8-9. Already had several inches of dense snow on Saturday afternoon by the time I set up my favorite powder skis with Alta Ski Shop for Sunday. They had the new 2018 DSP Nina 99 @158, probably because it was right after Demo Day. Usually the DSP demo skis get sold well before April.

Saturday night there was at least 20 inches. It started dumping shortly before dinner time. Was pretty wild watching the storm come up the canyon. First the Wildcat parking lot disappeared and then you couldn’t even see GMD from Alta Lodge, all in less than 15 minutes. The wind was blowing sideways. Continued snowing lightly most of Sunday morning.

The annual North Country School alumni event at Alta Lodge was April 5-9. Myself, my daughter, and Bill, are NCS graduates (junior boarding school in Lake Placid, NY). A few NCS folks changed their flights in order to enjoy the powder on April 9. Happened to be the weekend that Delta was completely scrambled due to weather issues in Atlanta earlier in the week. For those with enough patience to get through by phone, the bonus was that they didn’t have to pay the usual charge for changing their flights.

I kept the demo skis for Monday too. It was blue sky but a little warm so had to stay high or in the trees to find cold snow that was still powder. Devil's Castle and Ballroom opened in the morning. Could tell it had been a good season and some locals were done skiing because it took a little longer than usual to get completely tracked out.

Pile of snow left by the groomers at the top of Supreme
Alta Apr2017 general - 6.jpg

My Stormriders were in the rack all day Sunday. Snowed most of the morning and a little in the early afternoon. Didn't pick them up until 4:45.
Alta Apr2017 general - 7.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
The Alta Demo Day on April 8 was the first time in a few years it was possible to check out skis on fresh snow on groomers and off-piste. Not a lot of snow, but 4-6 inches of dense snow was way better than nothing. Given the timing of the storm, even groomers were essentially ungroomed by lunch time. I only had time to demo during the morning. The tents didn't really get busy until 11:00 or so.

I took out the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 @159cm first thing, knowing they would be popular. As expected, they were good fun on the soft groomers. Also took a run on the BP 78 @ 156cm. For me, as a petite advanced skier (5’0”, 110 lbs), that’s the correct length. While I liked the BP78 and BP88, they are not quite as responsive as the Stöckli Stormrider 85. Had I not bought the Stormrider, the BP88 would be on a short list for purchase to replace my old BPs (2012 model).

I took out the Elan RipStick 94 in two lengths. These are the skis that have a Right and a Left ski. Something about camber on the inside and rocker on the outside. The theory is to provide the best of both. For reasons that are not obvious, I found the shorter length was not fun at all. However, at 163cm I had a good time on snowy groomers and off-piste. Definitely more stable at speed. Even liked them better on the large bumps on Lower Rustler.

Elan RipStick 94 @156cm, 133-93-108, R14.0
Elan RipStick 94 @163cm, 134-94-109, R15.0

In the afternoon, I skied my Stormrider 85 on the same terrain that I skied on the demo skis. Quite happy with the purchase.

Alta Demo Day tents
Alta Apr2017 general - 5.jpg

Elan RipStick 94
Alta Apr2017 general - 4.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
In addition to spending time with NCS friends, a major focus of this trip was my friend JF and her kids. She took advantage of a late spring break to bring the kids for their first big mountain experience. I’ve been skiing with JF, JF-DS (age 10), and JF-DD (just turned 9) at Massanutten for five seasons. Thanks to the instructors at Mnut, I knew they were all ready to ski blues at Alta because they made good use of ski school for the kids and group lessons for mom every season.

JF has very good luck with weather when it comes to snowstorms during ski trips. She and her kids have skied during a snowstorm at Massanutten more often than not, and they only ski during the holiday weekends in Jan/Feb. They arrived on Friday . . . and a big snowstorm started on Saturday.

JF and her kids had a chance to ski a few runs after arriving for lunch. One reason there are more families at Alta Lodge in April is that kids stay for free. Plus the kids get free rental gear at Powder House. JF brought her boots and rented skis & poles. A bonus for the kids’ rentals is that the poles were adjustable and could go as short as 30 inches. I took JF and her daughter over to Sunnyside and made it to Cecret just before it closed. It was good for JF to learn how to use the transfer tow and the Alta Lodge disc tow before the weekend. JF-DD picked it up right away. Bill took JF-DS up Collins. He’s been skiing the blacks at Massanutten and Mid-Atlantic bumps for a couple seasons already.

