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Newbie help at Alta

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If you hang out here long enough, you'll learn some of our favorite online shops for saving a little $$ on your gear. But beware, we are also enablers for spending more $$ ;)

I think you mentioned in another thread being able to borrow some gear to start with, that's a great idea for while you are getting a feel for things. And just like with kids, buying used is fine for a lot of things. And some items can be used for other outdoor activities- like the ski socks, or a merino shirt or fleece.
Welcome to the forum!
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I feel like I should mention that this year has been kind of a mess, at least at places at times. Because of Covid they aren't loading full chairs, so lines can be long; parking can be an issue and indoor lodge access is restricted. Having to stand in extra long lines and not always being able to go inside when you want, especially if you find yourself done for the day but your bf still is skiing, might not be conducive to enjoying the sport. If your bf wants to be out there bell-to-bell, you need someplace to go. Just something to keep in mind. Having slopeside lodging, IMO, would be one way to make life a lot easier.

Honestly for a first trip, where one person is a newbie and the other isn't, I'd recommend going to a real ski town. Telluride, Sun Valley, Aspen...places where, if you only want to ski a little, or you decide you don't like it, or the weather is terrible, you can easily do other things without relying on your bf for transportation or anything else.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I feel like I should mention that this year has been kind of a mess, at least at places at times.
I spent 5 days skiing at Alta in December. So my suggestions are based on how things are running this season, as well as previous experience as an intermediate skiing Alta, as well as getting friends started there. I've sent more details the the OP via PM.

Since BF is also willing to ski at Brighton, the combination of Alta and Brighton can be a very nice introduction to why a lot of people fly to SLC to use an Ikon pass.
 
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TNtoTaos

Angel Diva
So skiing are like children? They just keep getting pricier ;) I’ve got lots of practice at that.
Sort of -- but once you have a set of basic equipment, it can last you for years. After I had my basic stuff, I upgraded slowly: one year was new mittens, then new helmet, etc. This yr was Abom goggles.
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
You are getting excellent advice in the thread above, so I’ll just add two things. First, invest in appropriate ski clothing. If you search this site, you’ll find advice on ski jackets, ski pants, base layers, socks, gloves/mittens, helmets and goggles. If you’re dressed appropriately, you’ll have a much better experience.

Secondly, I started skiing at 45. I’m now 59, and not counting this COVID year during which I am not skiing, I’ve skied every winter weekend for the past 13 years. You can learn to ski at any age, especially if you heed the advice of @Christy , @liquidfeet, @marzNC , @diymom , and the other divas who have weighed in above. The Divas are wise and we love encouraging new skiers!

(We are also big-time enablers, so if you ask “either/or” questions about potential purchases, you’re likely to get answers along the lines of “why not both?” So beware!) :smile:

Let us know how you’re doing!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Ahh, finally read the whole thread, so I could weigh in and say "I started at 62." This is my fifth year skiing. I had (ahem) "help" from my bf, who started when he was 4. Professional lessons were better, by far! (See my post about crying and swearing.) And I'm getting the hang of it!

And all of this advice is equally wonderful. The price of skiing is high, though; if you like it, and are going to ski often, you can rent a pair of skis for the whole winter at a very reasonable price, or buy used. You can get a season pass if you are going to ski more than 10 days in a season (that's usually the ratio but you can do the math).

It's hard and somewhat frustrating at first. But if you catch this bug - it's amazing.
 

Wasatch Girl

Diva in Training
Hello NewbieM and welcome to the sport! I have been skiing Alta since childhood and am a season passholder who also loves cross-country. As others have already mentioned, this season is very different from previous ones. At Alta, lodge access is restricted to those who are "actively eating" and from what I've seen usually involves long lines to be seated. That being said, once seated, the precautions being taken are admirable and we felt very safe the one time we ate with our daughter this season.

