Utah First Trip To Altabird - Looking For Some Advice

[Crank]

The 1-3:30PM tour is a bit of a powder clinic/ stash tour. You go out with an instructor and a small group of advanced, expert skiers. The guide will show you some cool spots and take you places you would not likely go on your own. You may also met other skiers to hang with. It was well worth it for me and I definitely recommend it.

Have fun!

 

[DanoT]

. This strategy may not work so well at an area like Alta-Bird, as your skis may be pointing to a cliff,. Same for following tracks, so I'd much prefer following people...

While I only have a limited number of days at Alta/Bird, my skis did a good job of avoiding any areas marked "cliff".

As far as following tracks that lead off piste, I fully agree that that is a no-no because you never know where they go who made the tracks.

One good tip that I got from a local on my first day at what was a very cold powder day at Snowbird: Mineral Basin gets the morning sun.

 

[cantunamunch]

One good tip that I got from a local on my first day at what was a very cold powder day at Snowbird: Mineral Basin gets the morning sun.

And Little Cloud gets the afternoon - but you have to keep track of wind exposure at both and know when to go look in Gad Valley.

 

[TheArchitect]

Check out the resort guides on EpicSki, those are actually a good resource. Check the weather forecast and take proper skis. It's is easy to ski from Bird to Alta, the other way, Keyhole I would not recommend for someone who has never skied out West. Even with bad snow skiing there is awesome. I would try find a local or quasi local skier to show you around. Even asking people on the lift for pointers sometimes works well.

I've checked out those guides. You're right; they're a good resource.

$85 for a guided tour when most resorts offer free tours? I wouldn't do that. Instead, spend the money on renting fat skis if it starts dumping.

As Crank said, it's not really a tour in the traditional sense. The powder clinic part of it is what really interests me.

As for skis, I scored a great deal on new 2015 FX94's during the offseason from Ski Essentials. From what I've read and some advice from others they should be a good ski for out west. Yeah, they're not super wide for deep powder but I wanted to get something to use as my regular ski in northern VT. I have MX88's for everything else in NE.

If there's an epic dump I'll rent something really fat.

 

[VinceF]

I would second the opinions that you should ski both and decide on the third day after that. Snowbird has better terrain IMO but, as others have said, the vibe is better at Alta. That being said, if it is a fresh pow day you mileage may differ. I was showing an Eastern skier around Alta a couple of years ago. We happened to hit Ballroom just as the rope dropped to open it. The person I was showing around was going very slowly on the cat track out to the bowl and the impatience of those behind him boiled over. He was elbowed off the track and sent tumbling down the bowl. I told him this is known as Alta-tude.

 

[UGASkiDawg]

Snowbird doesn't really have better terrain. It has more obvious terrain and whole lot less traverses and hiking to access the best stuff though. It has more vertical and is easier to get in a big day though....still like Alta better.

 

[BobMc]

If you were here on a weekend I'd be happy to show you around. But, I'll be at work, sorry. If you read the snowbird threads you should be able to get a feel for where to head conditions dependent. But, like has been said, don't overthink it. Ski the fall line and explore around, I'm sure you'll have a good time.

 

[tromano]

Just curious what part of the vibe at Alta do people like better?

 

[tromano]

Based on his self description - the OP will probably like Alta better. So starting there makes sense. Alta has better/more plentiful offerings for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers. When you actually find your self at then end of a long traverse looking down an expert slope it was an adventure and finding drop in was often more challenging than skiing the actual slope.

Hitting the bird one day is a good idea for completionism.

 

[bbinder]

Just curious what part of the vibe at Alta do people like better?

No snowboarders....

 

[DanoT]

Just curious what part of the vibe at Alta do people like better?

I don't know about Alta but the "Snowbird Vibe" that I have encountered is best summed up as "getting cut off on the way to the Tram on more than one occasion". Even if the arrival at the Tram is uneventful, the 2 or 3 or more tramcar wait makes Snowbird's Tram a bad idea on a powder day, imo.

 

[John Webb]

Just curious what part of the vibe at Alta do people like better?

I like both very well.

The Alta - Snowbird thing is Just like the Alpine Meadows - Squaw dynamic. Many diehard locals at the "A" place will almost never
go to the "S" place. For casual visitors this appears to be much ado about nothing !

 

[Josh Matta]

Snowbird doesn't really have better terrain. It has more obvious terrain and whole lot less traverses and hiking to access the best stuff though. It has more vertical and is easier to get in a big day though....still like Alta better.

Snowbird has 50 percent more vertical(1000 feet!!!), less bumps, longer faces, better exposure and the traverse are mostly downhill. I hate alta's Fast line slow bumps, and vastly prefer snowbird slow line fast bumps. Any time I see a post about someone liking alta bumps I know they are a Z turner.


If you think your an Expert, go to Alta. Of you truly an expert go to Snowbird.