On Sat morning, I took JF-DS over to Alta Ski School for a full-day lesson. Taking the transfer tow is the way to go from Alta Lodge with older kids who already know how to ski. He lucked out and got an instructor to himself, supposedly for Level 6 (of 9). However, the instructor discovered early on that JF-DS was really Level 7 so they did a lot of off-piste skiing. I stopped by Watson’s as they were finishing up lunch. Followed them as they dropped into the gully just below Watson’s and then skied Lower Rustler. The instructor had a good time, and so did JF-DS. But it wore him out combined with adjusting to high altitude (Alta about 8000 feet). A little thunder snow closed the lifts around 2:45 so ski school ended a bit early, but that was a plus in his case. The lifts started up again by 3:30 or so. He did two ski school two other afternoons at Level 7 with a different instructor, with 1-2 other kids.

JF-DD opted to do PM ski school only the first day. She’s not been a fan of ski school. However, she’s decided that Alta ski instructors are pretty fun. On Sunday, the powder day, she did all-day ski school without hesitation. Only glitch getting her over to ski school was that the Alta Lodge tow wasn’t running after I went to pick up my demo skis. The liftie was a bit late. So I had to hike up to the locker room where I said I would meet her. There were quite a few parents dropping off kids that morning . . . before they went off to ski fresh snow.

JF-DD started at Level 5 and easily qualified for Level 6 after the full day. Doing side slips was one of the skills required to move ahead. In Level 6, she started to learn what to do with poles. Bill and I followed her Level 6 group on Monday afternoon when they finished up off Sugarloaf. Seven students, mostly ages 8-10 with one 12yo girl, two instructors. They did Razor Back, then headed to Yellow Bear (carved “trail” in mellow trees), which is a kid favorite. Went into Yellow Bear via a short off-piste section that required powder skiing instead of the easier route from the Supreme Cutoff. I have clear memories of trying to follow my daughter in Yellow Bear when she was Level 5 at Alta Ski School . . . at age 7. Back then I was an intermediate just starting to go off-piste and found keeping up pretty hard. Short turns in trees are easier on short kid skis. ;-)

Given how JF-DS did on Sat, I took him out on Sun morning to ski powder off Supreme. We did a couple runs on Upper Big Dipper, which was not a groomer that morning. The first time he fell towards the bottom trying to get into tracks for the run out. Since I had followed and he didn’t pop a ski, it was not a big deal. But he’d lost his poles in the deep snow. One was clearly visible just above him. I wasn’t sure we could find the other, but luckily looked in just the right place. For the next run, he used his pole straps.

Bill and I took turns skiing with JF and her kids when they weren’t in lessons. He and I could take the kids all over the place. It was easy with three adults for two kids, always better to outnumber the kids. ;-)

JF-DS on Lower Rustler with instructor. Instructor is giving him tips on how to choose the first 2-3 bumps before starting.
Alta Apr2017 friends - 1.jpg
Alta Apr2017 friends - 2.jpg

First untracked powder turns. From the Castle Apron traverse out the RockNRoll gate.
Alta Apr2017 friends - 3.jpg

Yellow Trail
Alta Apr2017 friends - 6.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
JF took full advantage of being at Alta during late season by taking adult group lessons, $70 for two hours. She started with Intro to Blues and moved to Ski the Upper Mountain. She had solo lessons all three afternoons with the same very experienced Level III instructor. He had her skiing the easiest blue off Supreme and Sugarloaf the first afternoon. The difference in her confidence and ability after three lessons was quite impressive. She’s good about asking questions, which the instructor found very helpful. He did an extra last run from the top of Sugarloaf every lesson so she got an extra 20-30 minutes. At the end of the second lesson, he just followed making no comments just to give her the chance for more mileage without being interrupted.

The lessons made it possible for JF to enjoy skiing blues, especially with company, so she got to ski off all the Alta lifts. Bill and I skied with her over on the Collins side on the last day, which was a warm, blue sky day with great views. She skied Mambo with Bill before lunch at Watson’s, then Corkscrew with me afterwards. I skied with her son in the morning, and switched off with Bill for the afternoon. She made very nice round turns all the way, with no hesitation. After riding up Wildcat for the view, I took her and her daughter back over to Supreme by loading Collins at mid-station. (Aggie’s Alley off Wildcat is a blue.)

Alta Ski School does not take reservations. Just need to check in and pay 15-20 min before a session starts. Gives parents a lot of flexibility to adjust to snow conditions and how a kid is feeling on a given day.

