On Sunday, April 20, Alta shut down its lifts for the season after its 78th season in operation with their annual closing celebration, referred to as “the Frank.” This celebration consists of costumes, hot dogs, and even paragliders, adding to the unique culture that Alta has created.
Along with hot dogs and costumes, Frank’s arguably best tradition is the throw-down underneath Wildcat on the very rare inbounds man-made jumps. Backflips, ski blades, and even snowboarders were some of the sights to see on this year’s unofficial competition.
With slushy snow, it makes for interesting conditions along with the many ‘wiggle’ lines, or tracks set in the snow after hundreds of people ski the same line over and over with soft snow.
At the end of the day, hundreds of skiers gathered at the top of the High Rustler run to celebrate the last 4:30 highboy lap of the season. This tradition has existed for many years and happens every day at closing at Alta; however, on closing day, there is a significantly larger turnout.
After a very successful and exciting year at Alta, Frank was the perfect way to wind the season down. Although it is sad to see the season come to an end, the 2024-25 season provided incredible snow totals with 536 inches on the season and several large storms, which only brings more excitement for the coming season.
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You’re wrong about 78th season. Alta opened in 1938; we celebrated 80th season quite a few years back.