 

[DanoT]

Snowbird has 50 percent more vertical(1000 feet!!!), less bumps, longer faces, better exposure and the traverse are mostly downhill. I hate alta's Fast line slow bumps, and vastly prefer snowbird slow line fast bumps. Any time I see a post about someone liking alta bumps I know they are a Z turner.


If you think your an Expert, go to Alta. Of you truly an expert go to Snowbird.

I need a translation here. Does "fast line slow bumps" mean a not so steep mogul field that one skis fast and "slow line fast bumps" the opposite? Also what is a Z turner?

 

[bbinder]

Snowbird has 50 percent more vertical(1000 feet!!!), less bumps, longer faces, better exposure and the traverse are mostly downhill. I hate alta's Fast line slow bumps, and vastly prefer snowbird slow line fast bumps. Any time I see a post about someone liking alta bumps I know they are a Z turner.


If you think your an Expert, go to Alta. Of you truly an expert go to Snowbird.

I am pretty sure that I am not a z turner, and I like the bumps at Alta. Actually I like bumps most anywhere... The attraction for Alta for me is, probably, that I know most of the secrets of the place, and I don't know Snowbird well at all. The fact that the lift at Alta is a short (approx. 200 feet, although uphill) walk from where I stay at the GMD, compared a little more effort to get to Snowbird may contribute to my bias as well. The crew that I stay and ski with tend to get lazy about this aspect. I would love to get to know Snowbird better -- my suspicion is that I would like it just as well as Alta. The snowboarder thing is quite real to me. After skiing Alta for 3-4 days once, I remember going over the top to Mineral basin, seeing a snowboarder cross my path thinking "what the hell is that". I probably still had altitude head...

 

[tromano]

I like both very well.

The Alta - Snowbird thing is Just like the Alpine Meadows - Squaw dynamic. Many diehard locals at the "A" place will almost never
go to the "S" place. For casual visitors this appears to be much ado about nothing !

I guess you could designate me as a casual visitor. I am not a pass holder at altabird, and ski there maybe 3-4 days a year. I don't notice a difference in the vibe. Though the terrain layout differences are obvious.

 

[tromano]

Going back to @TheArchitect ... when you are at Alta, I recommend skiing the Supreme and Wild cat lifts on a powder day if you want to avoid the feeding frenzy on the hiT. Those two lifts mostly avoid navigating traverses.

 

[TheArchitect]

I would second the opinions that you should ski both and decide on the third day after that. Snowbird has better terrain IMO but, as others have said, the vibe is better at Alta. That being said, if it is a fresh pow day you mileage may differ. I was showing an Eastern skier around Alta a couple of years ago. We happened to hit Ballroom just as the rope dropped to open it. The person I was showing around was going very slowly on the cat track out to the bowl and the impatience of those behind him boiled over. He was elbowed off the track and sent tumbling down the bowl. I told him this is known as Alta-tude.

I've been reading about the traverse etiquette and will get the hell out of the way if I need to. Still, elbowing someone off the track is kinda a dick move.

If you were here on a weekend I'd be happy to show you around. But, I'll be at work, sorry. If you read the snowbird threads you should be able to get a feel for where to head conditions dependent. But, like has been said, don't overthink it. Ski the fall line and explore around, I'm sure you'll have a good time.

Thanks for the offer. I originally was going to be there early on Sunday but my flights changed and I'll arrive late in the day instead.

Based on his self description - the OP will probably like Alta better. So starting there makes sense. Alta has better/more plentiful offerings for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers. When you actually find your self at then end of a long traverse looking down an expert slope it was an adventure and finding drop in was often more challenging than skiing the actual slope.

Hitting the bird one day is a good idea for completionism.

My guess is that I'll like Alta better but who knows. I think both are going to be amazing.

Going back to @TheArchitect ... when you are at Alta, I recommend skiing the Supreme and Wild cat lifts on a powder day if you want to avoid the feeding frenzy on the hiT. Those two lifts mostly avoid navigating traverses.

That was my plan, actually. Given that I've never skied out west I don't know if the Hi T on a powder day is where I belong.

Snowbird has 50 percent more vertical(1000 feet!!!), less bumps, longer faces, better exposure and the traverse are mostly downhill. I hate alta's Fast line slow bumps, and vastly prefer snowbird slow line fast bumps. Any time I see a post about someone liking alta bumps I know they are a Z turner.


If you think your an Expert, go to Alta. Of you truly an expert go to Snowbird.

I'd love a description of what you mean between those two types of bumps. I don't quite follow you. Are "fast line slow bumps" large well-spaced that you can ski fast through? Which of the two compare to typical eastern bumps (say on National or Starr)

 

[Josh Matta]

it has everything to do with the shape of the turn making them....the size of the turn does not matter

Z turn bumps are formed by people who pivot then edge set

S turns bumps are formed by people who make nice round turns.

 

[Josh Matta]

National usually is slow ling fast..... starr can be a mix...centerline is almost always Z turned.

Snowbird is almost always fast line slow due to the majority of skiers there do not heel push, and the good snowboarders keep things nice and round there. Alta skier typically rotary push off to edge set, very much like MRG skiers.