Advice for first-timer to Alta?

[va_deb]

Mr. Va Deb has more vacation time than I do and got the MCP. He is Alta-bound at o' dark hundred Sunday.

He is bringing his boots and will rent skis. I told him he really should demo several while he's there, and that he might want something in the 90s for colder morning corduroy and mid-100s for fresh powder and piles, which he should definitely see later in the day.

He is going to take one private and one group lesson. Unfortunately he couldn't find any place reasonable last minute on the resort so he'll be staying in Sandy and making the drive.

Any thoughts as to where he should head for his demo skis? Assume renting/demoing on-mountain will be more $ but much more convenient. He demoed Volkl Mantras, Line Sir Francis Bacons, and another Line at Tahoe and liked them all. I think he should try some K2s and Kastles while he's ou there too -- but any ski good for the conditions of the day/day part so he can make the most of the experience,

Ant thoughts on what part of the mountain he should start on first to get a feel for Alta and warm up his legs for his second trip out West this year? And any instructor recs?

He's a groomer guy, comfortable on Western blues and most single blacks, but hasn't had a ton of experience in heavy powder. TIA!

@altagirl @AltaEgo @marzNC @Tryin2Ski

 

[va_deb]

+ @NewEnglandSkier @nopoleskier @alison wong

 

[nopoleskier]

Ah.. lucky guy.. I know @marzNC did a trip blog somewhere on here and knows Alta inside and out and takes lessons so hopefully when she's done skiing today :-) she'll give you ideas too.
I'm sure there are ski shops in Sandy or just go to the Mt. Alta is nice because it's not huge. I'd suggest he drive up and park in Goldminers Daughter parking lot. there is a ski shop right in gold miners and another one up a small hill to the right directly parallel to the the Collins Lift & Wildcat lift just a tad more up the hill AND it's conveniently next door to where he'll have to go get his MCP pass/RDF card, I'd go there then if he wanted to switch out skis he could and be right by the lifts.
Grab a trail map it's easy to navigate they do post the days groomed runs. There are 2 lifts right in front of Goldminers- Wildcat triple is farthest to the right, services the trees and steeps you look at when you look up the front and a couple groomers you look at from the bottom. The Collins lift is the main quad goes all the way to the top and he can access everything OR if a big line there take the transfer tow to a lower lift enjoy some very gentle greens/blues all perfectly groomed. and from there it's just a short ski over to the Ceret Lift. The Ceret lift goes up to the top left of the mt. There are Several nice groomers there and a nice warm up. If Rock and Roll is open Take it!! if you get first tracks here is dreamy.. gentle rollers just enough pitch. Catherines is off to the left of the Ceret lift all ungroomed wide open tree trails. Hopefully he'll have a lesson early in the day and also get a good guide but he shouldn't worry Alta is easy to get around.

For lunch there's Great food at Alta Lodge (next door to Goldminers you take a handle/rope tow up to it) or Rustlers next hotel up fancier & take a small chair up but good.. On the Mt Great burgers, fries and burritos at Alf's- But usually we go to Alta Lodge is less $ than on the Mt and way better.. if he's alone ask to be seated at a 'joiners" table. he'll meet some really cool people who just may take him on a private tour- guests seem to like to show off the Mt. to 1st timers.

and I'm sorry to say you just may be jealous when you talk to him...So I hope you get some vacation time and can go to Alta w/him at some time!! it's got a great vibe I'm sure he'll have fun!

 

[va_deb]

Very helpful, @nopoleskier. Thanks a bunch! Alta sounds fabulous, and yep-- I'm just a tad jealous. I definitely want to get there next year.

Our longer west trip together will be in the spring at Squaw. Can't wait!

 

[marzNC]

When I rent demo skis, I get them from the Alta Ski Shop at the Wildcat base. It's next to the ticket window, right next to the base of the Collins lift. There is a discount for renting 3 days.

There are several different ski shops at Alta. Each carries different brands. So if he is looking for something specific, may need to look at a different shop. At Wildcat, the other shops are in GMD and just above Alta Lodge. There is another shop at the Albion base.

This guide includes a great way to explore Alta.

https://www.epicski.com/a/alta-an-unofficial-guide

Who did he book the private lesson with?