JF and her kids got a really good introduction to Alta. Being able to ride Supreme the entire time was a plus since in past years Supreme and Cecret were closed the last week of the season. It’s the best area for a mixed-ability group. They all liked Alta Lodge a lot. JF enjoyed the dinners knowing her kids were having a good time in the Kids’ Club. I think they may be back in the future.

Top of Collins: JF, JF-DD, Bill, JF-DS, MarzNC
Alta Apr2017 friends - 4.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Spring skiing at Alta is always fun. Meeting up with friends is the main reason I go to Alta regularly in April but have usually enjoyed a bit of powder skiing. The Demo Day is a bonus.

@alison wong was around Alta for a few days in April as well. We didn’t ski that much together this time but it was good to see how much she’s improved in the past year. She also got a solo lesson doing an Intermediate group lesson. She stayed at the Snowpine and I would guess is now thoroughly spoiled by Alta lodging and meals.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...d-annual-alta-visit-4-8-2017-4-11-2017.21798/

I spent more time around the Albion base this time. Was interesting to see people lined up waiting for Sunnyside to open on the powder day. Folks had lined up by 8:45 over on Collins and Wildcat. Presumably those at Sunnyside were hoping to get first tracks off Supreme. A NCS friend was lucky enough to catch the rope drop for Supreme Bowl mid-morning. He said it was chest deep.

Discovered there is a ski/bag check available at Alta Java. ($3 day ski or bag check, $5 overnight ski check). More importantly, an instructor pointed out the restrooms at ground level in the Albion Grill building.

With temps in the 30s and 40s, I had a chance to try out a soft-shell for the first time. Got a good deal on a Marmot softshell at Second Tracks during my trip in March. I liked it. Although I did use my little backpack a few days in order to carry spare gloves and other small items I usually put in jacket pockets.

Still learning about Alta, even after quite a few trips for almost a decade. Already have the MCP to cover next year’s late season stay at Alta Lodge. Certainly want to check out the new Supreme lift. :-)

Check Alta Sports for ski/bag check
Alta Apr2017 general - 9.jpg

Last season for Supreme. Some folks won't miss the conveyor loading.
Alta Apr2017 general - 8.jpg

Last season for Cecret
Alta Apr2017 Cecret.jpg
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Nice report (as always) :-) Loved seeing the sunny photos! while I'm thankful it's always snowed when I'm at Alta a sunny ski day is in order (Next winter?)
Yeah to no more conveyor belt!! I'm Glad you got snow Rock N Roll looked SWEET!!
I keep saying I'm coming back for an April fling... 2018? I hope so!!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Nice report (as always) :-) Loved seeing the sunny photos! while I'm thankful it's always snowed when I'm at Alta a sunny ski day is in order (Next winter?)
Yeah to no more conveyor belt!! I'm Glad you got snow Rock N Roll looked SWEET!!
I keep saying I'm coming back for an April fling... 2018? I hope so!!
Thanks. Alta in April is always fun, one way or another. :smile:

I always like Rock N Roll. Had great fun in the mornings there when I had it more or less to myself. Note that the pic of the boy's power turns is NOT on the groomer. Have to go thru a gate and side step up a bit to get the deep powder turns. Haven't done the full hike for a while, which requires going around the cliff corner. But would consider it again. Although going from the Devil's Castle side is actually easier.

The pics below are from April 2014.

Gate from Rock N Roll
Alta 05Apr2014 - 2.jpg

Going over from Devil's Castle hike.
We side stepped with skis on. Bill got way ahead. Have to look closely to see him on the traverse in the 2nd, 3rd pictures. We knew there was still powder in the Apron but elsewhere was baked and crusty. That's why we didn't have any company that afternoon.
Alta 14Apr2014 Castle Apron - 1.jpg Alta 14Apr2014 Castle Apron - 2.jpg Alta 14Apr2014 Castle Apron - 3.jpg Alta 14Apr2014 Castle Apron - 4.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Just an addition for those who wonder when it stops snowing in LCC. There was 50-55 inches of new snow in the past week, meaning Mon-Fri, April 24-28. My impression is that those who ventured to Snowbird had a good time skiing powder.

https://www.wasatchsnowforecast.com/2017/04/29/all-done

Biggest powder storm I've experienced at Alta ended with 34 inches on April 14-15, 2015. When the lifts opened on April 15, there was 25+ inches on the ground and snowing steadily.
 

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