Brought to you by Alta Ski Area

Report from March 3, 2021

Today was a gorgeous day at Alta Ski Area, UT.

I arrived at the crack of noon and saw straight away that Main Chute off 11,000′ Mt. Baldy was open.

Well, that’s not true.

I assumed it wasn’t open because I couldn’t see anyone in the chute or on the summit at all when I was cruising up the Collins chair.

At the top of the chair, I asked a ski patroller if it was closed and he said:

“No, it’s open, it’s just that Devil’s Castle just opened and everyone is headed over there.”

“Sweet,” said I.

I zipped down to the Sugarloaf chair, traversed over to the start of the hike and took my time rumbling up the 25-minute bootpack up to the top of Main Chute.

I had the top to myself and I took a moment to drink it in.

Vistas of Mt. Superior, Snowbird, the Salt Lake Valley, and east Alta danced in my eyes.

Eventually, I got it together, took 3 deep breaths and dropped in.

Main Chute was chalky, fast, wide, and a bit bumped up.

I scratched from turn to turn trying to stay in the sun and trying not to blind myself with spray.

The chute skied well and by the bottom, I was breathing hard.

Main Chute always makes me feel great.

It’s such an aesthetic chute.

From there it was back onto the Collins chair and straight over to High Rustler.

The same thing happened there.

I was on top alone.

I drank it in, took my 3 deep breaths, and skied it top to bottom.

This one really had my gasping for breath at the bottom.

Especially since I’m terrible at skiing moguls.

I looked up, thanked the run, did one more cruisy groomer off Collins and called it a day.

Thanks for the great day, Alta.

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