Same Alta, Different Alta

Some of the changes you may have noticed, or can expect when visiting Alta:

• Masks - Face coverings are required. You already know this, but it’s worth repeating a hundred times.
• Physical Distancing - Hugs, high-fives and handshakes have been replaced with pole taps, head nods and air-hugs.
• Singles Lines - As standard across our industry this winter, we have eliminated singles lines. If you want to ride alone on a chair, no problem, just wait in line. If you're ok adding a single to your chair, go for it.
• Hosts - Alta hosts are making the rounds, promoting mask-wearing, answering questions and showing you to your table.
• Restaurants - Limited seating capacity available to paying guests only. Menus have been simplified. Order via a QR code at your table.
• Grab-and-Go Food - Expanded grab-and-go items, available at take-out windows and food trucks.

Some things that haven't changed:

• Skiing - It's as fun as ever.
• Chairlifts - Still awesome. No upgrades or changes here such as heated seats.
• Alta - The views, the snow, the community remains unchanged. The Photo Of The Day tradition is still alive, capturing the views, the snow and the community.

Make a Plan Before You Leave the House

The global pandemic has put pressure on all of us. Gone are the days when we could wake up on a Saturday morning and casually make our way to the mountain. Capacity is reduced, our infrastructure is stressed and every luxury we took for granted in the past requires a little more time than usual. Make a plan before you leave the house.

Plan to ski midweek and plan to arrive earlier, or later, than usual. We will be regulating on-mountain capacity via our parking and we have seen lots fill up between 10 am and noon.

Instead of circling the lot waiting for a parking spot, consider drinking another cup of coffee at home, packing a lunch and skiing in the afternoon once parking is available.

With remote learning and work-from-home life a reality for a lot of us, plan to ski midweek or on non-holiday weekends. Turn the mountain into your classroom or office space. Work in the morning and ski in the afternoon, or ski in the morning and head back to the home office. You’re the boss.

Pro tips:

• Bookmark the Parking & Road page and consult the daily parking forecast before leaving the house
• Follow @AltaAlerts on Twitter for Parking, Road, Lift & Terrain updates
• To learn more about skiing at Alta during a pandemic visit our COVID-19 page.

Meal Planning is a Must this Season

Like most things during this pandemic, grabbing a bite to eat requires a little more preplanning. Some dining outlets require reservations, others are only open to paying customers.

Plan on spending more time on the mountain and less time indoors:

• Restaurants are operating at 50% capacity, with longer wait times to enter facilities:
• Consider visiting Baldy Brews, Cecret Coffee and Alta Java ski-up take-out windows
• Visit the food trailers, Base Camp Kitchen in the Wildcat lot and Cecret Mercantile in the Albion lot

Use your car as a locker and a makeshift dining area.

• Tailgating (responsibly) is encouraged this season
• Pocket snacks are a great way to stay nourished and stay skiing
• As always, leave no trace and throw away or recycle your trash

Research your usual go-to base area restaurants and apres-ski spots.

• Most of the independently-owned lodges are closed to non-guest skiers

Face Coverings Are Required

Masks, double-layered buffs and other approved face coverings will be required to ski Alta this season. Masks help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and will help us to stay healthy and stay skiing. Alta staff will be around to remind guests to wear masks properly. We suggest bringing an additional face covering for indoor spaces. Neoprene facemasks with holes in them do not count. And keep your nose covered.

This is not your holiday dinner table, we will not debate the efficacy of mask-wearing with anyone. Wear a mask or don’t plan on skiing. Remind your friends to wear their masks properly. We are all in this together.

Enjoy the Ride

Skiing is a break from the stress of everyday life in these uncertain times. Breathe the fresh air and savor the feeling of wind on your face (covering) as you glide down the mountain. After all, this why we ski.

This is not the year to brag about your Strava. Take the time to enjoy each lap. Stop and look around for a new place to explore. Take a deep breath under that mask and enjoy Mother Nature's beauty.

And lastly, quite literally, tone it down. The more boisterous and loud we are, the further our lovely spittle travels. Save the yelling and loud talking for post-pandemic revelry, instead, use a quieter voice when in the lift lines and indoors.

Learn Something New

The Alf Engen Ski School has canceled some lessons but introduced a new Learn-To-Ski Program. While some of the classes, camps and programs have changed, the instruction of the Alf Engen Ski School remains world-class. Call the Alf Engen Ski School for more information about Private Lessons, Kids Class Lessons & Camps and Adult Multi-Week Programs.

The Alta Environmental Center is building out its winter events calendar with unique ways to spend time on skis in the outdoors. Birding On Skis and Snowshoe Naturalist Tours are educational and fun.

People Are Different—Be Patient. Be Polite.

As far as we know, George Jedenoff is the only Alta skier to have experienced the 1918 Spanish Flu and that was well before he learned to ski. Thus, we are all in uncharted waters when it comes to skiing during a global pandemic. People have different comfort levels when it comes to COVID-19 risk tolerance. Give other skiers their space on the hill, in liftlines and in high-traffic areas. Politely ask to ride a chair with a stranger and respect their decision. Be patient. Be polite.

Stay Healthy, Stay Skiing

While visiting Alta, we ask that you wear a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands, and stay home if you are sick. While we are big fans of calling in sick to work due to the "Powder Flu", we insist you stay home if you are experiencing actual flu-like symptoms.

We are all in this together. Stay home if you don't feel well.