I would highly recommend parking and basing out of the Albion parking as it has access to the beginner runs, including a free rope tow "Town Lift," as well as the free lift to Snowpine with a very functional hill for learning to stop and turn, should you have a friend who is not your BF to teach you (unofficially, as any paid instruction is prohibited unless it's from Alta ski school)...

While there is a cross-country track at Albion that is sometimes groomed, it is advanced and challenging...certainly not the terrain I would want to cut my teeth on as a new X-country skier, not to mention the altitude. I would recommend checking out White Pine in Park City for lessons and clinics, as well as Mount Dell, or my favorite Round Valley also in Park City.

As for downhill, definitely invest in a lesson or two up front and then intermittently. I have many friends who instruct at Alta and would be happy to connect you with them, but I can say that the ski school there is excellent. We have had our daughter in ski school at Alta since she was 4 and she is now 10 and is rocking it.

Another option if you're just not in the mood to ski is snow shoeing or even just hiking the Summer Road from Albion for some fresh air and exercise.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the gorgeous mountains surrounding you at Alta! While the apres ski scene is certainly not the same, lots of us are bringing grills and tailgating at our vehicles, which is lots of fun when the weather permits it!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
free lift to Snowpine with a very functional hill for learning to stop and turn,
According to the sign, the lift to Snowpine is for Ski School and guests only this season. At least that's what I saw in December.

I would highly recommend parking and basing out of the Albion parking as it has access to the beginner runs,
The other advantage of Albion is that there are most restrooms that are pretty easy to access without climbing stairs than at the Wildcat base. GMD is for paying customers only.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
When are you going to Alta? Do you have time to maybe head up to Snow Valley for a few lessons before your trip?
Snow Valley’s beginner lesson is only $99 on weekdays and it includes rentals, lower mtn pass and 1.5hrs of instruction. Alta’s 2 hr private is $230 and it doesn’t look like it comes with rentals or lift ticket.
If cost is a concern, I’d take some lessons at Snow Valley before the trip and practice while at Alta.
Someday, maybe you can mention Taos to your bf. He should like Taos if he is an advanced skier and you can take a Taos Ski week (2hr morning lessons for 6 days) for less than $400 and they are known for their ski school.
And no, it is never too late to learn at 41!!!
 

finsterlee

Certified Ski Diva
Hi! You've gotten great advice here @newbieM! So yes, you can learn at 41! I started when I was 30, and putzed around on some beginner hills before taking a CME trip with my husband to Snowbird (which is just next door to Alta).

1. DO NOT GO TO SNOWBIRD!!!! :smile: On the positive side, I finally got off the bunny slopes, because at Snowbird, it's ski or die. LOL! Just definitely stick with Alta as a beginner. I now live in Park City, and have had beginner friends say they really enjoyed Alta. Solitude (next door to Brighton) is also really good for beginners, and Brighton should be too. It is a family hill.

2. Uncrustables. They are the perfect ski food. Stick one in your pocket, and by lunchtime, it is perfectly thawed. This season with not many on slope dining options, it's the way to go.

3. I've been told cross country skiing is more like jogging, just on sticks. It's a very cardio-centric activity.

4. Definitely take lessons- it's not something you can pick up on your own. And if it isn't fun the first few times, I think that is normal. It really does become fun once you can solidly stop, and successfully tackle the chair. Also avoid the rope tow at Alta if possible. So difficult if you are just learning how to balance.

Check back in and let us know how things went! Happy New Year!
Angie
 

newbieM

Angel Diva
I just wanted to thank everyone for the amazing advice. Here is a breakdown of what I ended up doing in case it is helpful to other total newbies.

So...
1. I ended up borrowing equipment because my BF had lots of extras. I got some thin compression socks but someone up here was totally right. THINNER IS BETTER! After half a day of feeling like my leg was going to be amputated I rented boots for the other half of the day and then went to a local shop to tweak the boots I had borrowed. They were able to expand some of the fittings and I changed to even thinner socks and that made a world of a difference.