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

If he parks at the Wildcat base--near Goldminer's Daughter as suggested above, he has 2 choices of demo shop easily available to him--Motherlode Powder House in the Goldminer's and Alta Ski Shop which is in a building right next to the Collins lift.
You mention he likes groomers, and there are groomers available off each of the lifts, though if I remember correctly Wildcat lift has fewer groomed options . . . .He might want to start at Collins and work his way over to the Supreme lift and then Sugarloaf as well.
Since he has the MCP, if conditions are good/good visibility I'd highly recommend he drop into Mineral Basin on the Snowbird side. Since you say he likes groomers, they groom a swath in Mineral Basin but there are lots of opportunities to get off the groomed in there as well. In fact all of Snowbird is worth some exploration he he has the desire. I loved Mineral Basin but also enjoyed exploring the rest of Snowbird as well--I thought I'd find it intimidating but I actually liked it and most of my time is spent on groomers.

 

[marzNC]

Just noticed question about instructor recommendation. My primary instructor is Arthur Haskell. Lives in NC but has been teaching at Alta for years after Wintergreen and Snowshoe. So he understands mid-Atlantic terrain.

Note that even in deep powder (>10 inches), Arthur prefers that I have skis that are no more than 100 underfoot for a lesson. My lessons with him are 80% off-piste at this point.

 

[altagirl]

I don't have any instructor recommendations, but concur that renting great on the mountain makes sense. I don't remember it being significantly more expensive and the convenience factor is huge.

 

[va_deb]

Thanks @marzNC! He is booked with Arthur for a lesson in the morning and has a short list to demo at Alta Ski Shop. I gave him some 88s and low to mid 90s to ask for in the a.m., and he will probably go a little wider and longer in the afternoon if they get more powder or if he decides to explore ungroomed a bit more.

And thanks for the info and the helpful perspectives on Snowmass and Mineral Basin, @NewEnglandSkier. Good to hear that you found the terrain not too intimidating even though you do mostly groomers back East. He is definitely intrigued, and may end up exploring there later in the week.

 

[marzNC]

Highly recommend the free mountain host tour of Snowbird. Starts at a couple times in the morning. Green and/or blue groomers. Covers every section, including Mineral Basin if visibility is decent.

 

[va_deb]

Thanks, @marzNC. The Snowboard mountain host tour sounds great! He will tell Arthur that you said hello, btw.

OT, I am a new member of the Absolute Joy fan club. :-) Check out my post in Gear Reviews.

 

[va_deb]

Thanks again for recommending Arthur Haskell at Alta, @marzNC. He found his private lesson really helpful. Two thumbs up for Arthur!

Many thanks to you and @nopoleskier @NewEnglandSkier for the helpful suggestions for non-locals. He didn't make it over to Mineral Basin, but he had a great trip!

 

[marzNC]

Thanks again for recommending Arthur Haskell at Alta, @marzNC. He found his private lesson really helpful. Two thumbs up for Arthur!

Glad your DH had a good time at Alta!

Arthur is great for any ability level. Have recommended him for both kids and adults, including women who learned as adults or men who haven't had a lesson for decades. My friend's kids did a semi-private with Arthur one spring break when they were aging out of Alta Ski School for kids and Level 7/8 (of 9). Their mother was a cautious intermediate and also had a private with him that trip.

 

[marzNC]

In case anyone finds this thread in the future, while Arthur does a lot of private lessons he also does the Adult Mountain Workshop at times. Just as with intermediate group lessons, it's possible to get a solo lesson during early or late season. I found out Arthur would be doing the Workshop my last afternoon in April. After talking to him at Watson's about the possibility of ending up in his group (usually 2-3 groups by ability), Arthur was pretty sure it would be fine. I waited for the Supervisor to show up and confirm the plan before paying. End result was that I had 2.5 hour solo lesson for $85 plus tip. I'll have to wait until next season to work on what we covered, but it was still worth it.

 

[marzNC]

This guide includes a great way to explore Alta.

https://www.epicski.com/a/alta-an-unofficial-guide

Forgot that I put this link here in Post #5. It's obsolete.

However, there is online guide that dates from 2017. Including a lot of pictures. How do I know? Well, many of the pictures of Alta that aren't action shots are mine. I also contributed info and pictures for Snowbird.

 

[marzNC]

I took another semi-private lesson with Arthur during my late season trip. This time with a friend from Massanutten who I met doing Silver Clinics (over 50) with Walter. He was part of the DC Ski Club group who were staying at Snowbird the last week of March. We did the lesson together with his ski club roommate, TallDC, who had never had a lesson. TallDC is something on the order of 6'4". Early in the week he rented skis that were too short. He's been charging down advanced and even expert terrain with friends for decades . . . using lots of muscle. But he was open to the idea of a private lesson.

Per usual, observing how Arthur worked with the other skiers was fascinating. We worked on fundamentals on Mambo and then skills directly related to skiing bumps on the lower section of West Rustler. TallDC had never heard of the concept of "shin to the boot" in any form. Arthur was able to get him to feel the difference in just a few turns on the groomer. I learned a lot directly and indirectly.