2. The first two days I skied Brighton. I did a three group lessons at Brighton, they were relatively affordable at $75 and I got a learner lift ticket which got me on two lifts which is all I needed for my lesson. The first day skiing I did a morning and a afternoon lesson, I was the only one so it ended up a private lesson for both. It was great and taught me a whole bunch. The first day was a super sunny day so it was an easy day to learn since the elements weren't tough and I had no sense of what good powder was like so I didn't know better. By the end of my lessons I was doing decent parallel turns but still adjusting to keeping my legs in line and staying forward. I ski really tight and am not relaxed enough so I need to work on that.

3. Third day I skied Alta, the privates were way too expensive so I skipped on those but I was able to do the easy greens and it was stunning. Their were a few inches of fresh powder and it was empty because it was mid-week so I literally was the only one on the runs. I skied almost an entire day before someone crashed into me and it shook me up so I was pretty done. But thankfully I had an awesome day until that moment.

4. On the last day we went to powder mountain because it was dumping. It got a foot of fresh powder and the local slopes looked super crowded even when we left at 7am (2 hours before things opened) it was the first real snow of the year and everyone was excited. After a hairy ride up the mountain (even with a 4x4 vehicle) we made it up and I signed up for a 1 hour lesson. I just didn't feel comfortable exploring a new mountain and skiing in all that fresh powder which I had never done before. It was EPIC. I was the only person on that mountain for at least the first 2 hours and got to lay fresh tracks everywhere.

Things I have learned and want to work on:

1. Learning something new is hard and I need to be easy on myself.
2. Adjust and tweak repeatedly, I am still not quite sure how to get my boots to feel right and the right balance between too tight and too lose to keep good positioning.
3. I have a really tentative personality so I wasn't charging down the mountain unless I made quite a few runs and felt comfortable, I need to learn how to overcome that. I did a lot of repeating in my head that I can do this. I am a little jealous of those who were just powering down, I didn't feel comfortable with that.
4. By the time I got comfortable in my head my legs were pretty jello. I need to work on my stamina. I also need to learn to relax because I was just working TOO hard to make it down the mountain.
5. Boots, I think I need to figure out how to get boots that fit better, I felt either too tight at times or that my foot had too much room to wiggle around.
6. When I get scared I lean back, which as we all know is BAD.
7. I am now forever spoiled skiing in a foot of fluffy fresh powder without anyone else. I got the skiing bug, someone help me.
8. I really can't wait until COVID is over so I can ski with others and apres ski like a pro ;)

Thanks for the advice!! This was all so priceless for me to read and mentally prepare.

NOW HOW SOON CAN I GO BACK OUT THERE??

Thanks for all the help and advice. Happy to share any tips for other newbies.
 

finsterlee

Certified Ski Diva
After a hairy ride up the mountain (even with a 4x4 vehicle) we made it up and I signed up for a 1 hour lesson. I just didn't feel comfortable exploring a new mountain and skiing in all that fresh powder which I had never done before.
Hi! You must have been here this Saturday! You absolutely did the right thing taking another lesson! I didn't realize that you need many lessons the first time you ski- I thought I would just get one or two and be good to go. :becky: That was such a mistake! You can never take too many lessons. I eventually moved into morning lessons and skiing with my boyfriend (now husband) after lunch.

You did fantastic! It's actually really hard to ski in powder for the first time, so nicely done! And so glad to hear you got the bug. The more you ski, the more you will want to have a proper boot fitting for new boots. Those are great holiday or birthday gifts that guys are more than happy to give so you can ski even more! Congratulations, and I'm so glad your first trip was out here to Utah. Thanks for giving us an update.

P.S. Skiing tends to use different muscles than we are used to- I am a runner and still have sore legs early season. It's especially hard when you are first starting.
 

newbieM

Angel Diva
Hi! You must have been here this Saturday! You absolutely did the right thing taking another lesson! I didn't realize that you need many lessons the first time you ski- I thought I would just get one or two and be good to go. :becky: That was such a mistake! You can never take too many lessons. I eventually moved into morning lessons and skiing with my boyfriend (now husband) after lunch.

You did fantastic! It's actually really hard to ski in powder for the first time, so nicely done! And so glad to hear you got the bug. The more you ski, the more you will want to have a proper boot fitting for new boots. Those are great holiday or birthday gifts that guys are more than happy to give so you can ski even more! Congratulations, and I'm so glad your first trip was out here to Utah. Thanks for giving us an update.


SATURDAY was INSANE! It was just stunning it felt like such a gift to ski in such powder and pretty. much have it to myself for most of the morning. He got about 13 runs of fresh powder, a lot of teh advanced stuff was still closed due to lack of coverage but he also managed to have a great day. The lessons made the trip much more pricey but in all honesty it made me feel safe and made it worth it at the end of the day. I just wish I could be a bit more fearless and I wish I had more stamina, my legs just got too tired and skiing with tired legs is like inviting an accident.

The BF and I rode a lift together and did a small mini route on Alta from the top of Majestic to get lunch outdoors at the alf lodge, that was all the skiing I could handle together without having to worry too much about how I was doing. He's such an effortless skier and I am hyper-conscious of myself so each of us doing our own thing was awesome.

And yes, I avoided snowbird, it sounded way too intense for me.

We are hoping to road trip it again at the end of Feb and get another ski trip in. The drive is just sooo long, I can't wait till COVID is over.
 

finsterlee

Certified Ski Diva
SATURDAY was INSANE! It was just stunning it felt like such a gift to ski in such powder and pretty. much have it to myself for most of the morning. He got about 13 runs of fresh powder, a lot of teh advanced stuff was still closed due to lack of coverage but he also managed to have a great day. The lessons made the trip much more pricey but in all honesty it made me feel safe and made it worth it at the end of the day. I just wish I could be a bit more fearless and I wish I had more stamina, my legs just got too tired and skiing with tired legs is like inviting an accident.

The BF and I rode a lift together and did a small mini route on Alta from the top of Majestic to get lunch outdoors at the alf lodge, that was all the skiing I could handle together without having to worry too much about how I was doing. He's such an effortless skier and I am hyper-conscious of myself so each of us doing our own thing was awesome.

And yes, I avoided snowbird, it sounded way too intense for me.

We are hoping to road trip it again at the end of Feb and get another ski trip in. The drive is just sooo long, I can't wait till COVID is over.
The BF and I rode a lift together and did a small mini route on Alta from the top of Majestic to get lunch outdoors at the alf lodge, that was all the skiing I could handle together without having to worry too much about how I was doing.
That is what they care about! Just knowing that you are willing to learn something that is such a big part of their life is huge. Many people would just say no. You can still take fun trips together, talk about what a gorgeous day it was, and not ski at the same level at all. So happy you enjoyed it!
 

Christy

Angel Diva
You sound like you are doing amazing for being a newbie.

I have a really tentative personality so I wasn't charging down the mountain unless I made quite a few runs and felt comfortable, I need to learn how to overcome that. I did a lot of repeating in my head that I can do this. I am a little jealous of those who were just powering down, I didn't feel comfortable with that.

I don't think you need to worry about that for a while. I'd focus on the technical stuff--learn to ski correctly and efficiently. When you feel more comfortable, you'll naturally increase your speed. In any case there are plenty of experienced skiers who prefer not to be hard charging. As you improve, you'll do what feels fun.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
You sound like you are doing amazing for being a newbie.



I don't think you need to worry about that for a while. I'd focus on the technical stuff--learn to ski correctly and efficiently. When you feel more comfortable, you'll naturally increase your speed. In any case there are plenty of experienced skiers who prefer not to be hard charging. As you improve, you'll do what feels fun.

^What @Christy said.

You are doing amazing and you don't need to start charging down the mountain. Take your time, learn to be a good skier, and then decide how fast you like to go. And is your chin strap unbuckled in that photo where you look so happy and beautiful? I speak from experience. Always buckle it! :thumbsup:
 

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